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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06/19/2024 REGULAR MEETING Minutes MATTITUCK PARK DISTRICT WEDNESDAY,June 19,2024-6:00 PM Presiding Commissioners Kevin Byrne,Chairman Denise Geis,Deputy Chair Alexandra Getches,Commissioner Chris Shashkin, District Clerk Stephen Kiely, Esq., Legal Counsel (arrived during Executive Session) Lyle Girandola,Treasurer Abigail Field,Recording Secretary Ben Heins, Facilites Manager Agenda is Subject to Change PUBLIC COMMENT SESSION ON AGENDA ITEMS All other comments regarding non-agenda items will be held at the end of the meeting. Please limit comments to no more than 5 minutes Members of the public in attendance: Larry Suter; Steve Mastrorocco; [Steve Mastrorocco's wife] Call to Order Pledge Motion to approve the 5/16/2024 Meeting Minutes presented via email by K Byrne, seconded by D Geis, unanimously approved. •TREASURER'S REPORT—L Girandola May results were strong.Tax receipts in the month were—$47k bringing our total receipts to 92%of the budget of$580.4k. All other revenue for the month was —$35k, contributed by$18.1k in beach permits and $9.3k in venue rentals. Overall we have reached —87%of our full year revenue budget. Total expenses were $233.2k, or 33% of budget as of May. Notable spending categories are: • Office supplies have exceeded the budget. Staff apparel expenses of$2.3k were incurred in the month • Natural gas expenses are running higher than expected. • Sanitation expenses due to Breakwater activity as reached 40%of the budget. Extra pickups and dumpsters were called for during the month. • The capital improvement of the playground fencing was expended in May for$20.8k. Cash balances amount to$765.7k, offset by outstanding payment obligations of$38.5k. L. Girandola presented a high-level discussion document for the 2025 budget,which the Commissioners then discussed.The largest line item, payroll and fringe benefits, was questioned by K Byrne because the year-to-date was so far below the budget for this year. L. Girandola noted that most of the annual payroll had not been incurred yet, as many employees are seasonal. Beyond that, additional custodians have been hired this year. The proposed budget included scenarios with a 2%tax increase and a 4.5%tax increase, but the actual dollar difference overall was about$14,000. K. Byrne wanted to limit the increase to 2%, if possible, although the Commissioners generally were confident that the community appreciated the myriad improvements to MPD properties this year, such that if a strong case were made that the additional funding was needed for specific projects the community could support the larger increase. L. Girandola will present a more detailed proposed budget at the next meeting,further fleshing out both options. • CLERK'S REPORT—C Shashkin C Shaskin reported May income of$28,770.00, bringing the year-to-date total to$66,605.00. Year-to-date in 2023 was $37,635.00. By source, May revenue included $2,835 in lodge rental; $1,770 in picnic area rental; $5,960 in community room rental; $125 in fields rental; $14,880 in beach permits; and $3,200 in seasonal permits. D. Geis suggested raising the fees for non-resident beach passes; K Byrne objected. Both supported raising non-resident rates to rent the community room and facilities. C Shaskin reported receiving a call from the state comptroller inquiring about the MPD's cash handling practices. Notably, MPD operations involve much less cash than before as far more transactions are online and/or in the office rather than at the gates. C Shashkin also reported receiving a call from Chief Flatley, who reported using a device to scan license plates to identify three cars parked adjacent to MPD property at town landings with improper plates.The cars were towed. • FACILITY MANAGER'S REPORT—B Heins Veterans: - The gatehouse is 90%done,just paint trim and doors left. - The ramp to the beach will be cleared off this week. - Chris Williams will be by this week or next week to re-install the outside shower that was removed during building demolition. - Signature will be adding a drip loop to accommodate the new plantings in front of the building. They recommended spending adding some sprinklers and seed to the area cleared by the demolition of the concession stand for approximately$300, and proposed adding fsprinklers to the area to the west of the building to improve the grass there for about$1800. - Both kayak racks are installed and rented to capacity. - The additional porta-potties at the concert worked to keep the CXT and main building from being overwhelmed. 