Pelham Manor Mayor Jennifer Monachino-Lapey and Mount Vernon Mayor Richard Thomas held a phone call Saturday to discuss the Mount Vernon fireworks display set for Saturday night at Memorial Stadium and noise complaints from Pelham Manor during a Mount Vernon concert on Father’s Day.

A Pelham Examiner reporter was invited onto the call by Thomas. Earlier, Lapey had not been able to reach Thomas to discuss the events. On Friday, Pelham Manor said it was contacting Thomas and county officials to express concerns about the fireworks. The village also announced safety steps the Pelham Manor Police would take Saturday.

On the call, Lapey voiced her concerns over noise levels from the concert. She said a number of residents had complained to her and the Pelham Manor Police Department, and it was her understanding the village’s police had relayed all complaints to the Mount Vernon Police Department. Lapey cited one resident who had recorded concert noise levels as high as 90 decibels, equivalent to a subway train 200 feet away.

Turning to the fireworks show Saturday night, Lapey said she was concerned about parking, traffic control and crowds in Pelham Manor during the display. She said she was frustrated at not having been contacted by Mount Vernon.

“Sir, for our residents to be experiencing what they have, something must be going wrong,” she said.

Thomas said noise levels were “not too high two blocks away in Mount Vernon.” When asked by Lapey if he believed sound levels were compliant with codes and permits, Thomas responded “yes.” “We’ve lowered (the sound levels),” he said. “We’ve been compliant on our side.”

Mount Vernon is “committed to mitigations for sound,” he said. He proposed consulting sound engineers to determine the cause of the sound being heard in Pelham Manor. Additionally, Thomas recommended soundproofing by constructing a “soundwall.” He said he would communicate with science teachers at the Mount Vernon STEAM academy and “consult Google.” Finally, Thomas offered to give Lapey proof of the sound levels from permits for the event.

“We will continue to collaborate with you,” Lapey said. “We will get something on the calendar so that we can make some strides here.”

The call concluded with a promise from both parties to meet to discuss further action and to bring administrative officials into the loop.

Before Thomas initiated the joint call, Lapey said in an interview, “Mayor Thomas has not made himself available for a phone conversation right now, and that’s his prerogative.” Lapey said she engaged in an active text exchange with Thomas, but did not request for the fireworks event to be moved or postponed. She had planned to make the requests over the phone.

“I wanted to make it clear there is no tit for tat,” Thomas told the Pelham Examiner before he spoke with Lapey. “I haven’t had time to talk to her. I will get in touch with her. It’s just a busy period for everybody right now in the city of Mount Vernon.”

It was soon thereafter that Thomas called Lapey with this reporter on the line.