by Bea Peterson
Due to vacation issues the regular meeting of the Hoosick Town Board was held on Tuesday, April 3. The future of the Armory still dominated a portion of the meeting, though there appeared to be a kinder, gentler approach from all sides. Once again the meeting room was filled to overflowing.
[private]During the “people to be heard” portion of the meeting Dave Sutton implored all sides to work together. He suggested they honestly and openly investigate all options for the Armory and go through the process evenly. “Stop attacking each other and move forward,” he said.
Preliminary Report On Town Website
Margaret Casey addressed the Board saying she wished to have the highlights of the three month preliminary report submitted by the Armory Committee read into the meeting minutes. She said the Committee, appointed by the Board in December, has done the following:
• identified potential uses for the Armory, many of which would be discontinued if the building is abandoned by the Town;
• developed a Request for Proposals to hire a design team to provide answers on how the Armory can be reused and efficiently renovated as a Town Hall and for other uses;
• compiled a list of potential design teams, many of them recommended by NYS Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, others by the NYS Upstate Planners chapter;
• communicated with the NYS Office of General Services and the Department of Naval and Military Affairs on options for acquisition of the Armory;
• communicated with State and federal legislators regarding acquisition of the Armory;
• begun to secure answers to questions regarding various potential limitations on renovations to the Armory voiced by Town Board members;
• begun to identify grants and other funding sources for various improvements to the Armory, and
• completed preliminary calculations on costs of bonds of various amounts to fund the building or, alternatively, a new building.
Casey noted that it was stated in the RFP and that all the respondents knew how they would be evaluated.
She then asked that the entire Committee report be available as a PDF on the Town’s website. The Board approved the request.
US Army Colonel Ed Reinfurt, a Hoosick Falls native and presently Chief, Special Operations Support Team in Washington, DC, eloquently addressed the crowd encouraging them to save the Armory. He said he and his friend and military comrade U.S. Congressman Chris Gibson have often spoken about how their respective small home towns, Kinderhook and Hoosick Falls respectively, had such an influence on their lives. “Town centered values were important,” he said. “They were a part of the fabric of the town.” He addressed several people in attendance reminding them of incidents in his youth. “With a good school in Town, businesses will come back,” he said. “The armories are important. This is where the townspeople mobilized, trained to fight and to be good citizens.” Washington, DC is not the same as here, he said. Nor is tax rich Virginia. Attitudes are different. “Hoosick Falls is dying – when is it going to end?” Good decisions and bad decisions are going to be made at this critical time. He noted that when he comes home to visit his mom he sees burned out buildings and more businesses closed. “Really, this town, this armory, was built by our fathers and grandfathers. This is yours! There are so many creative people in this town who could make the Armory a positive revenue source. This town does so much for so many people. You can’t afford to throw this place out.”
When the topic of the Armory came up under Old Business, Councilman Mark Surdam suggested that the next logical step was to do an energy audit to have specific issues identified. He had an estimate of $7,000 for such an audit, with the Town being responsible for half of that cost. Councilman Louis Schmigel wanted confirmation of the Town’s cost. The Board felt it was too early in the process for an energy audit. Surdam noted he has, in some instances, received conflicting email information from various State offices. Schmigel responded that the Committee has found the same thing. “We have been getting bad information regarding the Armory from the get-go,” he said. Surdam’s concern was to keep the process moving. The entire Board agreed.
In that vein the Board also agreed that after HAYC3’s next meeting on April 23, the Board would hold a workshop meeting. That meeting would include the Board, members of the HAYC3 Committee, the Armory committee, a State Historic Preservation Officer (SHIPO) and Tom Pohl of the NYS Office of Government Services. The purpose would be to work out a plan for the Armory’s future. The workshop will, it is hoped, be either Wednesday, April 25, or Thursday, May 3, depending on when Pohl is available. The public is welcome to attend the workshop, but no public comment will be allowed. It is hoped that after the workshop a resolution can be passed at the regular Board meeting on May 14 on some sort of purchase of the Armory. Town Attorney Debra Young said she has been assured by Pohl that the Town will not be kicked out of the Armory. However, he does want to see a thorough plan in place for the Armory’s purchase as he doesn’t want to see a change undertaken or forsaken halfway through the process.
Hazard Mitigation Plan
The Board meeting began at 6:45 pm with a Public Hearing on a Hazard Mitigation plan. No action was taken on the matter as Hoosick and other Rensselaer County towns are waiting for the County to take the lead on the Plan, which is required by FEMA. Right now the Plan is in draft form only.
