Impassioned Discussions at Board Meeting
By Stephen E. Lipken
A capacity crowd with long lines of residents waiting to speak filled the Alfred F. Sulla Municipal Building in Harrison at the Thursday, January 21 Board of Trustees Meeting.
Earlier, Deputy Village Attorney Jonathan Kraut conducted an auction to sell a vacant lot owned by the Town of Harrison for $300,000 on Woodland Road, near Old Orchard Street. Although Legal Assistant Susan Albanese registered two bidders, the auction closed with no bids.
Mayor Joan B. Walsh announced a new garbage pick up policy, changing from backyard collections to curbside only, effective Monday, January 25th. Acting Commissioner of Public Works Anthony P. Robinson reported that garbage routes have been cut from eight to five with an addition of 150 to 200 stops per route.
Walsh noted changes will result in $1.1 million dollars in tax savings, “three points, meaning that the tax increase would have been 15 percent instead of 12.9.”
Concern was expressed by some residents that the additional work load would result in more Workmen’s Compensation injuries. Robinson replied that there was less risk “since employees will no longer have to drag heavy barrels from backyards.”
Estelle Cohen commented that she has lived in Harrison since 1956 and donated defibrillators to the Town, “and I would not want them used on seniors struggling to bring their garbage to the curb.”
“We talked about it during the summer,” Walsh replied. “We called 16 other communities and found that four outsourced their garbage, two do curb pickups and two backyard collections at $300 per home.”
After more speakers against this action, the Board agreed to accommodate handicapped residents with permits for exceptions.
Another heated topic addressed was the selection of the new Police Chief. Candidates are Captain Anthony Marraccini, Lieutenant Douglas Buschel and Lt. Larry Marshall.
Controversy raged regarding Marraccini’s eligibility, due to the fact that new Councilwoman Marlane Amelio’s niece is married to Marraccini, pointed out by Deborah Notkin and Elizabeth Pritchard. Amelio answered that she is not a blood relative and was eligible to vote for Marraccini or any other candidate.
In a pressing environmental issue, Walsh presented a letter from Town of Mamaroneck (TOM) Supervisor Valerie O’ Keeffe requesting the Board’s opinion regarding hydraulic fracturing for gas extraction in the Catskill region. Since it is a depressed area, Catskill residents would welcome payment for drilling under their houses, but there may be danger of contaminants leaking into ground water which is piped to downstate New York.
Catskill homeowner Janet Bruno stressed that it was a “scary thing. Well water is affected and some Pennsylvania residents can’t drink their water because of a similar operation.” The Board will consult with Westchester Joint Water Works (WJWW) and investigate the matter further.
There was one note of optimism, as Christine Carpanzano, manager of Best Friends Pet Care presented a $2500 check to Robert J. Suhre for his Dog Park project, bringing total donations to $8,081.
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