WORKSHOP MEETING, TOWN OF MOUNT HOPE, APRIL 20, 2015
www.townofmounthope.org
The workshop meeting of the Town Board of the Town of Mount Hope was held at the Mount Hope Town Hall on April 20, 2015 at 8:45pm with the following present: Supervisor Chad Volpe, Councilman Matt Howell, Councilman Gary Ketcham, Councilwoman Janet Sutherland, Councilman Dominick Cambareri and Town Clerk Kathleen Myers.
OFFICIALS PRESENT: W. Howell – Planning Board Chairperson, D. Hassenmayer – H’way Supt., P. Rickard – Police Chief.
Following the Pledge of Allegiance, Supervisor Volpe called the meeting to order at 7:30pm and asked audience members to silence cell phones.
CORRESPONDENCE:
- Falun Dafa Day Resolution May 13, 2015
- Copy of police resolution re: SLETPP
- Supervisor’s report March 2015
- Police equipment surplus & dispose list
- Police equipment surplus & auction list
- Memo: re Dennis Simmons vacancy set meeting date
- Letter from Little League: thanks for help with batting cages
- NYS DEC Order of Consent violation
- NYALGRO conference request – Town Clerk
- Rabies clinic May 17, 2015 Town of Woodbury
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
POLICE:
Chief Rickard spoke re: lists to surplus & dispose and surplus & put on auction site. He spoke of the resolution needed for the County of Orange SLETPP FY 14 contracts (for the John Deere Gator). He spoke to a couple firemen after the last meeting who spoke of the Medi-box; it’s a unit that fits into the dump body of the Gator that leaves a spot for a medic and an area for a backboard or stokes basket. John Deere in Goshen has a used one for $1,250.00. It could come out of the reserve account. He spoke re: “NO EMPTY CHAIR” statewide initiative re: high school seniors & graduation (ie: talking on cell phone, speeding). Councilman Cambareri asked what/when the medi-box would be used. Chief stated for off road use ie: lost/injured hiker. Councilman Howell asked if any officers were trained paramedics. Chief stated there are no paramedics. Councilman Ketcham asked if this falls under emergency management. Chief stated yes. Councilman Howell asked if the grant could cover this item. Chief stated no, not this item.
HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT:
Supt. Hassenmayer reported that the spring cleanup is finished. 15 dumpsters were filled with C&D, 2 for metal and 24 pick-ups at home for seniors. He asked for approval to hire Colin Scott for PT seasonal help; to start May 11th. He will have ready for next meeting a couple pieces of equipment to surplus and put on auction site.
PLANNNG BOARD:
Chairman Howell stated the planning board is working on addressing solar/wind power generation work session on April 30 at 7pm. He spoke of meeting with Cornell/4H to go over the site plan as approved. Supervisor asked if they need to come back before the planning board. Chairman Howell said they will on another phase just not at this time. Supervisor spoke of the ‘alternate’ positions. He is looking to approve the 2nd one tonight. He will have Mr. Plotsky explain this to the planning board members at the work session on 4-30. Atty. Bavoso further explained the primary concern with alternates occurs in the summer months when members are vacationing and there isn’t a full board/quorum.
RESOLUTION TO APPOINT 2ND ALTERNATE TO PLANNING BOARD:
MOTION offered by Councilman Howell 2nd Councilman Ketcham to appoint Brian Cutler as a 2nd alternate member to the planning board. All in favor: Howell, Ketcham, Volpe, Sutherland, Cambareri; carried.
HIDDEN VALLEY:
Supervisor has the engineers working on the new guidelines for the sewer plant. They are expensive. Everything was forwarded to KC Engineering to see what is involved for the town and what they recommend. Basically the way the water comes out they want it to go through lighting; and between the lighting and air quality it’s about $100,000.
MOUNT HOPE FIRE:
Captain Carver reported that Chief Doty will have the report to the board by Wednesday. He added that the Gator would be of good use at the fair.
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Supervisor Volpe stated (to Ms. Loeven) that there was a complaint the other day and Dean reached out to Frankie Valentino re: garbage truck. The village loaned us some much needed help. He thanked them for all they did.
SUMMER RECREATION:
Trustee Loeven spoke re: in process of doing interviews for summer recreation. Registration starts the end of this month.
