Mass Gatherings Law Is In The Works
by David Flint
The Stephentown Town Board has been put on notice that the Disc Jam Music Festival intends to return next summer to Gardner’s field. [private]Festival organizer Anthony Scavone appeared at Monday’s Town Board meeting to announce that the festival, which combines a music fest with a disc golf tournament and camping in the woods, would start on Thursday, June 9 and end on Sunday, June 12.
Town Supervisor Larry Eckhardt in turn put Mr. Scavone on notice that because of the “tremendous backlash” following last year’s festival, the Town was in the process of developing a mass gatherings law to regulate these kinds of events. Eckhardt recalled how the loud music last year never let up from Thursday to Monday and that during it and afterwards he received countless phone calls and emails complaining about the loud music that continued late into the night. The new law, he said, should be in effect by next April. It will regulate hours, traffic, the number of people, emergency service access, permits needed from the County and other entities, whether a liquor license is needed and so forth. There will be a fee for the permitting. He acknowledged that the site is ideal for such a gathering as it provides lots of parking and traffic control and easy access for emergency services. He added that the Board does not want to ban events like this. “We really do enjoy having people come and enjoy the area,” but the Town now intends to exert considerably more control.
Scavone said there is more time this year to plan and he pledged to reduce the noise and work together with the Board to achieve solutions. There will be a cap on the number of people attending, he said, and that would be about the same as last year. He noted that there was only one emergency call last year and that one due to someone forgetting to bring his insulin.
Agricultural Easements
Chris Krahling, Project Manager for the Agricultural Stewardship Association, informed the Board that he will be applying for funds to purchase farmland conservation easements on land belonging to Sugarbush Farm on East Road owned by Craig Chittenden, as well as on two other parcels of land in Berlin and Petersburgh. The State, he said, had recently opened up twenty million dollars in grant money for such easements in 11 counties in the Hudson Valley. The money comes from misconduct settlements made with Wall Street banks. Krahling requested that the Board provide a letter of support required for the application. There would be no other obligation on the part of the Town.
Krahling said that if an agricultural easement were purchased, the property would still remain on the tax rolls and up to the discretion of the Tax Assessor. Asked if the easement would set a maximum price for which the land could be sold, he said there is no language that stipulates sale prices. The land could be sold at whatever market value prevails. The easement restricts usage of the land to agricultural compatible uses but would not ensure that the land would always be farmed.
Eckhardt noted that in the recent planning survey completed in Stephentown, one of the top concerns expressed by residents was the preservation of agriculture and open space.
The Board said they would consider the matter further and, given no objections, they would provide the letter of support by January 9.
Solid Waste
Management
Eckhardt said that the Town will probably agree to a one-year extension of its contract with the Eastern Rensselaer County Solid Waste Management Authority (ERCSWMA). Most of the other member towns, he said, will do the same as the Authority figures out how to accommodate them with lower costs. He noted that the previous contract was for 25 years and the Town would not do that again.
Councilman Bill Jennings said that ERCSWMA is continuing to work on a major solar project for Rensselaer County. It has not gotten far yet but a vendor, Monolith Solar, has been chosen by the County.
Revenue In
Eckhardt reported that the Town is in much better shape than at this time last year as expected money has come in from several sources. A CHIPS (Consolidated Highway Improvement) payment came in at $128,171. The second mortgage tax distribution from the County was received in the amount of about $13,000 and the sales tax distribution was about $70,000. In addition to that, a check came from the State for Emergency Winter Storm damage in the amount of $19,700.
Town Out Of Loop On Playground Equipment
Asked about reports that the Berlin School Board has offered the playground equipment behind the former Stephentown Elementary School to the Town of New Lebanon, Eckhardt said that the Board had been informed earlier that the equipment would have to be moved sometime when any sale of the property was finalized. But he had not heard anything from the School Board recently about giving away the equipment. Councilman Jennings said he believed that the School Board some time ago discussed the equipment with the Stephentown Library, which is now running the Town’s youth program, and the Library made the decision that they could not take the equipment as they had plans for other uses of their land.
Eckhardt said there would be a number of things to be considered were the Town to have taken possession of the equipment, such as insurance. Jennings said, however, it would have been good if the Board had the opportunity to have a discussion about it, but “That apparently is not happening.”
When Neil Gardner asked what would become of the land on the east side of the school which includes a basketball court and soccer field, Councilman PJ Roder provided a bit of levity interjecting, “They’re going to give that to New Lebanon for a playground!” Eckhardt noted that the Town has been promised that the basketball court, for which the Town contributed some money, and the soccer field behind it would be available to the Town for recreation. If the Town did not end up with a deed to the land, the Town would at least keep it mowed.
Town To Seek Intervenor Status on Pipeline
Sandy Nathan provided the Board with copies of a number of local laws passed by towns regarding pipelines crossing roads. Eckhardt said the Board will be working with the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission to seek Intervenor status with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in its review of Kinder Morgan’s application for the Northeast Energy Direct gas pipeline. The 30-inch high pressure fracked gas pipeline is proposed to run through the Town along the National Grid electrical right of way into Massachusetts. The Town earlier, in conjunction with Rensselaer County and the Towns of Schodack and Nassau, passed a resolution opposing the pipeline.
The Board passed the following Resolutions:
• Request NYSEG to remove a “turnpike” type fixture at Garfield and Presbyterian Hill Roads, that never worked properly and cost three times as much as any other light, and replace it with a “cobra head” fixture of the same wattage.
• Accept a bid from Kathleen Olson for cleaning of the Town Hall for the year 2016 for $17 per hour, 4.5 hours a week.
• Approve Tax Collector Mary Grant to make deposits to and write checks from First Niagara Bank.
• Award bids to provide Road Materials for 2016 to Richard G. Senter, Quality Construction and Rifenburg Construction and leave the decision of purchasing materials up to the discretion of the Highway Superintendent.
Deposits & Spending
The Town Clerk turned over the sum of $1,498.59 to the Supervisor for the month of November. The distribution from the Office of the State Comptroller, Justice Court Fund to the Town was $1,146. The Transfer Station deposited a total of $5,736.
The Board audited and approved claims in the amount of $40,013.35 from the General Account and $41,601.95 from the Highway Account. These claims included a total of $56,983 split between the two accounts for New York State pension contribution.
The Board set its Reconciliation Meeting for Monday, December 28, the Organizational Meeting for Monday, January 4, its next workshop meeting for Monday, January 11 and its next regular meeting for Monday, January 18, all meetings to begin at 7 pm.[/private]