HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025_07_01 Sustainability Collaborative Minutes Town of Mamaroneck Sustainability Collaborative/CSC Task Force �r p{MaMar0
2025.07.01 Meeting Notes � liec*
TOWN OF MAMARONECK SUSTAINABILITY COLLABORATIVE .4r/
July 1,2025-- MEETING NOTES SIStainabOt'
Attendees: Mark Kramer, Mitch Green, Arlene Novich, Roger Weiss, Allen Reiter, Irene Ochs-Lilien,
Andrea Hirsch, Robin Nichinsky, Arthur Katz, Hugh Collins, Kevin Crowe, Jacob Levitt, Johnny Zox,
Sophie Dassesse-Cowles and Congressman George Latimer
Approval of the Meeting Notes
The Notes from the June Sustainability Collaborative Meeting were approved.
Discussion with Congressman George Latimer
Congressman Latimer joined the Collaborative meeting,as he has from time to time over the last ten
years, to check in with Collaborative members and hear about local issues of importance. George
responded to a number of questions from Collaborative members-here are a few take-a ways from
our conversation:
➢ One of our challenges is getting the word out on local environmental initiatives because of the
lack of local media-daily or weekly local papers are no longer available,making it harder to reach
local residents.
➢ We need to keep new scientific advances driving product development, system improvements,
and affordable renewable energy alternatives in front of our residents.
➢ We should strive to collaborate with other Westchester communities (we do with VoL and VoM-
LEC and CFTE)and create fact-based reports of what we have accomplished.
➢ If you see innovative approaches for new initiatives, please bring them to the attention of the
Collab.
➢ Feel free to communicate with the Congressmen's office on local initiatives, local programs,and
your questions. See https://latimer.house.gov/contact for telephone numbers and addresses.
Town Supervisor and Administrator visit to the Collaborative-Topics to be proposed
The Collaborative will invite the Town Supervisor and Town Administrator to visit our August or
September meeting; whichever works best for their schedules. The Collaborative co-chairs will
forward a series of discussion topics, which will likely include:Sanitation Commission organization
and funding dispute resolution; Maxwell Ave Incinerator Abatement& Demolition-timing, funding,
Maxwell Ave redevelopment opportunities afterward; Comprehensive Plan Implementation - next
steps before the end of 2025;Boston Post Road re-paving- Town Government's specific Complete
Streets Goals; Fast EV Chargers and Washington Square-implementation schedule;Public Space
Pollinator Gardens - Private/Public Partnership; "Empty Nester"and Work Force Housing- Town
proposals to implement Comprehensive Plan Goals; Restoring the Town Tree Canopy- updating
"Trees for our Town" in line with 2024's "110 trees with 2-year watering" program; Sanitation
Commission Food Scraps-2026 plans for Farmer's Market and curbside collection.
Note: Those interested in affordable housing issues should check out the Town Housing Authority
website: https://www.townofmamaroneckny.gov/314/Housing-Authority Their Regular Meetings are
the first Monday of the month at the Town Center. Agendas are available before the
meetings. Minutes are available following approval. View All Agendas and Minutes. Members:
Joseph Mileto, Chair, Christie Philbrick-Wheaton, Vice Chair, Lawrence Thaul, Treasurer, Meg
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Town of Mamaroneck Sustainability Collaborative/CSC Task Force
2025.07.01 Meeting Notes
Deshpande, Secretary, Melissa Kaplan-Macey, Member, Anant Nambiar, Councilperson and Town
Board Liaison
Hommocks Parking Solar Canopy Update: Collab members' updates included: Collaborative's
January2024 Report to the Town,including a large-scale Solar Canopy installation for the Hommocks
Parking Lot. During 2024, the School Board initiated a Solar installation program at Hommocks,
Central, and MHS. The School District and the Town just completed an agreement to enable the
schools to implement Solar Canopies on a portion of the parking lot owned by the Town.
Coordination and Communication:Following up Congressman Latimer's thoughts on the difficulty
of"getting the word out';Arthur K emphasized the need for Town residents to sign up for Notices and
Alerts, noting that he continues to be surprised at how little neighbors seem to know about what's
going on in the Town, from "big picture"issues related to Zoning and Planning to "everyday"issues
related to changes in Sanitation pickups due to extreme weather. Collaborative members noted that
all media and all opportunities to increase awareness should be explored,including inserts into local
tax bills,perhaps re-creating the one-pager Sanitation Info sheet of years past, working with the PTAs
at each school and providing information kits to local realtors to share with prospective residents.
While the Town is the Collaborative's specific focus,some of these initiatives might benefit from joint
action by all three local environmental committees.
Vine Street Housing: Arthur K noted that the Vine Street Housing proposal, to be located on the
current site of J&F Motors adjacent to Lot A, is now under review at the Zoning Board. Arthur
encouraged residents to learn about the project and become part of the discussion.
