OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Peekskill Common Council Work Session: DRF, Watershed Grant, DePew Trails, E-Bike Code – September 8, 2026

Meeting Portal — Tuesday, September 8, 2026
BodyPeekskill, New York
SessionMeeting Portal
DateTuesday, September 8, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:49:14

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

2026.

0:01

We have three presentations as well as an agenda of about seven items.

0:06

Oh, sorry, ten items.

0:08

Um nine items, and then executive session for discussions of matters concerning the medical financial credit or employment history of a particular person, persons, or corporation, or matters leading to the appointment, employment, promotion, demotion, discipline, suspension, dismissal, or removal of a particular person, persons or corporations.

0:28

Just want to uh make note that Deputy Mayor Riley is uh way, and Councilwoman Tablet is on by Zoom as she's not feeling well this evening.

0:36

So at this time I will turn it over to our city manager, Ms.

0:38

Alexander.

0:39

Okay, good evening, Mayor and Council.

0:41

Good evening.

0:42

Uh we have a it looks like a light agenda, but it is not.

0:46

So uh we have a few items to talk to you about.

0:50

And first off, uh I've asked Carol and her team to come talk to us about the DRF and which is part of the DRI and what the city has planned for us.

1:04

Good evening, Mayor, Councils and Hey Peaceville.

1:10

This is Darrell Francis here at the City of Peace Go Youth Bureau.

1:13

I want to talk to you today about our fall program that we're launching September 8th of 2026.

1:22

So we go inside, we'll see some of what we have done in the upgrades and things that are happening here in this building.

1:28

As we move up to the activity center room, you'll see we have a huge space here, and we're getting ready for our fall programs where we have our tables for our kids for their laptops and the things they could do.

1:41

We have here we'll have workshops, homework assistance, STEM programs.

1:46

We have a dry racer table that's over there on the side over there.

1:50

And we have right here is our learner center where we're gonna put up our new screen TV that'll be touch screen for the kids to go through different programming and different activities.

2:02

That we have a nice computer lab that is being input.

2:07

That we have about six computers, state of the arts that kids will be able to go on the internet, they'll be able to do research for their papers with a color printer.

2:17

We'll also be having a 3D printer back there as well.

2:22

So this you're watching the City of Peakskill government channel.

2:40

Um and the goal of the the DRF is really to enhance the experience of everyone in the DRI area through streetscape, business promotion and growth, attracting new tenants, shoppers, residents, and owners.

2:58

And as a reminder, uh the DRF program provides up to 90% of the funding for improvements.

3:06

Um that means that 10% has to come at least, 10% has to come from the business owner or property owner, um or herself.

3:16

And this is this is also a reimbursable program, so all of the cash outlay has to come from the business owner or the property owner uh first, and then they get reimbursed from the state.

3:26

Sometimes that's a hurdle uh for folks, but it's very important to know that up front.

3:32

Um eligible applicants include property owners and owners of for-profit and not-for-profit businesses that are located in the DRI area.

3:40

And there's a map of the DRI area, um, although we're all pretty familiar with it at this time, but there's a map of that on our web page.

3:47

I've provided a link here, and we'll continue to to share that.

3:51

So far, we've awarded 16 projects up to 567,000 dollars over rounds one and two.

3:59

Um, and we have a small um pot of money that remains to be awarded.

4:04

Um, and we'd like to open that up for round three.

4:06

It's about 62, almost 63,000, uh, which I think could be meaningful.

4:12

You'll see some of the projects have been smaller, but we could also do a larger project um, which uh you know we have seen over the over the three rounds.

4:23

The um if we were to go into a round three, uh the GRF administrative plan, which is approved by the state and the city remains in effect.

4:32

So those guiding documents, excuse me, the project review committee, um, which is is listed here as well.

4:40

Uh, we'll review the applications, make recommendations, the we'll present those to the council.

4:45

Ultimately, the state, um DHCR, um, and the housing trust fund corporation are the ones who make the final selection.

4:56

So round three, if we were to do this is outreach and info session.

