by Kieron Kramer
Dogs took center stage at the Berlin Town Board Meeting on Thursday, October 9, when Dog Control Officer Doug Goodermote reported on several incidents, one of which was quite dramatic and ended tragically. Of course, Goodermote described it in his usual low-key, matter of fact way. “Two dogs were in a fight; the owner shot one dog then shot his own dog,” he said.
In an interview after the meeting Goodermote related the details of the incident which took place on Bly Hollow Road, an area of continual dog insurgency. According to Goodermote, a resident’s pit bull ran into his neighbor’s yard and attacked his German shepherd mix that was tied up in the yard. The owner of the dog being attacked shot the intruder, but his own dog was so mauled by the attack that he shot it, too, to put it out of its misery. The pit bull crawled back across the road and died on the other side.
Even though Town Supervisor Robert Jaeger said during the meeting when Goodermote reported the incident, “At least they are not shooting each other,” Goodermote said later that the two owners were reasonably reconciled about the event. Even though there are State regulations about shooting dogs, you are supposed to report problems to the proper authorities and have them or the court deal with the pet’s owner, the owner of the pit bull said he would have done the same thing, Goodermote recounted. The New York State trooper who responded to the incident deemed that the shooting was an act of self-defense, according to Goodermote, because the dog was aggressive and so, no legal action is expected.
Goodermote was in the Berlin Court, however, on a different matter. He said that the mother of a Berliner was visiting from Florida and staying on her children’s property in an RV. Perhaps freaked out by the appearance of the RV, a neighbor’s dog came on the property and cornered the mother against the vehicle. The Berlin Court ordered that the dog be confined at all times.
Finally, and most importantly to owners of small dogs, Goodermote said, “A coyote grabbed a dachshund on Southeast Hollow Road and killed it.” He also said that several small dogs are missing in Cherry Plain, and his guess is that they were taken by coyotes, too. “Coyotes are all over down there,” he said. Obviously, owners of small dogs should keep their dogs close.
Demolition Put Off
One bid was received for the demolition of Ronald Snow’s condemned garage on North Main Street. The bid was left unopened because the letter requested by Board Member Carl Greene that offered Snow the option of hiring someone himself to demolish the building or, even better, filing a building permit for renovating the structure so that it is safe was only sent about 1 weeks ago. Greene suggested to the Board that they wait until next month to proceed, and the Board agreed unanimously. Town Supervisor Robert Jaeger said that he would call Snow to make sure that he understands his options. Also, the Board has not yet contacted the Rensselaer County Engineer to determine if there are County requirements for doing the demolition since the structure abuts Plank Road, a County Road.
Gradall Bids
Three bids for the defunct Gradall G600 were opened at this meeting. Gary Geerholt bid $576. Murray Saunders bid $1,000, and Henry Ruebel of Petersburgh bid $1,125. The Board voted to accept Ruebel’s bid.
The Difference In Sand
Carl Greene asked the Board for authorization to publish bids for sand and stone for use on Town roads in the winter. The bids received would apply to purchases made after January 1. He suggested using the same format as last spring, when this material was last put out to bid, and having the due date as soon as possible. Jaeger said that the bids could be received by the November Board meeting and opened at that time. Billy Hammersmith, whose company, Quality Construction, bid last spring and supplies most of Berlin’s sand, stone and gravel, suggested that the size of the sand be included in the bid specifications. Hammersmith said that he produces 8mm sand while another local provider produces 12mm sand. Hammersmith said, “There is a lot of difference in this product.” Green said he would includes specifications about the size of the sand particles in the bid request.
Garage Doors To Be Installed
The Board has decided to install four insulated doors in the Town Garage. This was perhaps spurred by the recent repair of one of the four 40-year old doors necessitated when its cables snapped. Board Member George Shuhart, who pushed for two doors last February and who got three proposals at that time, advised his colleagues that it “should be done before the weather gets cold.” Jaeger said that there is money in the contingency fund that could cover the expense. “The fuel oil savings will start to pay back in next year’s budget,” he said. The Board has targeted the end of November for the completion of the project. Since the best estimate Shuhart got was $3,200 for a pair of doors and the price has risen between 10% and 15%, the Board voted unanimously to authorize an expenditure of up to $8,000 for the four doors and asked Shuhart to proceed. Town Attorney Tate strongly advised that “three prices be solicited since the prices have changed so much and you [the Board] rejected all three last time.”
Setting The Record Straight
In another bit of old business, Shane Leonard, owner of the True Value Hardware Store property on Route 22 that was momentarily considered as a possible Town park in July, wanted to set the record straight regarding the Board’s August discussion, reported in this paper, of the possible purchase of that property.
In August Board Member Sheila Hewitt reported that Leonard was asking $225,000 for the property, and Supervisor Jaeger said he thought the property had already been listed at $159,000. The Board voted unanimously not to pursue the purchase.
Since this revelation cast Leonard in a disturbing and inaccurate light, he had Vicki Wilson of Hoisington Realty in Bennington, VT, who represents him in the sale of the property, write a letter to Jaeger to explain that the price she listed on the Capital District MLS (Multiple Listing Service) of $159,000 was, actually, the reduced price of a different property. The real reduced price of the Leonard property on Route 22 in Berlin is $274,900.
