February 23, 2018 by The Mamaroneck Review

Mamaroneck REVIEW THE

February 23, 2018 | Vol. 6, Number 8 | www.mamaroneckreview.com

Building Dept. review recommends improvements

WILL POWER

By JAMES PERO Staff Writer

Will Sarkozi goes up for a layup in Mamaroneck’s Feb. 17 Class AA first round game against Ossining. Sarkozi had 26 points as the Tigers advanced with a 74-55 win. For story, see page 15. Photo/Mike Smith

Save the Sound says Beaver Swamp still polluted By JAMES PERO Staff Writer An annual report by environmental watchdog Save the Sound shows that despite overall progress, hot spots for dangerous pollution levels still linger in several of Mamaroneck’s waterways. According to the report, which was presented to the village of Mamaroneck Board of Trustees’ public meeting this month, Beaver Swamp Brook remains one of the most polluted waterways monitored throughout Westchester County. Beaver Swamp has been consistently named an area of concern by Save the Sound as far back as 2014, when the group first began to monitor Westches-

ter’s waterways. That same year, Beaver Swamp showed the highest levels of bacterial contamination in all of the sample areas countywide, clocking up to 17 times the limit benchmarked by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for safe recreation. The culprit behind high levels of fecal contamination found in Beaver Swamp Brook samples, according to the report, are decrepit county sewer lines that run adjacent to the waterway. Specifically, the report highlights a “softball-sized hole” found in one of the lines this year, through which raw sewage leached into the ground and eventually the brook. The highest pollution levels

were recorded in the city of Mount Vernon at an outfall located at Farrell and Beechwood avenues, which saw more than five times the amount of bacteria found in Beaver Swamp Brook. Most recently, Mount Vernon was fined $55,000 by the state in late December for its failure to repair leaking sewer lines, though pollution has been ongoing for at least two decades. Although Beaver Swamp Brook remains one of the key areas of concern on Save the Sound’s report, other sample locations in Mamaroneck, including Harbor Island Park and Shore Acres Yacht Club, have improved their scores over time, earning clean bills of health by the agency this year. Overall, the report

says that contamination of sample areas has dropped from 2016 levels, during which 49 percent of samples failed, to 2017 levels where 43 percent failed. Save the Sound’s crusade to clean up contamination in waterways and the Long Island Sound continues, however, as the agency works to settle lawsuits brought against 11 municipalities across the county in 2015 and establish timetables for critical sewer repairs. Last summer, both the villages of Mamaroneck and Port Chester settled their lawsuits with Save the Sound after years of bargaining, and have set timetables for their sewer repairs. CONTACT: james@hometwn.com

After nearly a year in the making, an analysis of the village of Mamaroneck Building Department’s processes and practices has been submitted to the Board of Trustees. Among the consultants’ major suggestions are more training, a better submission process and handson legal counsel. Using interviews from village staff, land use boards and applicants, the report—carried out by Matrix Consulting Group—details more than two dozen areas of potential improvement with land use protocol and processes for a cost of $40,000. Of the 25 identified areas of improvement, 19 of them were listed as “high” priority matters, while the rest were designated as “medium.” Among the key suggestions highlighted by the group’s report were the immediate introduction of online submissions for applicants and the discontinuation of all submissions by mail. According to the report, the village does not currently allow for applicants appearing before land use boards to submit applications via the Internet. In addition to introducing new technology to expedite processes for applicants, the report also highlights the implementation of tracking metrics of village staff to monitor the review process and rate overall performance, on top of providing members of the village staff

and land use boards with more training. The long awaited report was spurred by several controversies related to the Building Department’s misclassification or mishandling of several local businesses. Among the most notable were the Westchester Sandbox Theatre and Ralph’s Italian Ices & Ice Cream, the latter of which was forced to shut down after being found non-compliant with village zoning code as the result of a retroactive zoning appeal. During its application process, Ralph’s—criticized for the traffic and noise it brought to the immediate vicinity of the East Boston Post Road neighborhood—was originally classified as a retail establishment, giving rise to claims that the Building Department had botched the process and paved the way for several unsuccessful lawsuits filed against the village. After being found operating a theater in a non-compliant zoning district and operating without a sprinkler system–a New York state violation–Westchester Sandbox Theatre has relocated to the village’s industrial area with the proper permitting. As part of these controversies, Building Inspector Dan Gray’s potential role in them also came under scrutiny last year. However, Gray accepted a raise to stay in his position with the village of Mamaroneck after receiving a job offer from the village of Tarrytown. CONTACT: james@hometwn.com