Winter may be over, but the City of Peekskill is still dealing with the effects of the season’s icy conditions.
On Monday, April 28, the Common Council authorized the city to solicit bids for repairing Fleischmann Pier’s floating docks and mooring piles, which were damaged by winter ice and storms, and now are in need of reconstruction and replacement for costs not exceeding $90,000.
The freezing of the Hudson River in January resulted in the Department of Planning and Development to begin “winterizing” Fleischmann Pier and removing the loading docks, kayak dock, and associated gangways for the season at a total cost of $26,800.
Director of Planning Carol Samol said then the department had not anticipated having such operational costs while the pier was still under construction and that the winter weather prompted them to take action.
But as the solicitation of bids indicates, there is still work to be done on the pier. Samol said the requested repairs would improve dock accessibility and make future winterization efforts at the pier easier.
The work involves replacing hardware that attaches the docks to the mooring piles, replacing the piles themselves, and installing cleats (five per dock) to enhance boat access and safety, and other small repairs to the floating docks.
“We know it was a harsh winter,” Samol said. “There was other damage elsewhere on the river. Tarrytown experienced some damage. Even Riverfront Green experienced some similar effects… We’re still having our insurance company look into it to understand what’s the full extent of the damage.”
The icy conditions in the river caused the piles to shift and or break, making the docks unable to re-attach. The new piles, according to Samol, will be made of a different material and size to better withstand the winter weather and remain functional.
The current hardware that attaches the dock to the piles prevents efficient seasonal removal and installation of the docks from the pilings. The city seeks a model that opens and latches to encircle the pile rather than a closed loop that requires vertical removal and replacement along the pile which is only achievable with a barge and crane, according to a memo.
Samol added the funding for the project can be provided by the city’s funds already allocated in 2002 to the reconstruction of Fleischmann Pier project. The former dilapidated pier was renovated and reopened in August. The city recently finalized the location of a restroom building and other details.
According to the memo from the Department of Planning, a claim has been filed with the city’s insurance company for the dock and pier damage.
Previously, the council had not requested an explanation as to why winter damage was not anticipated nor planned for by the planning department. When asked for an explanation via email, Samol responded, “The pier was not fully operational in January. Starting this year the pier will have cruise boats and other services. As we near completion of construction and the pier becomes fully operational and in city control, we will have support for maintenance.”
Public hearings: taxi fares, family day care code text, levies for unpaid sanitation
Three public hearings were held Monday night with none seeing public participation.
The first, on proposed taxi fare increases, was actually the second time in a month the city held a hearing on the proposed fare hike. The additional hearing was held so the city could clarify the new rates.
Following the hearing, the council voted to approve those new rates except for Councilmembers Ramon Fernandez, who recused himself due to being a taxi driver, and Dwight Douglas who was absent.
New rates went into effect on May 1. Rates for the base fare within city limits are $8 from 5 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. and $9 from 12 a.m. to 4:59 a.m.; additional passenger fees are $2 per person. For senior citizens traveling within city limits, fares are $6 from 5 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. and $7 from 12 a.m. to 4:59 a.m.
For seniors only, travel to the New York Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital is included in the radius for the City of Peekskill, even though the hospital is in Cortlandt.
[Editor’s note: A story published on April 26, 2025 incorrectly reported that the second hearing on taxi fares was to be held on May 1, instead of April 28 as correctly reported above.]
The second hearing was on amendments to the city’s code on regulations concerning family day care homes and group family day care homes, after it was determined the city’s special permit requirement for home day care was overreaching state regulations.
The Office of Children and Family Services sent a letter to the city on Nov. 6 stating the city could not impose a special permit or other additional zoning requirements on these centers. (Family day care homes and group family day care homes differ by the number of children they are licensed to care for at a time.)
As a result the Department of Planning and city attorney recommended the city make an amendment to delete that special permit requirement. While some council members were hesitant to vote on the proposed amendment in January, all members who were present voted to pass the amendment on Monday.
Eric Gordon, City Attorney, said the state preempted the city from requiring a special permit.
“We’ve researched it, we’ve done the analysis,” Gordon said. “We agree with the Office of Family Services.”
Gordon said site plan approval is still required under certain circumstances and those family and group family day care homes must still comply with city fire code and all city building code requirements relating to them. The state oversees all day care centers.
The third and last public hearing of the night was on amendments to the local law to allow the city to levy as a tax unpaid fees for solid waste and disposal services. The resolution to enact this law passed unanimously.
According to the resolution, via local law, the Common Council may “provide ‘that unpaid fees or charges for municipal or municipally contracted solid waste collection and/or disposal services be included with the annual tax levy, together with any interests and penalties thereon’ for the real property in which such services were provided.”
A similar provision is provided by the city relating to unpaid water rents. The inclusion may also include the levy of unpaid fees for recycling collection services provided by the city or its contracted collectors. Gordon said the law will not be applied retroactively.
Mayor Vivian McKenzie signs Mayors’ Monarch Pledge
The monarch butterfly population has declined by approximately 90 percent since the 1990s, according to the National Wildlife Federation (NWF).
That is why, in part, the Common Council voted to authorize Mayor Vivian McKenzie’s signing of the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge, a program launched by the NWF in 2015 to engage cities and communities in monarch and pollinator conservation.
According to a memo from Sustainability Coordinator Emma Kaminski, between 2015 and 2020, the program has welcomed over 600 mayors and heads of local and tribal governments who engaged 6 million people and restored more than 6,500 acres of monarch habitat.
