Month of October...
Town Board Meeting October 13, 2008
Attending Board Members:Carol Wingert, Eileen Falk, Lisa Dowling, Ben Johnson, Kathy Michell, Lew Meckle, Barbara Buckman, Also, Town Dept. Heads: George Kinch, Scott Bierny, Dave Sparling ..
Absent: Ken Baim, Tax Assessor and Charles Wieland, UDC
Correspondence included the announcement of two NPS/UDS celebrations commemorating the 30th Anniversary of the Scenic and Recreational River District. Thank you letters to the Highway Dept and the Sewer Dept were read. Food Pantry locations were announced.
Highway Report: it was announced that the County agreed to avoid the application of herbicides on the sides of County roads.
Old Business: Sewer pumping bids, propane bids, and Highway bids were reviewed and accepted. Carol W. asked about the dog kennel, which is being built now, at the Town Barn, and about the cell tower, which is still looking for a tenant.
New Business: A motion was approved to use the person who cleans Town Hall and offices, Trish Lobato, to do snow removal as well. A motion passed to purchase a S.E.L. Court computer program, at a cost of $4,000. There may be grant money to pay for this via JCAP. The state wants this work to be done electronically.
HEAP Fuel Assistance Program discussed. The County is setting up a satellite office which will be open for business on November 13. Town Supervisor requested that he be advised about anyone who needs HEAP assistance, stressing that it is important to file, so the town can show a need for the program and the County will continue the satellite program.
Cackletown Road....Due to the sale of the property there, town maintenance of the road was discussed. There is currently a sign which says Town Maintenance Ends Here. A motion passed for formally abandon the road.
Dates to work on the budget were agreed upon, with a budget public hearing on October 29.
A motion passed to put a Stop sign at the intersection of Cochecton Turnpike and Lackawaxen Road because someone was almost in an accident there.
By Major Chaos
Planning Board Meeting October 20, 2008
Present: Michael Eury, Shorty Strumpfler, Georgia Campfield, Ed Jackson, Ken Baim, Jack Lang, Richard Crandall. New Alt member Jane Luchsinger was observing, Amy Lohmann, Secretary. Kathy Michell, Town Clerk, attended as well in her capacity as DEC liason
There were two Public Hearings scheduled.
Sklar property.....apparently this hearing generated the attendance of approx 10 people from the community, as well as Mr. Sklar, the buyer of the property, the real estate people involved in the sale.
The Board approved the subdivision which consists of dividing 14 Acres and Home from the remaining 200 acres, which have been sold to a Mr. O'Hara (hope that's spelled right). No change of use for the 14 acre piece, which will remain residential, and the 200 acres were designated Recreational. The audience expressed deep concern about the proposed use of the 200 acres, but this issue was not before the Board at this time.
Because this property has many enviromental and archeologically senstive areas, the DEC, and Dept of Parks/Recreation were involved. Discussion involved what could not be done with the property without special permits, such as: No access from Evergreen Lane (path of endangered species) no disturbance of streams or wetlands or wetland adjacent areas without special DEC permits, no further quarry excavation without an archeological dig by Parks and Recreation. Any use other than "recreation" would have to come back before the Planning Board. The Town Board's desire to formally abandon the existing road was discussed. Evergreen Road was described as a logging road which cannot be improved.
A lot of this discussion was fairly technical. The Board granted the subdivision with all the above restrictions. Many people in the audience were not happy.
Bosser property
It was immediately announced by Chairman Jackson that the Board had decided to grant the applicants request for the creation of a substandard lot. It was stressed that the Board had a "super majority" in favor. (I believe that means it cannot be appealed, via Article 78)
Chris Holden objected, pointing out that the County advised against granting this request because it set a precedent, making enforcement of other zoning law impossible, if they were challenged in court.
The County Planning Department had advised against the granting of this request. I regret that I did not speak, and my excuse is that I had nothing further to add.
That was the end of the Public Hearing period.
The Planning Board meeting was called to order, minutes and correspondence was read. County approval of the Sklar property via 239 was read. No mention of 239 results for Bosser, which were negative.
Ed Jackson reported on trip to Albany by Town officials to testify in hearings on Gas Drilling.
The Sklar subdivision passed without further discussion from the Board.
The Bosser property was discussed. Jack Lang voiced his opposition to creating an illegal lot (substandard ..does not meet current 3 acre/ 300 foot road frontage requirement) and voted NO. Apparently the justification for granting the Bossers request is that they were advised by our Tax Assessor that they could merge their lots to save on taxes, and then divide them again when they wanted to sell. I asked if that conversation was in writing, and it was not. The Tax assessor said this was the policy up to six months ago. it was stated that the County recommended not to do this (see Chris's comment above). The Bossers request was granted. I believe a super majority is a majority plus one.
I have thought a lot about the Board's decision, and I invite you to think hard about it as well. Because once again, our zoning laws have been seriously weakened. I also think that opening a Public Hearing with an announcement of the outcome is bad practice, and not the intent of a Public Hearing, because any comment was discouraged. I realize this is why I did not speak up. This was difficult situation. There were no neighbors objecting. I have no interest in giving the Bossers a hard time. I don't even know them. No one but Chris Holden, and Sullivan County Planning Dept objected. We watchdogs wonder "why are we doing this?" This one ended badly for all of us, except the Bossers.
By Major Chaos