No Plans For Immediate Action On Motocross Track
by Alex Brooks
A number of people who live near the recently revived Motocross track in West Hoosick came to the Hoosick Town Board meeting September 9 to ask what the Board’s intentions are in relation to the track. Supervisor Mark Surdam said the Town did issue a “Stop Work Order” during the summer in response to work being done to refurbish the track and a “GoFundMe” page which was seeking funds for repair and improvement of the track. He said the track owners complied with the stop work order, and the Town has no evidence at present that there is an ongoing commercial enterprise in operation there. He said the Town’s Code Enforcement Officer has visited the site several times and he doesn’t believe there is a violation there.
Surdam said he doesn’t know exactly what’s happening up at the track in the last month or so. In response to e-mails from neighbors asking him what the Town is doing to follow up on its Stop Work Order, he said he asked those people to document activity at the track that they believe is illegal with time-stamped photos and videos. He said,”if we are going to pursue this in court, we have to build a solid case” that will hold up when challenged in a court proceeding. He said to take this to court the Town needs a body of evidence that “our attorney is comfortable presenting in court.”
Town attorney Jonathan Schopf said the use of the track at present “seems to be personal.” He said “if that is not the case we need evidence to the contrary.”
One of the neighbors, Gus Dering, said if the Town determined that the track was illegal two months ago and therefore issued the Stop Work Order, what has changed since then? Schopf said that action was taken because there was significant work being done and money was being solicited to pay for the work. But as far as he knows, no donations have been made to the GoFundMe page since the stop work order was issued, and he has no evidence that anything more is going on there than a few friends riding on the track. He said to pursue the matter further “I need some evidence that the commercial use is ongoing.” Schopf noted that building a dirt bike track and using it is not illegal if it is not a commercial enterprise. “They have a right to ride there as a family,” he said.
Surdam assured the neighbors that “Nobody up here (on the Board) wants to see what happened at that track before to start up again.” He asked the neighbors to keep an eye on what’s happening there and keep the Town informed about it.
Jenn Hyde Resigns
Town Clerk Holli Cross reported that a letter of resignation was received from Councilperson Jenn Hyde. She said she had sold her home in Hoosick and will be relocating to a residence outside the Town of Hoosick, so she can no longer serve on the Board.
At public comment time, Kevin Allard said he is sorry to see her resigning. He said, “She’s done a great job for nearly 4 years,” and Mark Surdam said he agreed, and the remaining Board members will miss her.
Mass Gathering Law
Prior to the Town Board meeting, a public hearing was held on the revised Mass Gathering law that the Board has been working on for some time. There were no comments from the public at this hearing, but Councilman Bill Hanselman announced his opposition to it because it is too broad and does not focus adequately on the problem it is supposed to solve, which is large motorcycle competitions. He is concerned that someone holding a large graduation party, for instance, might run afoul of the law if more than 250 people showed up. The law defines mass gatherings as 250 people and up, and the permit fee rises according to the size of the crowd, from $500 for 250 to 500 people, to $5,000 for over 2000 people. There are exemptions for events put on by the Town or municipal agencies such as Fire Departments, and for various educational institutions.
Surdam replied to that saying the proposed law is an improvement on the existing one even if it is not perfect. He said, “at least this gives us something to work with if something comes along.” Jerry McAuliffe said this law requires notifying the neighbors before holding a massive public event, which the old one did not. He felt that was a necessary improvement.
After the discussion Eric Sheffer made a motion to pass the revised law, seconded by McAuliffe. Surdam joined them voting in favor and Hanselman voted against, so it passed by a vote of 3-1.
Planning Board Meeting Change
The Town Planning Board meeting for this month has been changed from September 16 to Monday, September 30 at 7:30 pm