The January Town Board Meeting was held on January 7, 2016 immediately following the Organizational Meeting at the Town of Rochester Town Hall.
PRESENT:
Supervisor Chipman Councilwoman Chachkin Councilman Drabkin
Councilwoman Fornino Councilman Spano Town Clerk Gundberg
Attorney Christiana
PUBLIC COMMENT:
Gerry Fornino congratulated reappointments to The Board. Thank you for the appointment to Emergency Management Coordinator.
Ronald Lapp our new Ulster County Legislator for district 21. He thanked everyone for their support and looks forward to working with the Town Board and the County Legislature to get the job done.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
A Motion was made by Councilwoman Chachkin to approve the minutes of the 12/04/2015, Town Board Meeting, and 12/29/2015 Audit Workshop Meeting.
Seconded by: Councilman Spano 5-0 aye, motion carried
SUPERVISORS REPORT: Filed with the Town Clerk
LEGAL UPDATES: nothing to report.
SUPERVISOR’S UPDATE/ CORRESPONDENCE RECEIVED:
Supervisor Chipman welcomed everyone to a new year!! 2016 is going to be a busy year filled with lots of accomplishments.
Supervisor Chipman had a meeting with the Governor’s office regarding Broadband in the Town of Rochester.
Construction of the new bridge on Route 209 in Accord by the Rondout/ Rochester creek is to begin the Spring of 2016. Currently Precision Engineer is surveying the creek work now.
The addition to the Community Center should be complete by July 2016 adding the food pantry and an emergency shelter to the Residents of the Town thanks to NYRising.
Also the Alligerville Firehouse will receive monies from NYRising as well which will serve as a great location site for emergency shelter space.
A study of the feasibility of water in the Hamlet of Accord will be conducted.
LIASION REPORTS:
Councilwoman Chachkin: HPC: 12/21 meeting plans to have Neil Larson do historical survey of the Hamlet of Accord have been placed on hold. The commission is discussing spearheading a committee to conduct a plan for revitalizing the hamlet of Accord, which is a goal in the comprehensive plan. Planning Board: final approval for the Crested Hen was granted for a 2 year application. The Board Thanked Mike Baden for all his work !! A Job well done to say the least.
Councilwoman Fornino: YC: Youth Commission trip to Hunter Mountain snow tubing 1/18/16. Sign-ups for the summer program will begin shortly. There was a discussion on computer software and new computers.
Councilman Drabkin: ZBA: nothing to report. Hwy: Highway Superintendent Wayne Kelder read aloud; Snow plow season is upon us! The Highway Department may inadvertently hit a
mailbox or the weight of the snow may damage the mailbox or post. At this time we will no longer be replacing mailboxes that may have been damaged or knocked down due to snow plowing and ice removal. Please be aware that mailboxes are placed in the town right of way, mailboxes that are properly installed and maintained generally do not interfere with snow removal. The U.S. Postal Service has specific policies regarding mailbox placement
for safety reasons. Please contact your local postmaster for any questions on mailbox placement. You may also contact my office with any questions or concerns. We also would like to remind residents that it is unlawful to plow/move snow across town roads. If snow is placed in the roadway the individual doing so becomes legally liable. Snow left in the roadways is hazardous and can do extensive damage to a vehicle. In addition to the above we would also like to kindly remind our residents that garbage bins placed too close to the roadway are subject to being hit by the snowplow. It is very difficult to navigate around such obstacles. Although we do our very best to maintain the roadways during inclement weather please use extreme caution while navigating the roads.
APPROVAL OF BID ITEMS ON AUCTION INTERNATIONAL:
Resolution # 27-2016:
A Motion was made by Councilman Spano to approve the following surplus bids on Auction International;
General/ Transfer Station:
1994 international school bus $ 860.00
Walk behind 48” Sickle Bar Mower $ 330.00
Canon image copier 2800 series $ 12.00
Highway Department:
Adjusta Bucket 5’ wide jaw opening grapple $ 2,260.00
Slashbuster mini 360b brush cutter $ 2,750.00
Stanley MB-350 Excavator mounted Breaker $ 4,170.00
Orsi 17’ Arm Mower 9 (diamond) $ 4,551.00
Swenson all purpose body 10’ Dump Body $ 610.00
1991 Komatsu PW-60-3 Excavator $ 7,223.22
Seconded by: Councilwoman Chachkin 5-0aye, motion carried
Councilman Spano: nothing to report
Supervisor Chipman: ECC: discussed goals for the 2016 year at the last meeting. One goal is to have a natural resources inventory of cultural, historical, and agricultural lands.
Supervisor Chipman briefed the board and the audience on phone line and e-mail address difficulties. When the Town switched from analog to digital hvc.rr.com e-mail addresses were compromised and are no longer available. Please be patient as we revert to government e-mail addresses.
NEW/OLD BUSINESS:
EMPLOYEE ZERO TOLERANCE DRUG/ ALCOHOL POLICY:
The policy is currently under review by Michael Richardson. Once Michael Richardson reviews it the policy will be forwarded to the IBEW Union Rep.
PLANNING BOARD / ZBA ATTENDENCE/ TRAINING POLICY:
Supervisor Chipman thanked Sherry for all her work!
Resolution # 28-2016:
A Motion was made by Councilwoman Chachkin to schedule a public hearing on 1/28/16 at 5:30pm at the Town of Rochester Town Hall regarding proposed Local Law #1-2016 Amending Chapter 34-3.B of the Town Code and for the Town Clerk to advertise the same.
Seconded by: Councilman Drabkin 5-0aye, motion carried
Resolution # 29-2016:
A Motion was made by Councilman Spano to adopt the attendance policy of the Planning and Zoning Board of Appeals as discussed at the 12/29/15 Audit workshop meeting.
Seconded by: Councilman Drabkin 5-0aye, motion carried
ADVERTISE FOR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS:
Resolution # 30-2016:
A Motion was made by Councilwoman Chachkin to authorize the Town Clerk to advertise for vacancies on all boards and commission for the Town of Rochester. Letters of interest are to be sent to the Town of Rochester Supervisor no later than 1/25/2016.
Seconded by: Councilwoman Fornino 5-0aye, motion carried
PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD:
Mike Baden thanked The Board for moving forward with the attendance/ training policy changes. He also questioned if content in the old e-mail addresses are available. Unfortunately all the content is gone.
Gerry Fornino discussed the importance of have the facilities at the Community Center and Firehouse built properly for these shelter centers.
ADJOURNMENT:
A Motion was made by Councilman Spano to adjourn the meeting at 7:58 pm.
Seconded by: Councilman Drabkin 5-0aye, motion carried
Respectfully Submitted,
Kathleen A. Gundberg
Town Clerk