Kudos for Kathleen Kopa; Town Takes Steps to Regulate Rock Removal
by Harriet Kline
(September 16, 2003) There was a marked contrast between
the opening half hour and the subsequent public debate at
the
Town of
Mamaroneck
Board meeting on Tuesday night, September 16 -- on the one
hand, the congratulatory smiles to honor a long time Town
administrator and, on the other,
the serious effort
to
work
out
a fair legislative solution to protect the Town’s residents
from construction noise.
Kathleen Kopa
Kathleen
Kopa received a proclamation earlier in the month from
Westchester Co. Legislator George Latimer with
the approval
of Larchmont
Trustees Marlene Kolbert, Liz Feld and Anne McAndrews;
Town Supervisor Valerie O'Keeffe; and Town Councilman
Ernie Odierna. | At the onset of the meeting the Board took time to honor
Kathleen Kopa, a sixteen-year member of the Town Community
Services Department, who is retiring and moving to North
Dakota. Mrs. Kopa, who has directed the department for the
last decade, was honored with proclamations from the Town
of Mamaroneck, the
Village
of
Mamaroneck and
Westchester
County Board of Legislators. Past Supervisor Paul Ryan and current Village of Larchmont
Mayor Ken Bialo were on hand to issue their congratulations
and praise
Mrs.
Kopa’s
work on behalf of the community and especially on behalf
of seniors
in the
area.
|
Rock Removal Legislation
The quiet suburbs seem to be a thing of the past. In
response to ongoing resident complaints, the Town Board held
a public meeting to gain community input on proposed legislation
to regulate the mechanical (i.e. jack hammering) of rock.
Town Attorney William Maker drafted a law with three major
provisions: (1) banning “mechanical rock removal” on
Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays; (2) limiting said
work from 9am to 5 pm on weekdays and (3) imposing a $250
fine for noncompliance.
One resident, Susan Leon, termed these provisions as “inadequate” and
made several proposals. Ms. Leon had personally
experienced “unregulated jack hammering” in her
own neighborhood and, on that basis, proposed some
substantive suggestions to beef up the legislation.
Ms. Leon
argued that the Town should mandate a notification process
to alert neighbors to upcoming rock removal, that the fine
for
noncompliance
should be increased, and that there be a break
in the proposed 9 to 5 workday.
The Board seemed to be struggling with some aspects of the
issue – exactly how far does the noise carry? Who should
be responsible for the notification process? Should there
be a time limit on how long rock removal could continue on
any given property? Would a “stop work order” be
the appropriate remedy for repeated noncompliance?
In the end, the Board decided that it needed more time to
deliberate and adjourned the meeting for another public discussion
on October 15.
Upcoming Public Hearings
- October 1: Moratorium exemption for property in the Village
Square Shopping Center
- October 15: Rock
removal legislation
- November 5: Amendment
to Zoning Code
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