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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-10-16 - Board of Trustees Special Meeting Minutes SPECIAL MEETING VILLAGE OF RYE BROOK BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING VILLAGE HALL, 938 KING STREET TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2007-7:00 P.M. AGENDA ROLL CALL PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE CONSIDERATION OF APPEAL: (1) Renumbering portions of Country Ridge Drive RESOLUTIONS: (1) Considering the appeal of renumbering certain properties on Country Ridge Drive BOARD: Mayor Lawrence Rand Trustee Michael Brown Trustee Joan Feinstein Trustee Paul Rosenberg Trustee Patricia Sanders Romano STAFF: Christopher Bradbury, Village Administrator Gregory Austin, Police Chief Edward Beane, Esq., Village Counsel David Burke, Assistant to the Village Administrator Victor Carosi, Village Engineer Paula Patafio, Meeting Secretary Fred Seifert, Public Access Coordinator Special Meeting Board of Trustees Meeting October 16,2007 Page 1 Mayor Rand reviewed the process for the special meeting that would specifically deal with the house numbering issue on Country Ridge Drive and the appeal to the Board of Trustees decision to re-number. He stressed that the decision to renumber the homes addressed a serious safety issue. Mayor Rand called for the only matter on the agenda: CONSIDERATION OF APPEAL: 1) RENUMBERING PORTIONS OF COUNTRY RIDGE DRIVE Mayor Rand called upon the Village's Administrator, Mr. Christopher Bradbury, to explain the staff s position regarding the decision to re- number the homes on Country Ridge Drive. Mr. Bradbury noted that this issue is being addressed at this time to address the long standing safety issue that the non-sequential numbering of the homes on this street has caused over the years. This is not a new issue, but the time is right to correct it. Although there have been other streets in Rye Brook where the numbers are not consecutive, the unusual situation here has been created by four homes that share the same address. This problem involves eight (8) houses directly, and causes a problem for emergency services. The Village realizes that this will be an inconvenience for the residents, but the residents must consider that safety must come first. Alternatives have been discussed, but at the end of the day the decision was made to renumber the eight houses. Gregory Austin, Chief of Police, reviewed the process of responding to an emergency situation, starting from when an emergency call is received. Most of the calls go through 911 and then to the Police Headquarters. The officer at the desk at the time dispatches the call. When dispatched to Country Ridge, the task is to find the house. All of the residents have their house numbers displayed differently, and in different places. The houses affected are on Country Ridge Drive and Country Ridge Drive North. The officers of Rye Brook are familiar with the streets and the houses, but emergency services now include three (3) communities. The Port Chester Fire Department has volunteers that are unfamiliar with the area. The same holds true for the emergency services that come in from Harrison. Mr. Bradbury noted that there are four (4) houses that are listed as Country Ridge Drive North. The homeowners need to be protected, especially in light of the fact that the community now utilizes mutual aid. This means Special Meeting Board of Trustees Meeting October 16,2007 Page 2 that the emergency response teams could be coming from other neighboring municipalities. Chief Austin noted that there are two (2) ways to get into Country Ridge Drive and that makes it more confusing. Mr. Bradbury stated that the staff has reviewed this problem and has now recommended that these homes be renumbered. The residents of the area are not happy about the decision, but they are asked to consider the ramifications of leaving the problem un-addressed. Mayor Rand called for members of the public wishing to be heard by the Board. A resident of 41 County Ridge North, Mr. Jeffrey Wallace, addressed the Board. He agreed that there have been problems with the numbering in the past and felt that it was time to make the change. Lori Gluck of 45 Country Ridge Drive stated that this matter needed additional consideration. She felt that there should be a meeting scheduled on its own and not just a meeting stuck in between other meetings. She felt that the residents of the area needed additional time to respond to the Village's decision, noting that the onus would be on the residents, and that they would be the ones to bear the costs. Carol Goodman, Esq., legal counsel for some of the residents, addressed the Board. She began her presentation to the Board with a map of the area. She noted that there were two (2) different streets involved. The streets are Country Ridge and Country Ridge North. The problem came into existence when four (4) homes were built on Country Ridge Drive. They were numbered 41, 37, 23, and 29. Although she understood the Village's concern regarding the confusion about numbering of the homes, she felt that the rights of the residents needed to be considered. Mrs. Goodman referred to another instance in the Village where the houses needed to be renumbered. She noted that the problem occurred in Bellefair, and it was a completely different from this situation. She noted that a part of