by David Flint
The Stephentown Town Board has accepted the offer from the Berlin School Board to present a proposal for assuming ownership of the now vacant Stephentown Elementary School property. The School Board last month voted to request both the Stephentown Board and the Grafton Fire District to submit tentative plans by March 6 for the properties of the vacant elementary school properties in their respective towns. [private]They were asked to make a presentation regarding plans they might have for use of the properties and
what services they could offer in exchange. The School Board would then, at their next regular meeting on March 20, decide whether the proposals were acceptable, and, if so, they would schedule a referendum for people in the School District to decide whether to authorize the transfer of the properties. All of this of course would be contingent on the properties not yet being in the process of being sold on the open market.
Town Supervisor Larry Eckhardt said at the Town Board meeting on Monday that he had earlier sent a letter to the School District indicating that the Town would have an interest in acquiring the land if it were to be offered to the Town for the price of $1. In response to the recent request, he and Councilman PJ Roder will present a rudimentary plan to the School Board, possibly on March 6.
The Town, he said, had no definite plans at this time for the property but they had some ideas for keeping the existing outdoor basketball court, soccer field and playground and possibly developing a Town park on the grounds. The idea of a park is based on a plan that the Berlin Central PTO Playground Committee had developed back in 2002 as a joint school and Town project. For the Stephentown School it included a fun and fitness exercise circuit that was actually installed. Also envisioned and drawn up on plans by a landscape architect were a relocated soccer/athletic field, a new playground area, a sandbox and a toddler’s play area. There was also to be some additional parking space, an adult fitness area and a gazebo and bandstand with outdoor amphitheater. Two miles of walking paths would surround the area and would wind down through a wooded area and provide access to the Kinderhook Creek.
There appeared to be consensus on the Board that the land would be a big asset to the community, but Eckhardt’s big concern is what to do with the school building itself. He believes that the Town really has no use for the building as it already has a Town Hall, a Fire Hall and an expanded library available for use by townspeople. There has been some talk of senior housing and Eckhardt would have no objections to that if it were financed and run by some private enterprise without Town resources. Otherwise the building could be a costly liability to the Town. The Board was in agreement, Eckhardt said, that, “Perhaps we can’t afford it even if they give it to us, but it’s a piece of property that probably should remain a public property, and what better organization to own it than the Town of Stephentown.”
Sustainable Stephentown
Others in the audience echoed that sentiment but some were asking how people in Town could contribute to working out a plan for the building and the land. Kevin Carpenter and Tom Pecoraro, who recently started a discussion group called Sustainable Stephentown, said that they and others would be willing to get together as a committee and “tackle the issue of the school,” suggesting that the School District might be more easily persuaded to turn over the property if a more solid plan were in place. Board members responded that there is no way any detailed solid plan could be prepared in just a few weeks. First they need to find out how serious the School Board is about turning over the property and then a proper plan can be worked out with public input.
Carpenter and Pecoraro in any case wanted to let it be known that Sustainable Stephentown exists as a community conversation about the future of Stephentown. The goal is to reinvigorate the Town, and they would also like to work with the Town Board as they start on developing a comprehensive plan. The group has had one meeting so far, attended by 15 people, and another is set for March 15 at the library. They expect to meet monthly, possibly at different locations, and the public is invited to come and share ideas. Ideas can also be shared on the group’s “Wiki” at Stephentowncommunity.wikispaces.com.
Paula Dibble spoke up to observe that although Stephentown may be located at a crossroads, the condition of Route 22 would be a “stumbling block” to working for its future. The road is just terrible, she said, causing even truckers to bypass the Town. Could the Board not do something about this? Eckhardt, who has often himself railed about the deplorable condition of the road, responded that the Berlin Town Supervisor has made the same comment. Eckhardt said he would speak to someone at NYSDOT about it soon as he must call them again anyway about the uprooted tree that sits in the middle of West Brook and threatens to take out the new Route 43 bridge with the next flood.
