Town of Mount Hope Town Board Meeting Aug 19, 2019
The regular meeting of the Town Board of the Town of Mount Hope was held at Town Hall on August 19, 2019 at 7:30pm with the following present: Supervisor Chad Volpe, Councilman Matt Howell, Councilman Brian Carey, Councilman Jim Jennings, Councilman Chris Furman and Town Clerk Kathleen Myers.
OFFICIALS PRESENT: Chief P. Rickard, Deputy Chief M. Maresca, D. Bavoso –Town Attorney, Highway Supt. D. Hassenmayer.
Supervisor Volpe called the meeting to order at 7:30PM, following the Pledge of Allegiance. He asked for everyone to turn off/silence their cell phones.
MOTION TO ACCEPT PRIOR MEETING MINUTES:
MOTION offered Councilman Furman 2nd Councilman Carey to accept the minutes from the August 5, 2019. All in favor: Howell, Carey, Volpe, Furman, Jennings; carried.
CORRESPONDENCE:
- Letter of interest from Stephen Levine for planning board vacancy
- Supervisor’s report July 2019
- 3 proposals for HVAC for the police station locker rooms
- Letter from Mathias Magnason re: renting senior center for acting classes
- Local Government Innovation Conference Oct 17, 18, Albany NY
- Building Inspector reports: June & July 2019
- Planning & Zoning support staff workshop – 9-13-19 in Goshen NY $35pp
SENATOR JENNIFER METZGER PRESENTATION:
Hon. Senator Metzger introduced herself. This is her 1st town board meeting since she’s been sworn in to office. She’s thrilled to be able to recognize the Town of Mount Hope for being one of the safest small towns in the country. We are #2 in the state – #8 nationally. The violent crime rate was 0.00%. She expressed her appreciation to Chief Rickard and the police department. She recognized the supervisor and the town board for all they’ve done. She presented a framed proclamation. At this time, photographs were taken with Senator Metzger and the town board.
ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF CARL DUBOIS PRESENTATION:
Sheriff Dubois thanked Dean and the highway department for fixing the end of his driveway. He also gifted a laptop to Tom Yonskie, Dog Control Officer. He had an incident on Homestead Lane a couple years ago. He was chased by a dog and fractured 2 bones in his arm. Tom took care of it. He had to write out his complaints. That’s behind the times. He told Tom he would donate a laptop to him. That way he can be up there on technology.
MOTION TO ACCEPT GIFT OF LAPTOP FOR DOG CONTROL OFFICER:
MOTION offered Councilman Furman 2nd Councilman Howell to accept the donation of a laptop to the Town of Mount Hope for the dog control officer to use. All in favor: Howell, Carey, Volpe, Furman, Jennings; carried. At this time, photographs were taken with Sheriff Dubois and the town board. (Attorney Bavoso noted that we do need a copy of the receipt for our records.)
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
BOARD REPORTS:
COUNCILMAN JENNINGS reported that the planning board meets Aug. 21 @ 7pm. The village board meets on Sept. 5. The firehouse roof is getting repaired.
COUNCILMAN FURMAN reported that the MVYFL will have their opening ceremonies this Saturday and the board is invited. Hidden Valley sewer has some maintenance issues. He would to get together with the rest of the board on this. There’s no ZBA meeting this month. The fence is up at the football field. Their concession stand was re-painted. There was a scrimmage there this past Saturday; run by the county league.
COUNCILMAN CAREY reported that pictures of the football improvements were put on the FB page. Summer camp ended Friday. He thanked the directors, counselors, CIT’s, parents & Minisink school. Everything went good. Very successful year. Little league fall season will start soon. The last concert will be tomorrow night. He received a complaint from the seniors at the concert that there are not enough disabled parking spots there.
COUNCILMAN HOWELL reported the Veteran’s day parade will be Nov. 9th. Greenville VFW is holding fundraiser for the roof repair on the building. It is on 9/14, $20pp, 7-11pm dinner dance. They’re having pancake breakfasts 2nd Sunday of each month at that building. Good progress on our youth center.
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HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT:
H’way Supt Hassenmayer reported that he still needs the football league’s schedule and insurance. Councilman Furman will get this for him. Supt. Hassenmayer asked if there is a fall baseball season that will affect our field. He’s looking for a time frame that they can start the playground before it gets too late in the year. It will probably take 3-4 weeks to finish so that area of the park will be closed off. He reported on the new walking path by Devan’s Gate. The circle is completed – the item 4 base is down. Still have to put the stone dust down. We’ve been doing a lot of landscaping down there trying to dress it up. There’s a nice pond over there. It was overgrown with growth. The guys opened it up. Councilman Carey asked what kind of signs are we going to put there to let people know they can walk their dogs there. Supt. Hassenmayer asked if we are going to allow that at this park. Supervisor Volpe: walking trail for the dogs will be up across from the football field. Discussion on signs that dogs are not allowed by Devan’s Gate. Councilman Carey asked DCO Yonskie how it’s been with the signs have been at the town park. DCO Yonskie: there has been an improvement. I just kicked 2 people out on my way to the meeting. Other than the fair, I haven’t had to tell anyone to leave that park all summer long. Councilman Jennings asked what would be recommended if we allow dogs there. Yonskie: if you’re going to allow them, the signage has to be correct. You should also have some sort of disposal for the waste.