the problem was addressed by adding additional signage. The Village is now proposing renumbering of the homes on Country Ridge Drive. Some of these homeowners have lived in these homes for many, many years and are now in their 70's and 80's. The Village's resolution of re-numbering the homes means that these residents, who were not the cause of the problem, will have to change their address on mail, licenses, wills, deeds, etc. This involves time and substantial costs. This decision does not effect Country Special Meeting Board of Trustees Meeting October 16,2007 Page 3 Ridge Drive North — the homes that were built secondarily. No one on Country Ridge Drive North was even notified of the pending change. Ms. Goodman stressed that the Board should apply the most unobtrusive method in resolving this matter. The residents could be asked to prominently display their house numbers, the streets could be clearly designated, keeping in mind that there are two (2) separate streets involved, and better signage could be installed. Inez Tiso of 41 Country Ridge Drive presented the Board with a photograph of the area. She noted that in the beginning the newer homes were designated as Country Ridge Drive North and the existing homes used the address of Country Ridge Drive. Another resident of 41 Country Ridge Drive asked whether or not the Village would be willing to assist the residents with the address changes. She asked that a staff member be responsible to address the issues as they come up. She also felt that the Village should absorb the costs. Mayor Rand noted that the Village could not by law absorb the costs. When the similar incident took place in Bellefair the developer was willing to absorb the costs. The resident asked the Village Board if they understood the amount of time it would take to change a life time of contacts, and the amount of money that was involved. Mayor Rand noted that there have been several work sessions held on this issue, and that the members of the public have been given the opportunity to be heard on this matter. This has been an issue that has been discussed many times over the years. Recent safety issues have brought this issue to the forefront, and the time for procrastination has come to an end. Mayor Rand noted that this decision would not be imposed until after the holidays. This decision to re-number the homes will not go into effect before January 1, 2008. This is a hard decision to make but safety comes first. Trustee Paul S. Rosenberg noted that the issue of renumbering has become an emotional issue. There are two distinct problems on Country Ridge — the same numbers used by several homes, and the fact that the houses are not consecutively numbered. There is a safety issue waiting to be addressed. Everyone is aware of the fact that recently the fire department could not find the home that they were dispatched to. The Port Chester Fire Special Meeting Board of Trustees Meeting October 16,2007 Page 4 Chief said that they could not find the house. Thank G-d no one has died because of this issue, but we cannot allow the Village to be short sighted or to put this matter off any further. This is an issue that deals with life and death. The Village Board members serve as elected officials and when you govern you have to make tough decisions. If the numbers on Country Ridge are made sequential then the problem has been resolved. Putting up signs will not resolve the problems. He noted that he would recuse himself from voting on this matter, but urged the residents to consider the safety issues versus changing address on subscriptions and the like. Trustee Patricia Sanders Romano noted that she understands the situation very well. She noted that she resides on Bellefair Boulevard and was involved in the re-numbering that took place in this development. She also stressed that the safety of the residents comes first when making these types of decisions. Trustee Joan Feinstein noted that as an elected official she is here to help the residents, not to make their lives more difficult. She stated that she understood that there would be costs for the residents, but the safety of the residents outweighs the costs. Mayor Rand noted that this was a difficult decision for the Board of Trustees, however, a decision has now been made. He called upon Mr. Bradbury to read the resolution. RESOLUTION CONSIDERING THE APPEAL FOR RENUMBERING CERTAIN PROPERTIES ON COUNTRY RIDGE DRIVE RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees of the Village of Rye Brook hereby denies the appeal for renumbering on Country Ridge Drive and directs that the new numbers recommended by the Village staff and emergency services shall be effective on February 15, 2008. On a motion made by Trustee Michael Brown, and seconded by Trustee Joan Feinstein, the resolution was adopted. Mr. David Burke was asked to call the roll: Special Meeting Board of Trustees Meeting October 16,2007 Page 5 TRUSTEE BROWN VOTING AYE TRUSTEE FEINSTEIN VOTING AYE TRUSTEE SANDERS ROMANO VOTING AYE MAYOR RAND VOTING AYE Mayor Rand noted that the appeal has been denied, and a stay put in place until February of 2008. The Board and Village will still remain open to how this problem can be adjudicated, otherwise effective February 15, 2008 the re- numbering as stated will go into effect. The meeting was adjourned at 7:30 p.m. Special Meeting Board of Trustees Meeting October 16,2007 Page 6