Board Votes On Congers Lake West Trailway And Savino Agreement

The Clarkstown Town Board scheduled two public hearings for today’s 12 p.m. meeting and both are concerned with proposed changes to the town code. The first concerns a proposed local law to amend Chapter 290, which deals with zoning, to allow a special permit use in the Laboratory/Office (L/O) Zone. The request came from a company interested in purchasing the Cambridge University Press property on Brook Hill Drive in West Nyack which wants time restrictions on deliveries lifted.  The second public hearing is on a proposed local law to create Chapter 41, which has the planning board as its subject, and would also amend Chapters 42 and 43. 

The board will vote on authorizing a new agreement with the law firm of Joseph J. Savino to handle all the town’s tax certiorari matters. The annual retainer would be $88,740. When the firm was initially retained in January 2012, the annual fee was $87,000.  

A second legal services agreement will retain Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker, LLP to provide legal and legislative representation for $58,500.  The agreement will run from January 5, 2013 through January 4, 2014 

The board will vote on authorizing a bid for the Congers Lake West Trail
way a cost of $4,144,414 with Cal Mart Enterprises of Congers. The bid includes a 10 percent contingency fee. Additionally, the members will vote on an agreement with Mayo, Lynch and Associates for up to $98,000 in engineering services for the trailway.

The project will be funded by $4,560,000 in serial bonds, which have to be approved. The town plans to apply for grants and hopes to receive some award to offset the cost. Recreation and Parks Superintendent Jo Anne Pedersen will oversee the project. 

The agenda includes scheduling a public hearing at a special town board meeting on January 15, 2013. The special session would follow a regular workshop meeting. The subject of the public hearing is the condemnation of a 4.2-acre property at 160 North Route 303 in West Nyack to provide a permanent easement to upgrade sewer service.

Other resolutions the board will vote on include: 

• Adopting the 2013 fee schedule for the assessor, town attorney, building department, town clerk, Department of Environmental Control, Highway Department, Planning Department/Board and Parks Board & Recreation Commission

• Approving the 2013 part-time salary scale including a 50 cent per hour increase for positions such as office workers, recreational assistants, seasonal lifeguards and seasonal laborers.  

• Rescinding the bond resolution adopted on November 20, which authorized $90,000 for solar panel installation at the former Clarkstown Landfill in West Nyack. 
Councilman George Hoehmann had said previously the firm hired by the town to install the solar array would reimburse Clarkstown $100,000 for expenses associated with getting the project underway.