Trustees Debate Financing Options for Proposed Library Overhaul
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Can Scarsdale afford to build a state of the art library? That was the question at a meeting of the Finance Committee of the Scarsdale Board of Trustees on Tuesday February 9. A determined group of project proponents came to the meeting to press the trustees to approve a $12 million bond to fund the Village's share of the proposed $19.5 million renovation and expansion. Terri Simon, President of the Library's Board of Trustees explained that the board needs this commitment from the Village in order to raise the additional $7.5 million in private funds that they have pledged to contribute to the project.
Simon announced that the Friends currently have gifts and pledges of $1.5 million with another $500,000 of private donations contingent on the Village's approval to fund the project. They are eager to move forward and hope to break ground one year from now in February 2017. She said, "We reject any suggestion that private dollars should come first; the Village commitment will give us the momentum we need to move forward."
Simon sought to explain why the cost of the project had ballooned from the original $12 million to the current estimate of $19.5 million. She said, "We did not permit the architects to design the Taj Mahal," and were "mindful of the cost concerns," saying that the Darien library was "over the top." She continued, "We wanted to serve our programmatic goals in a cost effective way."
The budget includes a total of $1.2 million in fees to the architects for design drawings and construction documents for the new library. The Library Board has already spent $310,000 on architect's fees from their budget and requires an additional $890,000 to move forward with the plans.
While the two-year renovation is in process, a temporary library would be set up at Supply Field. In order to build out the space on the second floor of that building and make it handicapped accessible, an estimated $750,000 would be spent on renovations in addition to $90,000 for construction documents. This project might also need to be put through a SEQRA Review to assess traffic and environmental impacts.
By maintaining library services, Scarsdale would remain a part of the Westchester Library System and residents would be able to borrow books from other libraries. The new Assistant Village Attorney Samantha Garrison said that another option would be for Scarsdale to contract with an area library to serve Scarsdale, but the fee would be based on usage. For example the Ardsley Library serves Elmsford residents at a cost of $250,000 per year and Cortland pays $600,000 for library service. The trustees asked if the Library Board had considered using the Weinberg Nature Center or a big box retail store on Central Avenue as a temporary facility.
Trustees asked Library Director Beth Bermel if there would be savings to the library budget during construction as the building would be closed. She said that the savings had not been estimated but that items like heating, electricity and staff hours should yield savings. It was not clear whether library staffers, who are civil service employees, were entitled to full pay during the renovation period, even if they were not able to work their usual hours.
According to the Village's Director of Capitol Projects Paul Zaicek, even if the proposed expansion did not go through, the Village would need to spend $4.5 million to repair and update the infrastructure of the library. Zaicek outlined potential costs for replacements and upgrades. On the list is a new roof, handicapped accessible bathrooms, a generator, asbestos abatement, HVAC equipment, lighting upgrades, masonry and repointing, $450,000 for furniture, fixtures and equipment, a wheelchair lift and audiovisual improvements.
Commenting on the option of repairing the current library, rather than moving forward with the expansion, Trustee Bill Stern said, "By repairing it we are throwing good money after bad. This would be shortsighted and doesn't bode well for the reputation of the Village of Scarsdale. This is not a good exercise."
Village Treasurer Mary Lou McClure reviewed scenarios for financing the project, examining the impact of a $12 million bond on the village budget. She explained that the Village's borrowing is regulated by state law that says the maximum financing period for a renovation is 15 year, while the maximum financing period for a new building would be 30 years. Borrowing $12 million at 2.75% for 15 years would raise the Village's debt payments by approximately $1 million dollars a year, translating to an average annual increase of about $150 per household and a 2.55% tax increase on Village taxes for 15 years. She presented analyses showing current and anticipated Village long-standing debt which would total $9.4 million through the year 2012 – without the $12 million library bond.
As the time grew short, the assistant village attorney discussed the regulations for bringing the decision to a vote of the entire community. Though the Board of Trustees has the power to pass the bond without a vote, Mayor Jon Mark indicated that the size of the project and its significance to the community might warrant a vote as a "concrete way to get community feedback."
Simon vociferously objected to a community vote saying, "The Library Board urges you not to avoid your authority as a Village Board. It is within your authority to authorize the bond. We think it would be shirking your responsibility as a Village Board to defer this to the voters. Take the bull by the horns, step up to the responsibility and do what you need to do for the community."
In a heated exchange, Mayor Mark responded, saying, "With all due respect, this board is not shirking their responsibility if it decides to put this up for a vote." Referring to information from the Library Board outlining similar projects in other communities, he said, "All of the project you show in your document were put up for a vote. Library bonding issues are common."
