by Kieron Kramer
The Grafton Planning Board met at 6 pm on Monday, November 18, instead of at its usual time of 7 pm because the Town Board meeting had been rescheduled to 7 pm from Veterans Day.
[private]A public hearing was held at 5:45 pm on the Graftonondack change of use application by David Buckley for the property at 2432 Route 2, which is owned by Tom Forster, the owner of the Grafton Town Store. Buckley will use the small barn on the west side of the Grafton Store as the new location for Graftonondack Outfitters and Boat Livery, the business that he ran for three years at 2978 Route 2. Buckley’s application was accepted last month, and the hearing scheduled for this month.
Only one person appeared at the hearing. He was Mark Mills, a friend of Buckley’s who would have spoken in support of the site change had there been anyone in opposition. Buckley was unable to attend the hearing.
One letter in support of the relocation of Graftonondack was received and read by Planning Board Chairman Tom Withcuskey. It was written by Dr. David Hunt, who lives on Jay Hakes Road in Cropseyville. He is an environmentalist who often appears at Planning Board meetings when an action by that Board might affect the environment on the Rensselaer Plateau. The letter said, “Dear Fellow Townspeople, The description of the last Grafton Planning Board meeting, as presented in the November 8, 2013, Eastwick Press, mentioned some details about the re-establishment of the Graftonondack Outfitters and Boat Livery business in another building at 2432 Route 2 and announced a public hearing on November 18 for a “change of use.” Given that I am scheduled to attend another meeting at the time of the public hearing and I wanted to share some comments, I pass them along instead in writing via this letter.
Our family was saddened when we saw the signs from the Graftonondack business taken down, and we assumed that this operation had shut down due to poor sales. Thus, we are pleased that they are simply relocating to another building in town, and we want to voice our support for the relocation, even if it involves a “change of use.” In fact, we much prefer to see businesses in town use or reuse existing buildings than to put up new buildings, especially if those new buildings involve clearing of forest to make room for them. We support the mission of the Graftonondack business and think it is a good fit with our town and the surrounding Rensselaer Plateau region in which Grafton is centered. We are also thankful that this business will probably cause little or no pollution, especially noise pollution, unlike another business in Grafton in our neighborhood that was formerly approved by the Planning Board and now fills our neighborhood with loud grinding and blasting noise from about 6 am to 5 pm, five days a week for about 9 months per year.
The Graftonondack business should be much more agreeable to its neighbors, and we wish them well in their business venture.
Thanks for your consideration.”
No comments were made about Graftonondack at the hearing after the reading of this letter. To fill the ten minute void before the regular meeting began, a brief discussion was had regarding the warm weather and how it was affecting deer hunting season, which had just begun on the weekend.
At the regular meeting Withcuskey circulated a map of the site that had been reviewed and approved by Blake A. Buckner of the NYS Department of Transportation for access, placement of signs and line of sight and State right of way issues. “This answers the concerns of the Board that were expressed last month [when he presented his application],” Withcuskey said.
The Board voted 4-0 to declare that the change of use has no impact on the environment and then voted 4-0 to approve the Buckley change of use application. The meeting adjourned at 6:03 pm.[/private]