North Salem Town Board Regular Meeting/Worksession - May 13, 2025

The Town of North Salem Town Board met in person and via Zoom on May 13, 2025. The meeting opened at 6:30 PM with a 30-minute executive session to review prospective Planning Board candidates and discuss contracts, then reconvened in open session at 7:00 PM. The board received a presentation on the 2025-2026 North Salem Central School District budget and capital project, approved routine minutes, reports, and resolutions, and held worksession discussions on the Croton Falls draft master plan, an electric vehicle purchase, the RNS 250 laser light show, and Delancey Hall renovations. The meeting adjourned at approximately 9:40 PM.

Minutes and Reports

• The board approved minutes from the April 8, 2025 regular meeting/worksession, the April 22, 2025 regular meeting/worksession, and the April 29, 2025 special meeting. A possible correction about whether Gabalski's window proposal included side windows was noted for later verification, but the minutes were accepted as delivered.
• The board approved the April 2025 monthly reports from the Building Inspector, Highway Department, Planning Board financial report, Police Department, Receiver of Taxes, Recreation Department, Supervisor, and Town Clerk. A board member requested a future monthly maintenance report and an annual maintenance schedule.

School Budget Presentation - Dr. Adam VanDerStuyf

• Superintendent Dr. Adam VanDerStuyf, joined by school board members Kurt Golden, Brandon Keenan, and Liz Bridges, presented the 2025-2026 school budget and the $24.51 million capital project proposal.
• The operating budget is proposed at $52,377,964 with a 2.9% tax levy increase, the maximum allowed under the state tax cap. The vote is scheduled for May 20, 2025; the capital project is Proposition 2.
• The capital project stems from a 2023 state-mandated building condition survey that identified some 300 areas. It includes work at the middle school/high school (just under $13.3 million), PQ Elementary ($9.46 million), and the bus garage (approximately $1.76 million). Work includes roofing, ventilation, electrical replacement, paving, parking, facade/lobby reconfiguration, and bus garage upgrades. Construction is scheduled to begin next summer and be completed during the 2027-28 school year.
• The district plans to draw $105,001 from the existing Capital Reserve Fund. New York State is expected to reimburse 17 cents per dollar, with about 90% of the project expected to qualify for state aid.
• VanDerStuyf said enrollment has stabilized at roughly 950-975 students after peaking at just over 1,000 in 2021-22, with no further decline projected over the next decade. Universal pre-K is projected to grow from 32 to 42 students next year.
• He explained that splitting the project into smaller bonds would be more expensive because of lost economies of scale in roofing, HVAC, electrical, paving, and mobilization. Roughly $21 million of the $24.51 million total is infrastructure work.
• In response to questions, he said prior drinking-water issues at school buildings had been addressed through earlier projects, and construction would be scheduled to minimize disruption.
• The operating budget supports a new literacy curriculum (Wit and Wisdom), a multi-tiered systems of support coordinator funded by discontinuing elementary foreign language, and an additional assistant principal at the middle school/high school.

