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Minutes November 9, 2020

OFFICIAL MINUTES

CHAPPAQUA CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
BOARD OF EDUCATION

Monday, November 9, 2020, 9:00 AM
Horace Greeley High School - Auditorium

Per Governor Cuomo’s executive order, in-person attendance at this meeting may not exceed 50 people.

Presiding Officer: Victoria Bayard Tipp
Pledge of Allegiance: Holly McCall

Present:  Board of Education
    Victoria Bayard Tipp, President
    Holly McCall, Vice President
    Hilary Grasso
    Warren Messner
    Jane Kimmel Shepardson

Staff Members:
    Christine Ackerman, Superintendent of Schools
    John Chow, Assistant Superintendent for Business
    Liisa Elsner, District Clerk

    Allison Sloto - Sive, Paget & Riesel

1.       Call the Meeting to Order at 9:00 am

President Tipp called for a motion to open the meeting

Motioned by Warren Messner to open the meeting at 9:10 am.  Seconded by Hilary Grasso.  Motion carried 5-0. 

Public Comment Period:
We welcome public comments, and in respect for each other's time, we ask that you limit your comments to three minutes. Board members may be contacted via email or phone.  After the public comment period has been completed, Board members may have a discussion among themselves regarding comments presented.

2.      Recommended Action:  Personnel

Dr. Ackerman recommended Item 2.1 as stated below.

2.1       Instructional

Resignation:
Ms. Annie Madden, Science Department Chairperson, Robert E. Bell Middle School, effective November 4, 2020.

Motioned by Jane Kimmel Shepardson to approve Item 2.1 as stated above.  Seconded by Holly McCall.  Motion carried 5-0.

 3.      Recommended Action:  Other
Use of the Consent Agenda permits the Board of Education to make more effective use of its time by adopting a single motion to cover those relatively routine matters, which are included. Any member of the Board who wishes to discuss individually a particular piece of business on the Consent Agenda may so indicate and that item will be considered and voted on separately, thus preserving the right of all Board members to be heard on any issue. It is recommended that the Board of Education approve the following Consent agenda as submitted by the Superintendent of Schools.

3.1       BE IT RESOLVED that the Board hereby authorizes its President to sign an engagement letter with the architectural firm of Kaeyer, Garment & Davidson Architects, PC, dated November 5, 2020, regarding a District-Wide School Capacity Evaluation, as presented to the Board at this meeting and as recommended by the Superintendent of Schools.

3.2       BE IT RESOLVED that the Board hereby authorizes its President to sign a consultant agreement with Econsult Solutions, Inc., dated November 6, 2020, regarding student demographics, enrollment projections and potential fiscal impact attendant to certain proposed housing development, as presented to the Board at this meeting and as recommended by the Superintendent of Schools.

3.3       BE IT RESOLVED that the Board hereby authorizes its President to sign an engagement letter with The Chazen Group, dated November 5, 2020 to perform additional professional services related to the Chappaqua Hamlet Form Based Code -Draft Generic Environmental Impact, as presented to the Board at this meeting and as recommended by the Superintendent of Schools.

3.4       BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Education hereby authorizes its attorneys Shaw, Perelson, May & Lambert, LLP to engage the consultant services Sive, Paget & Riesel pursuant to an engagement letter dated November 5, 2020 as presented to the Board at this meeting.

3.5       ORDINARY CONTINGENT EXPENSE/EMERGENCY DISINFECTION OF WATER SYSTEM AT HORACE GREELEY HIGH SCHOOL AND WESTORCHARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

WHEREAS, water testing was performed on October 13 and 14, 2020, at all of the District’s schools and legionella contamination was discovered at Horace Greeley High School (“High School”) and Westorchard Elementary School (“Westorchard”) which requires immediate remediation; and

WHEREAS, in order to ensure the safety, health and welfare of the students and employees at the High School and Westorchard, it is necessary to immediately remediate the water system contamination by conducting a chlorination of each domestic hot water distribution system, including all known outlets, and associated work; and

WHEREAS, the Board is empowered to determine that the expense of these activities is an ordinary contingent expense within the meaning of §2023 of the New York State Education Law and §170.2(l) of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education and that the project constitutes an emergency to allow for the remediation activities to be conducted on an expedited basis; and

WHEREAS, in accordance with Regulation 6085, Purchasing and Bidding Regulation, written quotes were solicited from five vendors, but only one vendor, Sound Water Treatment, responded with a written quote to perform the contamination remediation services at both schools, in the amount of $9,500 for the High School and $9,500 for Westorchard;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Education hereby determines and declares that the cost of the remediation of the legionella contamination at the High School and Westorchard, in accordance with the two letter proposals from Sound Water Treatment, dated November 2, 2020, as presented to the Board at this meeting, including related services and incidental costs and expenses, constitutes an ordinary contingent expense within the meaning of §2023 of the Education Law and §170.2(l) of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education, and constitutes an emergency within the meaning of Section 103 of the General Municipal Law, and hereby authorizes the expenditure of those funds necessary for such purposes; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Board hereby determines that the remediation of the contamination as described above at the High School and Westorchard, including associated services, will not have a significant environmental impact and declares this project a Type II Action pursuant to §617.5 of the State Environmental Quality Review Act regulations, notably Section 617.5(c)(1) [maintenance or repair involving no substantial changes in the structure or facility] and/or (10) [routine activities of educational institutions], and no further action is required; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Board hereby authorizes the Superintendent of Schools to make transfers between and within functional unit appropriations in the general fund in order to pay for the costs of this ordinary contingent expense.

Motioned by Holly McCall to approve Items 3.1 through 3.5 as stated above.  Seconded by Hilary Grasso.  Motion carried 5-0.

4.     Notice of Future Meetings

Wednesday, November 18, 2020, 7:30 pm
Horace Greeley High School – Auditorium

Wednesday, December 9, 2020, 7:30 pm
Horace Greeley High School - Auditorium

Motioned by Victoria Bayard Tipp to adjourn into Executive Session to discuss matters of health and safety and contracts at 9:22 am.  Seconded by Holly McCall.  Motion carried 5-0.

Motioned by Victoria Bayard Tipp to appoint Christine Ackerman clerk pro tempore.  Seconded by Hilary Grasso.  Motion carried 5-0.

President Tipp called for a motion to reconvene the public meeting at 9:54 am.

Motioned by Warren Messner to reconvene the public meeting.  Seconded by Hilary Grasso.  Motion carried 5-0.

5.      Adjournment

Motioned by Warren Messner to adjourn the meeting at 9:55 am.  Seconded by Jane Kimmel Shepardson.  Motion carried 5-0.

Respectfully submitted,

Liisa Elsner
District Clerk / Secretary to the Superintendent