Two Trustees Recap the July 14, 2026 Village Board Meeting

Three items came up during public comment: a complaint about enforcement and compliance for a house and property in disrepair on North Main Street; a complaint about a protest and gathering of greater than 60 people in the Village center that evening without a permit; and comments from one Village resident and two Town residents expressing a desire for the Frederick Douglass statue to be placed on Town property at the Copper Beech Pocket Park.

The 75 Monroe project is getting closer to completion. Given that this location was a former brownfield — with previous industrial use and exposure to contaminants or pollutants — it is critical to have an inspector in place who can ensure proper remediation before the project is finished.

The Board approved Scott Miller as the building inspector for Phase 2 of the 75 Monroe project.

The Board was first presented with the concept of the statue at the May 13, 2025 regular board meeting — roughly 14 months ago. The Board voted unanimously to move forward with a $5,000, one-year lease of the statue at the September 9, 2025 board meeting, and residents have already paid for this statue's lease, approved at the April 28, 2026 bill pay meeting. As Trustee Wilkes wrote: "As Village residents, our tax dollars have already paid for this statue, and we deserve something in return for our money — this Board cannot punt the decision forever."

Trustees approved a $5,000 cost to rent the statue for one year with the stipulation that the Board would vote on the placement location. We have still not voted on a location, as there are differences of opinion on optimal sites — Town versus Village versus public property. The Town's Parks and Recreation Committee is discussing potential Town options. The Board will research the exact location where Frederick Douglass spoke in Pittsford in the 1860–1868 time frame, with the assistance of Historian Vicki Profit, and bring it back for discussion at the next meeting.

There was also discussion of buying the statue outright for an additional $10,000 — a total cost of $15,000 — using public donations and community fundraising. Tharaha T., President of Pittsford CommUnity, expressed a desire to donate and to fundraise for the permanent placement of the statue.

Recent adjustments to our ribbon display requirements were made after hearing the application for the Pride ribbon display in June. I wanted some discussion on the future of allowing any ribbon campaigns in our Village, as I thought we had mentioned re-evaluating our sign code. I will revisit the meeting recording from April 28, 2026 to verify.

Trustee Dave Marshall has been working on a project to determine the feasibility of turning Ford Field — the little league field at the corner of Jefferson and South Street on the edge of the Village — into a public park. The current challenge is that the project would involve at least two different land owners: New York State's Canal Corporation and RG&E.

With a desire to secure this green space for the future, Trustee Marshall was denied the opportunity to have the Village obtain this space from Canal Corp due to their potential future need based on Oversight and Maintenance (O&M). The Pittsford Little League has had a long-standing lease for the property. This prompted discussion of potentially placing a seasonal boat dock to offset parking and boat traffic at Schoen Place in this canal vicinity.

This item was brought by Trustee Dave Marshall, who focused primarily on South Street, where drivers heading northwest use the initial straightaway like a quarter-mile drag strip — speeds reportedly reach approximately 50 mph regularly. The bike boulevard discussion was folded into this agenda item during the meeting.

Traffic calming initiatives, Schoen Place infrastructure, bike boulevards, and parking regulations will be worked on individually at future monthly Trustee workshops.

A final draft of the pedestrian sidewalk safety and bicycle regulation amendments (Chapter 176, Article X) was presented to the Board. Some of the major proposed changes under § 176-25:

• In accordance with New York State Vehicle & Traffic Law, no person shall operate an electric bicycle or electric scooter upon any sidewalk within the Village of Pittsford.
• Bicycle, electric bicycle, and electric scooter riding is prohibited on the Erie Canal towpath between the Main Street bridge and the State Street bridge, and riders must dismount in that area. Signs shall be posted indicating these restrictions.
• In-line skates, roller skates, and skateboards/scooters shall be operated at no greater than normal walking speed on the towpath between the North Main Street bridge and the State Street bridge.
• Where non-motorized wheeled devices are permitted on public sidewalks, the operator must maintain at least 50 feet from any pedestrian and may not pass a pedestrian while mounted — an operator may dismount and walk their device to pass.
• In the TDD, VCB, and MU-EC zoning districts, no person shall operate a bicycle or skateboard/scooter on public sidewalks; riders must dismount and walk. In-line and roller skates in these districts must stay at walking speed and keep at least 50 feet from pedestrians.

If you would like to comment, write in or come to the public hearing at Village Hall on Tuesday, August 11 at 6:30 PM.

FOG and sand interceptors are devices designed to capture and separate fats, oils, grease, and heavy sediment of both animal and vegetable origin from commercial wastewater. The new law establishes enforcement provisions to prevent these materials from causing blockages in the Village's sewer system — and allows the Village to recover remediation costs from noncompliant businesses.

Local Law 164-1, FOG and Sand Interceptors — necessary for handling harmful ingredients in our wastewater disposal system from commercial waste — passed with no public comment.

An Irish pub is coming to the long-vacant space at 5 State Street, next to Village Bakery. Trustee Dave Marshall cited the Pittsford Pub & Grille as a comparable restaurant in setting the hour requirements: Thursday 11:00 AM–11:30 PM; Friday–Saturday 11:00 AM–12:00 AM; Sunday–Wednesday 11:00 AM–11:00 PM. The applicants can seek revised hours at a future meeting once the Village completes a broader review of standard restaurant hours.

The special permit is for the Irish pub at 5 State Street — the old Rachael's location. Trustee Marshall suggested changing the open hours to coordinate with other restaurants in the Village for fairness and consistency; the approved hours are close at 10 PM Sunday–Thursday and midnight Friday–Saturday. One resident with a home close to the proposed restaurant spoke in support of the business. The Board approved it.

Building inspector support: The Board approved the current parking ticket enforcement officer, Michael James, to work 10 extra hours per week assisting the current Village building inspector.

Historic Preservation Board seat: The Mayoral appointment of Rabia Stevenson to the HPB alternate seat was denied. I expressed wanting our board seats filled with experienced candidates, as per our "voted-in criteria" in our code.

Member item: Trustee Marshall asked for discussion to expand the LDR (Low-Density Residential) district at the next meeting.

"Make our job harder — please get involved!" To watch the taped meeting, visit the Village of Pittsford YouTube channel.