by Alex Brooks
The Grafton Town Board received a letter of resignation from Marie Claus, in which she said she had decided to resign “due to personal issues.” Her resignation was effective June 1, 2014. The Board also received a letter of resignation from Peter Gundrum from his position on the Planning Board.
[private]Councilman Mike Crandall was not present at this month’s meeting so the Board consisted of Town Supervisor Frank Higgins and Councilpersons Barbara Messenger and Rick Ungaro; all motions had to pass unanimously or not at all.
The public comment period was held at the beginning of the meeting rather than at the end as the practice has been for many years. Linda Laveway protested, saying she thought there ought to be time at the end when citizens can express their opinions about what was said and done during the meeting.
Cathy Goyer asked why it was moved to the beginning of the meeting, and Supervisor Higgins said so that citizens can express their opinions on the matters on the agenda before the Board takes action on them.
Town Garage Roof
The roof on the Town Garage has been in bad shape for quite a while. The saga of who neglected it or tried to fix it or failed to fix it or offered to fix it stretches back into the mists of time, obscured by personal animosities and partisan rancor, and this reporter despairs of trying to tell that story accurately. But everyone seemed to agree that it should be repaired or replaced as quickly as possible. Highway Superintendent Herb Hasbrouck said he was up on the roof this week to check it out and found eight holes right through the roof.
Hasbrouck also said the Highway Department is “as thin as can be” right now. He felt they need to use all their manpower to work on the roads and could not offer to fix the roof as they had in the past. The Board unanimously passed a resolution to have Town Engineer Russ Reeves make up a bid package for contractors to bid on replacing the garage roof.
Jay Hakes Road Bridge
Hasbrouck said he had called in Town Engineer Russ Reeves to inspect the bridge over the Quackenkill Creek so that Reeves could start plans for a replacement bridge. This way the Town would have a project ready when State grant funds become available for Town projects. Hasbrouck said that when those funds are ready to be offered, the towns who have “shovel-ready” projects will be first in line to get funding.
Reeves found the bridge to be in very bad shape and recommended that it be immediately posted for ten tons or less and remain posted until it is repaired or replaced.
The Board unanimously passed a resolution to post the bridge for a maximum load of ten tons, as recommended.
Hasbrouck said plans for replacing the bridge have been completed and the project is “shovel-ready.” Hasbrouck hopes to pounce on State aid when it becomes available and get Grafton’s application in early.
Turnaround On Old Siek Road
Highway Superintendent Herb Hasbrouck said he wanted to arrange with property owners at the end of Old Siek Road to get a right of way to construct a turnaround there so plow trucks can go to the end and have space to turn around. The Board unanimously authorized him to enter into an easement agreement with one or more of the landowners there.
Old Siek Road comes off of Tamarac Road in Brunswick near the Tomhannock Reservoir. The first two-thirds of the road is in Brunswick, and the last third is in Grafton.
2013 Financial Report
Higgins said the State Comptroller’s Office has asked the Town of Grafton to amend their 2013 financial report to correct what they call an “over accrual of Federal Revenue.”
The Town booked a receivable of $300,000 from FEMA money, even though they had only received $157,000 of it and had no reason to believe its arrival was imminent. The Comptroller said only the portion actually received be shown as revenue and recommended that the Town amend its report to make that correction. Higgins, seconded by Barbara Messenger, made a motion to make that correction, but Councilman Ungaro abstained, so the resolution failed to pass. Higgins said, “Well, I guess the books will remain screwed up.”
Tricks Of Memory
Rick Ungaro said he wants to see the minutes from the end-of-year meeting when the decision was made to put in the full $300,000. No one could produce said minutes, and some thought there are none. Higgins said Town Bookkeeper Maureen Seel had recommended booking only the FEMA money actually received and Councilpersons Ungaro, Crandall, and Claus voted to put in the $300k against her advice. But Ungaro said he thought it was a 4-1 vote, and he thought Councilperson Messenger had written the resolution, which she heatedly denied. The Eastwick Press did not cover that meeting.
Time Warner Ready
Time Warner Cable is ready to move forward with installing cable TV wires in town. They sent a Franchise Agreement for the Town’s approval. A Public Hearing will be held on it, and Higgins said he hopes to approve the agreement at next month’s meeting. Time Warner expects to begin hanging wires in September and complete the work by December.
Briefs
• Sue Putnam announced that she had appointed Cathy Goyer as another Deputy Clerk.
• Supervisor Higgins thanked Tom Withcuskey for volunteering to do landscaping and tree trimming around the Town Hall.
• Councilman Ungaro said he and Mike Crandall are going to power-wash some of the siding on the town Hall
• Assessor Galarneau sent a note saying a complaint had been received from R.J. Valente about their tax valuation, which is usually preliminary to a tax certiorari lawsuit challenging the assessment.
• The Dog Officer reported that he was called because of a report of a dog killing chickens, and he had issued a ticket.
• A letter was received from the Friends of the Dyken Pond Center with a $400 check in lieu of taxes for tax exempt land they hold near the County preserve. They noted that this land contains “ecologically valuable wetlands and forest lands” which also serve to expand the recreational and educational opportunities for visitors to the Dyken Pond Center.
• Supervisor Higgins said a letter had been received from CSEA asking the Town for all Town job titles currently unrepresented by a collective bargaining unit. He observed that it could have an impact on Town taxes if the Union were to organize Town employees.
• Herb Hasbrouck said he had met with representatives from the Babcock Lake Association about fire safety, and they had discussed the possibility of putting in dry hydrants at the lake.
• John Darling requested Town sponsorship and use of the Grafton Park for the Town Festival on Saturday, July 12, and the Board unanimously approved it.
• The Board unanimously approved Hasbrouck’s request to dispose of a scrap pickup truck which is broken and not worth repairing.[/private]