It’s been a busy last couple of months for Mount Kisco. Here is a compilation of a few of the top stories.
Northern Westchester Hospital is seeking the thumbs-up for a new rooftop helipad it says will facilitate life-saving medical transport.
As of now, helicopters used in critical medical emergencies have to land and take off in nearby Leonard Park.
The Planning Board was presented on Feb. 10 with a conceptual plan for the project, targeted for the eight-story tall Wallace Pavilion building at the hospital, which is located at 400 Main St.
The proposed helipad would take up about 4,000 square feet and would accommodate choppers up to 55 feet long and weighing in at about 16,000 pounds.
Hospital representatives estimated that there would be about 12 such flights per year.
One of the advantages listed was faster care. It’s about a half mile from Leonard Park, and seconds count, they said, for patients with time-sensitive medical conditions such as a stroke or heart attack.
Representing the hospital were attorney Leslie Snyder and members of the project’s architectural team.
“This helipad will be an important addition for the hospital and the community,” Snyder said.
Besides speeding things up, the helipad would also reduce the need for local police and other first responders to clear the public park during landings and takeoffs, she added.
The project will not require the expansion of the hospital’s “capacity,” cause an increase in traffic, or alter its day-to-day operations, Snyder said.
She submitted a letter from local fire officials supporting the project.
“This is real positive for Mount Kisco, absolutely. I think it elevates the village in a dramatic way,” member Michael Bonforte said.
Raising the subject of the hospital’s apparent pivot toward more emergency and critical care, he wondered if it intended to reduce more “legacy” general admission services, such as the “maternity ward.”
Patrick Smith, senior manager of operations, said NWH was actually trying to “grow” its special services – not at the expense of others – but to improve its ability to take care of “more-sick patients, more significant trauma, more significant neurology cases” but that “will not replace our lower acuity patients who still need that community-based care.”
NWH is currently “investing in” and “refreshing” its labor and delivery department, he added.
Planning Board members appeared to be generally in favor of the helipad, although it was suggested that plans show that it will be at a safe distance from the parking garage and nearby homes.
Bonforte also brought up “rotor wash,” which is the downward blast of air created by the chopper’s rotating blades to generate lift.
“How far can a pebble fly if it’s on the tarmac up top and is that a danger to the community?” he asked.
Neighborhood resident Barbara Ropollo noted that there’s been “chatter” about noise and flight paths.
“I don’t care, because if this was my loved one, I would want speed to be the focus of this. If you’re going to be landing in the park, you’re still going to be flying over my home anyway,” she said, asking if the number of flights would increase if NWH goes to Level 3 Trauma care.
This is mostly to move patients from the hospital to “a higher level of care that we aren’t able to provide,” Smith said, explaining that 12 flights a year is based on an average figured out over a five-year period.
Chair Mike McGuirk and Bonforte both wondered if the helipad would be used for non-medical flights.
Northwell’s been running a flight program for more than 15 years and many of its facilities have helipads, either somewhere on campus or on the roofs of buildings.
“We wouldn’t have become the organization we are today if we allowed that to happen. It’s strictly for medical purposes,” Smith assured the board.
Noise came up too.
At ground level the levels for that size helicopter has been pegged at between 70 and 80 decibels, about the same as a large, residential air-conditioning unit, Snyder said.
A formal application is expected to be submitted within weeks and, although atypical at the site plan stage, the board may schedule a public hearing.
Mount Kisco hasn't ever had a helipad before, McGuirk noted.
The meter may be running out for certain errant motorists.
The Village Board held a public hearing on Feb. 2 on a proposed amendment to its code that would allow the local court to accept a “default judgment” in cases where defendants have ignored their parking tickets.
A “default judgment” is a final ruling in favor of the party suing. It happens when the person being sued hasn’t taken appropriate legal action within a required timeframe, such as filing a response, answering a complaint, or appearing in court.
Over the past three years, Mount Kisco has accrued close to $140,000 in unpaid parking fines. And that’s not counting any possible fines, interest, and penalties.
Village Manager Ed Brancati explained that the village must incorporate legal language addressing such “default judgments” into the code before it can sic a collection agency on anyone.
The board was next to meet on Monday, March 2, past this newspaper’s publication deadline.
Look for updates in the coming weeks.
The village and Westchester County Department of Public Safety in February finalized an intermunicipal agreement that will continue police services through 2029.
The partnership between the two entities, which has existed since 2015, came about from a desire to cut the costs of a standalone police department.
County police will continue to operate out of the Green Street station.
The previous contact had expired.
Staffing will remain the same. There will be 17 full-time officers, three detectives, and five sergeants.
Under the new one, Mount Kisco agreed to fork over $5.9 million to cover the last three quarters of the year. It was charged $1.8 million in Q1.
Any increases during the remaining part of the contract are capped at 2 percent a year.
That is, unless the county can prove that more moola is necessary.
The county issued a press release stating that the deal eliminated duplication of services, controlled “rising public safety costs,” and ensured “stable, predicable service delivery.”
Said Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins: “The reality is that policing is expensive, and municipalities should not be forced to shoulder those costs alone.”
According to Mayor J. Michael Cindrich, the number of patrol officers had increased due to the arrangement.
Each shift, he said, is supervised by a “ranking officer dedicated solely to the village” and a supervisor from the unified dispatch section.
Another advantage is, Cindrich noted, that Mount Kisco will continue to have access to “specialize police units, dedicated investigative services, and advanced crime prevention technology.”
In a procedural move, the Village Board on Feb. 2 adopted a resolution authorizing the village manager to ask state Assemblyman Chris Burdick (D-93rd District) to amend a $250,000 CREST (Community Resiliency, Economic Sustainability, and Technology) grant that had originally been earmarked for a walking path project in Leonard Park.
The village was intending to construct the walking path in conjunction with safety and drainage upgrades to the park’s four ballfields.
It later eliminated the path from the overall project, the cost of which was estimated at $491,075.
The change was reviewed and approved by the Leonard Park Committee and the Recreation Commission.
Burdick will be asked to amend the CREST grant for this project from the walking path to the ballfield improvements and to sign and submit all the necessary paperwork.
The village, in turn, agrees to cover the remaining balance of the project’s costs through its Capital Fund and debt issue for it, and other park improvements that have been completed.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here