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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Yorktown Town Board Work Session on Firehouse Replacement, Solar, and Resolutions - July 8, 2025

Town Board — Tuesday, July 8, 2025

BodyYorktown, New York

SessionTown Board

DateTuesday, July 8, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:06:54

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:06

Good evening and wait welcome to the uh work session of July 8th, 2025.

0:11

We'll rise for the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:17

Commissioner McGannon, would you lead us?

0:32

And if we could remain standing for a moment of silence as we remember the uh the victims in the horrible torrential floods in uh in Texas, and pray for those uh families and uh for peace and for everything that they've been through.

0:56

Amen.

0:57

Thank you.

1:05

All right, uh quick introductions.

1:08

Good evening, Diana Clos Town Clerk.

1:10

Good evening, Luciana Howitt, Councilwoman.

1:12

Supervisor Ed Leichman.

1:14

Sergei US Pasino, Deputy Supervisor.

1:16

Patrick Murphy, Councilman.

1:18

Susan Siegel, councilwoman.

1:20

Adam Rodriguez, town attorney.

1:22

All right.

1:23

So right into our uh our uh discussions for today.

1:27

Uh Yorktown fire with a presentation.

1:41

Good evening.

1:42

I'll start talking while the uh important people get set up.

1:46

Uh so Mark Blanchard here as land use counsel for the Yorktown Heights Fire District.

1:52

We're here just to give the town board a very brief presentation on the firehouse headquarters replacement project.

2:00

It is not a match square footage for square footage, but it's an exact match when it comes to the public policy and the purpose behind the uh demolition and reconstruction.

2:14

The uh new structure is to house apparatus, it's to hold meetings and to provide training.

2:20

Exactly what's happening here now.

2:22

Um it's just simply that as the apparatus has grown, it has uh rendered unfortunately the uh current site obsolete.

2:32

So this is a presentation to show you uh that's a picture of the new rendering of what the new house will look like.

2:39

It's going in the exact footprint, a little larger, of course, but it'll be in the exact footprint.

2:44

We're dem demoing the existing and then building on top of it.

2:48

So without any further ado from me, uh I'll bring up Dave Klaus, the commissioner, who will lead you through the uh his presentation.

2:56

Thank you.

2:58

Good evening.

2:59

Thank you for letting us uh appear before you tonight.

3:03

I don't want to bang into the microphone.

3:05

So uh yeah, so as Mark said, uh we've been looking at this project for quite a long time, uh trying to figure out we looked at how to expand the firehouse, how to accommodate new apparatus.

3:18

Or yeah, uh the apparatus over the years has gotten bigger, the demands have gotten bigger, actually.

3:24

We have our chiefs here.

3:25

Uh we may want to speak to that a little bit.

3:27

But this is the existing uh site plan for the build uh for the property now.

3:33

The gray not gray, beige area, the larger beige area is the footprint of the proposed firehouse.

3:40

The shaded in area is the footprint of the existing firehouse.

3:44

We're moving the firehouse back about eight to ten feet, and then we're expanding it.

3:50

Uh the modern day apparatus just does not fit.

3:54

We actually, due to uh uh emissions regulations, the needs of what we need the apparatus for.

4:03

You can't buy new apparatus that will fit in this house.

4:07

Uh this is an expanded view of the uh of the existing firehouse.

4:12

As you can see, it still lines up with the intersection.

4:15

Uh it's probably about 20 feet wider.

4:18

Uh I don't remember what the ex how much deeper it is.

4:21

Uh it's probably about 30 or 40 feet deeper.

4:26

Uh as you saw in the other photo, uh is the existing firehouse.

4:31

The it's a four-bag firehouse, it'll still remain a four-bay.

4:35

Uh the doors are wider, the current doors are 12 feet wide, I think it is.

4:39

12 feet wide, 10 feet high, 10 feet high.

4:42

The new doors will be 14 by 14.

4:44

14.

4:45

Yeah.

4:45

Actually, I don't know if you want to speak.

4:47

Okay.

4:48

Uh yeah, so this is side view approaching from Commerce Street.

4:53

Uh, this is what the proposed firehouse will look at look like.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Solar Power Generation█████████████████████████25%

Engineering And Infrastructure███████████████████19%

Zoning Regulations██████████████14%

Procedural███████████11%

Libraries███████████11%

Energy Policy████4%

Personnel Matters████4%

Climate Smart Community███3%

Environmental Protection███3%

Summary of Proceedings

Yorktown Town Board Work Session Summary

The Yorktown Town Board held a work session on July 8, 2025, covering multiple agenda items including a presentation from the Yorktown Heights Fire District on its firehouse headquarters replacement project, recommendations from the Climate Smart Communities Task Force on large-scale solar regulations, and a discussion on a single-family home application (SWIP) at 3766 Foothill Street. The board also acted on several resolutions including opposition to NICEG rate increases and a new police officer appointment.

Firehouse Replacement Project Presentation

Mark Blanchard, land use counsel for the Yorktown Heights Fire District, and Fire Commissioner Dave Klaus presented plans to demolish and reconstruct the 75-year-old firehouse on the same footprint. The new structure will be three stories, four bays, with larger apparatus doors (14'x14' vs current 12'x10'). The building will be moved back 8–10 feet and deeper, gaining storage space. The project will remove an existing barn, adding about 5,000 square feet of more functional space. The fire district is the lead agency; the town board is not taking action. The district will hold public informational meetings in mid-July and a public hearing on site plan in August. A bond issue will require a public vote. The commissioners confirmed the district is seeking grants to reduce taxpayer burden.