City Manager Matthew Alexander said the city has committed resources for restoring the pollinator habitats, particularly milkweed, the only plant that monarchs lay their eggs on and monarch caterpillars feed on, according to the National Park Service. The pollinator habitats will likely be at Peekskill landing, Alexander said.
The city previously signed the pledge in 2020, 2021 and 2022, but did not last year or in 2023. The pledge commits to both restoring pollinator habitats and encourages residents to do the same. Mayors commit to initiating at least three action items (out of 30) throughout the year to support the conservation efforts. The NWF requests an annual report on December 1, 2025.
Quality of life and police reports, plus project and grant updates
Fire safety violations soared to the top spot in April with 22 complaints, said Alexander during his quality of life report.
Nuisance violations included unlicensed vehicles, off street parking, and no heat and no hot water at units supplied by landlords. Alexander said rooster and noise complaints doubled to 12 violations, work being done without a permit climbed to 10 violations for the month of April, and that there were four overcrowding and improper use complaints addressed.
From the police department, Alexander reported there were five open container arrests within the last two weeks, several vehicles booted for parking violations (including one that racked up $1,470 in fees), a trespass arrest at 901 Main Street, a disorderly conduct arrest at 1321 Park Street, and drug arrests resulting from three traffic stops over the past two weeks.
For project and grant updates, Alexander said the city is hoping to install wayfinding signage in early summer, will be soliciting bids on May 23 for the Monument Parks Downtown Revitalization project (DRI), and the U.S. Economic Development will authorize the city to issue bid documents for its $2.4 million grant which the city would use for its future kitchen incubator.
The city is also working on a comprehensive traffic safety action plan. It is waiting for the U.S. Department of Transportation to provide signed funding contracts to support aspects of this plan.
Alexander noted the city is trying different methods of installing crosswalks, including scarifying the road, which will allow the thermoplastic paint lines to be inset, reducing the likelihood they will be scraped off by plows in the winter.
The Planning Department held an open house for the Hub and Connectivity Project on April 27 for individuals to learn about proposed improvements and share ideas. Two other open houses will be hosted on Saturday, May 10 at the riverfront from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and at the gazebo from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The Department of Public Works is in the process of hiring an engineer to determine the scope of their work required to repair the collapsed culvert at Lockwood Drive. The department has a $200,000 Community Development Block Grant for this project that the city will be matching.
McKenzie asked Alexander if the city has received notification if it has to comply with additional regulations before federally funded projects can go out to bid, adding some municipalities have told her they’ve received a list of conditions they have to meet to be awarded money. Alexander said Peekskill has not gotten to that point yet, but it is the next stage. He said he would share what those changes are, if any, with the council at that point.
Resolutions passed: smoking ban, capital lease agreement, Momentum Award acceptance
The council passed 17 resolutions and two local laws unanimously, barring the aforementioned taxi fares hike.
A local law was passed to add restrictions on smoking in, and within 100 feet of, outdoor seating areas in the Business Improvement District and in the James Street and Nelson Avenue parking garages.
Members voted to pass resolutions to accept the $10 million Mid-Hudson Momentum Award from the New York State Empire Development to fund essential infrastructure for housing, enter into negotiation agreements with three developers for four waterfront transit-oriented development sites, and refer a special use permit application for an auto repair facility to the Planning Commission.
The city will also be entering into a capital lease agreement for over $3.9 million with 911 Leasing Corporation for the purchase of vehicles and equipment, and for the completion of small capital projects.
The amount initially discussed was adjusted with the removal of three police vehicles and an addition of a traffic light management system and engineering for storm sewers. Six “garbage AI cameras” listed at $50,000 were changed to simply “cameras.”
Asked about the removal of the police vehicles, Alexander told the Peekskill Herald the city has been playing around with whether or not to order equipment early.
“Case in point, all of my DPW vehicles I ordered in 2022, some of them just got here,” Alexander said. “One of them still isn’t here. And then the fire trucks that I ordered in 2022 are coming at the end of ’25 and one’s coming at the beginning of ’26. So we were trying to stay ahead of shortages. That has not been the case for the police vehicle so we think we can manage.”
Alexander said the city has been very aware that the council wants it to pick the best course of action that conserves the most cash and prevents it from having to make hard decisions later because of budget reasons.
“We’re just in a state of not knowing what the future is going to bring in a big way. So we’ve got to manage all that.”
The council passed resolutions for street closures for the Juneteenth Parade and Festival on June 21, the BID Farmers Market, Fourth of July Parade, and to create a pedestrian walkway and expanded outdoor dining experience on a portion of North Division Street starting May 9 on Thursdays from 5 p.m to 10 p.m., Fridays 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturdays from 3:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The council retroactively authorized the city manager to send a letter in support of the Town of Putnam Valley’s Green Innovation Grant program application seeking funding to protect the City of Peekskill’s drinking water source. Over 60 percent of Peekskill’s drinking water is located in the town.
Another resolution passed authorizes the city manager to submit an application on behalf of Peekskill Youth Bureau to obtain funding from the 2025 Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Grant to operate the Summer Youth Employment Program.
The council passed a resolution that authorizes the city manager to extend to April 30, 2026 the development agreement with Ecological Citizen’s Project and Working Power to determine the feasibility of and develop a community-based solar power facility.
The city will also be accepting a gift from Carla Rae Johnson of a framed resolution passed by the Council in 2016 affirming the city’s commitment to be an inclusive community.
