OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Village of Larchmont Board of Trustees Meeting - September 29, 2025

Village Board of Trustees — Monday, September 29, 2025
BodyLarchmont, New York
SessionVillage Board of Trustees
DateMonday, September 29, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 31:51

Transcript — Verbatim
0:02

Welcome to the Village of Larchmont Board of Trustee meeting on Monday, September 29th.

0:08

Please note that the entire board is in attendance, along with Village Attorney Jim Stout, Village Administrator Aylon Katzin, and Deputy Clerk Jamie Silver.

0:18

Everyone, please rise for the couch.

0:40

So first, I just want to say a huge thank you to our arts committee, to Trustee Bubba Finelli as their liaison, and to Neilie Ashery, Anna O'Neal, my sister, and Carrie Fetterspiel for chairing the Arts Festival in the uh park over the weekend.

0:59

It was a fabulous event.

1:00

So thank you to everybody who came by and checked out all of the art.

1:04

Thank you to the vendors and thank you to everyone who made it possible.

1:07

Um I also want to say a very huge thank you to Arturo Hildago.

1:12

He has been our village hall caretaker for 25 years, and he is retiring next week.

1:19

So thank you to Arturo for his many, many, many years of service to the village.

1:24

He will be greatly missed.

1:32

Next, I'm going to turn it over to Administrator Katzin for his report.

1:37

Thank you so much, Mayor.

1:38

Um just a few small quick things.

1:41

Uh one is uh we're going to commence with our annual hydrant flushing.

1:45

Um this is an opportunity for our uh water department to clean out our system, uh especially with so many hydrants not being thankfully in use throughout the year.

1:56

Um that's going to be commencing at some point later in October.

2:00

We will be sending out mailing notices and putting it on our website and newsletter.

2:04

In addition, in terms of public uh communications, we are continuing with our lead line replacement program.

2:11

Um locations are in the manor.

2:15

Um we are at the end of this wave of replacements going to be commencing with fall paving.

2:22

We have uh about 1.25 linear miles of road paving that we're going to be doing.

2:28

Um so prior to that being scheduled, uh prior to that commencing, once it's scheduled, we will be notifying the uh the related uh sections of roads and the residents who will be impacted so that everyone knows in advance and and could take the proper uh uh precautions and measures.

2:47

Um last thing we will be commencing with the recruitments of the assistant village administrator and building inspector uh should that those things those should commence later this week.

2:57

Um, and the recruitments are being handled by pra academic partners, and more information will be on our website later this week once it's announced.

3:04

And that's all I have.

3:05

Thank you so much.

3:06

Village.

3:09

Uh we do not have a report from the village treasurer.

3:11

So next up is our police chief.

3:17

Thank you very much.

3:18

Good evening.

3:19

Um, we can do the swearing in now if you'd like.

3:22

Okay.

3:24

Sure.

3:47

Yep, absolutely, and I'll do the I'll do the oath.

3:49

Okay.

3:52

Yeah, I think it's there, it's fine.

3:55

So good evening.

3:55

Tonight we uh we have the privilege of introducing our one of our newest police officers, Miss Diliana Ortiz.

4:02

Uh, Diliana was born and raised in the Bronx.

4:04

Uh after graduating Pelham Prep High School, Diliana continued her education and graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh in 2022 with a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice.

4:14

Shortly after graduating college in July of 2022, Diliana started her law enforcement career as a police officer with the New York City Police Department.

4:22

Well, with the MYPD, Diliana was assigned to the Patrol Division in the 5-2 precinct in the Bronx.

4:29

Diliana successfully completed a very competitive hiring process here in Larchmont, and on August 26, 2025, was hired as a police officer here.

4:38

Tonight Diliana is joined by her parents Nancy and Antonio, her sister Haley Ann and her boyfriend Nick, and her and Diliana's boyfriend Mike.

4:48

So please join me as we welcome Police Officer Diliana Ortiz to Larchmont Police Department.

5:06

So move.

5:07

Do I have a second?

5:08

Second.

5:08

All in favor?

5:09

Aye.

5:10

Congratulations.

5:19

Administered the oath of office.

5:21

So please repeat after me.

5:23

I, Deliana Ortiz.

5:24

Hi, Deliano Ortiz.

5:26

Do solemnly swear.

5:28

That I will support the Constitution of the United States.