In his opening comments at the Board of Trustees meeting that followed the finance committee meeting the Mayor recapped what had occurred and added, "While this board and the Village staff are aware of other bond issuances by the school board that will impact taxpayers, these are not included in the analysis." He said that the finance committee and the Library Board would continue their analyses and hold additional meetings on the proposed project. He said that at this time the Village Board "has not reached any definitive conclusions," and encouraged residents to continue to provide their feedback.
In the public comments section of the Village Board meeting there were many comments in support of the project. Among those who urged the board to approve the financing were Lisa Messinger, Carl Pforzheimer, Harriet Sobol, Linda Chayes, Justin Aris, Laura Miller, Jill Spieler, Joyce Hirsch and Jill Spielberg. Several people had additional ideas about how the new facility could be better utilized by the community. Lynne Clark asked the Board to include a specially designated space for older residents to meet, calling it "Scarsdale Scholars," and Andy Wax brought a laugh to the audience when she came to podium to ask the Board to add a swimming pool to the proposed community hub.
CNC Nominating Process: Tradition vs. Practice
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(This is an opinion piece from Joanne Wallenstein) Some residents who follow Scarsdale Village affairs were surprised when the nominations for Village Trustee were announced last week. More surprising than who was nominated was who was not.
For the second year in a row, a Village Trustee who had served a first two-year term was not re-nominated to serve a second term. This year, Deb Pekarek, who appeared to have done a good job in her first two years, was not re-nominated for a second term. Deb was generally well liked, came well prepared to meetings, was diligent in her responsibilities as liaison to village committees and organizations and listened and responded to resident's concerns.
So why was she not re-nominated? The answer lies in the non-partisan process itself. In an explanation of the process on the Scarsdale Citizens' Non-Partisan Party website, it says, "By tradition, but not in the Resolution, is the practice of re-nominating a Village Trustee (but not the Mayor) who has served only one term, and to re-nominate the Village Justice (whose term is four years) regardless of the number of terms he or she has served."
Discussing the nominating committee's voting process the Non-Partisan Resolution says, "The election for each open office or position will be conducted separately, without reference to the name of the current occupant of an office or position, by separate successive vote for each open office or position until a person is selected for such office or position." The proceedings are run by representatives from the Scarsdale Forum and SNAP who are non-voting members and barred from expressing opinions on the candidates.
What does this language mean? Though there is a tradition to re-nominate standing trustees, there is no rule to guarantee it. Nowhere in the resolution or in the voting process is a standing trustee given preference. Even in voting for trustees, the names of all possible candidates are included on the ballot, and the committee votes without regard to who was formerly a trustee. There is no process by which an existing trustee is favored over a new candidate.
In recent years it has become hard to find candidates to run for the Citizen's Nominating Committee itself. These nominators are selected in contested elections and its tough to find people willing to place their names on the ballot for a general election. The Procedure Committee has to cast a wide net to find nominators and often begs people to run. Perhaps some who served on the nominating committee this year are not aware of some of the issues before the Village Board or how the trustees conducted themselves?
In the past it has also been difficult to find qualified candidates willing to take on the job of Village Trustee. It is a time consuming and complex job that is performed for free. So in the absence of new nominees it became the expectation that, barring malfeasance, a standing trustee who had served two years would be nominated to serve another two.
But apparently this year was different. The committee recruited several worthy candidates with good professional backgrounds and a history of service to the Village who were willing to throw their names into the hat. It appears that the CNC did their job, almost too well this year, and were able to attract some outstanding candidates who may have impressed the committee at their interviews. Their credentials were weighed against the existing trustees who were up for re-nomination.
What goes on in the deliberation process is confidential, so only the committee members know what went into their decisions. But we all can see the outcome.
The nominators evaluated their options, cast their votes and selected those who they found most fit for the job.
It's unfortunate that Pekarek, who did a good job for her first term, will be denied a second term. But on the other hand, the process worked as it was intended to, and the Village has two new trustees at their service.
Rather than viewing the vote as a miscarriage of justice, perhaps we should all express our gratitude to Deb Pekarek for two good years of service and accept the will of the committee that was in put in place through a fair process. Some fear that the committee's failure to re-nominate a standing trustee will deter others from running in the future—but that's an issue we will all have to face down the line.
For now we should be thankful that qualified residents have stepped up to deal with important issues before the Village, such as an expensive overhaul to the library, the need for historic preservation laws and consideration of thorny land use issues. There's work to be done, and fortunately we have qualified people to do it.
LED Streetlights, the Tax Cap and more from the Scarsdale Village Board
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Should the Village convert Scarsdale's 2,000 streetlights to LED (light emitting diode) lights? An ad hoc committee that was appointed to study the issue in April 2015 has released their findings and recommendations and reviewed them with the Municipal Services Committee of the Board of Trustees on January 26.
The committee ran a three-month pilot project in September and October 2015 when they installed 25 LED streetlight of varying colors and brightness on Heathcote, Fox Meadow and Madison Roads. The LED light posts had yellow signs asking residents to email LED@scarsdale.com to provide feedback on the lights.
