Yorktown News 11.04.21

Vol. 10 No. 33 Visit TapIntoYorktown.net for the latest news. Thursday, November 4, 2021

Town commits over $17,000 to gazebo restoration Town taxes
mostly flat in
BY NICK TRUJILLO preliminary
STAFF WRITER
budget
e gazebo at Jack DeVito Veterans Me- FILE PHOTO/BRIAN MARSCHHAUSER
morial eld has been a community centerpiece BY NICK TRUJILLO
since its construction in 1993. It is also a struc- The gazebo was dedicated in memory of Jack DeVito on July 4, 1994. STAFF WRITER
ture that is in need of upgrades and will receive
a facelift with work beginning in November. nobody probably knows it better than I do, springtime, we’ll sit back and readjust to see If tentative gures presented
last week by Town Supervisor
e Town Board committed over $17,000 the construction of it, how it was built, and I who will do the painting, staining, and n- Matt Slater hold true, the aver-
in funding for materials at its virtual meet- age Yorktown homeowner will
ing on Tuesday, Oct. 26. Parks and Recreation have some resources to get it done.” ishes.” see their town taxes increase
Superintendent Jim Martorano estimated between $9 and $15.
the total cost of the project will come out to DeVito and members of the Town Board e work will begin the rst weekend of
$17,409.66 for railings and lumber. e work ose gures, which will
will be done by volunteers from the Jack De- recently met at the gazebo with Aldo Ca- November. DeVito anticipates the materials shrink or grow depending on
Vito Foundation, the Yorktown Lions Club, the assessed value of a person’s
members of the Yorktown community, and pellini, brother of Al Capellini who was in- will come from a local supplier and be deliv- home, encompass the town’s
the Town Board. roughly two-dozen taxing dis-
volved with the original gazebo construction; ered on Friday, Nov. 5. e renovation work tricts, including 12 sewer dis-
e project will be led by Anthony DeVi- tricts and seven park improve-
to, son of Jack DeVito and part of the team Jim Poulin, Yorktown Lions Club president; will begin the following day, and the volun- ment districts. A resident’s bill
that built the original structure 28 years ago. will look di erent depending
DeVito has worked in the building and con- and Pat Daddino, a board member of the Jack teers will work each weekend as far as the on where they live in town and
struction industry for over 30 years, serving as to which districts they belong.
the president and CEO of DeVito Builders DeVito Foundation, to assess what the refur- weather allows. Taxpayers in districts with ex-
from 1990 to 2014 and currently working as isting sewer bonds will pay
an executive project manager for SilverLin- bishment project would entail. “ e gazebo has been a gem for this town more due to the obligated debt.
ing Inc.
“ is fall, the idea is to get as much of the for the past 20-plus years. It’s really a remark- Combining all these districts,
DeVito said that for the rst 10 to 15 years the town’s expenses total $63
after the construction, he and his brother carpentry done as possible, meaning replace able anchor for the Veterans park, and we’re million, with about $32 mil-
would x any issues that would arise in the lion in property taxes paying for
gazebo through their Yorktown-based con- a lot of the railing systems, cedar here and happy to clean it up and bring it back to its most of that bill. e town ex-
struction company. e town would do yearly pects to produce another $29.5
maintenance as well, but the routine xes there, any loose boards,” DeVito said. “In the original state,” Martorano said. million in revenues. To cover
have fallen o as time passed.
SEE BUDGET PAGE 4
“It’s kind of gotten away from everybody
over the past few years. Maybe Covid had
something to do with it too, so the past two
years not a whole lot has happened down
there,” DeVito said. “I got called in because

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Page 2 – Yorktown News Thursday, November 4, 2021

The Staff Water Department reviews bids for cement relining project

EDITORIAL TEAM BY NICK TRUJILLO Yorktown’s water superinten- ding company is in the process ington Avenue), and from Ha-
BRIAN MARSCHHAUSER
EDITOR: 914-302-5628 STAFF WRITER dent, said he is close to making of being vetted on the project, nover Street to California Road,
[email protected]
a recommendation to the Town and that he expects to be able to which Rundle said has more
ADVERTISING TEAM
PAUL FORHAN Yorktown’s water infrastruc- Board. make a recommendation to the intense tuberculation. Potential

