We heard the presentation of the Traffic Study at the March Board of Trustees meeting and remain opposed to the Plandome Manor Village Hall proposal or any other municipal intrusion on the only open green space in our quiet residential neighborhood.

The traffic report is flawed both in its premise and execution. The study did not compare the new traffic that would be generated by Village Hall to the existing conditions; the baseline for the existing traffic is skewed higher than normal, and the predicted traffic generated by Village Hall is understated.

VHB, Engineering, Surveying, Landscape Architecture & Geology, P.C. was enlisted by the village to perform the traffic assessment.

In the report dated March 9, 2022, Mr. Eschbacher of VHB, states that he was asked by Mr. Butt to “evaluate the proposed relocation” (of the Richardson House) “with respect to traffic conditions…”.

Mr. Eschbacher delivered exactly what was asked for: A traffic report which compares the traffic generated by the Plandome Manor Village Hall to the traffic generated by a typical residential home.

However, Mr. Eschbacker should have been asked to compare the traffic generated by the Plandome Manor Village Hall to traffic generated by the existing open parcel of land.

The “study” was not executed under normal circumstances. During the 6-day period of the study there were 2 new home construction projects underway on Circle Drive.

Many 18 wheeled tractor-trailer trips were coming and going during the study period, including trucks used for excavation, form building, and cement pouring for the foundation.

Mr. Eschbacker, when asked at the meeting, about the effect of large trucks on the device that counts the number of vehicles, confirmed that trucks would increase the traffic count due to multiple sets of wheels passing over the cords. The baseline count was skewed higher due to construction-related traffic and the presence of multi-axle vehicles.

The estimation of the traffic generated by the Village Hall includes an estimation of trips made by the three employees plus the average number of visitors to the village office between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

It does not account for any comings and goings of non-employees, such as the mayor, other Board of Trustee members, the village attorney, stenographers, or village justice.

There is no accounting for the night-time meetings of the: Board of Trustees, Board of Zoning Appeals, Architectural Review Board, Planning Board, or Village Court.

Nor does it take into account any special meetings, regular elections or special votes. The projected traffic associated with Village Hall is underestimated It is also misstated in the article from Frank Rizzo.

VHB conducted the study at no charge to the village as a courtesy to Mr. Butt who is clearly in favor of the project. Residents deserve a complete and unbiased traffic study for this project.

Kate Dunn and Sarah Meriggi

On behalf of Circle Drive residents, Plandome Manor