The committee reports that they received only 11 emails from residents. One concerned the lack of light near a home, and the remaining 10 were split in their view of the lights. According to the report, "About half preferred the new LEDs and the other half found the sample lights too bright and/or harsh in color. Most of the responses, regardless of their view on the brightness and color, were in favor of the LED project as a direction for the Village."
The committee also reviewed their findings about the quality of the light, the color of the light, the distribution of light and glare, all of which have been issues in other communities that installed LED street lights.
They said that the color is typically white or bluish while the committee preferred softer color light. Softer or warmer light is also preferred because it doesn't disturb sleep cycles.
Light distribution also varies – and sometimes the LED's can light up resident's lawns, behind the pole. This can be controlled with shields. Bright spots or striping can also result.
Glare can also bother drivers and is exacerbated on hilly streets where the light is viewed from high or low angles. The committee believes that properly designed LED lights will be developed that produce uniformly bright and pleasing light.
A full conversion to LED streetlights is estimated to cost $550,000 to $650,000 with savings of about $105,000 in electricity cost, resulting in an investment payback in six to seven years.
The committee recommended that the Village move forward with a second pilot study of LED fixtures on high traffic streets. They propose to install 25 LED lights on Post Road, Mamaroneck Road, Heathcote Road and Weaver Street. The pilot would allow the committee to finalize specifications for the fixtures, confirm assumptions about installation time and get additional community feedback. After the pilot they recommend that LED lights be installed on the Village's highest traffic streets by the end of 2016. They propose that a full installation of LED lights be staged over five years.
The cost for the pilot and 2016 installations would be $100,000. The Mayor said this expenditure would be discussed in the upcoming budget deliberations.
Committee members are: Victor J. Goldberg (Chair), David Raizen, Benedict Salanitro Ronald Schulhof and Michelle Sterling.
In other news from the Scarsdale Village Board:
Scarsdale Library
On February 9 at 6 pm, the Board will hold a discussion about the proposals to renovate and expand the Scarsdale Library. The Mayor has asked Village staff to analyze the tax impact of borrowing $12 million to fund the Village portion and this will be reviewed. The Mayor said that, "No decision has been made to move forward. And we won't decide until there is broad based community support and willingness to fund it." Private contributions of $7.5 million would be needed to fund the $19 million project. The Mayor encouraged residents to attend the meeting or email their views to the Village board.
Acting Village Justice:
Since Joaquin Alemany was appointed Interim Village Justice, replacing John Galloway who retired, the position of Acting Village Justice was vacant. The Judicial Qualifications Advisory Committee recommended three candidates, and from that list, Mayor Mark selected Cynthia K. Dunne of 14 Edgewood Road. Dunne has 28 years of experience at the Office of the U.S. Attorney.
Tax Cap:
The board scheduled a public hearing to authorize the BOT to adopt a budget that exceeds the tax cap, which this year is only .45%. The hearing will be held at their meeting on February 9, 2016.
Cayuga Pond Stormwater, Sediment Reduction and Water Quality Improvement Project
The Village was awarded a $1.4 million grant for a storm water remediation project at Cayuga Pond. The grant requires that the Village supply matching funds of 25% or $350,000. The Board authorized this expense for the removal of silt, flood mitigation and the improvement of water quality.
Irrigation System at Chase Park
The Board passed a resolution to accept a gift of $3,500 from the Friends of the Scarsdale Parks to install an irrigation system at Chase Park. These funds, along with a balance of $2,788 from a gift for deLima park will be used to install the system. .
Road Race
The annual 15 K/4 mile road race through Greenacres and Fox Meadow will be held on April 3, 2016 from 9 am to 12:30 pm. The race will be co-sponsored by the Scarsdale Antiques Running Club.
Public Comments
Benefits of Trees
Dan Hochvert sited several studies that confirm the health benefits of living in or near green areas. He said, "Researchers in England's University of Exeter Medical School examined mental health data from 10,000 subjects and found that people living near more green space reported less mental distress. Furthermore, in 2009 a Dutch team found lower incidences of 15 diseases including heart disease, anxiety, asthma, depression, diabetes and migraines in people who live within a half mile of green space."
He continued, "In 2015, an international team, using data from Toronto found that those who live on blocks with more trees experience a boost in heart and metabolic health equivalent to a $20,0000 gain in income. Lower stress levels have also been associated with living near more green space.
He thanked the village for preserving and protecting our green spaces.
Food Scrap Recycling
Michelle Sterling of Brayton Road responded to trustee's comments at a prior meeting about a proposed food scrap recycling pilot program. She said, "What's the benefit to residents? It gives them the opportunity to participate in a valuable program to help the environment in a way they can't otherwise." Discussing recycling she said, "When people participate, they feel great about it." She added, "We have a 50% recycling rate here. I believe residents care. Sometimes we need to broaden our view."
