Town Okays Ice Rink Study & Station Stair Repair

by Harriet Kline

(March 20, 2008) The Mamaroneck Town Board met on Wednesday, March 19 with a full agenda that included deliberations on a feasibility study for the Hommocks ice rink, contracts for the reconstruction of a train station stairway, establishment of a trust fund for the Colonial Greenway and repairs to a Flint Park drainage pipe. The vote on a requested permit extension for the Forest City Daly apartment project was postponed again. (See: Town Postpones Decision on Extending FCD Apartment Permit.)

Ice Rink Feasibility Study

Town Administrator Steve Altieri briefed the board on three proposals from companies interested in performing a feasibility study at the Hommocks Ice Rink. He explained that the rink is 20 years old and the Town needed professional help to evaluate the overall operations of the arena and make recommendations on equipment, prioritizing maintenance work and projected expenses. He also hopes to look at ways to decrease the rink’s carbon footprint.

Mr. Altieri recommended that RSP Architects of Minnesota be hired. Their bid came to $21,500 plus reimbursement on transportation, food and lodging. Councilwoman Phyllis Wittner voiced reservations about the total expenses involved and voted no on the resolution to hire RSP. The rest of the board voted to approve the resolution.

Stairway Reconstruction

Mr. Altieri asked the board to authorize awarding two contracts for the reconstruction of the stairway that takes commuters from the lower parking lot at Myrtle Boulevard and Vine to the upper lot on the New York City-bound side of the Larchmont train station. He said that the New York State Wicks law mandates that two contractors be hired – a general contractor and an electrical contractor. The stairs have already been demolished under a separate contract.

The general contractor, Arben Group, will do the basic construction for $179,000; the electrical work will be done for $17,310 by Naber Electrical Corporation. Funding for the project will come either from the surplus or from loans and will be determined later.

The board unanimously authorized the awarding of the two contracts.

Greenway Trust Fund

Councilwoman Nancy Seligson asked that the board set up a trust fund for the Colonial Greenway, a group of connected trails in and around six bordering municipalities - the Villages of Larchmont and Mamaroneck, New Rochelle, Scarsdale, Eastchester and the Town of Mamaroneck. The trust fund will collect $1,000 annually from each municipality to maintain and repair the signage on the trails.

Ms Seligson said that the sign and blazers have been put in place and that the participating municipalities had requested that the Town set up the trust fund.

Click here for a larger PDF copy of the Colonial Greenway Map.

Flint Park Drainage Pipe: Delaying Opening of Field?

At the close of Wednesday’s meeting, Jennifer Conley, representing the Fields for Kids group, urged the board to complete the repair of a drainage pipe adjacent to the new turf field in Flint Park so that the field could be ready for use in May.

Ms Conley’s plea was met with some confusion among board members and the Town administrator as to whether or not the usability of the new field was contingent on the pipe repair.

Supervisor Valerie O’Keeffe assured Ms Conley that the Town has and will continue to be as cooperative as possible with Fields for Kids and will “act with deliberate speed.” However, the supervisor also stressed that the half million dollar expenditure for the pipe needs to comply with bid and approval processes mandated by law.

FCD Apartment Permit & Myrtle Boulevard Parking Deck

Town Attorney Bill Maker indicated that the Town was continuing its negotiations with Forest City Daly (FCD) on a proposal to extend its special permit for another three years. The negotiations include FCD’s promise to build a two-story parking deck on Myrtle Boulevard.

Roger Hotte, of 14 North Chatsworth Avenue, made an alternative proposal for the construction of the parking deck. He suggested that a group of investors build the two-story parking deck, let the Town continue to use the lower level, but sell the spaces on the second level. He described it as a “condominium for cars.”

Board members took note of his proposal without much comment.

The next Mamaroneck Town Board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 2.

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