2 - The new parking layout for the concert gave us more spaces and sped things up but the overflow onto local roads resulted in multiple calls to the police. Breakwater: - The gate house is being done, should be 90%by Friday. - Georgie is repairing the upper nets around the volleyball court tomorrow. - I'm going to get a price to clean up the playground area and drop a couple loads of sand around the swing set, so we are compliant with playground safety rules. - I added a dumpster to keep up with the volume of trash being produced, mostly by the overnight crowd.The dumpster has reduced the litter problem, but the trash volume from the overnight crowd is an issue. - I kept the 2nd porta-potty we brought in when the bathrooms failed on Memorial Day weekend. Keeping it has greatly reduced the amount of human waste on the grounds. - Weekend gate security has reduced people parking in the lot and discouraged some of the fishing crowd, but people continue to enter along the jetty. Ideally we need a person stationed between the bird nesting area and the jetty to discourage people entering our property.There is also a steady crowd who arrives after 9:00 pm to set up camp. - An Osprey attempted to build a nest on the end of the jetty but was driven off mid-way through construction by the crowds of fishermen last weekend. Bailie Beach Lodge: - An electrical hazard in the attic was addressed.There are some items stored up there that should be removed. I'll do that when the temperature drops a bit. - The fishing crowd has done considerable damage to the bird nesting areas. I've worked to remove people when possible and the DEC has assisted on several occasions. Wolf Pit: - We finally have the trustees permit, I'll coordinate with Georgie to see when the best time to start the work is. I got us a 10-year permit that covers clearing around the east side as well as clearing invasives and replanting with native plants across the entire site. Love Lane: - Building is up and running and ready to open, half of the docks will be in tomorrow,the rest next week. Yacht Club: - I installed 2 kayak racks and believe all the spaces on the racks have been rented. General: - Colin Fitzgerald completed his Eagle Scout Project and installed fishing line disposal canisters at Breakwater and Bailies. I've already had residents mention how much they like the idea. 1 3 wanted to mention that he was assisted by Michael Viggiano,Trevor Fitzgerald,Joshua Slick, Mathew Hayes, and Nathan Huntington. - Ben Gatehouse will be starting his Eagle Scout project for us next month. He will be building a handicapped accessible picnic table for Veterans Beach. K Byrne will be writing thank you letters to the Eagle Scouts and generating other public recognition for their work The Commissioners and the Facilities Manager discussed the success of the kayak rental program, and the developing disrepair of some of the racks. Repairing and/or expanding the racks for next year will be a consideration for next year. Steve Mastrorocco recommended using marine grade aluminum to make modular racks that would be strong, light weight, durable, and easy to disassemble and reassemble. L Girandola asked about Georgie costs to date and next planned work; invoices are not current and projecting related costs is currently not possible. Community members have noted damage to the tennis court nets. B Heins will replace one and will ensure that the relativey new one is properly tight and ready to use. DISCUSSION Out of courtesy to the members of the public in attendance, the Commissioners decided to address their items of interest first. Erosion at Bay Avenue Beach Larry Suter made a presentation using historical photographs of Bay Avenue Beach to argue for the restoration of groins that had been in place a couple of decades ago successfully kept sand on the beach.The Commissioners and Suter engaged in a lively discussion about the groins and their potential restoration. All agreed that to be effective, any new groins would have to be of a size that current regulations would not allow. However, L. Suter noted that the DEC could grant an exception to the regulations to allow the installation of such groins if the DEC believed the exception was justified, analogous to how Zoning Boards of Appeal grant variances. L. Suter asked the MPD to submit the application to the DEC that L. Suter had prepared and given to the MPD, because the application was necessary to bring the DEC to the site to have the conversation about whether or not an exception could be granted. At D Geis' request, L Suter agreed to pay the$200.00 filing fee if the MPD asked. The Commissioners were unanimous in insisting that MPD was unwilling to pay for the construction of any groins and needed to avoid any actions that would commit them to such funding. Before the MPD would apply for the permit to start the discussion process, the Commissioners needed to know how the groins would be paid for if the DEC ultimately granted permission. L. Suter insisted that one property owner whose property would be significantly improved as a side effect of the groin installation was willing to fund the project. S. Mastrorocco suggested having that homeowner write a letter of intent to provide the funding as a means of providing greater assurance than L Suter's representations on behalf of that homeowner. Mastrorocco opined that restoring the groins as proposed would work to re-sand the beach, at least 75%. 