YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, N.Y. —The Yorktown Town Board met Monday (Aug. 4) for a session that honored military service, recognized local Purple Heart recipients, and covered standard agenda items. The meeting was held on Monday instead of the usual Tuesday to accommodate the Yorktown Police Department’s National Night Out.
Readers can visit yorktownny.gov/ygtv to see the Aug. 4 meeting, as well as other Yorktown board and committee meetings. Town business can also be seen on Yorktown's YouTube channel at youtube.com/@townofyorktownny896.
During the public comment period, residents took to the podium to voice concerns on such issues as Amawalk Reservoir and water quality, rising taxes associated with plans to replace the firehouse, and the contentious Navajo Fields project, with opponents raising objections.
One speaker emphasized that the real focus of the board’s vote was being overlooked. While acknowledging the validity of various concerns, he pointed out that the board's decision was solely about whether the overlay district should include the parcel in question. He said that even if the overlay district was approved, it would not automatically greenlight the project.
In a series of three proclamations, the Town Board acknowledged and honored military service. Supervisor Ed Lachterman, along with the board, recognized Aug. 4 as United States Coast Guard Day, encouraging “all citizens to honor and show appreciation for the brave individuals who serve and have served in this distinguished branch of our military.”
The town also recognized July 27 as National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, a “call upon all Americans to observe this day now and in the future and give thanks to our distinguished Korean War Veterans.”
Yorktown recommitted itself as a Purple Heart Town and recognizes Aug. 7 as National Purple Heart Day, acknowledging “residents who are recipients of the prestigious Purple Heart award” and thanked them for their service.
A public hearing was held to consider a proposed wetland permit application submitted by the Mohegan Lake Improvement District. The application seeks approval to administer treatments to Lake Mohegan using an automated system of biological processes designed to accelerate the decomposition of accumulated organic matter in the lake’s bottom sediment.
“What we’re trying to do is something different than what we’ve been doing,” Mohegan Lake Improvement District President Ken Belfer said. “It’s a trial of what I call probiotics for the lake. It’s the use of natural bacteria that normally eats away at muck ... we’re looking to install a temporary, automated delivery system to get that done.”
The two equipment sites, he said, would be the Mohegan Beach Park, a town park district, and the Mohegan Colony Association Beach.
Belfer called the plan “experimental in some ways” and said success will be monitored. Councilwoman Susan Siegel and Lachterman praised Belfer for his “tenacity” on all his volunteer work and efforts on this project.
The requests include designating the Town Board as the lead agency (which was done at a previous meeting), copying the Department of Environmental Conservation on all actions, and approving the FEAF and wetlands permit.
After the public hearing, the board made a motion to approve the wetlands permit. A likely start date is May 1, 2026.
Mark Bistro was appointed to the permanent civil service position of Water Service Worker in the Water Department. The role, effective Aug. 5, has an annual salary of $70,295.
The board accepted a retirement letter from Donna Polito of the Finance Department, effective Aug. 29, and thanked her for all her years of service to the town.
Noreen Parrell was appointed to the Senior Advisory Committee.
The Town Board approved several resolutions, including a motion to upgrade the current fuel management system from the FuelMaster 2500 Plus, an analog-based system, to FuelMaster FM Live, a cloud-based platform.
Officials said the new system will provide the town with real-time data, including transaction tracking, inventory management, software and firmware updates, and proactive troubleshooting.
The system will be purchased through the Sourcewell Contract for $39,149.25, with expenses allocated to the appropriate budget codes.
Reach Miranda Ferrante at ferrante@halstonmedia.com.
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