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Unwanted Lake Peekskill Skateboarders Discussed at Town Board Meeting
Emerald Ridge development plan resubmitted
by Edward Paul Greiff
During the "Public Comment" portion of the June 20, 2007 monthly Putnam Valley Town Board meeting Ted Muniak, from the Lake Peekskill Civic Association, brought a problem that is going on in Lake Peekskill to the attention of the Town Board in the hopes that they can prevent an accident before it occurs. The potential accident involves kids on skateboards. He said that since the skateboarders were told they can't skate in the parking lot on Morrissey Drive, they have started skating in the road in front of the Lake Peekskill Post Office. "Some kid is going to get hurt," said Muniak. "We've called the Sheriff's Department but they can't patrol there all the time."
The Town Board's reaction to the situation was to say that they had to keep after the Sheriff to keep the kids off the street.
The PCN&R asked Mr. Muniak about the idea of a skateboard park and he replied that the idea was brought up in a meeting but no one wants to have the park in their back yard. Lake Peekskill resident Joe Kenna has been pushing for a skateboard park for over a year to no avail.
"All these kids are looking for is a place to skate, but no one seems to be listening and once again the adult answer to kids' problems is to call the Sheriff's department or place the burden on the schools," says one Lake Peekskill resident. "They complain about vandalism at the beaches and at Town Park but do nothing to channel the energy of these teenagers in a positive direction. They are unwanted kids."
In other items during the Board's monthly meeting, the Board responded to complaints about the length of the meeting by hearing department and committee reports at 6:30 pm. At that time, the courtroom where the meeting is held was empty. There only Board member who was present was Councilwoman Wendy Whetsel who provided some degree of organization to the session. Videographer Maryann Arrien taped the reports and will air them on channel 20 prior to the airing of the Town Board meeting.
Once again the Emerald Ridge development team of Santucci and Steinmetz appeared before the Town Board. The development proposal that had originally included 24 homes and was reduced to 13 in subsequent applications, had been rejected by the Town Board earlier in the year. In the latest submission brought to the Board on June 20, Mr. Santucci has further reduced the number of proposed lots to ten by combining some of the lots. Under the latest proposal, Mr. Santucci still intends to widen the existing road from a non-conforming eighteen feet to a conforming twenty-two feet. The grade of the road will still remain a non-conforming fourteen percent instead of a maximum permissible eight percent grade. The road will still be lengthened from its permissible 1,200 feet to 3,900 feet. They still plan to donate 31 acres of land to the Town that not only provides open space and a park but also acts as a buffer between the subdivision development and the CYO property that borders on the Emerald Ridge site.
Councilwoman Wendy Whetsel said she felt comfortable with the proposed changes and leaned toward a favorable acceptance of the project. Supervisor Sam Davis said he was still opposed to the project for the same reasons he previously expressed - 'it was wrong to allow this development in the first place and this would just perpetuate an unsafe condition.' The proposal will be placed on next month's agenda.
The issue of Photovoltaic panels came up again and a joint meeting with all concerned is planned for sometime in July to go over the New York State Energy Reduction Audit. This way they can more accurately evaluate their return on the investment in Photovoltaic technology.
The Town announced that they intend to apply for a fifty-fifty matching grant to purchase mapping software so the Town can map its stormwater system and subsequent testing results. This is one of the MS-4 requirements and failure to comply carries with it a fine of $37,500.
At the May 2007 Town Board meeting Ron Cummings and Adam Siebling, the Deputy Commissioner of Putnam County Bureau of Emergency Services, presented to the Putnam Valley Town Board a draft copy of Putnam Valley's Emergency Action Plan. The Board agreed to review this draft copy and take action on it. At this evening's meeting they unanimously adopted the plan.
Theplan, 36 pages long, attempts to lessen the effects of a serious emergency caused by natural or man-made disasters. It also provides for recovery to normal conditions as quickly as possible by ensuring a timely and effective response. It enables the Town Supervisor to make decisions concerning actions to be taken without having to waste time planning a strategy for each emergency.
On a lighter note, Town Clerk Carol Hughes-DiMarco noticed an increase in the number of Marriage License requests. Upon investigation she found out Putnam Valley was the only Town still charging $30 for a license while others were charging $40. The Board amended the Town's fee schedule to $40.
A Public Hearing was set for July 11 starting at 6:30 pm to hear comments on a proposed Noise Law, and to amend Vehicle & Traffic Law regarding no parking on Pecoho Road & Harper Street.
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