by Deb Alter
There was a somewhat heated discussion at the Grafton regular Town Board meeting on Monday, January 12, about the newly appointed Dog Control Officer. At the organizational meeting on January 5 James Goyer, Jr. (aka Jay) was appointed Dog Control Officer with the understanding that he could leave his post at the Grafton Highway Department if an animal emergency arose. Apparently that is not the case. [private]Board members bantered back and forth about whether it was appropriate for a relative of a Town official (James Goyer Sr, is on the Planning Board and is Grafton Fire Chief) to be appointed to the position, as well as whether it was true or not that the new appointee could take care of a dog emergency while on Highway Department time or, for that matter, hold two positions at one time with the Town. Clarification: It was never stated at the meeting that the new Grafton Dog Officer is related, according to Town Supervisor Frank Higgins, to Board Member Mike Crandall, who is his uncle. Board Member Barbara Messenger felt it would be a conflict of interest. Councilman Rick Ungaro disagreed. The Town’s attorney, Salvatore Ferlazzo, said that it would only be a conflict of interest under certain circumstances and that the State Attorney General or Comptroller would be able to determine that. He didn’t think this was one of those situations; the real issue here was whether Goyer would be available to handle dog problems while on duty with the Highway Department. Highway Superintendent Herb Hasbrouck, said very clearly that Goyer would not be available during peak times for dog problems. Town Supervisor Frank Higgins made a motion to rescind Goyer’s appointment, but the vote went against his motion, so the appointment stands.
The Responsibility Of Private Road Associations
Earlier in the day, there was an emergency on Benker School Way, a private road that the Town is not responsible for plowing. It took the Rescue Squad 52 minutes to reach the site of the emergency due to the road not being cleared of snow. The Town Highway Department had to be called to plow. Private road associations are supposed to have contracts in place to plow, salt and create a turn around area so the roads are clear for emergencies. Everyone agreed that this was a real safety issue. Ferlazzo suggested that a local law requiring private roads to have contracts in place should be passed. He will draft one that will include language that allows the Town to charge the private road associations for Town services if they do not comply.
Minutes Confusion
There was discussion and confusion over the minutes for several previous meetings that needed corrections before being accepted. Board Member Messenger tried to clarify which meeting minutes and what exact corrections were needed, as well as how to make the corrections, but it still wasn’t clear, so no action was taken, and the minutes from those meetings are still not approved or officially in the record.
Energy Savings Plan
Supervisor Higgins recommended that the Town look into a lighting energy savings plan for the Senior Center and the Post Office. The funds would come from the Fund Balance – $3,920 for the Senior Center (with a three year payback) and $1,112 (with a five year payback) for the Post Office. It would be done under a program from National Grid. Higgins said, “It is a good idea to accomplish this; it would be a savings in the long run.” There was some discussion, but the Board members wanted to look at the proposal more closely so the vote was tabled to the next meeting.
The Board was unable to confirm the annual audit of the Town books because they didn’t have them so the audit will be addressed at the next meeting. The motion to pay all bills as audited was passed unanimously.
Christian Collins, Director of the Community Library, spoke during the public comment period, stating that he would come every month to update the community on programs and happenings at the Library. There are many programs for both kids and adults. He announced that the Library had just received a mini-grant for work force development programs. There will be workshops about once a month that will focus on how to get a job in the digital age, including how to set up and use email, how to write a resume and send it to employers online, how to do a job search on line and more. There will also be one on one support for those who need it. The Library needs more work force development volunteers to help individuals with their job searches.
Code Enforcement Officer Tom Withcuskey reported that housing starts and home additions were up in 2014 for the first time in many years. “That’s a good sign,” he said.
Highway Superintendent Hasbrouck asked anyone who could to attend the “Local Roads Matter” rally in Albany on March 4 to help raise awareness of the CHIPS money for maintaining local roads and highways.
The Rescue Squad had 16 calls last month. They will be at the Polar Plunge at the Grafton Lakes State Park Winterfest on January 24 in case any emergencies arise.
Biffy Cahill from Y2Y, a youth organization, will be doing a presentation about youth activities at the next Town Board meeting. She would also like two student representatives to attend the Y2Y Eastern States Conference. The Board will vote next month on an $850 donation to Y2Y for this purpose.
