A Surprise Visit to Village Hall

I was hoping the Village Board meeting on Tuesday night February 24 would wrap up before the State of the Union address at 9 pm. And the agenda was moving swiftly when Congressman George Latimer appeared at the door. What was he doing at the Scarsdale Village Board meeting on the night of the State of the Union?

Latimer came to the podium and explained that though he should be in Washington, with airports closed and Amtrak out of service, there was no way for him to return to the Capitol in time for Trump’s remarks, so he took the opportunity to visit his constituents.

He complimented the Village on doing a great job during the two day snow emergency and spoke in favor of the Village’s policy on immigration enforcement. He said that in his previous job as Westchester County Executive the County had adopted a similar policy in regard to immigration enforcement. See more here.

Latimer provided an update on Congressional matters, saying, “We (the Democrats) are not prepared to vote for a budget until we see some changes in the ways ICE operates. The shutdown will only impact homeland security, TSA, FEMA and the government will continue to operate.”

Turning to tariffs, he said, “We are facing an ambiguity right now. The President has some authority.” He discussed a roundtable for small business owners to be held on Friday February 27 in the Little Theater at Westchester County Center. RSVP by emailing [email protected].

He invited the Village to propose projects for federal funding for the 2026-27 budget year. He said, “We are opening a portal for projects that you feel are a priority…. It is a difficult process. If there is a project or two that you would like to see federal funding for -- we will try to help you get the request in and go to bat for it.”

Pool News

The Trustees then reviewed a resolution to revise the Village’s agreement with Lothrop Associates Architects who are designing the pool complex. Deputy Mayor Gruenberg read the amendment and explained that the scope of the original agreement had expanded when the Village decided to move forward with the larger indoor/outdoor pool complex. The new agreement calls for a lump sum fee of 6.75% of the construction costs, not to exceed $900,959.48.

Furthermore, Gruenberg explained that the Pool Committee is considering adding some of the features that the community supported, “including a separate outdoor diving pool, a separate indoor leisure pool with a warmer temperature distinct from the lap and diving pools, and expanded gathering space for families and neighbors.”

She said though those enhancements would bring the budget of $80 million, they would refine the plans and do value engineering to pursue cost savings and efficiencies. Furthermore she said, “If appropriate, we may recommend phasing or deferring certain elements that do not affect the core operation of the indoor and outdoor facilities in order to keep the project aligned with our financial framework. Finally, I want to be clear that the Village Board does not intend to authorize or issue bonds above the $70.4 million that was previously presented to the community.”

The resolution was supported by six of the trustees. However, Trustee Jerry Wise objected saying, “The contract with Lothrop was only received after 2 pm today. It is a million dollar contract. I didn’t get the resolution until 20 minutes before the meeting and there was no cover memo from the Village Manager explaining what Dara said. I am told that this is an emergency but that does not warrant this change from our procedures. I don’t’ feel the public has had the opportunity to speak or comment.”

Trustee Jeremy Kofman defended the resolution, saying, “The construction budget has gone up… the architects fees are going up. Trustee David Goldschmidt said, “Given that we have voted to move forward on it – I am comfortable moving forward.”