RyeCity REVIEW THE
August 5, 2016 | Vol. 4, Number 32 | www.ryecityreview.com
CIP identifies $52M in city capital projects By JAMES PERO Staff Writer
The First Lady? Hillary Clinton accepted the nomination for president at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, July 28, becoming the first female ever to be nominated for president by a major political party. For more, see page 6. Photo courtesy Twitter
RM Staffing lawsuit granted class action status By JAMES PERO Staff Writer Former waitstaff of Rye Golf Club scored a major victory on July 28 after a judge granted a motion for class action status in a lawsuit seeking uncompensated overtime and tips. According to attorney Brent Pelton, of Pelton and Associates—the firm representing more than 50 former Rye Golf Club staff members in the suit—the judge’s decision is a major affirmation for the group’s claim. “The judge accepted our view,” Pelton told the Review. “Essentially, he gave the workers everything they were asking for.”
The lawsuit, which is seeking more than $4 million in damages, uncompensated overtime and gratuities, stems from a financial scandal at the city-owned golf club dating back to 2012. At that time, Scott Yandrasevich, then the club’s general manager, was caught embezzling approximately $270,000, according to the Westchester County district attorney’s office, through a series of shell companies he created. Yandrasevich was sentenced to one to three years in state prison and has since been released on parole. The biggest of the shell companies, RM Staffing, used by Yandrasevich to funnel funds, staffed
many of the plaintiffs who have joined the class action suit. And according to Pelton, the former staff members are eager to receive the money they believe they’re owed. “The workers who were having their tips misappropriated haven’t received a dime,” Pelton said. “The delay causes financial damage every week.” City Attorney Kristen Wilson, however, says Rye isn’t to blame for any perceived delay. “The wheels of justice sometimes turn very slowly,” she said, regarding the judicial process. “There’s been no finding of liability here and no award.” Currently, Pelton is seeking a summary judgment for his
clients; a move which he says will both expedite the process and narrow the focus of the lawsuit. The decision to grant a class action status comes several months after a successful claim won by the city against its insurance carrier Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America, which awarded the city $1.55 million in February, vindicating the city’s belief that Yandrasevich had stolen much more than he was convicted of. According to the decision rendered on July 28, the two parties’ next meeting will be in November for a pretrial conference. CONTACT: james@hometwn.com
The latest Capital Improvement Program for the city of Rye, presented on Monday, Aug. 1, has highlighted a potential list of $52 million in improvements and expenses across the city. According to City Engineer Ryan Coyne, who prepared the plan with City Planner Christian Miller and presented it to the Rye City Council, it is rather an overview than a budget. “[The plan] is meant to help you make a more informed decision during your budget process,” he explained to the council. “You own 52 miles of sanitary sewers, 45 miles of sidewalks, 30 miles of storm drains, 1,400 catch basins, 100-plus vehicles, 15 buildings; that’s a lot of stuff.” A capital improvement program, CIP, is mandated by the city’s charter and projects five years at a time. The current plan projects costs and work from 2017 to 2021. The most significant portion of this plan’s cost for projects is being earmarked for transportation; nearly $22 million of the $52 million in the outline was for that category. According to the CIP, most of the money to fund the laundry list of capital projects—52 percent to be exact—would come from both grants and state, federal and county aid. The remaining portion would come from both general revenue and
debt; 21 percent and 26 percent, respectively. Currently, under the city charter, the council maintains a discretionary debt limit well below the state standard, allowing for just below $3 million in debt issuance through a required public referendum. Not listed in the list of capital improvements is $14 million worth of improvements at Rye Town Park, nearly half of which would be the responsibility of the city of Rye. A breakdown of the project categories are as follows: Transportation: $21.9M Among the transportation projects outlined in the CIP are not just regular renovations to roads and curbing, but also larger projects like a recently unveiled plan to update roads and improve traffic conditions on Forest Avenue that would cost the city more than $2 million. Additionally, Coyne outlined improvements to the First Street parking lot in downtown Rye, which has degraded so much that dirt from underneath the cracked asphalt is beginning to show. “It’s probably more dirt than it is asphalt at this point,” he said. Flooding: $11M According to Coyne, who didn’t elaborate on specific flooding projects during the presentation, some of the work identified in the CIP for flood CIP continued on page 8
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