VILLAGE OF OTISVILLE:
Trustee Loeven spoke re: Village Board approved the Emergency Management agreement. Brian is sending the signed copy over. April 24th is Arbor Day. The Garden Club will be planting a tree in the village park; the Runnalls family is also donating a tree in memory of their uncle. Ceremony begins at 10:00am. Emails went to town board members.
DENNIS SIMMONS VACANY:
April 10th everything was fine-tuned. We received this packet that everyone got in their mailboxes. David explained the numbers breakdown for the voting. (Bill Bavoso gave breakdown at 4-6-15 meeting.) A joint meeting will be held on April 23, 2015 at 6pm at the Deerpark Senior Center. All 3 municipalities will use the same public notice.
RESOLUTION TO SCHEDULE SPECIAL MEETING FOR DENNIS SIMMONS VACANY:
MOTION offered by Councilman Howell 2nd by Councilman Cambareri to hold joint meeting at the Town of Deerpark Senior Center on April 23, 2015 at 6:00pm. All in favor: Howell, Ketcham, Volpe, Sutherland, Cambareri; carried.
CORNELL PIPING AGREEMENT:
Supervisor Volpe stated that this was approved at the last meeting. The agreement has been signed.
OLD SCHOOL REPORT:
Supervisor Volpe spoke of the school report. He asked if anyone had questions. Councilman Cambareri stated he has a list of questions. He will email them to the engineer. Frank Ketcham stated the committee has been discussing it and they have comments. They want to meet with the board before they go back to KC with the final. He asked for the timeline of when to get a final decision. Supervisor stated probably May 4 would be the deadline. Mr. Ketcham stated they would like to set up a meeting with the board possibly next week. Councilwoman Sutherland stated that she would not be available this Wednesday.
RESOLUTION TO APPROVE SUPERVISOR’S REPORT FOR MARCH 2015:
MOTION offered by Councilman Cambareri 2nd by Councilman Ketcham to approve the Supervisor’s report for March 2015 as submitted. All in favor: Howell, Ketcham, Volpe, Sutherland, Cambareri; carried.
NYS DEC VIOLATION:
Supervisor Volpe stated the MS-4 required the town to do in 2013, our then engineer said we didn’t have to do it; we were exempt from it. 2014, we forwarded the same information to the same engineer; he said we didn’t have to do it. 2015 we sent information to new engineer, he did do one. Then we found out we were in violation. There’s a $6,000 fine for 2013/2014. After negotiations with DEC, they waived 2014 but we have to pay for 2013 ($3,000). We need a motion to accept the settlement.
RESOLUTION TO ACCEPT SETTLEMENT FOR NYS DEC VIOLATION:
MOTION offered by Councilman Howell 2nd by Councilman Cambareri to accept the settlement of $3,000 for 2013 for the NYS DEC Order on Consent/Violation of SPDES permit No. NYR20A245. All in favor: Howell, Ketcham, Volpe, Sutherland, Cambareri; carried.
MOUNT HOPE SENIORS CPR/AED TRAINING:
Trustee Loeven stated that the town is offering CPR/AED training for the members of the Mount Hope seniors and their family members. There were 2 nights set up for the training and we have enough people signed up to fill one night. She expects to have both nights filled.
LIAISON CHANGE:
Supervisor Volpe had a committee liaison change. He added Matt to all fire departments. Before we do the next budget we’ll need to do the RFP’s for fire protection starting June 1, 2016. He’d like to get the existing one from when it was put up the last time. They would need to be due back in time to do the budget. Even though we are covered until May 31st that’s still gonna come out of the 2016 budget. He asked the Town Clerk for a copy of what was put out the last time. Town Clerk stated she will look it up. He stated that he’s been meeting with a few solar companies that were soliciting for the towns business. He has researched that there is not enough training with the fire departments when it comes to solar.
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LIAISON CHANGE CONTINUED:
He spoke with Lou Ingrassia a couple weeks ago. One of the solar companies he met with will offer free training to all 3 fire depts. It doesn’t have to be the same night. The class is about 1 ½ hrs. They will train on solar farms & roof units.
