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Marathon Property Tentative Settlement Rescinded
Hudson Valley Hospital Center posts request for proposal on Butterfield Hospital
by Margaret Sternberg
The proposed settlement to the Marathon Property dispute was rescinded in a four-to-one vote during the Physical Services Committee meeting on January 9, 2007.
Legislators Tony Hay, Mary Ellen Odell, Regina Morini and Robert McGuigan voted for rescission of the proposed settlement, while Committee Chair Vinny Tamagna voted against.
Tamagna asked the record reflect that, upon advice from the County Attorney, the resolution passed by the full legislature authorizing the forgiving of taxes [on the Marathon Battery property] was an "illegal action," adding that, as the legislator from the district [Philipstown], he didn't "necessarily agree without hearing a second opinion." Tamagna added that he was "disturbed" over the fact the legislators had been guided by the "outside attorney and counsel on the matter and that that counsel advised us and guided us on the direction which we took." Tamagna said that he had requested the attorney be "removed from the case and dismissed as a result of the poor information that we got." Tamagna said they would continue with the process and that "the advice that we got was that we should maintain a positive outlook and that this property will come in the future - that our case is very strong."
Legislator Hay, who voted for rescission said, "I supported the original resolution based on consultation with outside counsel on the issue, and I supported the rescinding of the resolution because there appears to be a conflict between the opinions of the outside counsel and that of the county attorney. I felt the county attorney had legitimate justification to overrule outside counsel's opinion."
Carl Lodes, the county attorney, later told the PCN&R that as of the evening of January 9, 2007, the outside attorney and counsel, Thomas Costello, Esq., no longer represented the County.
In a postscript to the meeting, Chairman Tamagna said that he had been advised that the Hudson Valley Hospital Center ("HVHC") site had posted a Request for Proposal ("RFP") for the sale of Butterfield Hospital. He described himself as "curious that, at the same time we have that RFP that's been posted, we've never gotten any word back here on where negotiations have gone between the County and Butterfield and the Village..." Tamagna said he had no information on the RFP that had been posted by HVHC and asked that Deputy County Executive John Tully, who was attending the meeting but did not know anything about the RFP, find out about the status of Butterfield and the RFP and provide him with the information.
At the same time, Tamagna asked Tully about a memo regarding a January 23, 2007 meeting on the Westchester County Medical Center to be attended by County Executive Bob Bondi, Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano, and his Deputy, Larry Schwartz. Tamagna asked for clarification on whether this was about sending patients to their burn unit or whether it might concern Butterfield.
In other business, Commissioner of Highways Harold Gary announced that the last transfer of land on Fishkill Road had been signed over the day before and that work on the road would begin in the near future, information which Tamagna termed "excellent news."
The Committee again discussed the parking lot for the County Office Building and the inclusion of curbs and various other features that would possibly further diminish what several had questioned as an inefficient use of the space, particularly in terms of entering or exiting the lot. Mr. Gary was asked to speak with the architect and hire an outside engineer to assess the area and determine whether the current plan makes the best use of the space.
The Committee began a "needs assessment" regarding legislative and other departmental space needs within the County Office Building ("COB"). Many, if not all, court personnel currently working in the COB are expected to relocate to the new county courthouse in late Fall 2007, freeing up space in the COB. Tamagna said that starting the evaluation at this time would allow the Committee to make a long-range plan that encompasses the idea of future needs for expansion of the various departments.
Tamagna asked Mr. Gary and Deputy County Executive Tully to consult on an approach to the issue and have some recommendations prepared for the next Physical Services Committee meeting. Mr. Tully said that there was a committee already in existence that had made some findings and that Legislator Tamagna could meet with them, in addition, to discuss their results to date.
Tamagna also requested that Mr. Gary provide a monthly status report on capital projects. The report has been provided on an annual basis and Tamagna questioned how effectively the Committee could follow up on whether projects were finished, still in the pipeline, or abandoned on the basis of a yearly report.
The February meeting of the Physical Services Committee will be posted on the PCN&R's website as soon as it becomes available.
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