Grafton

The Grafton Volunteer Fire Department along with the Grafton Ladies Auxiliary will be serving an All You Can Eat Buffet Breakfast on Saturday, March 29, from 8 to 11 am at the Grafton VFW – Fire Hall on South Road (County Route 85).

Belgian waffles, pancakes, French toast, eggs (made to order), sausage gravy & biscuits, bacon, sausage, home fries, toast, orange juice, coffee and milk are on the menu. The cost is $9 per adult, $4 for kids 12 and under and free for kids five and under.

• Homebuyer Orientation with TRIP – Tuesday, March 11, from 6 to 7:15 pm. Thinking about buying a home in Rensselaer County? This is the place to start! This informational program with experts from TRIP (Troy Rehabilitation and Improvement Program) will look at the advantages and disadvantages of home ownership, qualifying for a mortgage and costs to expect during the homebuying process. You will also learn about TRIP’s Pre-Purchase Program and First Time Homebuyer Grants. This event will be held at the Everett Wagar Senior Center. Please sign up in advance on the TRIP website or by contacting the Grafton Community Library.

• Animal Tracking Workshop for School Age Children, first grade and up) – Saturday, March 22, at 11 am. Join tracking expert and Grafton resident Dan Yacobellis to learn how to read animal tracks and signs right in the Library’s back yard. The program will focus on how animals celebrate the emergence of spring and prepare for the changing of the seasons. Bring warm clothes and boots. We will meet in the Library and move outside to see what we can find. Please pre-register at the Library by phone or email.

• Book Discussion Group – Life after Life by Kate Atkinson –  Wednesday, March 26, at 12:30. The Grafton Community Library’s book discussion group meets monthly. New participants are always welcome. Check the book discussion group homepage for upcoming selections.

• All Ages Program: Storyteller Gil Payette presents “Hidden Animals – Native American Myths, Legends and Monsters” – Friday, March 28. at 6 pm. Grafton based storyteller Gil Payette will share his knowledge and love of Native American folklore and mythology with a keynote presentation and talk about the legendary creatures that went bump in the night and moved through shadows in the woods as demonic half-beast shape-shifters or monsters of their realm. Some of these mythological creatures feasted on humans and some were their guardians….

Ongoing Programs

• Weekly Storytimes for preschool age children. Bring your little ones to the Library for storytime fun and learning with stories, songs, crafts and more. Nature Tales Storytime with special guests from Grafton Lakes State Park on Wednesday, March 12, at 10:30 am, on Thursday, March 20, at 4 pm and on Wednesday, March 26, at 10:30 am.

• Sit & Knit Knitting and Needle Arts Group – Saturdays from  10 am to 12:30 pm. All skill levels are welcome. Come work on your projects, share skills and ideas and learn about all the needle arts including knitting, stitching and crocheting.

• Game Day at the Library every Tuesday starting at 3:30 pm. Come to the Library to play your favorite board games with friends – Scrabble, Bananagrams, Scattergories and more. Games for all ages are available. Use the Library’s games or bring your own.

• Grafton Clippers Coupon Group – Every other Monday (March 10 and March 24) at 6 pm. The Grafton Community Library is excited to host this new social group where people can gather to share knowledge of clipping coupons and finding ways to cut shopping trips by 90%. New members are always welcome. For more information email Donna at moreoutoflife@gmail.com or Erin at Erin_469@yahoo.com.

by Kieron Kramer

The Grafton Planning Board meeting on Monday, February 24, was short and uneventful. A public hearing was held at 6:50 pm on the two-lot simple subdivision at 15 Brock Road at the intersection with Babcock Lake Road which was applied for by Marion Jeffries last month. An approximately 60 acre parcel, formerly owned by Mr. Aumond, will have a parcel of 9.8 acres separated for Marion Jeffries’ sister, leaving 49.9 acres. The sister said, “I grew up with that property, and I want to keep it.” She may build a home on her lot at a future date. Jeffries said that the family may log the larger parcel.

During the meeting last month Marion Jeffries said that the family may subdivide the 49.9 acre parcel in the future. Perhaps from reading this in the Eastwick Press last month or hearing something in the rumor mill, a neighbor, curious about the subdivision, had an informal discussion before the hearing with Planning Board Chairman Tom Withcuskey, who assured her that there were no plans at present for developing the larger parcel. If they subdivide the property more it becomes a major subdivision which has a more complicated application process, he said. The family will have to apply for a major subdivision, and a public hearing would be held on that issue. The neighbor said that she had the impression that Mr. Aumond wanted the property held forever wild. Since Jeffries said that she was the executor of the estate and has power of attorney from the heirs, this is a moot point. But, with her worst fears allayed, the neighbor left before the hearing. No interested party attended the hearing.

During the regular meeting Withcuskey said he had reviewed the Environmental Impact Statement, and he declared that there was no negative impact to the environment from the Jeffries subdivision. The Planning Board approved the negative declaration 3-0; Board Members Pete Gundrum and Jim Goyer were absent, as they announced last month that they would be. The Board then voted 3-0 to approve the two-lot subdivision on Brock Road. Jeffries must submit five copies of the plot map to be stamped by Withcuskey. Four will go to the County, and one will be filed in Grafton, Withcuskey said.

Yet To Come

At this meeting AT&T was to apply for a site plan review for modifications to its cell tower at 38 Radio Tower Way. Radio Tower Way runs off of Snyder Road. They want to place three new antennas on the tower to upgrade the signal to 4G LTE. AT&T is doing this upgrade throughout its nationwide system. Withcuskey announced that AT&T had withdrawn its application before the meeting because the lawyers for AT&T had not completed the paperwork. It will be on the agenda at the March 17 meeting if they have their paperwork done. The Town of Grafton Cell Tower ordinance requires that the change of use application must include the Long Environmental Assessment Form, Withcuskey said.

Hearing Nothing

Withcuskey also said that he had “heard nothing” about the site plan review required for the change of use at the R.J. Valente mine. The site plan review is required by Town law when there is a change of use. In this case the R.J. Valente Company, which has an approved site plan for mining to a depth of 850 feet, wants to mine its quarry on Route 2 near the Brunswick Town line to a depth of 950 feet and to increase its hours of operation. Last month the Planning Board passed a resolution requiring that a site plan review be filed. The Board also resolved to send a letter to the NYS DEC declaring itself the lead agency in the NYS Environmental Quality Review process (SEQR).

Grafton’s request to be lead agency was supposed to be given to the DEC Commissioner to adjudicate, and Withcuskey had expected a ruling before this meeting. He believes that Valente will not proceed with the application until the Commissioner decides whether the DEC or the Town of Grafton will be lead agency. Ever optimistic, Withcuskey hopes that the Commissioner will decide before the next Planning Board meeting on March 17.