Transfer Station Seeking To Be More Sustainable
The Town Board has been working for some time to reduce the expense of running the Transfer Station, and it is beginning to pay off. They dropped Monday operation except in the summer time, and they doubled the price of the pink trash bags. Councilman Bill Jennings, who heads the Transfer Station committee, said the Board has tried to be conservative with these increases and they have been reluctant to increase annual fees because they don’t want to see trash dumped down the roadsides – and so far that has not happened. He noted, too, that seniors are not charged an annual fee and no one is charged for recyclables. Although progress has been made – the Town budgeted $150,000 five years ago for the Transfer Station but that is down to $131,000 this year – the Board’s goal is to make the operation cost neutral as it reportedly is in neighboring towns of Berlin and Averill Park.
To that end, Jennings has been producing spreadsheets each month detailing income and expenditures and making them available at Town Board meetings. They show that in November expenditures exceeded revenue by $3,664. December was a bit better with the net cost at $2,289.
The Board is considering dropping out of ERCSWMA (Eastern Rensselaer County Solid Waste Management Authority) when the Town’s contract expires in two years. That will save the membership fee which this year amounted to $13,341, and the Town can contract with the haulers directly.
They will be looking into other alternatives as well, Eckhardt said, such as possibly purchasing a compactor which would cut down on the number of loads that have to be hauled. Jennings said he will also start to survey how other towns handle their trash and he will begin to produce some hard numbers on that to compare with what Stephentown is doing.
State Audit Proceeding
Eckhardt reported that the a team from the Office of the State Comptroller has been looking through the Town’s books for two months and it has been very detailed, challenging and time consuming, especially for the Town Clerk and Eckhardt’s Bookkeeper. His view was, however, that, “We will learn a lot, and it will give us a report card showing us where we are deficient as well as where we are doing things right.” He expected it will be another three months before they wrap things up, at which time they will issue a report and the Town Board can respond to it. “We’ll probably get our heads handed to us on some things,” Eckhardt said, but he has explained to the auditors already that it is a part time job for himself and for others as well and that this is a small town with a small budget. A quick audit was done in Stephentown in 2002, but the last full State Audit was done back in 1993.
Appointments
The Board voted to appoint Katie Sykes to the position of Deputy Town Clerk with her term to expire at the end of the year. They voted also to reappoint Bob Reiter to another term on the Board of Assessment Review.
Public Hearing Set For Hazard Mitigation Plan
Rensselaer County has completed a Hazard Mitigation Plan that the Stephentown Board will have to approve if it wants to be eligible for FEMA assistance money in the future. A printed copy of the 300 page plan is available at the Town Clerk’s office and at the Stephentown Memorial Library. It can also be found online at Townofstephentown.org. According to a County fact sheet, “Hazard Mitigation plans are developed BEFORE a disaster strikes. The plans identify community policies, actions and tools for long-term implementation to reduce risk and potential for future losses.” The Board set a public hearing for Monday, March 12, at 7 pm for public comment on the plan. The public hearing will precede the regular Town Board meeting.
Christmas Tree Lighting
Morgan Lawless, speaking for the Veterans of Stephentown and the Stephentown Seniors, asked if the Board had any objection to them organizing a Christmas Tree Lighting in December at the little Town park located at the intersection of Routes 22 and 43. The Board thought that was a fine idea, and Lawless said they would proceed to get everybody involved and would send out letters to all the organizations in Town.
Deposits & Spending
The Town Clerk reported she had turned over the sum of $435.08 to the Supervisor for the month of January. The distribution from the office of the State Comptroller, Justice Court Fund to the Town was $1,495. The Transfer Station deposited a total of $3,985.
The Board audited and approved claims in the amount of $53,671.77 from the General Account and $87,373.52 from the Highway Account.
The Board set a public hearing on the County Hazard Mitigation Plan for Monday, March 12, at 7 pm and their next regular meeting for Monday, March 19, at 7 pm.[/private]