Tarrytown Board of Trustees Meeting 12/5/11

Two Tarrytown police officers, Gregory Budnar and Christopher Cole, were recognized with written accommodations for their quick actions in capturing robbery suspects in two separate incidents, one also involved attempted murder.  

Public Comments

Tarrytown resident Mark Fry said he reviewed all meeting minutes since 2005 and wanted to recognize the Board for a doing a good job.  

"I stand in awe at all this Board has accomplished," he said. "The silent majority is happy with what you are doing. Keep up the good work."

Michelle Casarella of Tarrytown read a prepared statement critical of the Board and Village regarding confined space training.

"In 2005, the trustees said confined space training was too expensive," said Casarella. "Only now, a year-and-half after two men died, did our DPW workers receive the training they need. You only did the right thing when you were forced to."

Lori Semeraro said she noticed that work to repair a sink hole on Martling Ave. was being done without confined space equipment. "I was told this work was being delayed until after confined space training was complete. So why aren't confined space procedures being followed?"

John Stiloski questioned why the law firm retained by the Village to do an independent review of the Village's actions before and after  was also now defending the Village.  "Isn't that a violation of ethics," he asked.  "How can they do that?"

A resident of Fairview Ave. complained that taxis waiting to pick up students at the were blocking traffic. "The kids are oblivious, they just wander out into the road," he said. "Someone is going to get hurt."

Pete Lombardi, an employee of the Village, accused Mayor Drew Fixell of "pulling the street sweeper (driven by Lombardi) off the road."  Later Diane Touhey demanded to know if Fixell had taken the street sweeper off the road.  "I don't think it's fair that I have to move my car and get a ticket for a service that is not being provided," said Touhey.

Fixell explained that he had only asked the question: "Would it make sense to stop the street sweeper until the leaves got picked up?", adding, "That is the extent of it. I didn't issue an order."

A resident of 36 Storm Street said her pile of leaves has been there since before the October snow storm.  John Stiloski asked if it is fair to have trees still down a month-and-a-half after the storm.

Resolutions

The Board passed a resolution to clarify which village boards are exempt from filling out financial disclosure forms. The exempt boards were defined as those with no decision-making authority such as the Lakes Committee, Senior Committee, etc.

Tattoo Parlor Public Hearing

Several residents spoke during a public hearing about a provision of Tarrytown's new law which allows tattoo parlors, but not within 500 feet of a school. The purpose of the hearing was to clarify the definition of school.  

The proposed location is 13-15 Neperan Road. Resident Diane Touhey read a letter from saying that the location was unsuitable even though it does fall outside the 500 foot restriction.  In addition Touhey said the proposed location is near a school bus stop and within a few hundred feet of where children gather.

"We are talking about the safety of children," said Touhey.

"You are talking about the safety of children," said Trustee Doug Zollo. "I don't think there is any conflict with the presence of a tattoo parlor and the safety of children."

Initially Tarrytown's new law also said tattoo parlors could not be located near a park, but that restriction was removed from the final language. 

"Why was the park restriction so easily stricken from the law?," asked Lori Semeraro.

"We are not trying to prevent children from ever seeing a tattoo parlor," said Mayor Fixell. "We tried to pass a law with reasonable limitations."

The Board proposed to define a school as an "institution for the education of children under age 18."

Several speakers, including Karen and John Garibaldi, argued that on Main Street, is a school for children. Diane Touhey also said the New York School of Esthetics accepted students as young as 17.

"It sounds like this law is being tailored to fit a vendor," said Karen Garibaldi.  "The graphic ads they had in the window were scary. No one should have to look at that."

The sign to which Garibaldi referred was indeed a violation of the new law restricting the type of window displays allowed. It was removed and a violation issued, according to Mayor Fixell.

The Board voted to approve the proposed definition of a school with Trustees Robert Hoyt and Becky McGovern voting no. 

"I am disappointed that we took the parks restriction out of the law," said McGovern.