Infrastructure issues were top priorities at the Scarsdale Board of Trustees Meeting on September 27. Flooding, sewage overflows and crumbling roads are plaguing the Village, and with limited funds available Village Managers are spending what they can to address these issues.

Mayor Flisser reported that she attended a meeting with Barry Road residents accompanied by Village Managers and the Superintendant of Public Works Benny Salinitro to discuss what could be done about the stagnant Hutchinson River tributary at the end of Barry and Tunstall Roads where there is a recurrent sewer overflow. There appears to be a need for a stormwater management program in this area that is also affected by the City of New Rochelle and the Town of Eastchester.Residents shared photographs that showed the condition of the tributary and new construction nearby.

After discussion, the Village staff agreed to the following:

• Contact New Rochelle to determine what they are doing to maintain the river and to find out if they can identity the source of the blockage. New Rochelle has taken recent action to clean up debris on their portion of the stream.
• Set up an inspection of the river in cooperation with New Rochelle.
• Contact the US Army Corps of Engineers to consider de-silting or other projects for the river.
• Check into eligibility for County grant money to fund projects that will reduce flooding associated with the river.

Salinitro agreed that dry sweeping the road after a sewer overflow is only a partial clean-up solution. He will research methods to sanitize the road surface as necessary. A follow up meeting will be held around October 20th.

In the Public Comments section, the conversation turned to flooding of the Sheldrake River Basin around Cayuga Pond. Doug Ulene, Neil Tucker and Alissa Kanowitz urged the Village to act quickly to find a solution to the problems in that area. Kanowitz, who has experienced major flooding three times in the past month alone showed pictures of the overflowing pond, her submerged swimming pool and yard to the Trustees. She said, “The problem is getting worse. We cannot afford to wait for years. We need to fix this immediately. We have only been here for one year and we never would have come had we known this problem existed. “

In response Trustees passed a resolution appropriating up to $47,000 for a study of the Sheldrake River Basin that would identify the problems and offer solutions. The funds will allow engineers from Dvirka and Bartilucci to do a preliminary plan for a stormwater improvement project for the area. Once this is completed, Trustees will have what they need to evaluate the issue, analyze improvement plans and estimate the costs.

Roadwork: The Village also passed a resolution to appropriate an additional $400,000 for road repair, resurfacing and curbing. The original 2011 -12 budget only included $320,000 for road work, a steep reduction from the $990,000 spent in 2011-12. This new appropriation will bring funding for roadwork to $720,000.

Last, Trustees passed a resolution to allow the Scarsdale Youth Football league to use lights on the field three times per week from October 1 through November 12. The lights will give the league extended playing time and will be turned off by 7:30 pm.

Trustee Brodsky announced a Public Hearing on Tuesday October 25th at Village Hall to review amendments to the Village Code on affordable housing.