Update from the Board of Trustees, July 2013

July 15, 2013

We hope all our residents are enjoying their summer. We’ve had a busy month since our last update and we wanted to highlight some of the things that are happening in and around the Village.

AROUND THE VILLAGE: The filming of “This is Where I Leave You” concluded in June and we wanted to thank all the residents for their patience with this production. During the filming we received calls from several residents with concerns and advice, and we hope we were able to respond to all of those in a timely and responsible manner. Trustee Auriemma presented a post-production summary of the impact and procedures during the filming giving insight to the Board on managing future productions in Munsey Park. As for the donations from Warner Brothers, once the board accounts for all its legal costs related to the film we will discuss where the balance of the funds can be used to beautify the Village.

VOLUNTEERS: Trustee Seidner has informed the Board that he and his family have purchased a home outside of Munsey Park and plan on moving on or around our next slated meeting in September. We want to thank Matt for his hard work and dedication to the Village over the years and wish him happiness with his new home. The Mayor is in the process of speaking to residents that have shown interest in the position. In accordance with the law he will appoint a resident to fulfill the balance of Trustee Seidner’s term. With that said, any residents who have interest in getting involved are encouraged to reach out to any of the Trustees and we will work to find a position that could benefit the Village and be rewarding to you.

Further, The Village is looking for a resident who would like to serve as the representative to Cablevision/PATV. Meetings will take place every 2-3 months on a Thursday evening. Please contact sauriemma@munseypark.org if you are interested in learning more.

Lastly, we have created a new position “Village Technology Consultant” for Jeff Franchetti. Jeff has volunteered to help the Village create a new and user-friendly web site. Thank you, Jeff.

HURRICANE SEASON: The Village is compiling a list to present to LIPA of locations where temporary fixes were made following Sandy that still need to be repaired properly. If you are aware of any locations that need to be addressed please email that information to admin@munseypark.org. Further, with Hurricane Season approaching, residents are asked to be sure they are signed up for important emergency alerts from North Shore Alert. As our village is part of the Port Washington-Manhasset Office of Emergency Management, we are subscribers to North Shore Alert system that allows residents to enter their email address, cell phone number and/or phone number to receive emergency messages. In addition, the Village will be ultimately converting its email list over to North Shore Alert for routine emails such as this so please be sure to add your email at NorthShoreAlert.org

DOGS: It has been brought to the attention of the Village Board that residents should be reminded of the following section of the Village Code with regard to curbing of animals:

§ 76-2 [Amended 8-14-1996 by L.L. No. 2-1996] No person who owns, possesses, harbors, keeps or is in charge or control of a dog, cat or other animal shall cause, suffer, allow or permit any such animal to soil, defile, defecate, or urinate on any public highway, street, thoroughfare, or walk used in common by the public, or any place where people congregate or on any private property, without the permission of the owner of said private property. The restriction in this section shall not apply to that portion of the street lying between the curblines, and, with respect to streets which have adjoining sidewalks, the property between the curbline of the street and the sidewalk, which areas shall be used to curb such animals, provided that the person who so curbs such animal shall immediately remove all feces deposited by such animal by placing the feces in a paper or plastic bag which shall be secured and deposited in a covered garbage receptacle.

ROADS: We continue to employ funds from state CHIPS program to make minor road repairs. We are currently getting bids to do some work on Whistler and will work off our engineer’s report and resident input to continue road work throughout the year. Fire hydrant replacement by the Manhasset-Lakeville Water District is getting underway. The Water District will contact affected residents prior to replacement with tips for any disruption to service.

VILLAGE HALL: We are preparing to convert our current oil heat and air conditioning system to natural gas system. As any of you who have visited Village Hall know, our air conditioning system has run its course and we hope to have the new system in place by the next Board Meeting in September.

LEGISLATION: The following are the amendments and new laws that have been passed at the past two meetings:

Law #3-2013 Mayoral Term Limits: The Board passed a new law limiting the terms a Mayor may run for office. The new, law which can be found in its entirety on our website, states a Mayor is limited to running for 3 consecutive 2 years terms (6 years in total), and then must sit out one election cycle as Mayor prior to running again for a maximum of 3 consecutive 2 year terms.