LITTLE LEAGUE:
Supervisor Volpe thanked the highway department. He received a letter about getting plenty of use out of the batting cages. He added he was in the parade and it was a beautiful day. All 3 fire departments were there too. Councilwoman Sutherland added that she spoke to someone in regards to the upper field. Next year they would like to bring in clay mixed with another substance that they want to talk to Dean about. The drainage is bad so they were hoping to work with Dean in rectifying that. She thinks the other substance is sand. They would like to know what the town could do as far as the drainage situation. They would like to get it fixed for next year. They will not use the field this year. She thanked the Supervisor for putting Little League on the agenda. They were very receptive.
RESOLUTION FOR CELEBRATING FALUN DAFA DAY MAY 13, 2015:
MOTION offered by Councilman Cambareri 2nd by Councilwoman Sutherland to approve the following:
WHEREAS, May 13, 2015 marks the 16th “World Falun Dafa Day” and the 23rd anniversary of the introduction of Falun Dafa to the public; and
WHEREAS, Falun Dafa (A/K/A Falun Gong), is a traditional Chinese self-cultivation practice based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion & Forbearance; and
WHEREAS, Falun Dafa is to be commended and publicly recognized for having brought about profound physical benefits, as well as mental and spiritual well-being to more than 100 million practitioners from all walks of life in over 100 countries throughout the world; and
WHEREAS, Falun Dafa practitioners in Orange County have dedicated countless hours in producing world-class performances of classical Chinese dance and music to share a precious heritage of a 5,000-year civilization with the world; organizing free cultural events, meditation workshops and classes in local community centers, senior centers, libraries, parks, fairs & health expos, and participating in public events to benefit local communities; and
WHEREAS, since 1999, in the face of the Chinese communist regime’s “eradication” campaign, Falun Dafa practitioners have been persevering in their belief in Truthfulness, Compassion & Forbearance, and responded with peaceful resistance, and in so doing have provided a source of strength to people who pursue freedom and aspire to improve the future of China and the world; and
WHEREAS, thousands of honors and awards bear witness to the remarkable accomplishments of Mr. Li Hongzhi, the esteemed founder of Falun Dafa, and attests to the high regard in which he is held by numerous US officials and representatives of international communities;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Town Board of the Town of Mount Hope do hereby extend warm greetings to Mr. Li Hongzhi, and declare May 13, 2015 as Falun Dafa Day.
All in favor: Howell, Ketcham, Volpe, Sutherland, Cambareri; carried.
RESOLUTION FOR CONFERENCE APPROVAL FOR TOWN CLERK:
MOTION offered by Councilman Ketcham 2nd by Councilman Cambareri to approve the Town Clerk’s request to go to Lake George NY June 7-9 for the NYALGRO conference Total cost $400.00. All in favor: Howell, Ketcham, Volpe, Sutherland, Cambareri; carried.
CONCERT SERIES UPDATE:
All the bands for the concert series is on the website. Info will also go on new sign as it gets closer.
RESOLUTION TO SURPLUS & DISPOSE OF POLICE EQUIPMENT:
MOTION offered by Councilman Cambareri 2nd by Councilman Howell to surplus and dispose of the following items: HP 6988 printer, Dell Optiflex 780 computer, (2) Fijutso lifebooks, Samsung 15” monitor, Dell 15” monitor, (2) Havis computer mounts, Lund radio mount, Lund computer mount & broken shotgun mount. All in favor: Howell, Ketcham, Volpe, Sutherland, Cambareri; carried.
RESOLUTION TO SURPLUS AND PUT ON AUCTION SITE VARIOUS POLICE EQUIPMENT:
MOTION offered by Councilman Cambareri 2nd by Councilman Howell to surplus and put on auction site the following: Genesis radar unit, (2) Carpenter emergency spot lights, 28” base plate computer mount for Chevy Tahoe & tunnel plate mount for Ford Crown Victoria. All in favor: Howell, Ketcham, Volpe, Sutherland, Cambareri; carried.
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RESOLUTION TO APPROVE COUNTY CONTRACT SLETPP FY14:
MOTION Offered by Councilman Ketcham 2nd by Councilman Cambareri to authorize Police Chief Rickard to sign contracts and associated paperwork with the County of Orange for SLETPP FY 14 contracts. All in favor: Howell, Ketcham, Volpe, Sutherland, Cambareri; carried.
