TOWN BOARD MEETING, TOWN OF MOUNT HOPE, November 9, 2017
The town board meeting of the Town Board of the Town of Mount Hope was held at the Town Hall on 1706 Route 211 West, Otisville, NY on November 9, 2017 at 7:30pm with the following present: Supervisor Chad Volpe, Councilman Matt Howell, Councilman Brian Carey, Councilman Dominick Cambareri & Town Clerk Kathleen Myers. Not Present: Councilwoman Janet Sutherland.
OFFICIALS PRESENT: Highway Supt. D. Hassenmayer, Police Sgt. A. Briceno, Attorney D. Bavoso.
Supervisor Volpe called the meeting to order at 7:30pm following the Pledge of Allegiance. Supervisor asked for cell phones to be turned off/silenced.
MOTION TO APPROVE PRIOR MEETING MINUTES:
MOTION offered by Councilman Cambareri 2nd by Councilman Howell to approve the minutes from the 10-16-2017 meeting as submitted. All in favor: Howell, Carey, Volpe, Cambareri; carried.
CORRESPONDENCE:
Letter of request from the bookkeeper to surplus old computer monitor
2 quotes for a color copier
Request from Police Chief to raise tow application fee from $50 to $75
3 quotes for light towers
Bid opening minutes for the ‘community center’ roofing project
Budget modification – highway department
Supervisor’s reports Sept. & Oct. 2017
Public hearing notice; T/O Mamakating re: moratorium on large scale solar energy systems; Oct. 17, 2017 at 6:00pm
Letter from NYS Ag & Mkts re: shelter inspection 9-29-17 – satisfactory
Letter from Assessor re: PILOT agreement for Forest Hills Investors fee = $14,754
Letter from Assessor re: PILOT agreement for Valuable Ideal Properties fee = $9,836
Proposed sign law
Letter from NYS Dept of Financial Svcs re: Downstate vacant & abandoned property
Mortgage tax receipts from Orange County for July, August, September
Highway trash report Oct. 2017
Letter from Laberge Group re: 2017 NYS Water Grant
Impound reports from Palmer’s Ark re: Oct & Sept 2017
Letter of Interest from Dan Golebiowski re: request to fill upcoming vacancy on town board
Thank you note from Boys & Girls Club for participation in Backpacks for Hope project
BOARD REPORTS:
Supervisor Volpe spoke re: accusations that the county had sent us a letter about the tower in Sept. 2014. He had Kathleen look – there’s nothing in the correspondence which means if it didn’t come in and it wasn’t marked received then none of the board got it. He wanted that clarified. That’s kind of the same thing that happened with Indigot Creek. This town board did not receive anything.
Councilman Howell added that the county recently sent out letters to the town residents describing the tower upgrade for radio systems. One factor was the cost savings. They neglected to include the Howells fire district for the Mount Hope residents. That’s another misinformation on their end. That falls in line with them sending us information we haven’t received.
Councilman Cambareri: no report.
Councilwoman Sutherland: Supervisor stated that Janet stopped in to see him earlier to say she wouldn’t be able to make tonight’s meeting.
Councilman Carey: no report.
Councilman Howell reported that the comprehensive plan committee will hold a public hearing on Nov. 27th at 7:00pm at the senior center on Baker Street. The plan is available for review. He will leave copies for Kathleen’s office. He posted one on the bulletin board now. We need to advertise for this meeting. This is the beginning of adopting the draft plan. The Veteran’s day parade is this Saturday. Route is from the Otisville firehouse down to the park. Light refreshments to follow parade.
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Supervisor Volpe spoke re: grant under $20,000 for a walking trail on property (5.5 acres) the town owns by Devan’s Gate from Aileen Gunther. The grant was awarded to us for $17,500. He’s been working with Dean. It doesn’t have to go through the DASNY stuff. We will buy the materials. We will do this ourselves. There will be access off Mount Hope Avenue and from Devan’s Gate. There will be 4 or 5 benches along the trail and a small pavilion.
HIGHWAY DEPT:
Supt. Hassenmayer reported:
1 – he would like to increase the prices per bench/bench dedication at the park; prices have gone up; he would like to increase the prices by $100. One board would go to $350 – 2 boards would go to $450.
2 – he spoke re: light towers. He received 3 quotes on identical units. He recommended best price from Montague Tool & Supply for $7495 each for 2.
3 – he spoke re: grant from John Bonacic for a roadside mower awarded a year ago. We submitted for a 11 1/2’ wide mower for the park. We were approved about 2 weeks ago. Next step is to order the equipment; we have to buy it/pay for it and then be refunded. Price went up about $300 from last year. Grant was for $50,000. Councilman Carey asked if the light towers are LED. Supt. Hassenmayer: they are not. He didn’t see any that were. He likes that the light units fold up/down.
MOTION TO APPROVE PURCHASE OF JOHN DEERE MOWER FROM HUDSON RIVER TRACTOR:
MOTION offered by Councilman Howell 2nd Councilman Cambareri to approve the purchase of a John Deere 1600 Turbo Series 2, from Hudson River Tractor for $52,889.76. All in favor: Howell, Carey, Volpe, Cambareri; carried.