4 Mattituck Inlet Erosion and Aerial Photography S. Mastrorocco made a presentation about the dangers posed by the current state of the entrance to Mattituck Inlet. He asserted that the Army Corps of Engineers' abandonment of the scheduled project to dredge the opening (the abandonment caused by the Baltimore bridge disaster) risked within a year or two (1)the shoaling of the inlet to extent it was no longer navigable; (2)the breach of Bailie Beach by the sound; and (3) dangerous currents at Bailie Beach that could drown weak swimmers, particularly the young and the elderly. In his opinion, such currents could exist already. Proper dredging would resolve all three issues for 10-15 years, Mastrorocco asserted.The MPD does not control the inlet, but is responsible for Bailie Beach. Mastrorocco asserted that specialized high resolution aerial photography of the inlet would document these statements and would enable him—using his extensive contacts and history with the U.S. Government--to persuade the Army Corps to reprioritize dredging the inlet entrance and begin work within approximately four weeks. Mastrorocco asserted time was running out to do the necessary photography, however, because warming waters would fuel algal blooms that would cloud the water. Mastrorocco had previously given the MPD a proposal for the aerial photography and for serving as a consultant to bring the Army Corps around. While the Commissioners had discussed the proposal before this meeting, no decisions had been reached. Mastrorocco asserted that a decision was needed tonight, because time was running out to take the photographs due to the warming waters. This time pressure particularly concerned L Girandola because the sums involved are large; $8-$10,000 depending on precisely what would be photographed (higher cost would include the Bay Avenue beach), and $250/hr for the consulting fee. K Byrne supported going forward with the photography. D Geis asked L Suter to pay for photographing the Bay Avenue beach, as those photographs would support the groin replacement project. K Byrne intervened, objecting to conflating the topics. The Commissioners decided to discuss the matter during executive session, make a decision, and then inform Mastrorocco. Mastrorocco accepted that approach. Police Response to MPD properties B. Heins' memo detailing the specifics of the issue had not been distributed before the meeting due to a technology issue, so the discussion was at a high level. Generally, the newer, younger police officers were being helpful; the bigger issue was the Harbor Masters/Bay Constables and officers doing environmental checks not getting out of their cars.The Commissioners discussed next steps in addressing the situation, and decided that, once in receipt of the memo with the details of the issues, the MPD would write to both the outgoing and incoming police chiefs asking for assistance. Veterans Beach Shade Pavillion The Commissioners began reviewing the draft RFP for building the shade pavilion at Veterans Beach, accepting the staged construction approach that would have the solar installation as a third phase bid and performed separately from the building construction. (The first phase was the now-completed 5 demolition of the existing dilapidated structure). Reviewing the existing plans, B Heins noted that they did not show elevation, and the Commissioners went outside to discuss the placement of the building and the elevation for its construction to ensure the beach view from the pavilion was optimized without unnecessarily increasing the cost of the project.The Commissioners made a tentative decision and decide to flag where the building would go. B Heins then pointed out that the file with the plans included a building permit from the Town Trustees, but did not include a site plan or a permit from the Southold Building Department.The Commissioners were surprised, because they believed a building permit had been obtained. S Keiley, reached by phone, confirmed that no building permit existed. As a result, the Commissioners delayed further revision to the RFP and a schedule for its issuance until after the building permit was obtained. B Heins offered to start the permit process. Other As Alan Stewart did not attend the meeting, holding classes on the MPD property was not addressed. In addition, the volleyball tournament was not addressed. RESOLUTIONS RESOLUTION 2024-49 RESOLUTION APPROVING BILL REGISTERS AND AUTHORIZING PAYMENT OF CURRENT BILLS FOR JUNE 2024 RESOLVED that the Board of Commissioners of the Mattituck Park District hereby approves the Bill Registers submitted by the Treasurer at the June 6 and June 19, 2024, meetings and further authorizes payment of the current bills. RESULT: Motion by D. Geis,seconded by K Byrne, unanimously approved. RESOLUTION 2024-50 APPOINTING TABBITHA SISINO AS CUSTODIAN AND SECURITY GUARD WHEREAS,the Mattituck Park District has need of an additional part-time custodian and an additional security guard, and WHEREAS,Tabbitha Sisino has agreed to be hired for such roles for$20/hour for 10 hours per week as custodian and $28/hour as a part-time security guard, to be managed in both roles by Facilities Manager Ben Heins, RESOLVED,the Mattituck Park District hires Tabbitha Sisino as a part time custodian and security guard. 