Supervisor Higgins attended a meeting with New York State Senator Kathy Marchione and other area town supervisors and was heartened to hear that other towns were facing the same problems and concerns as Grafton.
Time Warner Cable will finish construction of a cable TV and broad band system by the end of April. They have two crews dedicated to the Town; 1,800 poles need to be upgraded.
• Linda Laveway was appointed to the Planning Board.
• Kathy Mason-Wager was appointed Youth Director.
• The new mileage reimbursement rate was established at 57.5 cents per mile.
• The 2015 fee schedule was approved.
• Budget adjustments for the end of the year, as recommended by the bookkeeper, were passed.
• The 2015 meeting schedule was adopted.
The meeting was adjourned at about 8 pm in loving memory of Jack Knowlton.
Grafton Organizational Meeting
by Alex Brooks
On Monday, January 5, the Grafton Town Board held its annual organizational meeting at 6:30 pm in the Town Hall. Supervisor Frank Higgins made committee appointments similar to those of last year, with Ingrid Gundrum taking the place of Marie Claus on several committees. The appointments are:
Fire & Rescue Squad – Mike Crandall and Rick Ungaro
Parks & Cemeteries – Barbara Messenger and Mike Crandall
Highway – Ingrid Gundrum and Rick Ungaro
Buildings & Grounds – Mike Crandall and Rick Ungaro
Street Lighting – Barbara Messenger and Ingrid Gundrum
Recycling – Ingrid Gundrum and Rick Ungaro
Insurance – Barbara Messenger and Ingrid Gundrum
Employee Benefits – Barbara Messenger and Mike Crandall
Supervisor Higgins’ nominee for Dog Control Officer, Austin Subcleff, was not appointed because the motion to do so was defeated by a 3-2 vote with Gundrum, Ungaro and Crandall voting against. Later in the meeting Ungaro offered a motion to appoint James Goyer Jr. as Dog Control Officer, and that passed 3-2 with the same three voting aye who had nixed the Subcleff appointment.
A motion to appoint Beth Wagar as a member of the Planning Board, made by Higgins and seconded by Messenger, drew nays from Gundrum and Ungaro and an abstention from Crandall so it failed to pass. Later in the meeting Ungaro made a motion to appoint Linda Laveway to the Planning Board for a 5 year term. This was seconded by Ingrid Gundrum, and Crandall joined them voting in favor, so it passed 3-2.
Supervisor’s Appointments
Secretary to the Supervisor – Josef Allain
Town Bookkeeper – Maureen Seel
Deputy Supervisor – Barbara Messenger
Town Historian – Pat Niebuhr
Town Board Appointments
Attorney to the Town of Grafton – Salvatore Ferlazzo
Dog Control Officer – James Goyer Jr.
Assessor’s Clerk – Helen Hemendinger
Planning Board Chairman for 2015 – Tom Withcuskey
Planning Board Member – Linda Laveway (5 year term)
Planning Board Secretary – Allison Kirchner
Court Clerk – Kathleen Mason-Wagar
Building Inspector/Code Enforcement Officer – Thomas Withcuskey
Youth Director – Noelle Goyer
Engineer to the Town of Grafton – Russ Reeves
Senior Citizen Representative – Connie Alderman
Board of Assessment Review Chairman – Mike Smith
Official newspapers – The Record and The Eastwick Press
Banks/Depositories – Pioneer Commercial Bank
Agent For Town Medical Insurance – Benetech Insurance.
Meetings of the Town Board will be on the second Monday of each month at 7 pm except in October, which will be on October 19.
The mileage reimbursement rate was set at $.56 [sic] per mile, and the fee for bouncing a check to the Town was set at $35. The Highway Superintendent was authorized to purchase tools and equipment during the year without prior approval of the Town Board in an amount not to exceed $3,500. The Town Clerk was authorized to pay utility and insurance bills prior to audit.
There were no Town Clerk appointments because “no communication was received from the Town Clerk.”
The salaries of all the foregoing Town Officials were set by reference to the Town Budget and not specified individually.[/private]