Resolutions and Routine Approvals

• Approved payment of town bills totaling $218,012.43 and highway bills totaling $40,952.96.
• Appointed four seasonal Highway Department laborers, including Ryan DePauley, George Neighbor, Nicholas Neighbor, and Dylan Walter, at $20.05 per hour from May 15 through September 15, 2025.
• Tabled the Planning Board appointment until the next meeting with a full board.
• Reappointed Andy Brown, Jamie Roach, and John Voraci to the Recreation Advisory Committee with terms expiring April 24, 2028.
• Authorized the supervisor to sign the TraCS electronic data agreement with New York State Police and Westchester County Department of Public Safety for a five-year period.
• Approved budget transfers: $1,383 from court education to court office furniture/equipment, and $58,613.19 from New York State EFC bond principal to bond interest in the Peach Lake sewer district.
• Authorized the supervisor to sign the 2024 Senior Citizens Nutrition Program agreement and pay the Town of Somers $24,141.25 for senior meals.
• Adopted a resolution supporting nutrient-inactivant legislation, New York State Senate Bill S5936 and Assembly Bill A4514, and directed the supervisor to send a letter of support to the state legislature and governor.
• Authorized Tundra Contracting to remove siding at Delancey Hall under change order #4 (see Delancey Hall section below).
• Deferred authorization to seek bids for Delancey Hall siding and window restoration/replacement until specifications are merged and the board has more information.
• Authorized seeking bids for two live-edge snowplow blades and three 3,000-gallon salt brine tanks for the Highway Department.
• Authorized a Tyler Technologies software-as-a-service agreement for September 15, 2024 through December 31, 2025 at a cost of $9,200; the going-forward annual cost is $7,100 with a 5% annual increase.
• Approved tax refunds for double tax payments on properties including 7 Lakeview and 34 Dingo Ridge Road, totaling $460.56.
• Approved a $92 recreation program refund to Donna McMahood.
• Authorized recreation programming agreements: Bobby Angello's Day Rock program on July 3 at $1,600, and Rockland Golf Carts rental for $3,450 for summer camp, both included in camp tuition.
• Authorized use of school facilities, including the PQ gym for a one-week August sports camp and the NSDC parking lot at PQ for camp pickup.
• Authorized the supervisor to sign the Foa & Son insurance renewal for May 14, 2025 through May 14, 2026, at a cost of $161,744 including policies and fees.
• Authorized purchase of an M&T Bank check scanner and supplies for $477.99 for the Recreation Department.
• Authorized payment of $5,614 to Abrams Fensterman LLP for special legal services provided during March and April 2025.
• Authorized a $100,000 interfund loan from the general fund to the capital projects fund to cover 2025 expenditures until grants, bond proceeds, and other funds are received.
• Set Friday, May 16, 2025 as Records Management Day for scanning and purging records; recreation and court offices did not need to close.
• Authorized payment of $102,081 to Coach Bus Sales for a senior van, funded by a Community Development Block Grant of $101,617.65 received May 13, with the remaining $391.06 paid from the general fund.

Worksession: Croton Falls Draft Master Plan Review (Session VIII)

• The board briefly reviewed the draft master plan and identified minor updates, including sewer section 5.5/5.6, an updated EV charging station recommendation including a level 3 charger, and updating the draft date from September 30, 2020. Board members agreed to provide markups offline and bring a summary to the next meeting. No formal action was taken.

Worksession: Purchase of Electric Vehicle

• The board discussed using $15,000 in grant funds restricted to an electric vehicle purchase. A vehicle is needed for the Building Department, and an older Taurus would be retired. The discussion considered an EV with reasonable ground clearance; no decision was made.

Worksession: RNS 250 Laser Light Show

• The board discussed a proposed laser light show on Saturday, June 20, 2026, as part of the town's 250th anniversary celebration, in place of fireworks. The laser subcontractor would cost about $10,000 plus $2,000 for staging; a local DJ has offered to donate services. Work remains on airport permissions and selecting a venue. The town may need to be party to the contract and insurance. No formal action was taken.

Delancey Hall Renovations Discussion

• Structural investigations found that Delancey Hall needs substantial wall bracing, replacement of deteriorated studs, sill work, and repointing of post-and-beam connections. Bob Gabalski of Lothrop Associates and Plan B Engineering are preparing specifications that must be merged before bidding.
• The existing siding is largely from 1937 and 1953, has lead paint, and was described by the consultant as not historically significant or worth saving. The window trim is historically important.
• The board discussed refurbishing all 24 existing windows for about $130,000 versus buying custom historically appropriate reproductions at a comparable cost. New reproductions would operate better and could be double-pane. Board members Warren and others expressed concern about cost and scope, noting the $400,000 bond may not cover the full project and costs could reach $600,000-$750,000. Catherine and Brent favored a more comprehensive approach to avoid hidden rot and future problems.
• A Historical Preservation Commission representative said very little original exterior remains and would support historically appropriate replacement windows if the board decided that was the wise approach.
• The board authorized Tundra Contracting to remove siding on the front and sides of Delancey Hall under change order #4, leaving the back for now. It deferred the bid authorization for siding and window restoration until after specifications are merged, window delivery timelines are known, and the Historical Preservation Commission and Capital Planning Committee are consulted. The work needs to be completed before late summer/hurricane season.

Key Outcomes

• All resolutions that came to a vote were approved by voice vote, including the school district-related agreement authorizations, routine payments, appointments, budget transfers, and the Delancey siding removal.
• The Planning Board appointment was tabled until a full board meeting.
• Authorization to seek bids for Delancey Hall siding and window restoration/replacement was deferred.
• The supervisor was directed to send the nutrient-inactivant support letter.
• The school district's May 20, 2025 budget and capital project vote will proceed; the town board took no action on the school budget.
• Worksession items on the EV purchase and laser light show remain under development with no formal decisions.
• The Croton Falls draft master plan will be updated offline and reviewed again at a future meeting.