As a public employer in New York State (NYS), we operate within the parameters of NYS Civil Service. Last week, Mayor Jennifer Lapey, Deputy Mayor Breda Bennett, Village Attorney Al Cornachio, Manager Lindsey Luft, and Deputy Clerk Maryalice Barnett attended the Westchester Municipal Officials Association (WMOA) meeting. The keynote speaker was newly appointed Westchester County Commissioner of Human Resources Lisa Denig. Ms. Denig provided a thorough overview of her background and set the stage for her tenure as Commissioner. It was a wonderful opportunity for local municipal officials to meet Ms. Denig and welcome her to Westchester County. Each municipality takes their turn hosting a WMOA meeting. The November meeting was hosted by the Village of Bronxville at the Bronxville Field Club. Bronxville Mayor Mary Marvin continued the WMOA tradition of providing a brief history of the municipality at the start of the evening.
As leaders of our community, we are dedicated to continuous improvement. We are proud to share that recently Manager Luft completed the Certified Stormwater Inspector (CSI) course conducted by the National Stormwater Center. This continuing education effort certifies that Ms. Luft has met established standards of knowledge and skills required for stormwater inspections. The certification is valid for five years. Within that time, the CSI is provided with resources to stay up-to-date on current United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and New York State compliance topics to guide them through re-certification.
Stormwater management is a challenge our entire region is dealing with. In 2018, New York State (NYS) launched the Resilient NY program through the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). A few months ago, we received communication from the DEC that the Hutchinson River Watershed had been moved up on the timeline to receive analysis through the program. This was the result of municipalities advocating for assistance to mitigate the challenges we face from the Hutchinson River. The kickoff for this project took place late October. Pelham Manor is actively participating and will work collaboratively with the DEC through the process to ensure a thorough result. We have made sure to share our information relating to Pelham Manor Watershed 1. As the project is conducted, we will remain in-touch on developments.
Recently, New York City Parks & Recreation (NYC Parks) shared that their Natural Resources Group has begun an analysis of the waterways through the Pelham Bay Park area. Their internal process will be similar to the analysis we conducted village-wide. This will provide NYC Parks with a comprehensive understanding of how water flows through Pelham Bay Park to the final outfall. The engineers on staff with the NYC Parks Natural Resources Group will make project recommendations based on their findings. This important partnership for Pelham Manor Watershed 3 is a long-standing effort and we look forward to continuing to collaborate with NYC Parks once they have their recommendations.
As the new year approaches, the Village Manager and the New Rochelle Public Works Commissioner continue to coordinate planning efforts for our abutting watersheds. Pelham Manor Watershed 5 flows to the City of New Rochelle Burling Watershed. In early 2024, we will conduct operations meetings to systematically map out the future of our watersheds.
Our small Village is located in a geographically unique place in New York State. We naturally rely on the partnerships with other agencies to ensure our systems operate at their maximum functionality. We navigate efforts intentionally to ensure any improvements we make have the highest potential for success. As we plan for large scale capital stormwater projects we continue our annual infrastructure maintenance and conduct repairs as necessary.
