Time to Update Comprehensive Plan
by Alex Brooks
LaBerge – Comprehensive Planning Update
Nicole Allen from LaBerge Group spoke to the Board about updating the Town’s Comprehensive Plan. She attended a meeting with Planning Board members, the Planning Board attorney, and Supervisor Mark Surdam to discuss Comprehensive Plan updates. She said the Town’s current Comprehensive Plan is dated 2004, and grant making authorities generally expect such plans to be updated every five to ten years, so the plan is about due to be revisited. She said the basic idea is to look at the Town’s goals and strategies for the future and see how those may have changed over the last fifteen years, either because of changing circumstances or new priorities among the Town’s leaders.
A deadline for grant application has just passed, and applications for the next round of funding are due by September 6, so the idea is to have an application in by then. These planning grants offered by the Hudson River Greenway program are for up to $10K.
Supervisor Surdam remarked that since the Revaluation was completed, three major developments have come into town, so the Planning Board has its hands full and needs guidance and support from the Town.
Cornell Roads Intern Hired
The Board approved hiring Michelle Gocio as its summer intern for the Cornell Local Roads Program. She is a teacher at Hoosac School who was looking for a summer job. Councilman Eric Sheffer described her as extremely well-qualified for this position. He said she is very enthusiastic and he thinks the Town is lucky to have found someone so energetic and capable. She will begin training at Cornell very soon.
Highway
Highway Superintendent Bill Shiland said his efforts to patch potholes have been hampered by rain and by the town’s roller breaking down. He said the roller “was fixed today” and he expects to make good progress on it now. He said CHIPS money will be the same this year as it was last year, but the State is discontinuing its Winter Recovery funds that the Town received last year, so the Highway Department has lost $25,000 of funding. There has been an outcry from many towns over this, leading to hopes that this funding might be reinstated, but Shiland thinks it’s not likely.
Eric Sheffer said he has received the bill for the Town’s insurance for this year. It’s about $500 more than last year, to about $33,800 annually. He said he finds it annoying that “This thing creeps up every year by four or five hundred dollars,” but that just seems to be the way it is.
Rock Cuts
The situation at the Rock Cuts was again a topic for the Town Board. With warm weather coming, Several Board members have concerns that the problems that occurred there last summer may start happening again. Last summer people from out of town were using that area as a camping spot, and leaving large quantities of garbage when they left. Councilman Hanselman said he had discussed it a bit with Hoosac Headmaster Dean Foster. Hoosick Town Attorney Jonathan Schopf believes that Hoosac School owns the Rock Cuts area, but Foster is not convinced. There remains significant uncertainty about who owns the land. Schopf proposed that Hoosac School sign a quit-claim deed to turn it over to the town, which would resolve the uncertainty, but the Town Board is not sure it wants to have the town take title to it. In fact, even though it is a beautiful piece of property, it seems that no one wants to own it. Foster told Hanselman that he has discussed this matter with his Board, and their conclusion was that if they do own it, they would like to post it for no trespassing. Hanselman proposed that the Town put concrete blocks in the roads down to the river to block vehicles from driving down to the beach. Mark Surdam said his contact at the NYS Dept. of Transportation also suggested that barriers to vehicular traffic be installed. Surdam said he had reached out to the Hoosick River Watershed Association, which seeks to preserve public river access, but he had not heard anything back from them.
Surdam also said that it had not been a problem in earlier years when the vegetation was cut down and you could see the beach from Route 22. It’s possible that if the vegetation was cut down again and passing police or Sheriff patrols could keep an eye on it, that might solve the problem. But it would be a lot of work to cut down all that brush, and there’s no guarantee that this would solve the problem.
The Board came to no definite conclusion, but will continue to discuss the matter.
Pool and Summer Program Hires
The Board approved hiring Ashley St. Onge as the Summer Camp Director and Cassie Sherman as Assistant Director. It also hired Hanna Bugbee and Stephanie Merwin as Camp Counselors, and Nicholas Houghton, Allison Perry and Amy Perry as lifeguards. At a Special Meeting in April it hired Janet Davendonis as Pool Manager, Tyler Rondeau as Assistant Pool Manager, Leo Surdam as Concession Manager and Pool Support Staff, and Ireland Ward as WSI Swim Program Coordinator.
Fire Proof Safe
Supervisor Surdam said the Town’s fireproof safe is “chock-full.” He suggested that it might be more cost-effective to begin a program of scanning some of those documents and storing them electronically than it would be to buy another fireproof safe. Jenn Hyde asked if the Town has a documents retention policy. She wondered if some of the materials now filling the safe could be thrown out. Nobody had a ready answer to that question but Surdam said he would look further into it.
SAM Grant Update
Surdam said a new design for the project is expected from Clough Harbor within a week. Cost estimates for all of the component projects are being collected so as to create an accurate budget for the project.
Unsafe Houses Update
Surdam said the house south of the school parking lot off Route 22 has been bought by Jeff Wysocki and demolition of the structure has begun. The County said it wants to try once more to auction off the house on Rte. 22 that is near the 50 yard line of the school football field. If it can’t find a buyer, the County may have funds available to demolish that building. The house at 57 Scott Street has a willing buyer, but it is continuing to go through the probate process so title can’t be transferred yet.