MOTION TO PURCHASE 2 LIGHT TOWERS FROM MONTAGUE TOOL & SUPPLY:
MOTION offered by Councilman Howell 2nd Councilman Carey to approve the purchase of 2 Wacker Light towers cost $7495 each – total $14990 from Montague Tool & Supply. All in favor: Howell, Carey, Volpe, Cambareri; carried.
MOTION TO RAISE BENCH PRICES FOR THE ENGRAVED BENCHES AT THE TOWN PARK:
MOTION offered by Councilman Carey 2nd Councilman Howell to change the price of the bench dedications for those interested with one panel the price will be $350, 2 panels will be $450. All in favor: Howell, Carey, Volpe, Cambareri; carried.
OTISVILLE FIRE:
Supervisor Volpe read into the record the fire report from Otisville Fire. Department of Labor has been there. Everything has been taken care; they are waiting on paperwork. Hose testing is complete. Pump/Ladder testing is done this month. (Report will be on file in the Town Clerk’s office.)
POLICE DEPARTMENT:
Sgt. Briceno introduced Police Officers Greg Metakes, Steven Winchell & Billy Sherwood. They each spoke briefly about themselves. She further reported on the tow application fee increase request. Contracts for the basement projects have been signed and the work should begin on the 16th. Chief is coordinating with little league & DPW to remove summer rec items in the basement. That’s expected to take about 5 or 6 days. Chief met with the fire police for the parade on Saturday. The Chief will be driving the hummer.
MOTION TO INCREASE TOW APPLICATION FEE:
MOTION offered by Councilman Cambareri 2nd Councilman Howell to approve the yearly tow permit application fee increase from $50 to $75. All in favor: Howell, Carey, Volpe, Cambareri; carried.
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VILLAGE OF OTISVILLE:
Trustee Loeven: no report.
Councilman Carey asked how the playground equipment was coming along. She stated it would not be ready for Saturday. Equipment has been put together but the mulch hasn’t been installed yet.
COMMUNITY CENTER ROOFING PROJECT:
Supervisor Volpe spoke re: community center roofing project prices and the huge difference in process. Four companies bid. He recommends Green with Envy for a total cost of $21,000. Phase I is stripping and placing debris in dumpster. Phase II is putting the ice/water shield on and the shingles installed. Last meeting we approved the materials, now approving the roof portion to be installed. We’ll have the materials and the roof done and still have $62,612 left from the 1st grant. Next week he will put out to have the columns done. He will not do anything to exceed the $100,000 we already have. He is hoping the other $125,000 comes through before/as we get the wheel turning. He was told mid-December we should be fully funded. He’d like to continue to go and maybe get the building closed up before the year ends. He asked Dean to work with them as far as scheduling. Dean will do that. Supervisor will call them tomorrow.
MOTION TO APPROVE GREEN WITH ENVY FOR ROOFING PROJECT AT COMMUNITY CENTER:
MOTION offered by Councilman Cambareri 2nd Councilman Howell to authorize the supervisor to sign the contract agreement with Green with Envy for $21,000. All in favor: Howell, Carey, Volpe, Cambareri; carried.
PROPOSED SIGN LAW:
Supervisor asked Atty. Plotsky to fill the board in. Atty. Plotsky spoke re: proposed sign law. He gave a pamphlet re: documentation from a lawsuit he was involved in representing (either Port Jervis or Deerpark at that time). It was brought in federal district court by a county-wide political candidate. She was unhappy with the way her signs were treated in terms of what she had to do to put them up and/or what she had to do to remove them. Some municipalities had durational requirements, permitting requirements & some were at the discretion of the building inspector. He provided the board with the amended complaint which sets for each municipality what was wrong with their law or alleged to be wrong with their law. He also provided the stipulation by which the action was resolved which tells you how they settled with what they agreed to as far as what the law should be. If you limit a durational provision to political signs, you’re going to have a problem. It’s possible you wouldn’t have a problem if you said all temporary signs had durational limits and they were the same. He would rather not see the town get sued by a political candidate. Councilman Cambareri: basically we would have to make it a durational law for all small temporary signs. Councilman Carey spoke re: slow down signs. Would they be included in that? Plotsky: yes. Carey: are other towns doing this? Plotsky: other towns have sign ordinances. You can enact the ordinance any way you wish. I have identified for you aspects in which municipalities were sued so that you can avoid pitfalls that others have suffered. Supervisor Volpe would like to table this until next meeting.
TOWN BOARD VACANT SEAT:
Supervisor Volpe asked the attorney about the vacancy created by Janet moving on to the county position. Atty. Plotsky stated that she (Janet) cannot continue to sit on the town board while serving as an OC legislator. She has to resign her seat here before she takes her oath there. Once resignation is submitted & accepted, the town board appoints a replacement. That appointment runs through 12/31/18; her term actually expires 12/31/19. November 2018 would have an election for the town board vacancy for the balance of her term through 12/31/19.