(914) 806-3951 ture is expected to get a boost Rundle said that the RFP pro- board within the coming weeks. additions to the project include
[email protected]
in 2022 with the cleaning and cess brought back three bids for e areas with cast iron wa- Front Street and some areas of
BRUCE HELLER
(914) 486-7608 cement relining of its cast iron the project, ranging from $2.1 ter main pipes that need ce- Underhill Avenue. Rundle said
[email protected]
water mains. After sending out a to $2.2 million in price. He told ment relining are Strawberry the last time a relining project
LISA KAIN
(201) 317-1139 request for proposals with a bid the board at its virtual meeting Road (running from Foothill was executed was over 20 years
[email protected]
CORINNE STANTON due date of Oct. 12, Ken Rundle, on Oct. 26 that the lowest bid- Street down to the end of Lex- ago, in 1998 to 1999. In total,
(914) 760-7009
[email protected] Come have lunch on us! there are 180 miles of water-
main piping in Yorktown.
JAY GUSSAK
(914) 299-4541 e low number of bids eld-
[email protected] ed is due to the speci c process
SHELLEY KILCOYNE the project requires. e selected
(914) 924-9122
[email protected] company digs in speci c spots

PRODUCTION TEAM where a cast iron pipe has built
TABITHA PEARSON MARSHALL
up rust and tuberculation, pulls
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
PHOTOGRAPHER a scraper through the pipe to

[email protected] break up the buildup, washes
GABRIELLE BILIK
DESIGNER and squeegees the pipe, and

[email protected] pulls a cement trough through

EXECUTIVE TEAM the pipe to form a protective in-
BRETT FREEMAN
CEO & PUBLISHER ner layer.
845-208-8151
“ is is a very specialized eld
[email protected]
We’re bringing celebrated local food truck so there’s not a bunch of com-
Deadlines panies who do this,” Rundle

YORKTOWN NEWS DEADLINE said. He added that two of the
THE DEADLINE FOR ADVERTISEMENTS
bids were separated by less than
AND EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS FOR
www.robcookfood.com $1,000.
YORKTOWN NEWS IS THE THURSDAY “ at’s telling me that our
BEFORE THE NEXT PUBLICATION DATE.
to our Shrub Oak location to provide lunch consultant who helped us with
FOR MORE INFORMATION, for builders and customers! the bid specs was very tight,
CALL BRIAN MARSCHHAUSER AT there was really not too much for
914-302-5628 OR EMAIL interpretation. Everyone knew
[email protected].
what they were bidding on, and
Subscribe
it re ects that on their bid price,”
TO REQUEST YORKTOWN NEWS
WEEKLY DELIVERY, CALL 845-208-8503 Rundle said.
OR EMAIL [email protected].
SUBSCRIPTIONS ARE COMPLIMENTARY FOR While the relining process
RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES IN THE TOWN.
OUT OF TOWN MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS ARE happens, the water department
$150 PER YEAR FOR FIRST CLASS MAIL.
has to run temporary water

mains above ground through

plastic pipes, hoses, or special-

ized pipes, Rundle said. To avoid

any potential weather-related is-

sues during the winter, Rundle

suggested that the project could

begin in the spring of 2022.

Tuesday, Another bene t of waiting
until next spring to execute the

November 9th project is that it allows time
from 11am - 1pm for the Town Board to secure a
grant that would cover the ma-
jority of the project’s costs.

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Thursday, November 4, 2021 Yorktown News – Page 3

Cops vs. Kids

Donations will send Yorktown kids to Camp Sunshine

PHOTOS COURTESY OF e 11U Yorktown Heat nesses and their families.
SERGIO ESPOSITO
emerged victorious in the Esposito said it costs
The teams pose for
a photo before the sixth annual Kids vs. Cops about $2,500 to send one
game.
The 11U Yorktown charity baseball game, win- child and their family to
Heat defeated the
Yorktown PBA, 9-4. ning 9-4 over the Yorktown the camp for a week. is

Police Benevolent Associa- year, about $6,500 in dona-

tion. tions have been pledged or

e charity baseball collected, Esposito said.

game, held Sunday, Sept. Making a special guest

12, at Legacy Field, is orga- appearance at this year’s

nized annually by Dr. Rodd event was Mickey Rivers, a

Stein, Sergio Esposito and former All-Star out elder

the Yorktown Chamber for the New York Yankees,

of Commerce. Money is who won two World Series

raised to send Yorktown titles in his career.

children to Camp Sun- Rivers led the Yorktown

shine, a Casco, Maine, fa- players in some drills,

cility that provides a year- signed autographs, and

round retreat for children took photographs with ex-

with life-threatening ill- cited residents.

