A Petition Opposed To Acquiring GES Is Presented At The Grafton Meeting

by Alex Brooks
At the Grafton Town Board meeting on December 10, Councilman Rick Ungaro presented to his fellow Board members a petition signed, by his count, by 627 residents of the Town of Grafton, asking the Board not to buy the Grafton Elementary School.
Supervisor Ray Darling accepted the petition and said he and the Board would “take it under advisement.”
[private]There was no further comment on the matter until Public Comment time, when Cathy Goyer asked the Board why there was no discussion of the petition that was presented last month that asked for a public hearing to present all the information about the building.
Councilwoman Barbara Messenger replied, “We have no reason to hold a hearing about that.” She said information was gathered last spring and the committee put together a report and the Board had come to the conclusion that the building would be too great a burden on the taxpayers. She added that the large number of signatures on the petition presented this month suggests that the bulk of the taxpayers agree with the Board’s judgment.
Cathy Goyer wanted to know what information was given to people when they were asked to sign the petition against buying the building. Rick Ungaro declined to answer and instead asked her what she said to people when seeking signatures for her petition.
Goyer said if the Town accepted the building and “mothballed” it, it would not cost the Town that much, and over time they could work on plans for the building and develop revenue from renting parts of it. She said it could provide “a place for the kids to get together.”
Joe Castiglione, the proprietor of Guiseppe’s Restaurant in Hoosick, then rose to address the Board. He said he believes the property needs to go back on the tax rolls, and the Town’s efforts should be aimed at finding a business that could use the property productively. He said he had approached the School District about acquiring the property to open up a business immediately, and they seemed to suddenly think the property was worth a lot of money. However it’s handled, the important thing, said Castiglione, is that the property have a business on it so that it generates revenue for the Town. “I love the kids, too, but we’ve got to pay the bills,” he concluded.
Several others in the audience enthusiastically seconded Castiglione’s comments.
Linda Laveway then suggested that events for the kids could be held in the VFW or one of the churches or in the Town Hall – the Town could do more for kids using buildings already available in the town.
Open Government
Cathy Goyer said she had consulted the Assistant Director of the Committee on Open Government, Camille Jobin-Davis, to discuss the resolution passed at last month’s Town Board meeting, rejecting the purchase of the Grafton Elementary School Building. Goyer said that since there was no discussion of it in the open meeting, where the resolution was offered and voted on, “discussion must have taken place earlier.” She said she thought deliberations on a big issue like that should be done in public, and she noted that Jobin-Davis told her that it is illegal for the Board to discuss Town issues outside of public meetings. That is why, said Goyer, she FOILed the Town, requesting email communications between Board members.
The Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) says that  whenever three or more Town Board members are together and discuss Town business, that is a meeting which should be noticed and opened to the public – but it does not prohibit one Town Board member from talking with another on the telephone or by email. The finer points of the law are sometimes difficult to parse, but clearly the spirit of the law is that deliberations on matters before the Town should be done in the public eye at public meetings.
Final Budget
At the beginning of the meeting the Supervisor handed out a statement about the final budget. The key points were that the tax levy increase will be less than 2%, there will be no loss of Town services and the Town loader will be paid off early, resulting in $4,000 savings on interest costs. There are no raises for Town employees in the 2013 budget. Total appropriations for 2013 are $1,111,586, anticipated revenues are $433,288 so the amount to be raised by tax is $678,298.  This is $11,581 more than last year, an increase of about 1.74 percent. The final budget is available on the Town website at http://grafton-ny.us/.
Reports
Building Inspector Tom Withcuskey said he has given out 59 building permits this year, and he was pleased to see an increase in new construction in the town.
Youth Report – A Back to School Dance was held in September at the VFW Hall, attended by about 40 participants, and a Corn Maze Field Trip was held in the Fall with about 50 participants. Upcoming events being planned include snow tubing at Bousquet Mountain this winter and an Easter Egg Hunt.
Dog Officer Rick Bly said he has received 69 calls so far this year, and he remarked that he is impressed by how pleasant and respectful people have been to him even when they are in stressful situations concerning their dogs.
The Ambulance responded to 19 calls last month, drove 431 miles and logged 95 volunteer hours in the ambulance responding to calls.
Natural Hazard Mitigation
The Town Board unanimously adopted the County Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan and agreed to work in partnership with the County to implement it. This Plan is aimed at reducing the impact of storms and other natural disasters by fortifying roads, bridges and other public facilities. The idea is to plan and prepare so that man-made facilities in the County can withstand a natural disaster with less damage. More information about the program is available at the County website, www.rensco.com. Look in the box on the left side that says, “How do I?”
Eagle Sculpture
Cathy Goyer reminded the Board that Mr. Clemente, who made the Eagle sculpture that stood in front of the Town Hall for the last decade but has now rotted beyond repair, had offered to make a new one for half price, which would cost the Town $300. She said she thought the Town Board should respond to his offer  and say either yes or no. The Board said they would consider the matter. Later in the meeting Donna Walker suggested starting an “Eagle Fund” to raise the $300. The Board liked the idea, but no actions were taken.
Seasonal Road Closings
The Board passed a resolution to close two roads for the winter, as they do every year. North Long Pond Road and Johnson Road will be closed for the winter and not maintained.
Festival Of Trees
Donna Walker said the Festival of Trees is going on now at the Senior Center. Visitors may see the trees weekdays from 9 am  to 3 pm, and an Open House will be held this Sunday, December 16, from 10 am to 2 pm with refreshments and a visit from Santa between noon and 1 pm. Prizes for the winning trees will be awarded at that time.[/private]