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for new Metro North Staircase
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An official ribbon cutting ceremony was held on Wednesday morning January 20 at 7:45 am to celebrate the opening of the new stairway that extends from East Parkway to the Metro North northbound platform at Scarsdale Station. Mayor Mark addressed commuters on the southbound side, thanking the Village Staff, the staff of the Department of Public Works and Paul Zaicek who supervises the Village's Capital Projects for their work. He also thanked the crews who were out in 20 degree weather at night a week or so ago to put the staircase in place and the crew that work in similarly chilly weather Monday and 
Tuesday of this week to install the railing and finish the job. The staircase was then declared open for use and the red ribbon was cut!
Watch a video of the proceedings here:
Trustees Contemplate Compost
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A proposal to launch a pilot program to facilitate food composting dominated the discussion at the Village Board meeting on Tuesday night January 12. Members of the Scarsdale Forum Sustainability Committee lobbied Village Managers and Trustees in December in support of a pilot program to collect food scraps from a test group of residents and transport them to a commercial composting facility. The program would be the first of its kind in Westchester.
Participants would receive two food collection bins – one for the kitchen counter and another wheeled bin that would be placed at the curb for collection. The cost of the pilot program for 100 families would be $44,500.
Currently Scarsdale's waste is transported to Peekskill where it is burned to ash.
Commenting on the proposal Mayor Mark said, "While there appears to be environmental benefits of the program, none of them apply to Scarsdale.... Our waste is burned, not dumped and there would be virtually no savings to the village from the program." He continued, "Little would seem to flow back to the village economically." He explained that the food scraps would be picked up by a village truck and transported 48 miles to the food composting facility, as opposed to 27 miles to the resource recovery facility in Peekskill, "involving additional CO2 emissions and fuel." He argued, "If there is less ash in Peekskill, that would benefit them, not us."
Projecting forward he said that if the program were expanded ten-fold, the annual cost to the village would be $445,000, enough to pave a mile of village streets. He suggested that residents take up composting on their own, and said that the Board of Trustees would consider to weigh the expense versus other needs in the upcoming budget process.
Trustee Bill Stern spoke in favor of the pilot program telling the group that a similar program at Greenacres School has reduced the amount of garbage from 18 48-gallon bags a day to just one bag a day. He said that caterers use recyclable storage containers, children eat with wood utensils and bring their food to school in reusable containers. He said, "If the program is adopted, I am sure we would find a closer recycling facility." He said," What comes from the earth should go back to the earth."
Mayor Mark commented that two thirds of the program Stern was describing at the school had nothing to do with food scraps – but pertained to recycling of packaging and the use of reusable containers.
Carl Finger said, "No one is taking issue with recycling in the schools. My daughter was a recycling ranger." He argued, "just because Scarsdale does not receive an economic benefit, that does not mean we should not do it. It has to start somewhere.... There might not be a dollar of dollar payback, but I don't want to make that a litmus test. I want to keep hearing about this and discussing it."
Ron Schulhof of Springdale Road who is a member of the Scarsdale Forum Sustainability Committee pointed out that those who compost in their yards can only compost foods such as fruits vegetables and coffee grounds. They cannot compost meat or processed foods. He currently takes his compost to Whole Foods. He said, "Food is a resource. We should conserve it and use it to make compost."
He explained that the program was about education for residents and their children. He said it's "not just about dollars and sense. To not try is a travesty. ... We are blessed to live here – and sometimes we need to take the lead on something."
In other business:
State Grant for Cayuga Pond Project: The Mayor announced that the Village has received a $1,050,000 grant from the state for use on the Cayuga Pond Project. The project is designed to alleviate flooding -- and with these funds new work will be possible. It will require consent from private property owners whom the village will contact to get permission to access their properties. The grant represents 75% of the project cost and the village will be required to fund the other 25%.
Metro North Stairway: The Metro North replacement staircase on East Parkway is now in place, but not yet ready for use. The finishing work is in process. Once the stairway is complete, the bus stop will be moved back to the top of the stairs. A ribbon cutting ceremony for the new stairway is scheduled for Wednesday January 20 at 7:45 am.
Village Election: The Village election will be held on Tuesday March 15 from 6-9 am and 12- 9 pm at Scarsdale Village Hall.
Gift to the Library: The Board of Trustees accepted a gift of $79,600 from the Friends of the Scarsdale Library to be used for renovations and improvements to the library.
Letters: The Village received 66 letters and emails since the last Village Board meeting.
-33 concerned the library, with 25 in support and 8 opposed to plans to renovate and improve the Scarsdale Library.
-26 communications in support of the food waste compost pilot program were also received.