5:31

That I will support the Constitution of the United States.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety█████████████████████████25%
Procedural██████████████████████22%
Parks and Recreation████████████████16%
Community Engagement███████████████15%
Engineering And Infrastructure████████8%
Arts And Culture█████5%
Environmental Protection█████5%
Youth Programs████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Village of Larchmont Board of Trustees Meeting - September 29, 2025

The Village of Larchmont Board of Trustees held its regular meeting on Monday, September 29, 2025, with all trustees, Village Attorney Jim Stout, Village Administrator Aylon Katzin, and Deputy Clerk Jamie Silver in attendance. The meeting covered a range of topics including public safety updates, committee appointments, resolution approvals, and a public comment regarding a special permit renewal.

Consent Calendar

  • The board approved the payment of bills for Job ID 418822 dated 09-29-25 totaling $587,333.34. (Motion carried unanimously)

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Helen Motch, partner at Mincer Motch, PLLC, representing client Jewel Salvecchio (owner of 2126 Boston Post Road), expressed that she had written two letters (April 7 and June 26, 2025) requesting a public hearing for the renewal of the special permit for "locals" (2128 Boston Post Road) but had not received a response. She thanked the board for scheduling the public hearing during the meeting and advocated for an open and transparent process.

Discussion Items

  • Mayor's Remarks: Thanked the Arts Committee, Trustee Finelli, and volunteers for the successful Arts Festival held on Saturday, September 27, 2025, at Constitution Park. Also thanked Arturo Hidalgo, retiring after 25 years as village hall caretaker.
  • Village Administrator Katzin's Report:
    • Annual hydrant flushing will commence in late October; notifications will be sent.
    • Lead line replacement program continues in the Manor area.
    • Fall paving of approximately 1.25 linear miles of road will begin; affected residents will be notified.
    • Recruitment for assistant village administrator and building inspector to start later this week, handled by Pra Academic Partners.
  • Police Chief's Report:
    • Administered oath of office to new Police Officer Diliana Ortiz (background provided).
    • Reported a serious incident on September 15, 2025: a 16-year-old Larchmont resident used an airsoft gun to assault another 16-year-old in Willow Park, causing a broken nose and concussion; the suspect was arrested and charged with assault in the second degree.
    • On September 17, 2025, using upgraded technology, officers arrested a 21-year-old Bronx resident for attempted bicycle theft; the individual was also a suspect in a prior bicycle theft.
    • Noted 11 leaf blower complaints since July 21, with summonses issued in 5 cases.
    • Announced the department received the Triple A Northeast Bronze Award for Traffic Safety for the fifth consecutive year.
    • Upcoming events: bicycle safety program (October 3), Halloween safety talks (October 27), Larchmont Day Fall Festival (October 11), Ragamuffin Parade (October 25), and Coffee with a Cop (October 1, 11 a.m.–1 p.m. at Stans Cafe).
  • Fire Chief's Report:
    • Highlighted two incidents: on August 23, firefighters freed a child trapped in playground equipment without injury; on September 9, firefighters responded to a choking victim, provided care, and the individual was breathing and speaking upon hospital arrival.
    • Thanked village mechanic Juan and assistant DPW foreman Mike for installing equipment on the new 2005 tower ladder.
    • Fire Prevention Week (October 5–11) theme: lithium-ion battery safety.
    • Outdoor dining program ends October 1; DPW will remove concrete barriers starting October 2.
  • Trustee Reports:
    • Trustee Brennan: Thanked Ken Weaver for his work as chair of the Climate Smart Community Task Force (helped achieve bronze certification). Appointed Mark Manley and Ilana Mass as co-chairs (motion carried unanimously).
    • Trustee Finelli: Recapped the Arts Festival; promoted Larchmont Day Fall Festival (October 11, $10 ticket fee) and Ragamuffin Parade (October 25, 3 p.m.). Noted paddle, tennis, and pickleball courts are open; permits required.
    • Trustee (unidentified): Announced a combined paddle tennis permit discount of $50 for first year. Appointed Will Mochweller to the Parks and Trees Committee (motion carried unanimously).
    • Trustee Parray: Questioned a $601.13 expenditure on a "wheel simulator"; no answer provided at the meeting.
  • Resolutions:
    • Authorized execution of agreement with COVID LLP (nonprofit) to use Flint Park Playhouse as a social space for middle and high school students starting January 2026 (motion carried).
    • Set a public hearing for the special permit renewal for "locals" at 2128 Boston Post Road (first hearing to gather feedback; motion carried).
    • Authorized professional services agreement with Catazone Engineering for consulting engineering services, not to exceed $30,000 (motion carried).
    • Approved submission of the Justice Court Assistance Grant application (motion carried).
    • Adopted fiscal year 2025-26 racket sports fees and charges, including combined rates for tennis, pickleball, and paddle (motion carried).
    • Authorized an agreement with AKRF for a Larchmont Avenue demonstration project study regarding bicycle lane safety, not to exceed $3,000 (motion carried).
  • Other Actions (from previous work sessions): The board noted actions taken on August 6, September 8, and September 18, including: updating the Parks and Trees Committee charter to include the Sheldrake dam property; approving $30,000 for holiday decoration refurbishment; terminating an engineering agreement; executing a stormwater review services agreement; approving Constitution Park plantings; applying for the Westchester County Complete Streets grant; authorizing Aylon Katzin as acting village clerk; renewing mutual aid agreements; and authorizing a building code support agreement with Labella Associates.