MOTION TO SCHEDULE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN PUBLIC HEARING:
MOTION offered by Councilman Howell 2nd Councilman Carey to set the public hearing for the comprehensive plan on 11-27-17 at 7pm at the senior center. All in favor: Howell, Carey, Volpe, Cambareri; carried.
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MOTION TO SURPLUS & DESTROY OLD COMPUTER MONITOR:
MOTION offered by Councilman Cambareri 2nd Councilman Howell to surplus then destroy a Dell monitor Serial #CN-OUN492-73731-77C-5L25 (REV-A01) from the bookkeeper office. All in favor: Howell, Carey, Volpe, Cambareri; carried.
MOTION TO APPROVE SUPERVISOR’S REPORTS:
MOTION offered by Councilman Cambareri 2nd Councilman Howell to approve to Supervisor’s reports for Sept 2017 & Oct 2017 as presented. All in favor: Howell, Carey, Volpe, Cambareri; carried.
MOTION TO APPROVE HIGHWAY BUDGET MODIFICATION:
MOTION offered by Councilman Howell 2nd Councilman Carey to approve the following:
Increase revenue B2560 by $1,810 and
Increase Refuse/Garbage Contr. B8160.4 by $1,810. (for scrap metal collected Oct. 2017)
All in favor: Howell, Carey, Volpe, Cambareri; carried.
GUARD RAIL FOR FINCHVILLE TURNPIKE:
Supervisor Volpe asked if the guard rail came in yet. Supt. Hassenmayer: it’s in. Delivery will be the week of Thanksgiving.
TOWN HALL WINDOW INSTALLATION:
Supt. Hassenmayer noted the windows are scheduled to be installed starting on the 27th. They will probably start in the building department then meeting room then individually the offices.
FENCE INSTALLATION AT LARGE PAVILION AT TOWN PARK:
Supt. Hassenmayer hasn’t heard anything yet from Ketcham Fence. Supervisor has not received a contract on it yet. Councilman Cambareri will check with them.
COLOR COPIER:
Supervisor spoke re: color copier. He received 2 prices so far. We don’t need 3 because it’s state bid. He is waiting on another one but doesn’t want to delay because the police dept needs a copier. They are going to get our old one. He would like to get authorization to spend up to $8,000. He likes the price from Toshiba. He’s meeting with Minolta on Tuesday.
MOTION TO APPROVE PURCHASE OF COLOR COPIER:
MOTION offered by Councilman Carey 2nd Councilman Cambareri to authorize the Supervisor to spend up to $8,000 for a color copier. All in favor: Howell, Carey, Volpe, Cambareri; carried.
BUILDING DEPARTMENT CLERK POSITION:
Councilman Cambareri spoke re: part time clerk for the building department. He read into the record a letter from the building inspector recommending Heidi Volpe to fill this position.
MOTION TO HIRE HEIDI VOLPE FOR BUILDING DEPARTMENT CLERK POSITION:
MOTION offered by Councilman Cambareri 2nd Councilman Carey to hire Heidi Volpe as clerk for the building department not to exceed 20 hours/week at $12.00/hour. All in favor: Howell, Carey, Cambareri; ABSTAINED: Supervisor Volpe. Motion carried.
MOTION TO APPROVE THE AUDIT OF CLAIMS (ABSTRACT #21 & #22):
MOTION offered by Councilman Howell 2nd Councilman Carey to approve the following bills:
ABSTRACT #21:
GENERAL A: #613-638 $ 78,322.24
GENERAL B: #86-88 $ 16,113.58
HIGHWAY: #159-164 $ 18,987.97
SEWER: #88-92 $ 3,945.49
CAP RES GEN B: #14 $ 802.00 and
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ABSTRACT #22:
GENERAL A: #639-681 $ 60,836.14
GENERAL B: #89-94 $ 16,209.63
HIGHWAY: #165-176 $ 56,756.04
SEWER: #93-95 $ 2,237.72
All in favor: Carey, Volpe, Cambareri, Howell; carried.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION:
Diane Loeven: last trip for the year for the seniors will be on the 20th.
BOARD COMMENTS:
Supervisor Volpe: tree lighting is in 3 weeks. Santa bailed out. We need a new Santa. Discussion for a Santa.
Councilman Howell: no comments.
Councilman Carey: no comments. He will not be here for the next meeting as he will be on vacation.
Councilman Cambareri: will not be at the tree lighting He will be in Washington DC.
RESOLUTION TO ADJOURN MEETING:
MOTION offered Councilman Howell 2nd Councilman Carey to adjourn the meeting at 8:16pm. All in favor: Howell, Carey, Volpe, Cambareri; carried.
The next meeting is November 20, 2017 at 7:30pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Kathleen A. Myers RMC
Town Clerk
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TOWN BOARD MEETING, TOWN OF MOUNT HOPE, NOVEMBER 9, 2017
www.townofmounthope.org