The Village of Roslyn Board of Trustees has amended two sections to chapter 15 of the village code, one that pertains to retaining walls and sign construction in the village.

The first amendment will prohibit the use of timber cribbing, timber walls "of any type," and prefabricated pipe and concrete cesspool sections in the construction of retaining walls for both commercial and residential structures in the village.

Another amendment to the code will mandate that any appeals regarding sign construction or renovation will be made to either the Historic District Board of the Board of Zoning Appeals, rather than the BOT itself.

Concerning retaining walls, the BOT has ruled that any structure over two feet high would constitute a wall. The amendment would allow homeowners to build timber borders around a backyard garden. However, Building Inspector David DeRienzis noted the difficulties with having timber cribbing in retaining walls. In recent years, the village has had to deal with retaining walls collapsing and falling apart at businesses located at busy thoroughfares in Roslyn, the collapse of a retaining wall at the Jolly Fisherman restaurant on Roslyn Road being a prime example.

Mr. DeRienzis said there is a 40-year warranty on timber walls. But once the wall is worn out, the village simply can't "pull it out and send it back to the manufacturer." In short, retaining walls with timber cribbing are no longer fundamentally sound, he said. Timber is used now mostly as a decorative element in any wall. For environmental purposes, Mr. DeRienzis said the village should consider strategies that lead to erosion control, rather than building retainer walls. He also admitted that some timber retaining walls still exist in the village, some were built illegally, others were grandfathered into the property.

The building inspector also said such a law banning timber walls had been in effect in the village since the 1960s. The law was codified in 1986, however it had been inadvertently left out of later code updates, another factor that made the new amendment necessary.

At the upcoming August public hearing, the BOT will consider amending chapter 15 to cover the construction and maintenance of swimming pools. Residents have told the BOT of their difficulty in getting permits to build a pool, with one homeowner claiming that Board of Zoning Appeals members have been hostile to simply the idea of constructing a pool.

During the June meeting, Village Attorney John Spellman said that there are currently no village laws concerning swimming pools, with the exception that pools must be set back 40 feet from a building, a stipulation that rules out the construction of pools at most residential lots in the village. Trustee Marshall Bernstein said that any amendment should encourage the construction of in-ground rather than above-ground pools, since the latter are "unsightly" and may detract from the ambiance of residential neighborhoods. In all, the BOT might consider an amendment that would focus on the specifics of a pool, including certain dimensions and certain setbacks, and not the idea of a pool being built by village homeowners. The next BOT meeting will take place Tuesday, Aug. 21.