by David Flint
The second music festival held this year in Stephentown has apparently concluded with few complaints and earned to some extent the approval of the Town Board. FractalFest 2016 was held on Neil Gardner’s property July 8-9, mostly in the woods, or as the Fractaltribe organizers, would have it, in “Fractal Forest, NY, USA”.
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Fractaltribe, according to its Mission Statement, is “a community of artists, musicians and organizers dedicated to creating meaningful experiences and immersive atmospheres; celebrations which foster creative expression in a healthy and supportive environment through the vessel of psychedelic music and culture.”
At the Town Board meeting on Monday, July 18, Town Supervisor Larry Eckhardt said that he did receive a few complaints on Friday night but when he checked with the complainants later there was no response. Councilman Bill Jennings said he had heard of complaints about loud bass booming on Friday night up to 3 am on Saturday morning. Eckhardt passed the complaints on to the festival organizers. One of them, Aaron Grehan, who was at the meeting, said that they immediately sent out technicians with sound meters to investigate. He said they had a map of problem areas and he believed they were able to resolve the issues by turning the sound down until it could not be heard in the problem areas.
Eckhardt said that whatever they did, it seemed to have worked for Saturday night as there were no complaints then. He said his biggest concern about these festivals when lightning storms are brewing is always for the safety of the crowds attending. Asked if the stormy weather had affected the festival, Grehan said that it had affected the attendance but not the atmosphere. He noted that they had an emergency plan in effect and they were carefully monitoring the weather. Eckhardt agreed that there had apparently been no emergency response issues.
Fish Friendly Road Crossings
With the help of the Rensselaer County Soil & Water Conservation District, the Town has qualified for a grant from the State Water Quality Improvement Program (WQIP). The grant will enable the Highway Department to remove culverts on Calvin Cole Road and Moore Hill Road and replace them with larger culverts that are designed so that fish can more easily get through them.
The Board passed a resolution approving the grant contract and stipulating that the work will be completed under the direction of the Highway Superintendent and at his discretion as to how the work will be performed.
Road Cut Fees And Bond Tabled
The Board adopted a local law in April regulating any cuts through Town roads or sidewalks. They now moved a resolution setting a permit fee of $2,500 per cut across a road and the posting of a $5,000 bond or a $2,500 deposit.
Billy Hammersmith, however, raised the question as to whether any distinction was being made between commercial and residential projects. He said he had recently done a project involving a road cut that cost $1,500. For a $1,500 project would he have to pay a $2,500 fee? Although Eckhardt noted the the law gives the Highway Superintendent discretion to waive fees or not, the question caused a discussion among Board members regarding the ambiguity in the law and the resolution just read. Councilman PJ Roder said he would like to revisit the whole issue. The Board then passed a resolution tabling the resolution until the distinction between commercial and residential can be clarified.
Transfer Station
Jennings reported that everything is going smoothly at the Transfer Station. He noted that user permits for the upcoming year can now be purchased and the price is $25. New user permits must be purchased by August 1.
Jennings said that a company has expressed interest in taking fluorescent bulbs. They would charge 25 cents per foot to take them away. At present you cannot dispose of these bulbs at the Transfer Station. Jennings said the Board would consider this offer but they want to know if residents are interested.
Dog Control
Eckhardt reported that expenses for Dog Control have gone substantially over budget. Just this month The Town paid a bill to Pondview Country Kennels in the amount of $252 comprising a week of boarding fees for two dogs. The Board hopes to get some of the expenses back through the court system. He noted that Pondview has to keep stray dogs picked up for a certain amount of time and also adhere to all stipulations in the Agriculture & Markets law.
Eckhardt said that dog control is not an easy task for a municipality to deal with and he is thankful the Town has people that know the law and follow the rules as best they can. “Usually nobody wins,” he said, “including the dog.”
Deposits & Spending
The Town Clerk turned over the sum of $1,579.42 to the Supervisor for the month of June. The distribution from the office of the State Comptroller, Justice Court Fund to the Town was $9,468. The Transfer Station deposited a total of $6,406.
The Board audited and approved claims in the amount of $12,092.41 from the General Account and $30,950.10 from the Highway Account.
The Board set its next workshop meeting for Monday, August 8 and its next regular meeting for Monday, August 15, both meetings to start at 7 pm.
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