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Residents press Dobbs Ferry trustees on flooding, property maintenance, abandoned house and tree protection during public comment
Summary
Residents described repeated stormwater flooding at a Southfield Avenue property, raised maintenance and safety concerns at the Scaramella's mini-mall, reported an abandoned house at 50 Southfield awaiting New York State Supreme Court action, warned of ParkMobile phishing emails, and urged tree protections on Washington Avenue.
Several Dobbs Ferry residents used the public comment period at the March 25 Board of Trustees meeting to press the village for action on local property and drainage problems and to urge caution on a variety of community issues.
Sam Giorgio, who identified himself as living at 28 South Field Avenue, told trustees that when it rains water flows from a new apartment building above Ramsey Road onto his property and patio. Giorgio said the village building inspector had visited multiple times and that a court appearance had not resolved the issue; he said the builder told him he had done some work but that the condition had "gotten worse." Giorgio said the village building inspector advised him to get a lawyer; trustees and the administrator asked Giorgio to provide contact information so staff could follow up. "They told me that he should stay out of it because he was in there when the building was built," Giorgio said of an earlier inspector visit.
Michelle Spagniello, who said she lives across the street from Giorgio on Southfield Avenue, told the board that water running down the hill onto the sidewalk creates unsafe conditions for pedestrians and tenants. She also raised recurring maintenance problems at the Scaramella's mini-mall, saying the property owner does not regularly remove garbage, trim hedges or shovel snow; she said village staff had issued citations in the past but the violations reoccur.
Several residents raised the issue of a long-vacant property at 50 Southfield that they said is in poor condition and infested with vermin. Trustees explained that a local judge had deemed the property appropriate for a Supreme Court filing to remove property rights from the owner, and that the matter has moved into the New York State Supreme Court. The board encouraged residents to follow the court docket and noted the village prosecutor would check on the status.
Alan Harris of 39 Rochambeau Avenue warned residents about fraudulent emails purporting to be from ParkMobile and asked the village to include a notice in its newsletter and website. "If you get emails from ParkMobile and they're saying, you know, you gotta contact us because your account's been suspended, be sure that it's them before you reply to that email," Harris said.
Other speakers urged the board to consider the ecological and short-term stormwater impacts of removing trees along Washington Avenue for sidewalk or wall work. Patty Steinstein asked trustees to check engineering assumptions and cost math, noting the potential for increased water issues if trees are removed.
Village administrators and staff told speakers they would follow up: the village administrator asked residents to provide contact information, said staff would coordinate with the building inspector and prosecutor, and offered to provide court dates to residents who wanted to attend proceedings.
Why it matters: The exchanges highlight recurring, address-specific public-works and public-safety concerns (drainage, sidewalk safety, property maintenance) and the role of village staff and the courts in resolving blight and infrastructure-related disputes.
