The Great Trailer Court Saga Continues
By Thaddeus Flint
So, here’s something new. Stephentown, at its April 16 Board meeting, provided everyone who wanted one, a copy of the March Board meeting minutes, like they always do. Not all towns do this. At others you have to search for them online to see what happened. Sometimes you even find them. But Stephentown provides the minutes so you can see what happened last month at the same time a new meeting is happening this month. What was unusual this month is that the March minutes are 21 pages long. Normally they don’t even completely cover both sides of two pages. Someone had also taken the time to highlight–in a firm hand and a fat yellow highlighter– a few sentences of each and every copy of the minutes that were then distributed to the public. That doesn’t ordinarily happen. Anywhere.
But the past months have been more unordinary than ordinary in Stephentown. Since the Brian Baker Vs. the Town of Stephentown regarding the Hanson’s Trailer Park case more or less started to weave its way into more of the workings, and non-workings, of the Town’s government, one never knows what to expect next.
The yellow hand-highlighted 21 page minutes is just such an example. But after last month’s meeting it sort of makes sense. At the March 19 meeting, Councilman P.J. Roder read from a letter he said was written by Baker regarding the Roder family relationship with the Hanson family. “Lies!” was Roder’s summation of the accusations. However, he didn’t exactly pass it around so everyone could see what he was reading from. Well, that’s fixed now.
The highlighted text in the minutes was from a February 16 letter from Baker to Roland Barth, Chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals, and “other members.” It starts off saying “I submit my opposition statement to Mr. Better’s [attorney for the Hansons] legal papers of February 1, 2018.” The letter is rather long and contains some of that legalese that can bring on migraines in non-lawyers, but it also references Sir Walter Scott, and a saying about ducks, so all in all it’s pretty readable. (If you don’t have a copy, you can probably still get a highlighted version at the Town Hall.) Or you can just skip to the yellow, which reads: “but it is my firm belief the P.J. Roder has had a long and ongoing relationship with the Hansons.
In addition, his wife is the daughter of Paul and Rita Sykes, who sold the old mobile home park to Hanson, are related to the Hansons, as has been noted.”
Of course that wasn’t the end of Baker Vs. Stephentown for the night, mostly because Baker was in attendance and had some further updates, but also because it sometimes seems that this case, and all the other cases spawning off it, will go on forever. Baker’s latest position was that even though the ZBA voted 3 to 1 to disallow the permit, the Town has yet to take any action. “Does the Town have a positon in regard to supporting the ZBA?” Baker asked Town Supervisor Larry Eckhardt.
“We are a wait-and-see,” responded Eckhardt, “because there are other pending litigations.”
In the meantime, as Stephentown waits-and-sees, Baker says the Hansons have added another trailer to the property. “It appears to me, that unless this Town chooses to do something, the Hansons will willy-nilly intentionally continue to go forward and expand,” said Baker.
Speaking to The Eastwick Press, Mr. Hanson said “he could think of nothing to say to dignify that statement.” While the second trailer is now on site, neither can be rented out until Mr. Hanson obtains a Certificate of Occupancy, something he says he has not yet applied for.
Eckhardt did say that at some point “we are going to have to come to a meeting of the minds.” and asking Baker what he thought would be a “beneficial” solution for all parties.
Baker replied that he was “not at liberty to say,” adding that the “laws should be followed not flouted.” Baker also noted that Stephentown on one hand promotes itself as a nice place to live with such events as Celebrate Stephentown, but on the other doesn’t enforce it’s zoning which would frighten away the very people it wants to attract. “Why would anyone want to come here?”
“Keep your mouths shut,” advised Highway Superintendent, Aldi Goodermote, to Eckhardt and the Board. “Anything you say will come back to ‘bite’ you later.”
As if the word “bite” was some kind of magic word of summons, Bob Burns of Pondview Kennels then got up asked what was going on with a “Notice of Claim” he filed back in August for money, he says, Stephentown owes for boarding.
The Supervisor replied, saying it was “the opinion of the Board that we don’t owe you the money.” The reason? “We didn’t think you were holding a dog correctly, or legally,” said Eckhardt.
This is another convoluted case that appears like it could go on and on. As Burns wasn’t happy with Eckhardt’s response, he looked over at the man in the room with a track record of making different responses happen. “Mr. Baker, I would like to talk to you later,” said Burns. “This is crazy.”
For those keeping score at home, Stephentown’s legal fees paid in April were $13,952.50. The attorney budget is $12,500. For the entire year.
But not all is gloom and doom, because If you have hazardous waste piling up around the house you can now get rid of it, legally. Councilman Bill Jennings asked that residents take note of the upcoming Hazardous Waste Collection day which will be held at the Stephentown Transfer Station on April 28. The collection is open to residents of all ERCSWMA towns, however you need to register with ERCSWMA first, either online at WWW.ERCSWMA.ORG/HAZARDOUS-WASTE-REGFORM, or by calling 518-687-1018.