Valley Stream trustees approve emergency HVAC work, review contracts and Mill Pond options

Valley Stream trustees approved a procedural emergency resolution to address an HVAC system failure at village headquarters and moved through a packed work session that included contract reviews, event permits and discussion of long-term options to remediate heavy sediment at Mill Pond.

The board voted on Resolution 110 to authorize emergency HVAC work at headquarters after the chair described the item as a procedural emergency. The board conducted a roll call before the vote with multiple members indicating approval.

Michael, a village staff member responsible for finance and operations, reviewed several consent and contract items. He said the village received "upwards of $35,000 in insurance money" after a fire-department vehicle was totaled en route to a call and described plans to purchase a replacement 2023 Chevy Suburban outfitted with lights and radios. Michael said the quoted vehicle price included equipment and that some functioning equipment had been removed from the totaled vehicle before the insurer settled.

Staff also presented a proposed three-year agreement to continue the village's online permitting system directly with OpenGov. Officials described confusion over earlier reseller pricing through SHI, said OpenGov provided a sole-source letter, and said contracting directly would reduce the village's projected software costs over the three-year term.

The library director was authorized to apply for a library HVAC and boiler grant. The packet listed a project cost of $516,180 and estimated an award of about $100,000; staff emphasized the village would proceed with the project if grant funding was not forthcoming because the building requires heat.

Trustees heard multiple traffic-committee recommendations for local safety treatments, including stop-sign requests at intersections in the Gibson area and narrower options such as raised tables or speed-control devices. The committee cautioned that some treatments may affect resident driveway access and that roadway width limits what can be implemented.

The treasurer outlined a proposed interim municipal agreement to accept municipal solid waste from neighboring Malvern at a tipping fee of $4.50 per ton, estimating an incremental two to two-and-a-half daily trucks and roughly $25,000–$30,000 in additional annual revenue. Trustees had questions about operational details and agreed to continue discussions.

On environmental issues, staff and trustees reviewed three approaches for Mill Pond: targeted deweeding and vegetation removal; pursuing an Army Corps of Engineers feasibility and federal partnership (staff said the Corps made a federal interest determination but additional funding is needed and the process could take years); and a lower-cost pilot from BioOrganic Technologies that would "use microbiology to change the bacteria in the water" to break down organic sediment over roughly two years. Staff described the microbiology option as potentially achievable for about $250,000 versus what was characterized as a multimillion-dollar full dredge and restoration project, and said pursuing multiple tracks simultaneously could be considered.

The board also reviewed event and facility-use requests (including back-to-school events and a walkathon proposed by Assemblywoman Salinas), annual contract approvals including an insurance broker engagement with Salerno Brokerage Company and Ace American Insurance for storage-tank liability, and a non-binding draft resolution to opt into a Housing & Community Renewal (HCR) priority list that would make the village eligible for future housing programs without obligating funds now.

Before adjourning, general counsel requested moving one intermunicipal agreement for further legal discussion into executive session; trustees agreed to defer that item. The work session closed by motion.