Climate Smart Communities Task Force Recommendations

Sarah, representing the five-member advisory committee, presented five recommendations for large-scale solar development: (1) a two-step permit requiring screening to be fully in place before construction begins; (2) reasonable pacing (e.g., limiting the number of solar farms per year); (3) mandatory recycling of solar panels at end of life, with periodic law updates every five years; (4) resident-first community solar access (first dibs for Yorktown residents); (5) requiring developers to reserve 10% of generated power for town use. Councilmembers debated the feasibility of fully mature screening, access road conflicts, and the legal authority to limit applications per year. The board agreed to invite the Conservation Board to present its position before making a final decision on the proposed ban that was the subject of a May public hearing.

Discussion of 3766 Foothill Street SWIP

Applicant Dan presented a single-family home application on a 7.5-acre lot with access only from Foothill Street. The proposed house is 100% within a New York State wetlands buffer. Board member John recommended shifting the house forward to reduce buffer encroachment, which could significantly lessen impacts. The board directed the applicant to modify the plan before referring the application to outside agencies.

Resolutions and Other Business

NICEG Rate Increase Opposition: The board approved a resolution urging the New York State Public Service Commission to reject NICEG's proposed 33.5% increase in natural gas delivery rates and 23.7% increase in electric rates, citing cumulative burden on residents and businesses.
Police Officer Appointment: Christopher Robasco, a Yorktown High School graduate and former NYPD officer, was appointed as a town police officer effective July 14, 2025, at an annual salary of $69,000, contingent on medical and psychological exams.
Bid Rejections: The board authorized rejection of bids for plumbing services (due to high prices and a potential piggyback option) and for stone gravel (to rebid). Councilwoman Siegel requested that future bid rejections include explanation for board members.
Library Memorandum of Understanding: The board deferred a vote on the MOU between the John C. Hart Memorial Library and the town until members receive and review the document.
Other Personnel Actions: The board accepted resignations from Jacob Tussell (controller's office, payout authorized) and Kayla Homa (engineering department), and appointed Dominic Falcone as a laborer for police maintenance.

Key Outcomes

The fire district will proceed with public outreach and a bond vote; the town board takes no action.
The solar law decision is pending additional input from the Conservation Board.
The SWIP applicant was asked to revise plans to minimize wetlands buffer encroachment before referral.
The NICEG resolution was adopted; the police officer appointment and other personnel actions were approved.
The library MOU was tabled pending document review.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening and wait welcome to the uh work session of July 8th, 2025. We'll rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. Commissioner McGannon, would you lead us? And if we could remain standing for a moment of silence as we remember the uh the victims in the horrible torrential floods in uh in Texas, and pray for those uh families and uh for peace and for everything that they've been through. Amen. Thank you. All right, uh quick introductions. Good evening, Diana Clos Town Clerk. Good evening, Luciana Howitt, Councilwoman. Supervisor Ed Leichman. Sergei US Pasino, Deputy Supervisor. Patrick Murphy, Councilman. Susan Siegel, councilwoman. Adam Rodriguez, town attorney. All right. So right into our uh our uh discussions for today. Uh Yorktown fire with a presentation. Good evening. I'll start talking while the uh important people get set up. Uh so Mark Blanchard here as land use counsel for the Yorktown Heights Fire District. We're here just to give the town board a very brief presentation on the firehouse headquarters replacement project. It is not a match square footage for square footage, but it's an exact match when it comes to the public policy and the purpose behind the uh demolition and reconstruction. The uh new structure is to house apparatus, it's to hold meetings and to provide training. Exactly what's happening here now. Um it's just simply that as the apparatus has grown, it has uh rendered unfortunately the uh current site obsolete. So this is a presentation to show you uh that's a picture of the new rendering of what the new house will look like. It's going in the exact footprint, a little larger, of course, but it'll be in the exact footprint. We're dem demoing the existing and then building on top of it. So without any further ado from me, uh I'll bring up Dave Klaus, the commissioner, who will lead you through the uh his presentation. Thank you. Good evening. Thank you for letting us uh appear before you tonight. I don't want to bang into the microphone. So uh yeah, so as Mark said, uh we've been looking at this project for quite a long time, uh trying to figure out we looked at how to expand the firehouse, how to accommodate new apparatus. Or yeah, uh the apparatus over the years has gotten bigger, the demands have gotten bigger, actually. We have our chiefs here. Uh we may want to speak to that a little bit. But this is the existing uh site plan for the build uh for the property now. The gray not gray, beige area, the larger beige area is the footprint of the proposed firehouse. The shaded in area is the footprint of the existing firehouse. We're moving the firehouse back about eight to ten feet, and then we're expanding it. Uh the modern day apparatus just does not fit. We actually, due to uh uh emissions regulations, the needs of what we need the apparatus for. You can't buy new apparatus that will fit in this house. Uh this is an expanded view of the uh of the existing firehouse. As you can see, it still lines up with the intersection. Uh it's probably about 20 feet wider. Uh I don't remember what the ex how much deeper it is. Uh it's probably about 30 or 40 feet deeper. Uh as you saw in the other photo, uh is the existing firehouse.

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