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Minutes, Planning Board Meeting, August 1, 2007


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2 EASTCHESTER PLANNING BOARD MEETING

AUGUST 1, 2007

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6 MINUTES OF THE

7 EASTCHESTER PLANNING BOARD MEETING

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11 HELD AT: Eastchester Town Hall

40 Mill Road

12 Eastchester, New York 10709

August 1, 2007 7:30 p.m.

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14 BOARD MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE:

15 Joseph Cermele, Member

Robert Pulaski, Member

16 Angela Cascione, Member

James Bonanno, Member

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EASTCHESTER EMPLOYEES IN ATTENDANCE:

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LOUIS REDA, Deputy Town Attorney

21 MARGARET UHLE, Director of Planning

JAY KING, Building Inspector

22 KERI OUELLETTE, Assistant Planner

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24 DINA M. MORGAN, REPORTER

25 COLONIAL ROAD

25 BRONXVILLE, NEW YORK 10708

(914) 469-6353

DINA M. MORGAN, REPORTER

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1 EASTCHESTER PLANNING BOARD - 8/1/07

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Mr. Pulaski: Calls meeting to order.

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Pledge of Allegiance.

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Mr. Pulaski: Explains this is a special

5 meeting for the Siwanoy Country Club

application. States there are only three board

6 members present so should there be any vote

taken all three have to be in agreement for it

7 to pass so the applicant is given the

opportunity to decide whether or not they want

8 to proceed.

9 Mr. Null: William Null, Cuddy & Feder.

Feels meeting will be helpful for informational

10 purposes to proceed and discuss where they are

status wise. States primary focus was drainage

11 issues in and around Siwanoy. States town

retained two consultants and we could hear from

12 them. Explains their expectation is not to

request any action but utilize this meeting to

13 keep updating each other.

14 Mr. Reda: Asks if they still wish to

proceed but they do not require any action.

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Mr. Null: States yes.

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Roll call conducted by Ms. Cascione:

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Mr. Cermele: Present.

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Mr. Pulaski: Present.

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Ms. Cascione: Present. States the

20 chairman and Mr. Bonnano will not be attending

tonight's meeting.

21

Mr. Pulaski: States he would like to

22 make it known to the public that the town has

hired two engineers to look into this matter

23 and they are both present, Alan Pilch of Evans

Associates who is specifically reviewing the

24 Siwanoy application and Steve Grogg of Maclaren

Engineering. States they should hear from JMC

25 first as far as how they responded to the

consultant's comments.

DINA M. MORGAN, REPORTER

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1 EASTCHESTER PLANNING BOARD - 8/1/07

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Mr. Lombardi: Dave Lombardi, John Meyer

3 Consulting. Discusses storm drainage.

4 Ms. Uhle: Asks if all the on-site

drainage will be directed to that open channel.

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Mr. Lombardi: States yes, on-site

6 drainage from the project area which is the

parking lot, the pool areas and driveway.

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Ms. Uhle: Asks if that was going into

8 the existing pipe and now it will not be going

into the existing pipe.

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Mr. Lombardi: States that is correct.

10 Shows existing drainage. Shows thirty-six inch

pipe on Crawford and eighteen inch pipe on

11 Archer Place. Explains the combined capacity

of three pipes is sixty-eight cubic feet per

12 second and thirty-six inch pipe that currently

comes through the site only has a hydraulic

13 capacity of fifty cubic feet per second. Shows

proposed plan. States the bypass they propose

14 down Crawford and across the eighteenth hole is

a forty-two inch plastic pipe which could

15 handle the combined capacity of the three

pipes.

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Ms. Uhle: Explains there are still some

17 outstanding issues that need to be resolved

before the board could approve this.

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Mr. Lombardi: Explains this project is a

19 combination of redevelopment and new

development. Shows redevelopment. Shows new

20 development. Explains the entire project

including the parking area, new building and

21 pools the flows will be slightly less than

existing.

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Mr. Null: Discusses easements. Explains

23 where there is an existing drainage line going

through their site there is no easement for the

24 town and they are willing to grant an easement

for the town with the opportunity to either

25 relocate or abandon it if there is an

DINA M. MORGAN, REPORTER

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1 EASTCHESTER PLANNING BOARD - 8/1/07

2 alternative method that the town comes up with

to drain. States the key component that

3 remains open is this drainage issue for the

area and is there something that Siwanoy can

4 accommodate on the property.

5 Mr. Pulaski: States there is a Maclaren

report that is studying the town.

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Ms. Uhle: Explains they're evaluating

7 the drainage area that ultimately flows into

the pipe at Crawford.

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Ms. Uhle: States this is a good

9 opportunity for residents to ask questions.

Reviews what Siwanoy has done. Explains as a

10 result of the development and storm water

management plan they are meeting all the DEC

11 requirements and there is no net increase of

runoff and there was a slight decrease in the

12 flows. States in addition to that based on Mr.

Pilch's recommendation they have taken some of

13 that water out of that system as well because

they are going to be directing it to the open

14 drainage. Asks if there are any other things

that mitigate upstream conditions.

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Mr. Null: States he doesn't believe

16 there is a need to mitigate upstream. States

they are looking to improve upstream. States

17 their obligation is to mitigate impacts

associated with their development.

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Ms. Uhle: Explains what Siwanoy is

19 proposing and what they're doing is not

significantly resolving the problems upstream

20 and that is what Mr. Grogg is going to be

looking at.