Sub-Division Regs Needed
Justin Christensen, an enthusiastic and energetic member of the Planning Board (she was appointed in March) read a report from that Board to the Town Board. It said, “The Planning Board met with our Town Supervisor, Code Enforcement Officer and members of the ZBA at a workshop on August 21. At that time we decided it was necessary to have an amendment to our 1988 Regulations. It should read: ‘Any lot in the designated zoning areas must have a minimum of 36 feet of road frontage.’ Hopefully this will clear up a lot of misinterpretation regarding road frontage.
“Also, we would like to add the ‘Road Specifications for the Town of Berlin’ into our regulations as well. Since this is what the Town refers to if they are to take over a road it would be handy if we could refer to it as well.
“Furthermore, we have received an application from Frank Mace to become a member of the Planning Board. We look forward to Mr. Mace joining us.
“Finally, we ask that the Board consider adopting some subdivision laws applicable to our area. The fact that we currently are lacking these makes it very hard for us on the Planning Board to do our job – which is to protect the integrity of our Town and those who reside here. This allows us to regulate not control. As it stands, I am told that we are the only town in Rensselaer County which does not have a set of these laws in effect.”
Later in the meeting the Board voted unanimously to appoint Frank Mace to the Planning Board.
Youth Commission
Reporting on Town sponsored Youth activities, Tammy Osterhout announced that Game Night is coming up and that the next one is on Saturday, October 25, in the Watipi Building. She also reported that “there is fecal matter on the Watipi Building lawn; people are not curbing their dogs” which is not acceptable because kids will be attending functions there. Doug Goodermote said, “I spoke to the folks responsible, and they assured me that it would stop. I will contact them again. If their word is no good, they’ll be in court.”
The Berlin Rescue Squad is letting the Youth Commission use the fire house for the Halloween party again this year. There will be pumpkin coloring from 6 to 7 pm, costumes will be judged at 7, and the party will last until 9 pm.
Osterhout said that because the Youth commission is not registered as a 501C3 non-profit entity, it is not eligible for the cultural grants she has been looking into. The paperwork to get a 501C3 classification is “long and tedious” so she doesn’t want to pursue this. Osterhout thinks that the Youth Commission may be able to “piggy-back with a 501C3 agency” in order to obtain some funding. At her request, Jaeger agreed to purchase smoke and CO detectors for the Watipi Building.
In other business the Board heard:
źLeonard Clapp say that Water District #1, the seasonal water district near Taborton Lake, will shut down the day after Columbus Day.
ź Robert Jaeger report that the hydrant on South Main Street and the one near the Bank of America will be repaired next week and that the Highway Department has been busy hauling sand. Highway Superintendent and Water District #2 Supervisor Jim Winn was not at the meeting because, according to Jaeger, “his wife [former Board Member Marie Winn] broke down on the side of the road.”
ź Code Enforcement Officer Allen Yerton report that many permit applications for wood stoves are being filed.
ź Head Assessor Nancy Sweener report that the Board had been notified of the number of property tax exemptions on the tax rolls as required by State law.
ź Carl Greene report that the Little Hoosic Watershed Association is still “sourcing grants” and that State and Regional engineers from the USDA will come to look at the flood control structures on the river.
ź Jaeger report that he had attended a Berlin Central School Board meeting and that the Board was ready to join the Town in a shared services agreement but the Schools Superintendent asked for a delay.
ź Ivan Wager report that “everything is good at the transfer station.” One container was repaired last month and the other has been “swapped out” so it can be repaired. The machines are being prepared for the winter.
ź Jaeger report that the Town had been approached by the Legislative Gazette offering a free pull-out section on Berlin to be published by November of 2009. The Board agreed to accept this offer from the newspaper that is widely distributed to government officials in New York State.
ź Board Member Sheila Hewitt say that Judge Joe Rechen has done a wonderful job getting grant money. She suggested that people come to Court on Wednesday “to see the new bench in operation.”
Parking On The
Sidewalks
Board Member Jim Saunders reported that the sidewalk repairs near Hewitt’s Market have been completed. “It came out nice,” he said. Shuhart said, “Somebody already parked on the sidewalk.” Sheila Hewitt said that people are still parking on the sidewalk at the Bridge on Elm Street. Jaeger said he would alert the Sheriff. Tate suggested, as he did in August when this first came up, that the Sheriff be asked to send a Deputy around to issue citations.
Cell Towers In
Progress
Supervisor Jaeger reported that Verizon is actively dealing with individuals in Town to erect cell towers. The Town cell tower law allows the Town to stipulate that space on the towers be rented to other cell providers in order to limit the need to build multiple towers. Kent Goodermote asked why Verizon has to build a series of cell towers along Route 22 “when AT&T works here in town with no towers, no where.” There was no answer to this question. It was asserted, however, that almost 80% of those sending in the Comprehensive Plan survey indicated that they want cell phone service.
Budget Meetings
Supervisor Jaeger announced that a budget workshop was held at which the Board went through the rough draft. One more workshop is scheduled for Monday, October 20, at 7 pm in the Watipi Building, he said.
A Public Hearing on the tentative budget will be held at 7 pm in the Town Hall before the next regular Board meeting on November 13. Jaeger said that the Board would vote on the Budget during the regular meeting that follows.