POLICE DEPARTMENT:
Chief Rickard reported on the HVAC quotes for the locker room grant project. Lowest one was Chuck Alessi Plumbing & Heating $5,600. He recommends using them. He spoke re: new SRO contract. The attorney has reviewed it. There are 2 changes. One is the increase of $1/hour to cover the increased cost to us. The second one was the district claimed that there was a change in state law where it has to be clear that we will not be school disciplinarians which we kind of had that understanding but it had to be in writing. He asked the board to authorize the town supervisor to sign that so we can be up and running for Sept. 4th. NO PARKING signs were put up today by the federal prison. The county approved to put them up by the entrance to the federal prison 200’ on each side. He updated on the parking tickets. The final draft of it has been given to the court. We’re gonna be spending $3,000 – we wanted the judges to look at them. The attorney already looked at them. Chief thanked Senator Metzger for her recognition tonight. This is a team effort by all the different organizations. Chief Rickard thanked Dean and the guys for helping in the basement – there was work they had to do for that project. We appreciate that. They did a STOP DWI event the other day. Councilman Howell asked how the STOP DWI event went. Deputy Chief Maresca: it went well. It was probably the slowest night. This is funded by the county.
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VILLAGE OF OTISVILLE:
Trustee Loeven reported that the village hall is closed this week. If you need anything, get a hold of the Mayor directly, or Frank or the board members. Christine is on vacation. Regina Weissinger resigned her position as deputy clerk/treasurer. She was able to get a full time job with the Pine Bush school system. We wish her well. We are soliciting for a deputy clerk/treasurer. It’s on the website about what the job entails. The deadline for that position has been extended another week. The village is also looking for a recording secretary for their Planning and ZBA. This is a Wednesday evening position 2X/month. This position does not require that you be a town/village resident.
SUMMER RECREATION:
Supervisor Volpe reported this is his 6th year with summer rec. This year was headache free. We were very successful this year.
MOTION TO SIGN CONTRACT FOR SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER 2019/2020:
MOTION offered Councilman Jennings 2nd by Councilman Furman to authorize the supervisor to sign contract for school resource officer with Minisink Valley School District for school year 2019/2020. All in favor: Howell, Carey, Volpe, Furman, Jennings; carried.
MOTION TO APPROVE SUPERVISOR’S REPORT FOR JULY 2019:
MOTION offered Councilman Carey 2nd Councilman Howell to approve the supervisor’s report for July 2019. All in favor: Howell, Carey, Volpe, Furman, Jennings; carried.
MOTION TO APPROVE PROPOSAL FOR HVAC FOR POLICE LOCKER ROOMS:
MOTION offered Councilman Howell 2nd Councilman Carey to accept proposal from Chuck Alessi Plumbing & Heating for $5,600 for HVAC for the new police locker rooms. (all funding is paid for by a grant).
All in favor: Howell, Carey, Volpe, Furman, Jennings; carried.
MOTION TO CREATE NEW BUDGET LINE “PLAYGOUNDS & REC B7140”:
MOTION offered Councilman Furman 2nd Councilman Howell to create new budget line for the 202 town budget for “Playgrounds & Rec B7140.1, B7140.2 & B7140.4. All in favor: Howell, Carey, Volpe, Furman, Jennings; carried.
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MOTION TO REMOVE LINE IN GENERAL B BUDGET “B4540 AMBULANCE”:
MOTION offered Councilman Carey 2nd Councilman Howell to remove from General B part of budget – B4540 Ambulance. All in favor: Howell, Carey, Volpe, Furman, Jennings; carried.
MOTION TO APPROVE PLANNING & ZONING SUPPORT STAFF WORKSHOP FOR LINDA FRANCK:
MOTION offered Councilman Carey 2nd Councilman Furman to approve Linda Franck to attend ‘Planning & Zoning Support Staff Workshop’ on Sept. 13, 2019, cost $35.00, in Goshen NY. All in favor: Howell, Carey, Volpe, Furman, Jennings; carried.
MOTION TO AUDIT THE CLAIMS:
MOTION offered Councilman Howell 2nd Councilman Jennings to approve the paying bills for Abstract #22 & Abstract #23:
ABSTRACT #22:
GENERAL A: #513-528 $ 55,172.10
GENERAL B: #66 $ 2,951.84
HIGHWAY: #112-115 $ 35,695.58
SEWER: #66-67 $ 1,203.76 AND
ABSTRACT #23:
GENERAL A: #529-542 $ 19,201.88
GENERAL B: #67 $ 51.95
HIGHWAY: #116 $ 14,473.76
SEWER: #68-69 $ 296.56.