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Mr. Grogg: Steven Grogg, Maclaren

22 Engineering. Explains they have been retained

by the town to do a drainage study of the

23 Crawford Avenue storm drain system which is the

subject of this development because the

24 thirty-six inch pipe passes through the country

club. States they have done field surveys so

25 they have good information on the existing

storm drain up to Crawford. Explains they are

DINA M. MORGAN, REPORTER

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1 EASTCHESTER PLANNING BOARD - 8/1/07

2 looking at the overall drainage basin. States

there is a lot of runoff that goes to that

3 storm drain that has resulted in a lot of the

problems that people have experienced. States

4 they are looking at the existing conditions and

coming up with alternatives to alleviate the

5 flooding problems that have occurred. Explains

ultimately any supplement or addition to the

6 storm drain system will ultimately need to

discharge to the golf course probably by the

7 eighteenth hole.

8 Ms. Uhle: Asks Mr. Grogg to explain what

they are doing and how it relates to the

9 sanitary sewer system.

10 Mr. Grogg: Explains the town through the

DPW department is pursuing their own

11 investigation by videotaping some of the sewers

to determine if there is infiltration, cracked

12 pipes, looking for illegal connections, they're

doing smoke tests to determine if there are

13 illegal connections such as down spouts or

other things. Explains down at the end of

14 Adler Lane there was a sanitary manhole in a

low area, they have raised that manhole framing

15 grate by three or four feet so that when it

floods down there all that water doesn't go

16 into the manhole. States the town is being

very proactive with respect to the sanitary

17 sewers. Explains as you improve drainage

conditions so there is not flooding, ponding of

18 water which can back up into the sewers that

should also help that condition.

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Mr. Pulaski: Asks if there is anyone

20 from the public that would like to speak.

21 Mr. Lively: Frank Lively, 52 Alder Lane.

Compliments Siwanoy on what they have done and

22 everybody else for the cooperative effort.

Asks if the mitigation plan as it relates to

23 the Siwanoy project addresses the issues or

concerns or questions that Mr. Pilch raised in

24 his report. Asks if the encapsulation of the

pipe on the property is something that is

25 mitigated by opening it up again. Asks if the

Maclaren report ties into or has any ability to

DINA M. MORGAN, REPORTER

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1 EASTCHESTER PLANNING BOARD - 8/1/07

2 make recommendations as it relates to the

Siwanoy proposal or is it something that's

3 separately addressed.

4 Mr. Pulaski: Feels they're tied in

because they're all reporting to the planning

5 department and the planning department is tying

them together.

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Mr. Pilch: Alan Pilch. Explains John

7 Meyer Consulting in their review did show that

their impact would be less at the design point

8 they selected which is where the existing pipe

discharges to the present channel on the

9 property. States there is a decrease and

Sitheir numbers are consistent and correct.

10 Explains they suggested taking all of the

drainage and remove it from the pipe entirely

11 so that what's going through Archer Place and

through the Siwanoy Country Club is just the

12 flows from the neighborhood. Explains Siwanoy

has done above and beyond what they have needed

13 to do. States when they extended the pipe

previously it reduced the capacity slightly in

14 the pipe. Explains by removing their flows

from that thirty-six inch pipe they actually

15 somewhat mitigate that impact in the first

place. States Steve Grogg and Maclaren should

16 review the entire drainage system to see

whether or not opening that up again would make

17 sense or just doing the bypass pipe. Explains

as it is right now there would be a lot of

18 disruption on the golf course to reopen that

and the benefit would be very small. Feels

19 it's better addressed inside the overall study

that Maclaren would be doing. States by

20 removing their flows from that pipe they

somewhat addressed the restriction of the

21 capacity of that pipe.

22 Ms. Uhle: Asks Mr. Pilch to address the

concern with regard to the bypass pipe and the

23 concept of this phase two construction.

24 Mr. Pilch: Shows squash court building.

Explains in order to construct the squash court

25 building John Meyer Consulting is proposing a

bypass pipe that would essentially go around

DINA M. MORGAN, REPORTER

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1 EASTCHESTER PLANNING BOARD - 8/1/07

2 the building and they would abandon the

thirty-six inch pipe that the squash court

3 would be constructed over. States he expressed

concerns with that bypass pipe. One is that

4 the bypass pipe would be essentially flat and a

flat pipe generally has a reduced capacity.

5 Second, the ninety degree bend in the pipe is

an opportunity for losses to occur in the

6 hydraulic capacity of the pipe. States he has

concerns with that. Explains they expressed

7 those concerns to Siwanoy. Explains that could

be addressed in a number of ways. One is they

8 could do a study and review what the capacity

of that pipe would be with that bypass, they

9 could reconfigure the architecture of that

building to avoid constructing it over the

10 existing thirty-six inch pipe or the bypass

pipe might negate any of the concerns with that

11 bypass.

12 Ms. Uhle: States Siwanoy has indicated

they're not planning to construct that portion

13 of the building at this time so that would be a

phase two construction. Explains a condition

14 of approval could be that they come back with a

separate application at that time and the

15 drainage issues could be discussed separately

with regard to that bypass because that could

16 be effected by whatever design improvements are

proposed by Mr. Grogg. Explains Mr. Pilch said

17 that is not acceptable, Siwanoy said they're

not planning to construct that at this point

18 under any circumstances so they would have to

re-evaluate that and conditions may be

19 different at that time when they come back for

that phase two construction, if they come back.

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