5:01

We where we've already scheduled and held time with uh Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce and the bid uh to uh co-sponsor with us and uh uh info session on the 23rd at 6 p.m.

5:15

So we've already got that in place.

5:17

Applications would be open the 15th of September through October 9th.

5:21

The 15th, of course, is the day after the council meeting.

5:24

Uh we would make selections by the end of October and present them to the council.

5:29

Um, and as a reminder, the application form is on the web page, but we'll also provide an updated web page with more detailed information.

5:39

For those at home, um, just as a reminder, also, you know, the scoring criteria is you know, is is listed.

5:47

There are a number of of um elements, visually prominent things that improve the aesthetics of the district, have a catalytic effect and are transformative.

5:57

Those are the words that are a part of it.

5:59

They have to be feasible and ready.

6:02

Um they should leverage private investment.

6:06

The more they leverage, the higher they will score.

6:08

They can add and retain jobs, uh, another important thing, also allowing for business creation or expansion.

6:16

Um, but they also may include energy efficiency, accessibility improvements, and uh public health improvements.

6:23

Those are also valued as a part of this program.

6:26

Um they can include substantial upgrades to buildings or to businesses themselves and activate vacant or underutilized spaces.

6:36

There are is a process.

6:38

Once you get into this process, um it's not just you're awarded and then you get the money or go do the work.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Parks and Recreation█████████████████████21%
Water And Wastewater Management██████████████████18%
Active Transportation███████████11%
Youth Programs████████8%
Trail Safety████████8%
Procedural██████6%
Environmental Protection██████6%
Economic Development███3%
Senior Services███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Peekskill Common Council Work Session – September 8, 2026

The Peekskill Common Council held a work session on September 8, 2026, receiving presentations on the Downtown Revitalization Fund and Round III, a source-water protection grant partnership with the Town of Putnam Valley, and DePew Park trail stewardship and mountain biking. Staff also discussed senior nutrition funding, a watershed grant, annual water bids, a chemical spill report, the 418 N. Division Street special permit, a DePew forest inventory, and proposed amendments to Chapters 416 and 182. No formal votes were taken; staff were directed to prepare resolutions for upcoming meetings.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No formal public comment period was held because this was a work session. A person identifying as John Ford from Little Central attempted to ask a question during the water presentation; the Mayor said work sessions do not take public comments and directed him to staff.

Downtown Revitalization Fund Update and Round III

  • Planning Director Carol J. Samol reported that the DRI/DRF program covers up to 90% of eligible improvement costs, with at least 10% matched by the property or business owner; it is a reimbursable program with a required state procurement process.
  • Sixteen projects have been awarded up to $567,000 across Rounds I and II. Six have been fully reimbursed, eight are in progress, and two were rescinded (Peekskill Brewery and Peekskill Performing Arts Center), leaving a little over $62,000 available for Round III.
  • The proposed Round III application window is September 15 through October 9, 2026, with an information session co-sponsored by the Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce scheduled for September 23 at 6 p.m. Planning staff plan door-to-door outreach.
  • Samol confirmed the round would be open rather than signage-focused; signage would remain eligible.

Water: Source Water Protection Grant Partnership with Putnam Valley

  • Dave Rambeau, Watershed Inspector Joseph Scapoli, and Putnam Valley Supervisor Alison Joliker presented a proposed NYSDEC harmful algal bloom research grant partnership.
  • The Peekskill Hollow Creek watershed covers two counties, eight municipalities, and about 50 square miles; it supplies roughly 25,000 Peekskill residents and serves as backup supply for another 75,000 Westchester residents. About 70% of the watershed is in Putnam Valley.
  • Supervisor Joliker said Putnam Valley beaches were closed much of the summer and urged intermunicipal support. Letters of support from Peekskill, Mohegan Lake, and the Town of Kent were mentioned.
  • The grant ranges from $250,000 to $750,000 and is due September 15. The 20% match would be split between the city and Putnam Valley using the city's dam maintenance budget line.
  • Scapoli explained harmful algal blooms, nutrient loading, cyanobacteria, and treatment impacts; he noted every $1 spent on source-water protection saves about $27 in treatment costs.
  • Council members expressed strong support and directed staff to prepare a resolution.

