Former Supervisor Allison Kirchner Appointed To The Grafton Town Board, Local Soccer Star Honored
By Doug La Rocque
One of the most important pieces of business before the Grafton Town Board Monday night was to fill the empty seat on the Board created when Ingrid Gundrum was elected Supervisor and her position as Councilwoman became open. By a unanimous voice vote, the Board approved Gundrum’s selection of former Town Supervisor Allison Kirchner as her replacement for 2016. [private]
Should Kirchner wish to remain on the Board, she would have to seek election to the seat for the one year that would remain in the term in the November elections. Supervisor Gundrum told The Eastwick Press that Allison brings a wealth of knowledge to the Board and can help guide them as several members become familiar with their new roles.
Supervisor Gundrum also announced a change in the way the public comment period is handled. It has been practice for the public to be given the opportunity to speak at the opening and closing of the meeting. Starting in February, the comment period is being moved to just before the Board takes up its new business and resolutions. “Before we vote you will have the opportunity to give some input and tell us what you are thinking.”
Gundrum said she will make it a practice to have the tentative agenda posted on the town’s web site a week before each meeting. When asked about putting hard copies in such places as the Town Store and Post Office, for those without internet access, the Supervisor said that would also be done.
Moving Around Money To Balance The 2015 Budget
Again by unanimous voice vote, the Town Board approved a resolution to transfer funds in and out of several accounts to finalize the past year’s budget. The biggest transfer was into the building contractual line in the General Fund to pay for repairs to the Highway Department roof. Once reconstruction was begun, it was determined that the structural deficiencies to the roof were greater than anticipated. The Board found most of the money for the $42,000 project from within other budget lines, but did move $10,000 from the unexpended fund balance to finish the payment.
An Incident At Grafton Lakes State Park
Last week there was a heavy police presence at the Park, with a woman transported by ambulance to a local hospital. At first it was thought to have involved criminal activity, but was later found to be a staged incident and the Park Police have closed the case. Gundrum wanted to point out there was never any danger to town residents by an alleged perpetrator. The woman in question is now undergoing treatment. Park Manager Melissa Ann Miller also reported that the water level on Long Pond is being lowered, which will impact the levels on First and Second Ponds as well as the Dunham Reservoir.
Honoring Berlin Central School’s All-Time Soccer Scoring Champion
The Town Board also passed a resolution to honor Grafton resident Jewel Pietrzak, a junior at Berlin High School, who this past year set the all-time scoring record at the school with 134 goals. Pietrzak broke a record that has stood since 1980. The Berlin honor student has also twice been named to the All New York State girls soccer team, as well as twice honored by the Central Hudson Valley League as an all-star and Most Valuable Player. The resolution commended Ms. Pietrzak “for instilling Grafton with a tremendous sense of honor and pride in her accomplishments.” The ceremony marks what Supervisor Gundrum hopes will become a practice of honoring outstanding youth and veterans in the Town.
Earlier in the meeting, the Supervisor read the monthly report from Assessor David Galarneau, which said he has been busy preparing the defense against two law suits filed against the Town by residents contesting last year’s assessment changes. The lawsuits have challenged the validity of the assessments. Building and Codes Enforcement officer Tom Withcuskey reported there were two new building permits out this year with 35 still outstanding from 2015. He also spoke about some success getting a bank owned house at Brock and Babcock Roads cleaned up and secured. He indicated he is working on several other properties around the town that have fallen into states of disrepair, but is sometimes hampered in this effort by difficulties locating the property managers.
Dog Control Officer Jay Goyer sent in a report that said he only dealt with one dog last month. The owner was a new resident on the west side of the town, and that animal apparently became disoriented by its new surroundings. The dog was returned home without incident. Supervisor Gundrum also mentioned the Town is looking for a Senior Representative for the Merry Makers group, preferably a town resident. At last week’s organizational meeting, it was announced that advertisement would also go out for two appointees to the Board of Assessment Review. The Board approved a motion to pay all bills as audited, totaling $104,005.46 encompassing vouchers 1 through 35. The Board went into Executive Session to deal with a legal matter, returning to adjourn the meeting in memory of Vincent Friel of Claus Rd. [/private]