Reduced Speed Near Hoosac School?
Hoosac School Headmaster Dean Foster asked the Board to consider reducing the speed on County Route 103 near Route 22 and/or having it marked a school zone and, perhaps, adding a cross walk. Foster noted that the current speed limit of 45 mph is “often exceeded” in the area where the 120 students cross the road for athletics and art activities at various times throughout the day. He would like to see the speed limit reduced to 35 mph for the safety of the students and the small children that live in homes near the road. The Board resolved to write to the NYS DOT requesting a study of the roadway.
Foster invited folks to come and visit the School. If anyone is interested in a tour, he suggested they call the School at 686-7331 to arrange one.
Hoosick Falls Was Once Prosperous
Town Historian Phil Leonard said his latest History Board showed John Street and its businesses in July 1888. With each picture was an advertisement of the businesses shown in the photo. Leonard said that in 1890 when the factories were in full swing Hoosick Falls was the most prosperous village in the state. “That’s when the water and sewer lines that are being replaced today were put in,” he said.
He said 23 new names have been collect for the Veteran’s Wall in Wood Park. The last day to submit names is May 30. He expects the new names will be installed by Veterans Day. “The Town has been wonderful with its support,” he said
The Historical Society has over 230 members, he reported. The Society has sold 300 copies of a book on St. Mary’s Academy by Barbara Burke, he said. Another book that will soon be sold by the Society was written by Water A. Wood’s daughter. She was in Paris when Germany invaded France during WW II, and she wrote about her experiences during that time.
Public Hearing On Land Use
There will be a Public Hearing on Monday, May 14, at 6:30 pm on changes to the Land Use regulations. The changes have been reviewed and approved by the Planning Board and the Zoning Board. The Town Board would like to modify Light Industrial/Commercial Regulation to permit “by right all uses when accompanied with a site plan.” It would exclude “all uses blatantly harmful to one’s health,” such as waste facilities, landfills, etc.
Regarding Area and Bulk Regulations, for “all minimum frontal setbacks all distances would be set at 50 feet from the nearest edge of the road regardless of the type of highway they abut.” The Light Industrial/Commercial setbacks would be unchanged.
The Board would like to remove the maximum building height limit in all categories and use the formula that “the maximum height of a structure can only be as great as the number of feet of setback from the next closest building.”
Other changes include an exception to the rule of 100 feet for commercial wind turbines and ham radio towers. In Rule 7.3 under findings required, “remove the words comfort and convenience and the phrase ‘and the residents of the immediate surrounding area,'”
Landscaping and screening would be defined more clearly to mean “that the property cannot be clearly viewed from the abutting property.”
The Board would like to combine the large and small commercial use businesses to read: “Commercial Use – A commercial use is one which is undertaken for a business purpose, rather than hobby, recreational, educational or other purposes.”
Lastly, a family subdivision will read “no less than two (2) acres.”
The Board approved the North Hoosick Fire Department Service Awards Program. They also approved Paul O’Malley holding the annual National Guard Stag in the Armory on May 5. The event will be covered by the Town’s insurance.
Highway
Highway Deputy Superintendent Charlie Thurber reported that Town roads were ready for blacktop.
Councilman Bruce Patire received approval from the Board for him and Highway Superintendent Bill Shiland to review the life cycle of the Town’s trucks and their parts so that funds can be set aside yearly for equipment replacement.
The Board approved a request by Supervisor Keith Cipperly to set up a reserve highway equipment account with the $71,741 the Town will receive from FEMA. This was suggested by Shiland last month. Town Treasurer Tyler Sawyer said that was an appropriate use of the funds. Of that money $1,800 was overtime salary for Shiland, and that amount will be returned to the general fund.
Councilman Jeff Wysocki reported he has been appointed to the Rensselaer County Farmland Protection committee.
Events
The Town Playground opens on Thursday, April 5, at 8 am.
Rensselaer County Soil and Water is offering trees for sale again this year. Forms are available in the Town Hall, and trees may be ordered until April 26. Trees will be available for pick up on May 5 at the Town Skating Rink from 8 to 11 am.
The Rensselaer Land Trust will hold a volunteer tree planting day at the Hoosic River boat launch on Saturday, May 5, from 10 am to 1 pm.
The Board approved use of the Town Athletic Field for Home Town Days, including a carnival, with set up on Wednesday, August 1, and events Thursday through Saturday, August 4.[/private]