Law #4-2013 Generators: After a considerable amount of research into what generators are available to residents for purchase that comply with the previous 60 Dba limit, and what residents have been actually installing, the Board passed an amendment to the previous generator law increasing the decibel limit from 60Dba to 80Dba and including limitations to where placement of the generator can be in the rear yard setbacks.

Law #5-2013 Filming Fees: After being made aware that the Village attorney fees were not covered in the previous Filming Laws, the Board passed a law that any additional Legal fees connected to a movie production in the Village will be the sole responsibility of the production company.

Introduction of Law #6 Trees: The Board has introduced amendments to the current tree laws meant to simplify applying the law as it pertains to residents. It is composed of three basic sections based on whether the tree for which a permit is sought on: 1. Village Property; 2. Homeowner’s Property; 3. Neighbor’s Property. The proposed law is on the Village website for review and will be again open for public debate at our next Board meeting on Sept 11th.

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact any of the trustees

Mayor Frank DeMento, fdemento@munseypark.org
Deputy Mayor Sean Haggerty, shaggerty@munseypark.org
Trustee Sue Auriemma, sauriemma@munseypark.org
Trustee Patrick Hance, phance@munseypark.org

Update from the Mayor, June 2013

Update from the Mayor
June 4, 2013

We first want to thank all the members of the Munsey Park community who took time out to vote in this year’s election. As many of you know we had a record turnout with over 700 votes cast. I would personally like to thank all of those who supported me as the new Mayor along with Trustee Haggerty, and Trustee Hance in the election. We hope as we get to work, we will be able to represent all the residents to bring change that will have positive effects throughout the Village.  With that said the Board couldn't be more appreciative of all those residents who have come forward to volunteer their time and energy to help since the election. Although we are still looking for roles for many of the new volunteers the new appointments that have been made include: Jen Noone and Joy Susi to the Building Advisory Committee, Joe Russo and Matt Karcic to the Board of Appeals, Kelly Towers,  Robert Farrer, and Trustee Hance on the Tree Committee, and Blaine Klusky to the newly created Ethics working committee. We would also like to thank all of those residents who previously served on the Village Boards including Mayor Nicolaides, Trustee Brennan, Trustee Jaroncyk, Debrah Miller on the Tree Committee, and Paul Yakaitis on the Board of Appeals for the time and energy they donated to the betterment of the Village.

In the six weeks since our first Board meeting we have been working on the following:

FINANCES: Because the election cycle and the Village’s fiscal year coinciding so closely, the Board decided to push the Budget debate and vote  out a few weeks to allow the newly elected and appointed Trustees sufficient time to review the  '13-'14 Budget.  After sufficient review and debate the Board passed the Budget with a 1.98% increase keeping the Village under the 2% tax cap. With the Budget in place we are working diligently to end the fiscal year with a surplus so we can offer the Village additional financial flexibility next year. To that end, after a significant amount of work by our Village Clerk, Barbara Miller, the Village has finalized the reimbursement process with FEMA.  We are happy to announce Barbara’s efforts have concluded with the Village receiving a reimbursement check in the amount of $207,074.64. This money, in addition to some State aid we expect to receive, will cover most of the costs the Village incurred during Super Storm Sandy.

AROUND THE VILLAGE: The Village has completed the grinding of all leftover stumps and is currently filling the holes with topsoil and seeding. Additionally, the Village continues to access money from the NYS CHIPS program (Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program) to make minor repairs to the worst of our streets and gutters. Please feel free to contact Village Hall if you have a street concern that would fall under the minor repair work CHIPS is earmarked for. We have contracted with the Manhasset-Lakeville Water District, at no cost to the Village, to replace 37 fire hydrants that have outlived their useful service life. Munsey Park is the only section of the district still using the old double nipple hydrants.  The new modern hydrants will allow firefighters faster more reliable access to water in the event of a fire. We are also in the process of identifying outdated and unused equipment in Village hall which we will sell with the proceeds going to help offset future equipment and maintenance costs. Finally, we are planning to update our website to a more user friendly platform, we ask for your patience with the current site while we make this transition.

