by Kieron Kramer
All was so quiet on the Rensselaer County legislative front Tuesday, June 9, that you would hardly know there were only five months left until the election in which all 19 legislative seats will be up for election. The Legislature passed 56 resolutions without a single no vote being cast and without any debate. The session was adjourned in time for the legislators to catch the Yankee – Red Sox game that began at 7:05 pm. The Chamber emptied out fast except for District 5 Legislators Stan Brownell and Lester Goodermote, who stayed for the usual post session interview.
Brownell said that the County Republicans met Saturday to choose the candidates for the County positions in the upcoming election. Brownell and Goodermote began circulating petitions to get on the ballot in District 5, which includes the towns of Stephentown, Berlin, Petersburgh, Grafton, Hoosick and the Village of Hoosick Falls, on Tuesday, June 9, the first day allowed to circulate petitions. So far, there is no indication who will run on the Democratic line in November. According to Brownell, the County Democrats will caucus on Monday, July 15, to choose their candidates. The petitions must be delivered to the election board in early July, Brownell said.
Goodermote explained the Republican majority’s vote to table a resolution that was introduced by the Democrats to support NYS Attorney General Andrew Cuomo’s plan for government consolidation and reorganization. According to the resolution, “New York State has over 10,500 government entities, including towns, villages, districts and special districts such as water, sewer and lighting districts, that cause residents to pay the nation’s highest taxes and leave the State with layers of antiquated government bodies and special districts…Government consolidation and regionalism are concepts that, if applied, would help New Yorkers bring their local governments into the 21st Century.” Goodermote said that the Republicans wanted input from the entities that would be consolidated before deciding on Cuomo’s plan. According to both Republican Legislators, the problem is that Fire Districts as well as town and village governments and maybe even Justice Courts would be affected. Some fire houses might be closed in an effort to save money and Brownell and Good err mote want to find out what their constituents feel about it. Obviously there is a trade-off between public safety and lowering taxes.
Shifting State Position On Closing Parks
The NYS Office of Parks and Recreation has decided to allow the Grafton Lakes State Park and the Cherry Plain State Park to stay open even if there is no swimming allowed. This slight softening of their earlier position to close the parks for two days includes offering free swimming in Grafton to campers at Cherry Plain when the Cherry Plain Park is closed for swimming, according to a communication received last month by the Berlin Town Supervisor.
Goodermote attended the meeting two weeks ago between County Executive Kathleen Jimino and a representative from the Office of Parks regarding the two parks in eastern Rensselaer County. He said he was appalled at how little money would be saved at the two parks by closing swimming two days a week at each park. According to Goodermote the State will save $35,000 at Grafton Lakes and $10,000 at Cherry Plain, for the season, by limiting the swimming which, he said, is too little “to take this away from the people.” He also pointed out another problem which is that people may try to use the water on days when it is not allowed. It may cost the Office of Parks money to enforce the restrictions, eating away at the projected savings. Worse, unsupervised swimming may create a liability for the Parks if a tragedy were to occur. Goodermote pointed out that on Memorial Day weekend, the first weekend of the season at Grafton Lakes, there were two rescues of people falling out of boats and a life saving action on the beach.
Local Events
The two Legislators said that they would be attending a welcome home party for Jeremy Maxon who has returned from duty in Iraq. The event will be held at the Bridgeway on Cherry Plain Square at 6 pm on Saturday, June 13. There is also an Eagle Scout Badge award ceremony for Benjamin Cuddihy-Taylor at 2 pm on Sunday, June 14, at the Community Alliance Church on Hill Road in Hoosick. In passing the Legislators mentioned that the Berlin Food Closet had obtained 1,000 pounds of food and needed a freezer so Brownell and Goodermote bought one for the Food Closet at Sam’s Club for about $200, which they paid for out of their own pockets.
Downright Scarifying
A resolution was passed that will affect the Plank Road from Berlin to Poestenkill and Green Hollow Road in Berlin. Both are County Roads and are two of the projects that will be funded by $125,000 authorized for heating and scarifying the road surfaces and for their bituminous paving. Scarifying is when the road surface is cut up and then replaced on the surface. This is followed by paving. Although the roads in Berlin were not mentioned specifically in the resolution, Brownell, who is on the Planning and Public Works Committee and who introduced the resolution, said that these projects were included.
Resolutions Concerning Local Issues
Bernard Davock of Valley View Blvd., Hoosick Falls, was appointed to the Rensselaer County Traffic Safety Board – Stop DWI for a term to commence immediately and to expire on February 20, 2011.
A resolution executing contracts with designated towns to perform debris removal along County highways within town borders was approved. These contracts relate to the series of severe winter storms which occurred in the County from December 11 through December 31, 2008. Rensselaer County was declared by President Obama to be a major disaster area on March 4, 2009. The nearby towns of Brunswick, Grafton, Poestenkill and Schaghticoke, among others in the County, have indicated that they are able to perform debris removal within the rights-of-way on County highways.
A public hearing, at which no one spoke, was held before the resolution modifying and adopting Agricultural District #3 (Hoosick, Pittstown) was passed. The Department of Agriculture and Markets, the County Planning Department and the County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board filed their joint recommendations, required in the eight year review of this Agricultural District. The number of participating farms and farm acreage substantially furthers the objective of encouraging and protecting viable farming in the area. According to the resolution, “the continuation of the agricultural district is consistent with the County’s important agricultural economy and predominantly rural pattern of development and deters local government adoption of land use regulations unduly restrictive of normal farm activities.”
The following parcels will be added to Agricultural District No. 3:
Town of Hoosick
Mark R. & Cindy S. Clark – 31.22 ac.
Timothy A. & Debra A. Colaneri – 15.23 ac.
Larry Bugbee – 7 ac.
Walter C. Baker – 16.85 ac.
Edward A. & Jayne Hanselman – 17.14 ac.
Jack A. & Arleene Wysocki – 24.26 ac.
Bakers Nurseries Inc. – 27.49 ac.
James D. & Ruth Sutton -100.06 ac. for a total of 239.25 acres added in Hoosick.
Total acreage added in the Village of Valley Falls is 22.25 acres.
Town of Pittstown
Mark & Kimberly Burnett – 62.84 ac.
Glenn & Nancy Olsen – 51.56 ac.
Todd J. & Penny J. Tesman – 10.65 ac.
Mark R. & Connie S. Brenenstuhl – 8.1 ac.
Mark R. & Michelle A. Culver – 6.83 ac.
Betty Ann Luskin – 6.12 ac.
Robert E. & Betty Ann Luskin – 5.87 ac.
Clifford E. & Maria T. Abbott – 82.16 ac.
Susan & Makey M. Schaefer – 23 ac.
Virginia B. Browning – 2.1 ac.
George E. & Mildred A. Berard – 13.66 ac. for a total acreage added in Pittstown of 272.89 acres.
The total acreage added to Agricultural District #3 is 534.39. No acreage was removed.
Earth Day Poster Contest
Five of the ten Earth Day Poster Contest winners appeared in the well of the Legislature to receive their certificates and tickets to see the movie “Earth.” Among them was Lindsay Miller of Deborah Sweeney’s fifth grade class at Berlin Elementary. Their schools will also receive a DVD of the movie to show. The ten winners were chosen out of over 200 entries. The five winners who attended were extremely cute, as children tend to be when they act grown-up in a serious adult ceremony.