Mickey Rivers signs some autographs. The kids are ready to play.

Page 4 – Yorktown News Thursday, November 4, 2021

BUDGET ating budget—the only fund to town’s tax rate is declining by to 2022, retirement spending Slater said. “Property taxes paid
which every taxpayer in York- 0.01 percent—a rst since 1993 for police is rising by $558,500, by property owners make up for
FROM PAGE 1 town contributes—is increasing that number is trending down- medical for retirees by $551,750, a vast majority of our revenue.
by nearly $2 million. But with ward. equipment by $500,350, full-
the di erence, it would take $1.5 expenses and revenues keeping time salaries by $414,625, retire- is is why it’s so important for
million from its reserves, also pace, the taxpayer burden is re- Bene ts, salaries, and equip- ment by $285,625, and medical our community to continue to
known as its fund balance. maining mostly at. In fact, the ment are the main reasons for the for active employees by $217,660. grow, otherwise, as costs continue
spending increases. From 2021 to rise as we’re seeing across the
e town’s $42 million oper- On the revenues side, York- country right now, residential
town anticipates an $800,000 taxpayers will have to bear the
Town Supervisor Matt Slater FILE PHOTO/NICK TRUJILLO increase in sales tax and a brunt and pay more.”
$465,000 increase in mortgage
INSTALLATION BEFORE tax, but a $63,000 decrease in Slater’s presentation high-
THE HOLIDAYS! rent at the Capellini Commu- lighted some of Yorktown’s in-
nity Center. vestments throughout a year of
In-stock materials only. See store for availability. unprecedented uncertainty. e
e budget also includes raises town replaced bridges at Green-
Carpet for nearly every department head, wood Street, Hill Boulevard, and
including $10,000 for the town Veterans Road, converted 260
Hardwood assessor to $138,000; $7,000 streetlights to LED lights which
for the town comptroller to Slater said will save $26,000 an-
Floor Refinishing $140,000; $6,000 for the police nually, and paved 16.5 miles of
chief ($188,000), refuse general road, which Slater said is a town
Tile foreman ($97,000), and water record.
superintendent ($138,000); and
Area Rugs $5,000 for the planning direc- e town supervisor listed o
tor ($146,000) and tax receiver the capital improvement proj-
($109,000). ects Yorktown plans to work on
and complete in 2022: the Hal-
Elected o cials could also locks Mill Sewer District ex-
see raises. e highway superin- pansion, updating the Yorktown
tendent salary, which was at in Police Department’s radios,
2021, is slated to rise by $5,000 to drainage and storm hardening
$131,000. For the rst time in a improvements, a renovation of
half-decade, the town supervisor the Railroad Park basketball
position is also slated to see a pay court, completing the 10-year
bump. e $3,000 raise would long water meter replacement
bring the salary to $124,000. project, cement relining of the
Town council members would town’s water pipes, and replacing
see a pay raise of about $500 to the Yorktown Stage’s seats with a
$20,000. $100,000 grant recently secured
by state Sen. Pete Harckham.
Slater’s tentative budget was
presented on Tuesday, Oct. 25, Slater recognized town comp-
troller Patricia Caporale and the
ve days before it was due. In entire nance department for
public meetings on ursday and their e orts in developing the
Friday (Nov. 4 and 5), the Town tentative budget.
Board was expected to go over
the budget with its many depart- For residents in both the Yor-
ment heads. Afterward, the board ktown and Lakeland school dis-
is expected to adopt a preliminary tricts, town taxes make up about
budget. A public hearing on that 12 percent of their total tax bill,
budget is scheduled for Tuesday, with nearly 70 percent going to
Dec. 7. e board will have the the school districts and another
opportunity to make changes be- 10 percent going to the county.
fore adopting a budget prior to
the Dec. 22 deadline. e rest is divvied up between
the re districts, town refuse,
“ is is a balanced budget, county refuse, and EMS (these
but one with many lessons,”
gures don’t include sewer taxes).

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Thursday, November 4, 2021 Yorktown News – Page 5

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