Recreation: DePew Park Trails Program and Stewardship

  • The Westchester Mountain Biking Association (Megan Sia, Sam Lee, and John Ford) proposed repealing Chapter 416-33's 1973 ban on bicycles on walks/footpaths, allowing class-one pedal-assist e-bikes, and formalizing trail stewardship/maintenance at no cost to the city.
  • The group cited trail usage heat maps, tri-state visitors, economic impact examples (including a $74 million annual impact from the Empire State Trail in Ulster County), Westchester County's $4.15 million upgrade of Blue Mountain Reservation, and NICA youth events attracting 200 to 400 kids and family members.
  • They said they are not proposing new trail construction or obstacle courses, only maintaining existing trails, reporting blowdowns, and following erosion-minimizing standards such as roughly 11% average trail grade. They found no significant user-conflict statistics over 30 years except the Blue Mountain Bandit trail-vandalism case.
  • Council discussion raised concerns about e-bike class distinctions, enforcement, and safety on riverfront footpaths. Several council members supported only class-one e-bikes; one council member opposed motorized bikes on footpaths and riverfront trails. One council member wanted to move quickly to repeal the ban, while the Mayor said the Council would seek legal guidance and not rush.
  • Staff noted the proposed Chapter 416 amendment on packet page 29 does not distinguish e-bike classes and may need adjustment. A related Chapter 182 amendment would add BID streets to a subsection prohibiting bikes on sidewalks while allowing them on streets.

Other Discussion Items

  • Nutrition: Westchester County made available $80,139 in additional Title III-C funding for home-delivered meals to seniors, with no required match. The city is approaching its 54th year of senior nutrition operations.
  • Water – Watershed grant: The city received $75,000 in grant funding to create a deeper open-space/watershed plan; staff proposed hiring Barton and Loguidice, which prepared the prior DWSP2 plan.
  • Water – 2027 bids: Annual competitive bids were discussed for water maintenance materials (spare hydrants, repair clamps, valves, etc.) and water treatment plant chemicals and sludge removal.
  • Water – Chemical spill report: A DEC inspection found issues with the bulk chemical storage report; CPL, already serving as city engineer, would prepare the updated report at approved rates.
  • Planning – 418 N. Division Street: A pre-public hearing update was given. The public hearing is scheduled for September 14, 2026, but the Planning Commission has not yet made a recommendation. The project includes 158 affordable income-restricted apartments, ground-floor commercial space, 225 on-site parking spaces in two garages, a roughly 2,000-square-foot community space, and landscaped outdoor areas. Traffic and shadow studies are still pending. Council asked the applicant to address parking charges/opt-outs and community space ideas; one council member raised future consideration of removing extra zoning points for EV charging stations.
  • DePew Park Forest Inventory: A $16,500 agreement was proposed, consisting of $7,500 for a sample-based forest inventory, $7,500 for a community forest management plan, and $1,500 for two virtual meetings, to support future tree-planting grant applications. Dead tree removal remains a separate city responsibility.
  • Council liaison reports: Youth Bureau fall programming, a youth leadership council, a father fishing outing on September 19, new downtown PSAs, BID social media growth (82,000 views and 127 new followers in August), a new seafood vendor at the farmers market, a Westchester County business survey, and a 100th birthday tribute to Reverend Howard Phillips were noted.

Key Outcomes

  • Staff will prepare resolutions for upcoming meetings: Round III DRF outreach, the Putnam Valley source-water HAB grant partnership, acceptance of senior nutrition funds, the watershed grant and engineering services, water maintenance and chemical bids, the CPL chemical spill report scope, and the DePew forest inventory agreement.
  • Council consensus is to hold the scheduled September 14 public hearing on 418 N. Division Street while awaiting the Planning Commission recommendation.
  • Council indicated readiness to proceed to a public hearing on the e-bike code amendment after additional research on waterfront trail grant language, e-bike class definitions, and enforcement is provided.

