The regular meeting of the Town Board of the Town of Mount Hope was held at Town Hall on August 18, 2014 @ 7:30pm with the following present: Supervisor Chad Volpe, Councilman Matt Howell, Councilman Gary Ketcham, Councilman Cambareri and Town Clerk Kathleen Myers.
NOT PRESENT: Councilwoman Sutherland
OFFICIALS PRESENT: Highway Supt. D. Hassenmayer & Lt. P. Freeman
The meeting was called to order at 7:30pm by Supervisor Volpe following the Pledge of Allegiance. The audience was asked to turn off/silence their cell phones.
RESOLUTION TO ACCEPT PRIOR MEETING MINUTES:
MOTION offered by Councilman Cambareri seconded by Councilman Howell that the minutes of the August 4, 2014 meeting as submitted are approved. All in favor: Howell, Ketcham, Volpe, Cambareri; carried.
CORRESPONDENCE:
- Assessor’s request to attend seminar in Lake Placid 10-5 thru 10-8
- Supervisor’s report – July 2014
- Insurance cert. for Otisville Country Fair
- Insurance cert. for soccer league
- Orange County Snow/Ice agreement 2014/2015
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
POLICE DEPARTMENT by Lt. Freeman: No report
HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT by Supt. Hassenmayer:
Supt. Hassenmayer reported:
*Soccer league purchased goals and they are put in storage.
*Councilman Howell added: Friday he saw OC DPW working on a bridge on Shoddy Hollow Road. There was a metal track excavator doing the work. He asked if the road was damaged due to this. Supt. Hassenmayer: It seems like surface scratches. He will keep an eye on it. The bridge is theirs and the pavement on the bridge is too.
Supt. Hassenmayer reported:
*He received the county snow/ice agreement for 14/15. He recommends the Supervisor signing it.
*The brickface is complete. The scaffolding is still up. He called the vendor. They will be here this week to take it down.
*The sign from the grant came in. It’s fully digital. We hooked it up and tested it. It needs to be mounted. He passed out pictures of ideas for mounting. Maybe it could be an Eagle Scout project. He suggested going down to one thing instead of the plow, the old sign and the new sign. He would like the board’s opinion and discuss when Janet is here.
*Touch-A-Truck: fair committee asked for a truck to be at fair. He would like to have a couple there.
Supervisor Volpe thanked the entire highway department for the old school boarding/sealing.
VILLAGE OF OTISVILLE by Trustee Loeven: No report
SUMMER RECREATION by Trustee Loeven:
Trustee Loeven reported they are still closing out the end of the year financials.
HIDDEN VALLEY:
Supervisor Volpe reported the testing is done and reports have been sent to the DEC.
PLANNING BOARD: Meeting is next week.
MOUNT HOPE FIRE: Tabled for now. Everyone is out at a fire.
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OLD SCHOOL:
Supervisor Volpe reported the highway dept. went and boarded up the doors/windows. Supt. Hassenmayer cleaned the drains on the flat roofs. There is 1 drain they can’t find the clog. Supervisor Volpe thanked them again.
KC PROPOSAL:
Supervisor Volpe asked the boards pleasure. Councilman Cambareri: he would like them to come and go over some things and narrow the scope down. Supervisor Volpe will get in touch with them to possibly come to next meeting.
GENERAL CODE:
Attorney Bavoso reported: that we’ve received the 1st response from them. They were here and scanned in the laws that we have. They came back with some requests as to information needed. They also provided a draft table of contents. They need a response from us by 9-12-14. Thanks to Kathleen I have everything that General Code needs to go forward. The next stage is seeing a much more detailed outline of what the code book will look like.
RESOLUTION TO MOVE FORWARD WITH GENERAL CODE:
MOTION offered by Councilman Cambareri seconded by Councilman Howell to allow Attorney Bavoso to move the General Code project forward. All in favor: Howell, Ketcham, Volpe, Cambareri; carried.
RESIDENTIAL FIRE PITS:
Dave Cantor spoke re: residential fire pits. In his neighborhood the smoke drifts up & goes into his house and a neighbor’s house. It’s a nuisance problem. He can’t enjoy a day like today. He brought literature regarding the carcinogens from the wood smoke. In the zoning code, there are some things that are prohibited use in a residential district. He spoke of 2 articles in the zoning. He spoke of the wood burning boiler law passed a couple years ago/it’s more for the winter & for lots of 2 acres or more. He would like the town board to look at this and draft something to limit this and take action. Someone else’s fun shouldn’t prohibit the enjoyment of his property. Atty. Bavoso: are they used for heating purposes recreational? Mr. Cantor: recreational. Atty. Bavoso did extra research on this. He spoke of section 307 of the NYS fire code addresses the uses for recreational burning ie: fire pits. A member of fire department or building inspector may want to look at it for set-backs from structures or property lines.
