The Village of Pelham Board of Trustees voted 4-0 on Sept. 24 to allocate an additional $51,588 for the pedestrian signal modifications and intersection improvements at Wolfs Lane and Sparks Avenue, boosting the total cost of the project to $327,123.
During construction, it was found additional excavation is needed to deal with extra quantities of earthworks, requiring the added spending, said Village Administrator Christopher Scelza.
“We felt confident about this because of the surplus we had after last year,” said Mayor Chance Mullen.
The village is eligible for $150,000 in funding from the New York State Department of Transportation for the project.
“I would love to have this kind of thing done everywhere,” said Mullen. “It really does help, at least with the sense of safety.”
The board voted 4-0 to designate Valley National Bank as a depository for village funds. The bank is offering a 4% interest rate to the village.
“It’s a great source of non-property tax revenue,” said Scelza.
At the beginning of the meeting, the board discussed the new municipal center being completed on Fifth Avenue, which will bring together the village’s administrative, fire and police departments from three different locations.
Trustee Theresa Mohan said the new center is “fantastic, and a great thing for staff and community.”
Scelza reported the annual street paving project has begun, with nighttime work continuing into the spring.
Separately, Mohan said she would like the the village to have a table at the Pelham Market to let residents know about volunteer opportunities with the village, the myVOP app, the new municipal center, the pedestrian safety campaign and the flood mitigation project. She said she hopes the presence at the market will help the board “connect with the community.”
The board entered into executive session between its work session and regular meeting to interview a candidate for the position of village clerk and discuss collective bargaining with the firefighters and staffing of the department of public works. It is not known when former Village Clerk Sarah LoPuzzo departed the position.
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