Executive Session

  • The Council voted to enter executive session for discussion of matters concerning medical, financial, credit, or employment history of a particular person, persons, or corporation, or matters leading to appointment, employment, promotion, demotion, discipline, suspension, dismissal, or removal of a particular person, persons, or corporation, as permitted by law.

Meeting Transcript

2026. We have three presentations as well as an agenda of about seven items. Oh, sorry, ten items. Um nine items, and then executive session for discussions of matters concerning the medical financial credit or employment history of a particular person, persons, or corporation, or matters leading to the appointment, employment, promotion, demotion, discipline, suspension, dismissal, or removal of a particular person, persons or corporations. Just want to uh make note that Deputy Mayor Riley is uh way, and Councilwoman Tablet is on by Zoom as she's not feeling well this evening. So at this time I will turn it over to our city manager, Ms. Alexander. Okay, good evening, Mayor and Council. Good evening. Uh we have a it looks like a light agenda, but it is not. So uh we have a few items to talk to you about. And first off, uh I've asked Carol and her team to come talk to us about the DRF and which is part of the DRI and what the city has planned for us. Good evening, Mayor, Councils and Hey Peaceville. This is Darrell Francis here at the City of Peace Go Youth Bureau. I want to talk to you today about our fall program that we're launching September 8th of 2026. So we go inside, we'll see some of what we have done in the upgrades and things that are happening here in this building. As we move up to the activity center room, you'll see we have a huge space here, and we're getting ready for our fall programs where we have our tables for our kids for their laptops and the things they could do. We have here we'll have workshops, homework assistance, STEM programs. We have a dry racer table that's over there on the side over there. And we have right here is our learner center where we're gonna put up our new screen TV that'll be touch screen for the kids to go through different programming and different activities. That we have a nice computer lab that is being input. That we have about six computers, state of the arts that kids will be able to go on the internet, they'll be able to do research for their papers with a color printer. We'll also be having a 3D printer back there as well. So this you're watching the City of Peakskill government channel. Um and the goal of the the DRF is really to enhance the experience of everyone in the DRI area through streetscape, business promotion and growth, attracting new tenants, shoppers, residents, and owners. And as a reminder, uh the DRF program provides up to 90% of the funding for improvements. Um that means that 10% has to come at least, 10% has to come from the business owner or property owner, um or herself. And this is this is also a reimbursable program, so all of the cash outlay has to come from the business owner or the property owner uh first, and then they get reimbursed from the state. Sometimes that's a hurdle uh for folks, but it's very important to know that up front. Um eligible applicants include property owners and owners of for-profit and not-for-profit businesses that are located in the DRI area. And there's a map of the DRI area, um, although we're all pretty familiar with it at this time, but there's a map of that on our web page. I've provided a link here, and we'll continue to to share that. So far, we've awarded 16 projects up to 567,000 dollars over rounds one and two. Um, and we have a small um pot of money that remains to be awarded. Um, and we'd like to open that up for round three. It's about 62, almost 63,000, uh, which I think could be meaningful. You'll see some of the projects have been smaller, but we could also do a larger project um, which uh you know we have seen over the over the three rounds. The um if we were to go into a round three, uh the GRF administrative plan, which is approved by the state and the city remains in effect. So those guiding documents, excuse me, the project review committee, um, which is is listed here as well. Uh, we'll review the applications, make recommendations, the we'll present those to the council. Ultimately, the state, um DHCR, um, and the housing trust fund corporation are the ones who make the final selection. So round three, if we were to do this is outreach and info session. We where we've already scheduled and held time with uh Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce and the bid uh to uh co-sponsor with us and uh uh info session on the 23rd at 6 p.m. So we've already got that in place. Applications would be open the 15th of September through October 9th. The 15th, of course, is the day after the council meeting. Uh we would make selections by the end of October and present them to the council. Um, and as a reminder, the application form is on the web page, but we'll also provide an updated web page with more detailed information. For those at home, um, just as a reminder, also, you know, the scoring criteria is you know, is is listed. There are a number of of um elements, visually prominent things that improve the aesthetics of the district, have a catalytic effect and are transformative.

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