RESOLUTION TO APPROVE THE SUPERVISORS REPORT:
MOTION offered by Councilman Cambareri seconded by Councilman Ketcham to approve the July 2014 Supervisor’s reports as presented. All in favor: Howell, Ketcham, Volpe, Cambareri; carried.
RESOLUTION FOR DENNIS KETCHAM, ASSESSOR TO ATTEND ASSESSMENT ADMINISTRATION SEMINAR IN LAKE PLACID:
MOTION offered by Councilman Cambareri seconded by Councilman Howell to authorize Dennis Ketcham, Assessor to attend the Assessment Administration Seminar in Lake Placid, NY from Oct. 5th through 8th; cost is approx. $967.00, and to take the town vehicle. All in favor: Howell, Volpe, Cambareri. Abstained – Ketcham. Carried.
Per Supervisor Volpe, the next meeting is September 2 not the 1st due to the Labor Day holiday. This was already advertised in the beginning of the year.
RTESOLUTION TO APPROVE THE AGREEMENT FOR SNOW & ICE CONTROL ON CERTAIN COUNTY ROADS FOR 2014/2015:
MOTION offered by Councilman Howell seconded by Councilman Cambareri to approve the Town Supervisor to sign the AGREEMENT FOR SNOW & ICE CONTROL ON CERTAIN COUNTY ROADS FOR 2014/2015 for $4,700 per mile for 9.18 miles. All in favor: Howell, Ketcham, Volpe, Cambareri; carried.
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RESOLUTION TO AUDIT THE CLAIMS:
MOTION offered by Councilman Cambareri seconded by Councilman Howell to approve the following bills:
GENERAL A:#450-477 $ 62,109.59
GENERAL B:#70–72 $ 1,565.61
HIGHWAY:#119–133 $ 158,778.69
SEWER:#72–74 $ 1,138.94
All in favor: Howell, Ketcham, Volpe, Cambareri; carried.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION:
Alison Miller: Old school committee met last week. They would like the next clean up day to be scheduled for 9-6-14 from 9-12. Anyone can come. They sign a waiver. Both feet on the ground. This year is the 100th anniversary for the school.
Jerry Cook: Maybe the use of a dry wood would cut down on the smoke.
Greg Stiles: He was on the board at the time that the outdoor wood burning boiler law was passed. They paid particular attention to the nuisance part. Key differences between the 2 (outdoor boiler/fire pit): duration of use, type of wood. At that time they were concerned with those burning tires, garbage etc. Pits are low to ground, no chimney, out in open, smoke goes straight up. There’s a huge amount of carcinogens in this type of burning. Supervisor Volpe added: he & David went back and forth looking at state law, even when there’s a burning ban they are still permitted. The state doesn’t see an issue.
Diane Loeven: There will be no village board meeting on 8-21 due to fair. The seniors have a trip on the 20th so the parking lot here will be full.
Dave Cantor: asked if action would be taken tonight. Supervisor Volpe: this is the 1st time introduced to the board. The board will do their own research. Atty. Bavoso will do more research.
RESOLUTION TO APPROVE CLEAN UP DAY AT OLD SCHOOL:
MOTION offered by Councilman Cambareri seconded by Councilman Howell to have the next clean up day for the old school on 9-6-14 from 9-12. All in favor: Howell, Ketcham, Volpe, Cambareri; carried.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION (CONTINUED):
Mary Maurizzio: asked if there was anything new with the fire company, with the village? Supervisor Volpe: There is a meeting following this meeting at 8:30 and it was advertised. The town & village will have a workshop meeting to explore options for a joint municipal fire district.
RESOLUTION TO ADJOURN:
MOTION offered by Councilman Howell seconded by Councilman Ketcham to adjourn the meeting at 8:04pm. All in favor: Howell, Ketcham, Volpe, Cambareri; carried.
The next meeting is scheduled for September 2, 2014 at 7:30pm in the Town Hall meeting room.
Respectfully submitted,
Kathleen A. Myers
Town Clerk
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