Vine Street Housing, Lot A and Memorial Park: Steve Moser, longtime Collaborative member and
the leader of the 2014 Tri-muni certification of ToM, VoM and VoL as "Bike-Friendly Communities",
sent a note to the Collab advocating for a "bigger picture"look at the relationship between Lot A,
Memorial Park and the Vine Street Housing initiative. Steve M advocates for "preservation,
improvement and expansion" of the Town's Open Space, including ideas about preserving but
consolidating LotA parking so that Memorial Park can be expanded across Myrtle Boulevard. Other
ideas included identifying specific "Community Benefit"improvements that the Vine Street Project
might fund as part of the Zoning and Planning process, including helping fund Lot A/Memorial Park
improvements and/or creating a "Community Clubhouse" that might enable Senior Programs to
benefit from adjacency to the Town's largest park.
Update: Steve M will attend the August Collab meeting, where we will discuss the issues outlined
above.
Tree Photography Exhibit:Arlene Novich reported that the Tree Photography Exhibit will remain up
on the Town Center 2'Floor for the foreseeable future,giving residents and Town staff the ability to
increase their appreciation for our natural resources. The Tree Team will consider another round of
Tree Photo submissions for November, giving students and residents the chance to capture and
display our Town's fall colors.
Our Community's Urban Forest-Resident Survey:Several Collaborative members discussed New
York City's "Urban Forest" Resident Survey, and whether that might be a way to gain resident
feedback while increasing knowledge on our Tree Canopy's current status. (Please see the pdf of the
NYC Survey, an attachment to these minutes). Johnny Z noted that the NYC survey was not the
beginning of the process, but a "next step"in a multi-year campaign (started Post-9/11 during the
Bloomberg Administration) to reduce Health and Safety Risks with the City's Urban Heat Islands) to
restore and expand NYC's Tree Canopy. Robin N noted that recent Town Surveys on Lot A Parking or
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Town of Mamaroneck Sustainability Collaborative/CSC Task Force
2025.07.01 Meeting Notes
the Hommocks Pool were driven by near-term planned CAPEX investments. The Tree Team will come
up with an Action Plan for our next meeting.
Gas Leaf Blower Law Enforcement: Collab members discussed the continuing use of Gas Leaf
Blowers by some Landscaping companies and the lack of enforcement activity. Alan R noted that
while Leaf Blower use is typically a short-duration activity during the summer, that will change in the
fall.A FOIL request generated a list of police activity, showing a surprisingly small number of cases
and onlya few fines issued. Hugh C asked why resident videos of gas-powered leaf blower use were
not accepted as proof of violation;others noted that if a video was good enough to help identify the
killer of a Fortune 500 company CEO, why did the Town not accept videos as proof?The Collab will
ask the Town Supervisor and Administrator to discuss this with the Police and modify policy to
conform to the Law's requirements.
Quality of Life Issue-Graffiti in the Town:Mark K asked Collab members if they had seen graffiti in
the Town. Members identified Sheldrake,Rockland near the Town Center,and Old Mamaroneck Road
as locations where elimination of graffiti has not happened, diminishing the Quality of Life within the
Town. Robin N will verify which Town department is responsible for dealing with graffiti; Collab
members thought the Highway Department was responsible. It was noted that the Village of
Larchmont has an "Online Complaint Form'; a "one-stop starting point" where residents can
communicate with Village government, with Village staff distributing each submission to the
responsible department.
Update: The graffiti locations were communicated to the Town and immediate action was taken on
all Town properties. If you see graffiti in the Town, please email Mark. The Collab will discuss this
further at our August meeting. VoL's Complaint Form, like NYC's"3-1-1" is a way of promoting two-
way communication between residents and Town government, which then might become a way to
increase knowledge of Town issues and activities.
ConEd Rate Hike Hearings-in-person in White Plains on July 9-1 PM &6 PM:Mark Khighlighted
upcoming public meetings on the ConEd Rate Hike requests, 11.4%for electricity and 13.3%for Gas.
Although the Town joined other Westchester governments in opposing the rate hikes, whether this
has any impact on the New York State Public Utilities Commission is unclear. Collab Co-Chairs Mark
K and Mitch G encourage residents to attend and make their voices heard!
Comment by the Co-Chairs: The ConEd rate hikes may just be the"tip of the iceberg"for continuing
escalation of energy sourcing and delivery costs over the next decade. Within the past year, the
explosive growth of "A.I. Data Centers" and their large power demands are likely to push energy
generation costs even higher. The best way for our residents, and the Town, to control utility costs
may be through on-site power generation(e.g.,solar or geothermal)or small-scale"micro-grids"(the
Collab and Town won a grant for this several years ago to tie the Town Center, MHS, and Sarah
Neuman Nursing Home together).
The meeting was adjourned at 8:00 pm.
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