Key Outcomes

  • New Police Officer Sworn In: Diliana Ortiz was formally appointed and administered the oath of office.
  • Climate Smart Task Force Co-Chairs Appointed: Mark Manley and Ilana Mass appointed as co-chairs.
  • Parks and Trees Committee Member Appointed: Will Mochweller appointed.
  • Flint Park Playhouse Agreement Approved: Authorized administrator to execute agreement with COVID LLP for teen social space.
  • Public Hearing Scheduled: First hearing for locals special permit renewal set (date not specified).
  • Professional Services Agreements Approved:
    • Catazone Engineering (up to $30,000)
    • AKRF (up to $3,000)
  • Grant Submission Approved: Justice Court Assistance Grant.
  • Fiscal Year 2025-26 Racket Sports Fees Adopted: Including combined rates.
  • Bills Approved: $587,333.34 paid; additional bills to be reviewed at a work session.
  • Meeting Adjourned: Unanimously.

Meeting Transcript

Welcome to the Village of Larchmont Board of Trustee meeting on Monday, September 29th. Please note that the entire board is in attendance, along with Village Attorney Jim Stout, Village Administrator Aylon Katzin, and Deputy Clerk Jamie Silver. Everyone, please rise for the couch. So first, I just want to say a huge thank you to our arts committee, to Trustee Bubba Finelli as their liaison, and to Neilie Ashery, Anna O'Neal, my sister, and Carrie Fetterspiel for chairing the Arts Festival in the uh park over the weekend. It was a fabulous event. So thank you to everybody who came by and checked out all of the art. Thank you to the vendors and thank you to everyone who made it possible. Um I also want to say a very huge thank you to Arturo Hildago. He has been our village hall caretaker for 25 years, and he is retiring next week. So thank you to Arturo for his many, many, many years of service to the village. He will be greatly missed. Next, I'm going to turn it over to Administrator Katzin for his report. Thank you so much, Mayor. Um just a few small quick things. Uh one is uh we're going to commence with our annual hydrant flushing. Um this is an opportunity for our uh water department to clean out our system, uh especially with so many hydrants not being thankfully in use throughout the year. Um that's going to be commencing at some point later in October. We will be sending out mailing notices and putting it on our website and newsletter. In addition, in terms of public uh communications, we are continuing with our lead line replacement program. Um locations are in the manor. Um we are at the end of this wave of replacements going to be commencing with fall paving. We have uh about 1.25 linear miles of road paving that we're going to be doing. Um so prior to that being scheduled, uh prior to that commencing, once it's scheduled, we will be notifying the uh the related uh sections of roads and the residents who will be impacted so that everyone knows in advance and and could take the proper uh uh precautions and measures. Um last thing we will be commencing with the recruitments of the assistant village administrator and building inspector uh should that those things those should commence later this week. Um, and the recruitments are being handled by pra academic partners, and more information will be on our website later this week once it's announced. And that's all I have. Thank you so much. Village. Uh we do not have a report from the village treasurer. So next up is our police chief. Thank you very much. Good evening. Um, we can do the swearing in now if you'd like. Okay. Sure. Yep, absolutely, and I'll do the I'll do the oath. Okay. Yeah, I think it's there, it's fine. So good evening. Tonight we uh we have the privilege of introducing our one of our newest police officers, Miss Diliana Ortiz. Uh, Diliana was born and raised in the Bronx. Uh after graduating Pelham Prep High School, Diliana continued her education and graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh in 2022 with a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice. Shortly after graduating college in July of 2022, Diliana started her law enforcement career as a police officer with the New York City Police Department. Well, with the MYPD, Diliana was assigned to the Patrol Division in the 5-2 precinct in the Bronx. Diliana successfully completed a very competitive hiring process here in Larchmont, and on August 26, 2025, was hired as a police officer here. Tonight Diliana is joined by her parents Nancy and Antonio, her sister Haley Ann and her boyfriend Nick, and her and Diliana's boyfriend Mike. So please join me as we welcome Police Officer Diliana Ortiz to Larchmont Police Department. So move. Do I have a second? Second.

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