All in favor: Howell, Carey, Volpe, Furman, Jennings; carried.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION:
LIZ COOK spoke re: homeowner’s insurance policy. It went up $243. The insurance company told her it’s because the Otisville fire department does not have updated equipment and they’ve been trying to get in touch with the fire department and no one has gotten back to them. Supervisor Volpe asked her for a copy of the bill so he can have somebody to call them. He will make sure the right person calls. Diane Loeven asked her to direct them to call the village hall for that as opposed to them trying to call the fire department. The Mayor will want to speak with them. Mrs. Cook added that the insurance company told her that this happened over 500 other people. Supervisor assured her that they will follow through with this between them and the village.
AL POLLOCK spoke re: permit fee. He lives on Guymard Turnpike. Mount Hope at that time allowed for oil tanks to be put in the ground. Now they have to be pulled them out. He’s 80/veteran. He got someone with a good price to do this job. That person notified him that the permit fee is $300. Other areas all over are charging half of that or less. He’s on social security. He can’t afford to pay $300. The building inspector, Mrs. Musial, explained that Mr. Pollack is having an oil tank removed and having a new one installed. Our fee is $100 for the permit and $50 for the certificate for the installation and the same for the removal. In total – it’s $300. We’ve been doing this quite a # of years. Mr. Pollock is the 1st to complain about the price. We are competitive with the price. Ours is in line with everyone else. Supervisor asked if some people do this in phases. Building Inspector: some people do. Some people had previously installed a new tank because they previously had underground tanks. Now because of laws with the DEC they remove them afterwards. Other people will remove them and get a new heating system – they don’t have to put in a new oil tank because they may be doing a new system like electric, propane. She has to get the proper paperwork to state that it’s been done to be able to close this out. Mr. Pollack added that the man he hired has been doing his job for a long time and he told Mr. Pollack that the total is $50-150 in other places. Mrs. Musial explained how they have it listed in other towns is the same as ours – tanks, removals or replacements $100 then a $50 certificate fee. That’s in line with other towns. Someone asked if there are senior citizen discounts. Mrs. Musial stated we don’t do senior citizen discounts in our town. Supt. Hassenmayer added that we do so much for the seniors across the board with trash pick up and a senior center that’s outstanding – why don’t we offer a senior discount. Discussion ensued. Councilman Carey said we have to listen to a permit by permit basis. He understands what he’s saying. Councilman Carey: sir we have certain laws we have to follow. I disagree with you. I don’t know the gentleman you’re talking about. Our building inspectors go to school to learn this. There’s a law in this state – we are not just pulling numbers. Personally, I don’t have an issue talking about this with the rest of the board members to see what we can do. Maybe case by case we need to look at it. I speak for myself. Councilman Howell asked the attorney if a discount for seniors or veterans is as simple as…. Attorney: we would have to establish this by local law. Supervisor Volpe stated he is here on a daily basis; there are reputable contractors doing business in our town that clearly don’t do it the way that it’s supposed to be done. These inspections are important. If this is something we want to do offer discounts, we need David to draft a local law.
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BOARD COMMENTS:
Councilman Howell (spoke to Diane Loeven) A couple weeks ago he noticed there was resting of the fire trucks and their equipment. D. Loeven: those are routine tests that we have to have done. The ladders were all just checked. The hoses were just checked. Those are annual inspections – perhaps they never called for the new reports. The Mayor would want to be involved with that. Councilman Howell noted that the award we were presented tonight, is not for the 5 of us – it’s for the men/women that are on the streets every day.
Councilman Carey reminded everyone of the last concert tomorrow night.
Councilman Furman thanked Sheriff Dubois for the laptop he presented to DCO. He is thankful for the police.
Councilman Jennings noted that last week was a great turnout for the night against crime. Paul and his team did a great job with that. Chief Rickard thanked everyone for a great event – well received, great turnout.
Supervisor Volpe spoke re: budget. He is meeting with the Mayor to go over the budget with the village for fire protection. The certificate from Senator Metzger is absolutely great. This is 1st time in 5 years. We got one from Senator Bonacic. Great team effort. He noted that the check for the Lions Club can be returned now. Summer camp – Anna has coordinated Police Day. The kids have a great time. It’s great to grab them that young. They get to see a whole bunch of things. All goo things.
MOTION TO ADJOURN MEETING:
MOTION offered Councilman Howell 2nd Councilman Carey to adjourn the meeting at 8:15pm. All in favor: Howell, Carey, Volpe, Furman, Jennings; carried.
The next meeting is scheduled for September 3, 2019 at 7:30pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Kathleen Myers, Town Clerk
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