6 RESULT: Motion by K Byrne,seconded by D Geis, unanimously approved. RESOLUTION 2024-51 RESOLUTION APPOINTING LIFEGUARDS FOR THE 2024 SUMMER SEASON RESOLVED that the Board of Commissioners of the Mattituck Park District hereby appoints the following Lifeguards for the 2024 Summer Season whose names and hourly rates are listed below, effective May 25, 2024. Zappula,Trevor $21.15 per hour 411 year Ryan, Bridget $21.45 per hour 5th year RESULT: Motion by K Byrne,seconded by D Geis, unanimously approved. Motion by K Byrne to temporarily close the meeting and enter executive session. Seconded by D Geis, unanimously approved. EXECUTIVE SESSION Motion to reopen the meeting by K Byrne,seconded by D Geis, unanimously approved. RESOLUTION 2024-52 RESOLUTION APPOINTING CHRIS SHASHKIN AS ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT WHEREAS,the Mattituck Park District requires the appointment of a qualified Administrative Assistant; and WHEREAS,the Board of Commissioners has identified Chris Shashkin as a suitable candidate based on qualifications and experience; NOW,THEREFORE,BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Commissioners of the Mattituck Park District, Mattituck, NY, that: Appointment: Chris Shashkin is appointed as Administrative Assistant, effective immediately on June 20, 2024, subject to a probationary period of 26 weeks. Responsible duties are defined by the Duties Statement as filed and approved by Civil Service for said position. Compensation:Chris Shashkin shall receive a salary of$60,000 per annum, payable biweekly. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board directs the Park Manager to implement this resolution and ensure all necessary administrative actions are taken. Adopted this June 19, 2024 by the Board of Commissioners of the Mattituck Park District. 7 Motion to approve by K Byrne,seconded by D Geis, unanimously approved. RESOLUTION 2024-53 RESOLUTION TO EMPLOY LONG ISLAND PHOTOGRAPHY TO DOCUMENT STATE OF MATTITUCK INLET AND DISTRICT PROPERTIES Whereas the Mattituck Park District determines that high resolution digital photographs would be valuable in determining the status of our coastal beach erosion and sustainability, Now therefore be it resolved by the Board of Commissioners of the Mattituck Park District that we will retain the services of Long Island Photography, Inc. located at 16 Argyle Place Smithtown, NY to provide digital high resolution digital images of Veterans Park, Peconic Bay Park, Mattituck Inlet, the jetties and surrounding beaches. Photograph service will include high resolution image capture. Photographs will document the current state of the inlet.The cost of this particular service is$9,721. Motion to approve by K Byrne,seconded by D Geis, unanimously approved. Motion to adjourn by K Byrne,seconded by D Geis, unanimously approved. Meeting adjouned at 9:15 pm. 8 Report of Revenue Period: 1 - 31 May 2024 Seasonal Daily Deposit Date Description Dates Booked Lodpe Picnic Area Comm Room Fields Other Total Revenue Beach Permits Permits Permits January Report 4255 - 2590 - - 7,385.00 425.00 400.00 - February Report 3285 1000 2575 0 0 6,860.00 425.00 - - March Report 1,390 475 2775 0 - 4,640.00 3,200 600.00 - April Report 2,825.00 300.00 6,565.00 - 1,200.00 10,890.00 7,750.00 100.00 - Total Previously Reported $ 11,755 $ 1,775 $ 14,505 $ - $ 1,200 $ 29,775.00 $ 11,800.00 $ 1,100.00 $ - May Report Group/Payee 5/1 Secuida Security Retained Usage Fee 4/27 400 5/7 Hinter Usage Fee 6/2 180 5/8 Murray Usage Fee 7/29 650 5/8 Murray Usage Fee 7/15 1,300 5/8 Montgomery Usage Fee 7/15 1,350 5/9 Lisoreisis Usage Fee 5/9 35 5/9 Berry Usage Fee 8/1 1 700 5/9 STHLD Mothers Usage Fee 6/15 90 5/10 STHLD Mothers Usage Fee 6/15 350 5/10 GS Troop Usage Fee 5/12 735 5/10 Giannone Usage Fee 7/15 500 5/16 MHS Usage Fee 6/21 200 5/17 Garcia Usage Fee 6/22 275 5/17 Shashkin Usage Fee 5/28 500 5/17 Schulz Usage Fee 5/26 700 5/24 NF Volleyball Usage Fee 125 5/24 Kucera Usage Fee 8/4 700 5/24 Baglivi Usage Fee 6/23 450 5/28 BS64 Usage Fee 6/7 1,050 5/28 GS637 Usage Fee 5/29 400 1 Report of Revenue Period: 1 - 31 May 2024 May Report Res Kayak Permits 600 Seasonal Permits 2,200 5/24 Guest Permits, Motel 560 1,000 May Report Res Beach Permits (Cash, Check) 450 May Report