The Common Council of the City of Peekskill hereby finds that the proper design, installation and maintenance of all privately owned fire hydrants in the City of Peekskill is critical to the safety and well-being of the residents of the City whose dwellings are serviced by such privately owned fire hydrants. For this reason, this Common Council has enacted this Article
V of Chapter
422 of the City Code to ensure compliance by all persons responsible for owning and maintaining any non-City-owned fire hydrant in the City of Peekskill.
At all times subsequent to the effective date
of this article, all non-City-owned fire hydrants in the City of Peekskill
shall be operated and maintained in such manner as to comply in all
respects with the following standards and specifications. Non-City-owned
fire hydrants shall:
A. Be mechanically complete and in fully operating condition.
B. Carry a date by the manufacturer of 1950 or newer.
C. Be breakaway style if located within 15 feet of any
street or right-of-way.
D. The hydrant valve shall open in a counterclockwise
direction.
F. Be free of rust or corrosion.
G. Be painted with City of Peekskill identifying colors.
H. Have control valves before the hydrant which are fully
accessible and in good working order.
I. Be installed at the proper bury height for existing
location and terrain as determined by the Director of Public Works.
[Amended 6-24-2019 by L.L. No. 3-2019]
J. In addition, any existing hydrant offered for dedication
to the City of Peekskill shall be one manufactured by Mueller, R.D.
Wood or Mathews Manufacturing. After the effective date hereof, any
new or replacement hydrant shall be a Mueller Type Centurian or equivalent
approved by the Director of Public Works in accordance with City specifications,
as the same may be amended, for new construction.
[Amended 6-24-2019 by L.L. No. 3-2019]
[Amended 6-24-2019 by L.L. No. 3-2019]
Each non-City-owned fire hydrant existing in the City of Peekskill shall be inspected not fewer than one time in each six-month calendar period, and a certified report of such inspection shall be submitted to the Department of Public Works of the City regarding such inspection. Said inspection report shall contain, at a minimum, a sworn or certified statement by a person licensed as a plumber in the City of Peekskill pursuant to the provisions of this article stating that the fire hydrant is, as of the date of said inspection, in compliance with all of the standards and specifications set forth in §
422-28 of this article. Each owner, homeowners' association, condominium association or other person or entity who or which owns, operates or maintains any non-City-owned fire hydrant in the City of Peekskill shall have the affirmative obligation, without request from the City, to cause such inspections to be made in accordance with the requirements of this article, at such owner's sole cost and expense, and shall further have the affirmative obligation to submit all reports and certifications of such inspection as provided herein. The failure to cause such inspection and/or to submit such reports and certifications to the Department of Public Works shall constitute an offense under this article.
Any owner, homeowners' association, condominium association or other person or entity having responsibility for the maintenance and operation of a non-City-owned fire hydrant shall have the option, at such owner's sole discretion, to offer any such non-City-owned fire hydrant, together with appurtenant mains, pipes and equipment, for dedication to the City of Peekskill by submission of an appropriate letter or other document evidencing the intent to dedicate such fire hydrant and appurtenant equipment. The Common Council shall have the right, but not the obligation, to accept such dedication, provided that no such offer of dedication shall be accepted by the Common Council unless such offer is accompanied by an inspection report and certification, as set forth in §
422-29 of this article, attesting to the fact that as of the date of such inspection, which shall not be less than 30 days prior to the date of the offer of dedication, said fire hydrant is in compliance with all standards and specifications set forth in §
422-28 of this article. No such offer of dedication shall operate or be construed to relieve any owner of responsibility for the operation and maintenance of any such non-City-owned fire hydrant until such offer of dedication shall have been accepted by affirmative vote of the Common Council.
Any person, corporation, homeowners' association,
condominium association or other person or entity having responsibility
for the maintenance and operation of a fire hydrant pursuant to this
article shall be liable for the violation of the provisions of this
article as follows:
A. For failure to obtain and submit to the City any inspection report and certification required by §
422-29: $250 for each failure to submit any such report or certification.
B. For failure to maintain any non-City-owned fire hydrant in compliance with the standards and specifications set forth in §
422-28 of this article: $500 per offense. For purposes of this article, a separate offense shall be deemed to have been committed for each and every day during which any such fire hydrant remains in noncompliance with the provisions of this Article VI.
C. Any person or entity convicted of violating the provisions of this article (other than a failure to submit a report pursuant to §
422-29 hereof) shall be subject to a minimum fine as follows:
(1) For a first offense or day: $100.
(2) For a second offense or day: $250.
(3) For a third offense and all succeeding offenses: $500.
D. For illustrative purposes, it is the intent of this
Council that a person convicted of three offenses (being separate
offenses or a three-day continuation of the same condition) shall
be liable to a fine of not more than $1,500 nor less than $850.