by David Flint
The August Town Board meeting in Stephentown means it’s time for the annual rehash of trouble from the Bella Terra Music Festival. The four day event held August 15-18 was the Fifth Annual one and the fourth to be held at Gardner’s Field in Stephentown. The trouble remains pretty much the same each year, excessive noise going on into the wee hours of the morning. [private]Aside from that it has had a pretty good record – no drug overdoses reported, no fatalities or serious injuries. Some vandalism last year turned out to be not related to Bella Terra. The Festival this year attracted some 4,000 lovers of loud music.
Some who showed up at the Town Board meeting do not consider it music but just loud, loud noise. One lady said it was like a battle of multiple bands playing against each other until 3:30 in the morning. Others had no objection to the type of music but complained of it going on at such high volume up until three or four in the morning. Some have to get up and go to work on weekends, they said. They complained especially about the thumping bass and drums that rattled windows all night long and in some cases was said to shake the entire house. And despite the promises made at the Town Board meeting in May to limit the noise and the hours, some said it was the worst year ever in both respects.
Town Supervisor Larry Eckhardt had some good things to say about the Festival. He accepted an invitation to attend one of the sessions this year and found a lot of courteous, friendly people having a good time “enjoying our surroundings.” It’s an impressive “happening” in Stephentown, he said, that is efficiently and professionally run. The organizers, he acknowledged, worked closely with Town and County officials to see that health and safety concerns were met. He noted that organizers made every effort to buy and hire locally and that sales tax revenue from ticket sales, vendors and sales at local businesses such as Pizza Plus and Kilventon’s Produce has increased each year. Councilman Bill Jennings said, too, that the Festival makes a significant contribution each year to the Stephentown Fire Department.
Eckhardt expressed exasperation, however, that the same issue comes up every year, loudness and lateness, despite the numerous conversations about this that the Board has each year with the organizers. He said he drove around one evening to various locations in town to judge the impact on residents. The farther away he got, he said, it wasn’t so bad, but closer in to the Festival it was just noise and the noise was extreme, especially the intense thumping of the bass. The organizers had promised, he said, to tone it down after 11 pm, “but that didn’t happen and a lot of people in town were offended.” Eckhardt noted, too, that they had promised a 24 hour community hotline phone number that people could call to alert the Festival people of any issues they should know about. That phone number did not work.
Jason Deeney, Associate Producer and Security Director of the Festival, acknowledged that “the bass was kickin’.” He said in future they would use a decibel meter to measure loudness at the perimeter and come up with an agreed upon limit. Owner and Executive Producer Jeffrey Schneider said the music on the Main Stage did end at 11 pm but he acknowledged that music continuing in the smaller tents was still “intense.” He apologized for the faulty hotline setup. Both apologized for the noise being “over the top” and pledged to work with the Town Board to fix it in the future.
Councilman Jennings, however, was skeptical. He said the organizers had promised the Board for three years that they would do something to address the loudness and lateness issues and they have not done it. “You said it was going to get quieter after 11 o’clock, and there would be a number that people could call and talk about problems, and it did not happen. So, I don’t see why I should believe anything you folks tell me,” he said.
Eckhardt said that discussions with the Festival organizers need to happen for a longer period of time and suggested that a citizens committee might be set up to do that. Others suggested a local law banning music from outdoor venues after a certain time of night and that a binding contract be signed and a bond or retainer in the $50,000 range be posted. Schneider said that some may be under a misperception about how much money the Festival was taking in. Although tickets run $180 for a 4-day pass, Schneider said, “We’ve lost our shirt since 2009. This is the first year where it looks like we might break even.”
The Festival had at least one supporter in the crowd. “I’m old,” said Janet Atwater, “but I like that music. I like almost everything they play down there.” Atwater said she understands that some people don’t have the same musical taste. “Maybe you ought to bring a jazz concert here. We all like that,”
Neil Gardner said he knows that people get nervous about Bella Terra coming to town. He pointed out, however, that if people want to revitalize Stephentown they have to support the local businesses. Regarding the Music Festival, he did admit that, “I take my hearing aids out on Thursday.”
