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YORKTOWN — The Town Board added a resolution to its Feb. 2 meeting agenda to request Highway Superintendent Eric DiBartolo to begin work on phase four of the Legacy Ball Fields project.
The board unanimously voted 5-0 in favor of the resolution after hearing from Westchester County Legislator Mike Kaplowitz, D-4, who urged all parties involved with the construction of the fields to work out the dispute over who will finish the project.
After losing his title as director of labor operations in January, DiBartolo has said he will not continue overseeing the project and added that he never entered into any agreement stating he would see the project through its completion.
Town Supervisor Susan Siegel has said that the highway department committed to finishing the Legacy Ball Fields, and completing the project would be an added complement to the work DiBartolo has already done for this town.
The Parks and Recreation Department was overseeing the recent tree removal at the site adjacent to Route 132 in Yorktown. The next step in the construction process involves six to eight weeks of grading the land, Siegel said.
If the town is forced to outsource the work remaining in the project, it could cost the town roughly $350,000, Siegel said.
John Schroeder, a town resident, told the board at Tuesday’s meeting the location of the Legacy Ball Fields could create an environmental disaster with the stream in that area. Councilman Jim Martorano said he did not foresee the large number of trees being removed from the site, but the board agreed that it was too late to reconsider changing locations.
Siegel also removed an item from the agenda, frustrating many members of the Dog Park Committee who expected to hear a resolution to be voted on allowing the town to lease the 153-acre Donald J. Trump State Park from the state and subleasing one acre of that land for a dog park.
The item was removed to allow for Jen Fava, parks and recreation superintendent, to continue discussions with the state regarding funding options, the demolition of a building and filling in a pool at the park, Siegel said.
It’s a matter of liability for the town and she does not want to subject the 37,000 residents of Yorktown to an increase in their insurance rates if an incident occurs on a portion of the park that is not the dog park, Siegel said.
While the entire board agreed with Siegel that more information was necessary, Councilmen Nick Bianco and Martorano said they want to move forward with the plan.
“We have to do our due diligence with the state, but sometimes government does too much due diligence and I plan on putting this back on the agenda soon,” Bianco said.
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