Emergency Response Teams Coming to Mamaroneck?

Also: Reval, Train Station Stairs & Human Rights Commission

by Harriet Kline

(September 3, 2008) At a working session on Wednesday, September 3, the Mamaroneck Town Board made plans for a community-based emergency response team and discussed a process for alerting the community about a possible property revaluation.

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

Mike Liverzani, Mamaroneck’s coordinator of emergency preparedness, attended the work session to brief the board on a proposed community emergency response team (CERT) to help handle emergencies similar to the April 2007 flooding. Mr. Liverzani admitted that he was initially skeptical about the idea, but research and conversations with state, county and municipal officials as well as the Red Cross persuaded him that such a team would be beneficial to Mamaroneck Town and the neighboring villages.

Mr. Liverzani envisions a volunteer group of about 50 people from the tri-municipal area. The volunteers would be highly trained and required to attend 7 two and a half hour training sessions over a 7-week period. Once trained, they would be in a position to staff emergency shelters, aid professional responders in an emergency and promote emergency preparedness through community educations programs. Mr. Liverzani estimates that the program would cost $4,500 in the first year and $3,500 in subsequent years.

Furthermore, the Town is in negotiations with the American Red Cross to use the Town Center parking lot as an emergency staging area and to place a trailer there with emergency equipment.

Board members encouraged Mr. Liverzani to continue pursuing the organization of a CERT for the tri-municipal community.

Update: Proposed Property Revaluation

The Board continued its discussion on ways to educate the community about a proposal to reassess properties that were last assessed in 1968. (See: Town Board to Start Hearings on Property Revaluation.) The document outlining the proposed process is available on the Town web site. (See: Revaluation Report.)

Supervisor Valerie O’Keeffe, Town Administrator Steve Altieri and Councilman David Fishman met recently with Frey Consulting, the authors of the revaluation study, to discuss presentations to be made to the Mamaroneck Town Board and to the boards of the Village of Larchmont and Village of Mamaroneck.

Councilwoman Nancy Seligson stressed the need for community outreach to expand the discussion via additional presentations to smaller groups, such as the Newcomer’s Club.

Update: Larchmont Train Station Stairwell

On September 3rd, the Town of Mamaroneck issued a press release to announce that repairs to the stairs at the Larchmont train station will continue through the month of September. Earlier reports had indicated the stairs would be reopened by the end of August. The project, which had begun as a repair to an existing stairway has morphed into a complete replacement that has entailed multiple delays.

Supervisor O'Keeffe stated that she and the Town Board are extremely disappointed over the ineffectiveness of the contractor and his inability to complete the project as scheduled. She noted that, unfortunately, local governments are mandated, with minor exception, to award contracts to the lowest bidder. The Town will investigate options available to delay payments and/or penalize the contractor for failure to meet promised deadlines.

The press release noted that “Supervisor O’Keeffe and the Town Board understand the frustration of commuters who have been inconvenienced by this further delay and want to assure residents that the Board is doing all in its power to rectify this situation and get the stairs re-opened as soon as possible."

Access to the train station from the Mamaroneck Town side is still available through the pedestrian tunnel, even though renovations are ongoing there as well. Larchmont Village has begun repairing the drains in anticipation of further work by the NY State Thruway Authority. (See: VOL Starts Work on Station Tunnel)

Human Rights Commission Vacancy

The board is struggling to fill the vacancy left by the death of April Farber, chair of the Human Rights Commission. (See: Tribute: April Farber Served Community, Friends & Family.) The commission is a tri-municipal body with nine members, three members from the Town, three from the Village of Larchmont and three from the Village of Mamaroneck.

The commission aims to "foster mutual respect and understanding among all racial, religious and nationality groups in the community." Its most public annual event is the staging of the Martin Luther King Day celebration at the Emelin Theatre.

Board members also expressed concern about people’s unrealistic expectations of the commission’s ability and power to handle grievances.

Upcoming Public Hearings

Wednesday September 17 – Public Hearing on Traffic Committee proposals
to again alter signage at the Chatsworth Ave and Myrtle Boulevard intersection. (See: Rethinking Chatsworth/Myrtle Boulevard Intersection.)

Wednesday September 17 – Public Hearing on proposed legislation to
insure safety of large propane gas tanks. (See: Propane Tank Safety.)

Front Page

Print This Page
Email this page