Further, Warner Brothers has generously donated $33,000 to the Village for the opportunity to film “This Is Where I Leave You” on Burnham Place. This money will be earmarked for further beatification of the Village, specifically replacing damaged trees from Sandy and beautifying our parks. We are proud to announce some funds from the donation were used to successfully add the names of James J. Regan and Robert T. Munday to the monument in Waldmann Memorial Park prior to this Memorial Day. The monument sits right at the entrance to the park and is in memory of those residents of Munsey Park who died in the service of their country.   The Village is working with some of the families of those honored to hold an official dedication ceremony later this summer.

LOOKING AHEAD:

At our third Board Meeting, coming up on June 26th, we will vote on changes to the Village Code regarding generators and introduce a Law regarding mayoral term limits. These proposed laws can be found for review on the web site under the Local Law tab. With regard to other sections of the code, we are currently undertaking an analysis of the effect that lowering building permit fees will have on the budget and on future taxes. If we are satisfied that lowering the fees will not necessitate increased taxes, we will propose an amendment to the code and schedule a vote. Additionally, we are reviewing the current tree code to make the permit process easier to navigate while maintaining the integrity of the code. Further, we are revising the filming code to make the process of filming in Munsey Park less onerous on the Village and its residents. We are also creating an Ethics working group to update our Policy and create an Ethics Committee. Lastly, we are undertaking a comprehensive evaluation of our parks with the goal of creating a long term beautification plan. We continue to encourage additional ideas and input and look forward to working closely with the residents of Munsey Park in the future.

Frank DeMento
FDemento@Munseypark.org

National Grid Prepares LIPA System for Impact of Projected Storm

National Grid has taken advance steps to prepare LIPA’s system for an impending storm which is predicted to bring rain, snow, localized flooding and damaging winds to Long Island, with sustained winds of 30-35 mph and gusts potentially reaching 50 mph. Weather forecasters are predicting that this slow moving storm will impact Long Island for an extended period, arriving mid-afternoon today and continuing into Friday. As a result, there is a potential for the storm to cause widespread electrical outages.

We are closely monitoring the storm’s progress as we continue to take numerous advance steps to prepare the system for the predicted weather and to position the company for an efficient and timely restoration effort. Among other actions, we have secured extra repair crews and support personnel, increased staffing at our Customer Call Center, prepared all restoration equipment and inventories and pre-stocked strategic locations across the Island with wires, transformers, and additional restoration equipment. Additionally, we continue to proactively contact critical care facilities, elected officials and municipal leaders to discuss our storm preparation efforts and ensure that they are taking appropriate actions to prepare themselves for the upcoming weather.

As we prepare, it is also important that our customers take steps to prepare as well. As the storm approaches, customers should take the following steps to prepare.

• •Make sure you have a working, battery powered radio or TV and a good supply of fresh replacement batteries. Have flashlights available for all family members.
• •If an electric pump supplies your water, fill spare food-grade containers with water for cooking and washing in anticipation of a possible power interruption.
• •Make sure all motor driven equipment, such as garage door openers, can be operated manually.
• •When using a portable generator, make sure all LIPA-powered equipment is disconnected. This will avoid severe hazards when reconnecting the power to your home or business.
• •Have a first aid kit at home and check its contents to make sure they are complete and up to date. If you have family members with special medical needs, such as insulin or other prescription drugs, check to make sure you have an adequate supply.
• •Do not use charcoal to cook indoors: deadly carbon monoxide gas can accumulate in your home.
• •If you have an elderly neighbor, be a Good Samaritan and check on his or her status.

Additional storm safety and preparedness tips and an informational video and guidance are available on the Long Island Power Authority’s (LIPA) Storm Center website at 
http://www.lipower.org/stormcenter/safety.html.

In the event of outages resulting from the storm, power will be restored to all customers affected as quickly and safely as possible. Should you experience an outage as a result of the storm, it is important that you report it to through the Long Island Power Authority’s (LIPA) hotline: 1-800-490-0075 or at 631-755-6900 or by visiting their Storm Center website atwww.lipower.org/stormcenter from a computer or mobile device. To report via text messaging, text OUT to myLIPA (695472) - pre-registration is required.

We would also like to remind customers to be alert. Please drive carefully and exercise caution when driving near any of the repair crews working to restore power. If you see any downed wire, assume it is live and do not go near it. Report it immediately to 1-800- 490-0075 or at 631-755-6900