Res Beach Permits (Credit) 13,270 MAY RECEIPTS: 2,835.00 1,770.00 5,960.00 125.00 - 10,690.00 j 14,880 3,200 YEAR TO DATE $ 14,590 $ 3,545 $ 20,465 $ 125 $ 1,200 $ 39,925.00 $ 26,680 $ 4,300 $ - $ 31,030.45 Apr $ 4,838.71 MAYTotal $ 28,770.00 $ 77,576.12 Apr $ 5,655.00 YTD Total }; 66,605.00 $ 108,606.56 May 20,734.99 $ 32,991 .18 May 26,389.99 $ 6,598.24 :�`I442`I u24 2 Facility Managers Report 06/19/2024 Veterans: - The gatehouse is 90% done,just paint trim and doors left. - The ramp to the beach will be cleared off this week. - Chris Williams will be by this week or next week to re-install the outside shower that was removed during building demolition. - Signature will be adding a drip loop to accommodate the new plantings in front of the building. They recommended spending adding some sprinklers and seed to the area the concession stand had been. Since the pavilion won't be going up until fall it would be worth $300 dollars or so to clean the area up. - Signature also said they can add sprinklers to the area to the west of the building to improve the grass there for about$1800. - Both kayak racks are installed and rented to capacity. - The additional porta-potties at the concert worked to keep the CXT and main building from being overwhelmed. - The new parking layout for the concert gave us more spaces and sped things up but the overflow onto local roads resulted in multiple calls to the police. Breakwater: - The gate house is being done, should be 90% by Friday. - Georgie is repairing the upper nets around the volleyball court tomorrow. - I'm going to get a price to clean up the playground area and drop a couple loads of sand around the swing set, so we are compliant. - I added a dumpster to keep up with the volume of trash being produced, mostly by the overnight crowd. - I kept the 2"d porta-potty we brought in when the bathrooms failed on Memorial Day weekend. Having the 2"d one in place has greatly reduced the amount of human waste on the grounds. - Weekend gate security has reduced people parking in the lot and discouraged some of the fishing crowd, but people continue to enter along the jetty. Ideally we need a person stationed between the bird nesting area and the jetty to discourage people entering our property. There is also a steady crowd who arrives after 9:00 pm to set up camp. - An Osprey attempted to build a nest on the end of the jetty but was driven off mid- way through construction by the crowds of fishermen last weekend. BBL: - No issues and just some minor repairs to the building. There was an electrical hazard in the attic that has been addressed. There are some items stored up there that should be removed. I'll do that when the temperature drops a bit. - The fishing crowd has done considerable damage to the bird nesting areas. I've worked to remove people when possible and the DEC has assisted on several occasions. Wolf Pit: - We finally have the trustees permit, I'll coordinate with Georgie to see when the best time to start the work is. I got us a 10 year permit that covers clearing around the east side as well as clearing invasives and replantingwith native plants across the entire site. Love Lane: - Building is up and running and ready to open, half of the docks will be in tomorrow, the rest next week. Yacht Club: - I installed 2 kayak racks and believe all the spaces on the racks have been rented. General: - Colin Fitzgerald completed his Eagle Scout Project and installed fishing line disposal canisters at Breakwater and Bailies. I've already had residents mention how much they like the idea. I wanted to mention that he was assisted by Michael Viggiano, Trevor Fitzgerald, Joshua Slick, Mathew Hayes, and Nathan Huntington. - Ben Gatehouse will be starting his Eagle Scout project for us next month. He will be building a handicapped accessible picnic table for Veterans Beach. May results were strong. Tax receipts in the month were—$47k bringing our total receipts to 92% of the budget of$580.4k. All other revenue for the month was—$35k, contributed by $18.1 k in beach permits and $9.3k in venue rentals. Overall we have reached —87% of our full year revenue budget. Total expenses were$233.2k, or 33% of budget as of May. Notable spending categories a re: • Office supplies have exceeded the budget. Staff apparel expenses of$2.3kwere incurred in the month • Natural gas expenses are running higher than expected. • Sanitation expenses due to Breakwater activity as reached 40% of the budget. Extra pickups and dumpsters were called for during the month. • The capital improvement of the playground fencing was expended in May for$20.8k. Cash balances amount to $765.7k, offset by outstanding payment obligations of$38.5k. Included in today's report for discussion is a summary of the 2025 proposed budget. I will be seeking your input for what budget growth we should propose for the upcoming budget election. See attached reports. Lyle