Mayor Richard Dionisio
Town Board Outlines Costs for Harrison Recreation and Community Center Project Phase One
By Stephen E. Lipken
Mayor Richard Dionisio opened the Wednesday, September 13 Harrison Town/Village Board meeting with extensive discussions of the new Harrison Recreation and Community Center Phase One.
The board accepted Comptroller Maureen MacKenzie’s request to appropriate $5,000,000 from the Town Fund Balance from the Capital Reserve for Recreation Center. The funds will be placed in a Capital Account for the new recreation center and used towards the costs associated with Phase One and other near-future estimated costs associated with it. After this appropriation, the amount remaining within the Capital Reserve for Recreation Center will be $6,763,091.99.
The board also approved Town Engineer Michael Amodeo’s request to award Laura Li Industries the Harrison Recreation and Community Center Project Phase One, based on their bid of $3,333,333, which includes construction of the foundation and site work. In addition to this amount, contingency funding of 20% of the bid’s value was approved. It will allow the project to maintain progress through additional work if unforeseen circumstances arise. The total amount payable to Laura Li Industries may not exceed $4,000,000.
During Public Comment, resident Matthew Aracich expressed concern that the installation of a 6’ x 700’ concrete sidewalk as part of the Union Avenue Pedestrian Safety Improvements Project would cause severe flooding to his property, which is located on the south side of Union Avenue.
In his letter to Gayle M. Katzen, First Deputy Commissioner, Westchester Department of Public Works (DPW), Aracich stated, “Our property is downslope and perpendicular to the road so that any disturbance and elimination of permeable surface at the road’s edge where Westchester County installed the swale, stone aggregate, and drains will cause severe flooding to our property, landscaping, and potentially to our home as well. This poses a major concern for us since the County has mitigated the flooding and standing water and does not require any additional improvements,” Aracich stressed. The Supervisor said he will make all right to his property.