Board of Trustees Focus On Community Protection And Action
By Denise Wright
The East Nassau Board of Trustees opened its October 14 meeting with a public hearing on a speed limit reduction (Public Local Law 1 2020) for a portion of Hayes Road near the Albert Community Forest. Since the pandemic began in March, traffic on the road has increased, and residents have been concerned about speeding. Resident Brenda Weatherwax said, walking on the road has been “risky” and “dangerous to pedestrians.” Resident Marshall Creech said he would like to see it lowered, and anything the Board could do would be “greatly appreciated.” During the meeting, the Board of Trustees unanimously agreed to reduce the speed limit to 25 mph, the maximum the state would allow. Village Mayor Adam Acquario also said that they would “certainly put up yellow signs” with a recommended speed limit of 15 mph.
Members of the village’s Climate Smart Task Force presented a brief description of their progress. According to the climatesmart.ny.gov website, “Climate Smart Communities (CSC) is a New York State program that helps local governments take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to a changing climate. The program offers free technical assistance, grants, and rebates for electric vehicles. Trustee Lydia Davis, and Molly Freiberg and Clement Bertrand, members of the task force, discussed the certification process with the Board to examine the hazards and risks such as wind damage and flooding. They reviewed a list of developed actions that the task force will work on, such as education, emergency preparation, and working with other organizations within the county and state to make the village safer and more green energy friendly. The ultimate goal is to become certified as a climate-smart community like Kingston and Albany. Presently 62 residential areas in New York State have been approved, and 313 communities such as Kinderhook, Chatham, and New Lebanon are registered and working on certification. Davis and the other members will be doing a full presentation at the November Board of Trustees meeting.
Because the demands for the internet are at an all-time high in the village since so many people are working and going to school at home, the Board will be holding a public hearing at 6:30 pm on November 11 to discuss the village’s franchise agreement with Spectrum Cable. Aquario said the situation with Spectrum was that “they mistakenly ran cable into the village.” When we informed them they had done this they didn’t know and we informed them they would need, by law, a franchise agreement with the village to continue operating.” This agreement will be a type II action because the existing poles will be able to be utilized. Getting internet in the village has been a challenge because cable expansion was supposed to happen in 2017, but the addition was put on hold when the state eliminated the funding. The Board requested that a draft of the franchise agreement be placed on the village’s website, and Mayor Aquario is looking forward to hearing input from the residents because it “will impact everyone.”
The Board approved a Veterans Day resolution because COVID-19 restrictions have prevented a sizable public tribute to veterans. It will be presented to the Chandler Young Veterans Association at 1 pm on November 11.