One of those complaining ended the discussion saying, “Thanks for listening. I hope that next year I don’t have to come back here and do it all over again.”
Beautification
“The Town Hall looks spectacular,” Eckhardt said, referring to the trees and shrubs planted by the recently established citizens Beautification Committee. “It was pretty plain Jane around here.” He added. Eckhardt said accolades were due to Kevin Carpenter and the volunteers who did the work with plants donated by Burt and Alice Swersey. Volunteers included Chris and Janice Headley and their daughters, Thom Pecoraro, Allen Brill, Kevin’s son Sean and Andrew Schrump who donated the weed block fabric and his services in edging the planting beds and installing the fabric and mulch. Donations from Carpenter, Al Gordon, Janet Ivory, Pam Kueppers and Mona Berg paid for the mulch. “The Beautification Committee has really stepped up to the plate, and there’s a lot more going on. Thanks,” Eckhardt said.
Replacing The Transfer Station Attendant
The Board received a letter of resignation from Howard Chittenden, Attendant at the Transfer Station, effective August 31. Chittenden was not present at the meeting, but Eckhardt thanked him for his 14 years of service. The Board passed a resolution authorizing that the position, which pays $13.32 an hour, be advertised. Letters of interest and resumes are due to the Town Clerk no later than August 30.
Replacing The Pickup Truck
The Board opened bids last week to buy the Highway Department’s excess 2004 F350 4×4 Diesel pickup with plow. The minimum bid was set at $1,000. They now awarded the sale to M. R. Parillo for $1,727.27. Two other bids were received, one for $1,100 and another for $1,190. Money must be received by September 2 or the sale will go to the second highest bidder, JSSJR Enterprises, Inc.
The Board passed a resolution requesting bids for a new pickup truck. Specifications will be available at the Town Clerk’s Office starting August 21, and sealed bids must be received no later than September 13. Bids will be opened, reviewed and awarded at the regular Town Board meeting on September 16.
No Need To Replace The Deputy Town Clerk
The Board passed a resolution accepting the resignation of Katie Sykes from the position of Deputy Town Clerk. Since there is a second Deputy Clerk position held by Nathan Cowen, the Board took no action to replace Sykes.
Meeting With Legislators
Millie Smith urged the Board to set up a series of three public meetings prior to the November election and invite State and County representatives and anyone running for office. She said it is possible to revitalize Stephentown but the legislators and officials must be enlisted to help out. “I’m tired of just seeing our representatives in the paper when someone has a 100th birthday,” she said. “They need to step up to the plate or step aside and let someone in who really wants to help us.”
FEMA Stuck On Bridge
Lance Yerdon of Hudson River Valley Engineers PLLC informed the Board that FEMA is willing to grant an extension of time to replace the bridge on Bert Hager Road but they are adamant that it should be a bridge and not just a box culvert. Yerdon’s company had proposed the culvert as a much less expensive replacement, but FEMA, he said, does not want to deviate from their bridge proposal. Yerdon said he has been told that if the Town submits a request to go the culvert route they might not hear back from FEMA for six months.
Janet Atwater, who lives nearby the crumbling existing bridge, said that it doesn’t even cross a real stream. “It’s just a channel,” she said.
Budget Process Starting
Eckhardt announced that budget requests are due to the Town Board from Town departments and from organizations such as the Library, the Veterans and the Historical Society by September 6.
Deposits & Spending
The Town Clerk turned over the sum of $461.90 to the Supervisor for the month of July. The distribution from the Office of the State Comptroller, Justice Court Fund to the Town was $597.54.
The Transfer Station deposited a total of $5,539 for the month of June.
The Board audited and approved claims in the amount of $10,300.48 from the General Account and $45,261.71 from the Highway Account.
The Board set its next workshop meeting for Monday, September 9, and its next regular meeting for Monday, September 16, both meetings to start at 7 pm.[/private]