RETIRING POLICE CAR:
Supervisor Volpe stated that there may be an interest in the retiring police car this year. He’s talked to Mayor of Otisville as they supply the vehicle for the dog control officer. Chief Rickard added that (like in City of Middletown) they remove the back seat and then put in a platform with a piece of carpet and put where the backseat was for the dogs.
RESOLUTION TO HIRE PART TIME SUMMER/SEASONAL HELP FOR HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT:
MOTION offered by Councilman Cambareri seconded by Councilman Howell to allow the Highway Superintendent to hire Colin Scott as part time/seasonal/summer help for approx. 8 weeks. All in favor: Howell, Ketcham, Volpe, Sutherland, Cambareri; carried.
MEDI-BOX:
Councilman Cambareri would like to table this until he can get more information on this. Councilman Howell would like to see some specs on it. This discussion is tabled until next meeting.
RESOLUTION TO AUDIT THE CLAIMS:
MOTION offered by Councilman Howell seconded by Councilman Ketcham to approve the following bills:
GENERAL A: #184-205 $40,366.28
GENERAL B: #27-32 $ 9,798.35
HIGHWAY: #47-53 $25,999.76
SEWER: #27-33 $72,800.38.
All in favor: Howell, Ketcham, Volpe, Sutherland, Cambareri; carried.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION:
- Ketcham asked about status of 7 Peaks. Atty. Bavoso stated there’s been no movement. He will be notified when they are put on the agenda in Mamakating.
- Loeven thanked Paul & Dep. Corcoran for going to the senior meeting. They did a great presentation. The 1st senior trip will be on April 24. She spoke of a trip planned for July 7-9 to the Cost of Maine. Cost is $458.00 which includes everything but lunch. Contact Diane for further info.
BOARD COMMENTS:
Councilwoman Sutherland expressed her disappointment in the way the meeting was adjourned 2 weeks ago and after the fact the committee changes were handed out and the changes that were made in regards to the committee liaisons. Perhaps the board is looking to prepare themselves for me not getting re-elected next year come November. She wanted it reflected in the minutes that this was the 1st time she was asked to give a little league report since she was appointed to that committee. She also wants minutes to reflect that as far as the old school committee goes and after attending the 1st couple of meetings, she was uncomfortable being on that committee because she didn’t feel that stringing along the committee in regards to the old school building was the right thing to do.
Supervisor Volpe asked the Town Clerk to read a few emails into the record:
Town Clerk read #1: 3-20-15 from Robert Brucato. Mr. Volpe, Otisville Little league would like to do some major renovations to the upper field, the town field, to help with the drainage issues we have had over the years. As the past president and still active board member, we would like to know who our town representative is so we can invite them to our next meeting. We have not had a town board member attend one of our bi-weekly meetings in the past 3-4 years. Please let me know who our town rep is so we can invite them to our next meeting to talk about our plans for the upper field. Contact info is (phone #).
#2: Read by Town Clerk: 3-31-15 from R. Brucato. Hi Chad, the Otisville Little League would like to invite you and Dean Hassenmayer to our opening day ceremony on April 18. The parade will start at 11am from the old school and march to the ball fields where a ceremony will start at 12pm and games immediately thereafter. If you would like anyone else from the town of Mount Hope board to attend they are more than welcome to attend as well. As per our conversation today, the Otisville Little League would like to see if the town of Mount Hope can help the little league again this year as the town did in the past years with the purchase of truckloads of hay. The batting cage has to be mowed every week and is too time consuming so we would like to put something permanent down so where we do not have to mow. We would also like to know what the town put down on the walking trail so we could do the same in our batting cage. Is there anything the town could do here to help? Again we’d like to have a liaison from the town come to our next boards meeting at 7:30pm at the Ketcham Fence, if possible.
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#3: 4-14-15, Mr. Volpe, on behalf of the Otisville LL and all the players involved, we would like to thank the Town of Mount Hope for helping us with our batting cage. The player will now be able to utilize the cage more than ever. Thanks for your help. R. Brucato.
RESOLUTION TO ADJOURN MEETING:
MOTION offered by Councilman Howell seconded by Councilman Ketcham to adjourn the meeting at 8:23pm. All in favor: Howell, Ketcham, Volpe, Sutherland, Cambareri; carried.
The next meeting is scheduled for May 4, 2015 at 7:30pm at Town Hall.
Respectfully submitted,
Kathleen A. Myers
Town Clerk
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