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DRAFT Regular Meeting April 11, 2005 Charlton Town Board Saratoga County New York
After the pledge to the flag, the invocation was given by Town Clerk Gail Hanchar.
At the regular meeting of the Town Board of Charlton, Saratoga County, New York held at 7:30 P.M. at the Charlton Town Hall, called to order by Supervisor Acunto, there were present:
Councilman Alan Grattidge Councilman Robert Lippiello Councilman Dorothy Mitchell Councilman Sandra Verola Supervisor Ferdinand Acunto
Motion made by Councilman Grattidge, seconded by Councilman Lippiello that the minutes of the March 14 Town Board Meeting, the March 28 Informational Meeting and the March 28 Agenda Meeting be accepted as received:
Approved: Councilman Grattidge Yes Councilman Lippiello Yes Councilman Mitchell Yes Councilman Verola Yes Supervisor Acunto Yes
ABSTRACT OF CLAIMS:
The total of the bills approved at the Agenda Meeting was $ 150,997.10.
Vouchers for the month were #1255 - #1362.
TOWN CLERK’S REPORT:
Gail Hanchar read the Town Clerk’s Report. She reported taking in $90.42. Motion made by Councilman Grattidge, seconded by Councilman Verola. PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.
PRIVILEGE OF THE FLOOR (Agenda Items):
No comments.
SUPERVISOR’S REPORT AND ANNOUNCEMENTS:
March expenditures and revenue: General Fund – Expenditures of $105,495.89. Revenue of $8,836.80. Highway Fund – Expenditures of $107,990.66. Revenue of $64,061.37. Water Fund – Expenditures of $6,165.74.
Major expenditures: General Fund – Law Contractual of $5,887.50, Buildings-Operation of Plant of $49,896.09, Police Contractual of $1,032.66, Safety Inspections of $1,793.00, Planning Contractual of $2,872.92 and Community Human Services Contractual of $1,102.50. Highway Fund – Maintenance of Roads Contractual of $1,444.31, Machinery Capital Outlay of $74,1512.52 for backhoe, Machinery Contractual of $1,104.35 and Snow Removal Contractual of $3,390.74.
Water District #1 – Source and Supply of $1,599.09 and Transmission and Distribution Contractual of $1,435.83. Water District #2 – Expenditure of $174.64
Major revenue: General Fund – Planning Board fees of $2,500.00 and Interest and Earnings of $6,000.00+. Highway Fund – Sales Tax Distribution of $63,513.00.
There were 973 hits on the web site this month.
There will be a bid opening for the sale of the 1999 police car at the April 25 Agenda Meeting.
An E-Government Seminar will be held on May 13. Torben Aabo, George Eggleston, Bob Lippiello, Sandy Verola, John Kelley and Fred will attend.
The Veteran’s Float will be a part of the Founder’s Day Parade. Any Veteran who wishes to ride on the float should contact Supervisor Acunto.
Niagara Mohawk is doing away with the sub-station on Route 67. It is possible that it will be up for sale. It was decided that we might be interested in purchasing the property if it goes up for sale.
Last month we received a draft of the charter the Technology Board had proposed. Councilman Lippiello questioned two of the items listed that they felt they should be consulted for. These were chemical purchases and uses and the design and construction of buildings and structures. He is not sure this is the intent of the committee. He also questioned that they should be consulted for the services related to the maintenance of the equipment. Councilman Verola said that there currently is a lot of expertise on that committee regarding chemicals but should that committee change, the expertise could change. She feels chemical purchases could be eliminated. George Eggleston explained that the intent regarding the design of buildings was to compare any technical wiring that would be required to increase technology. George said that the committee felt they should be consulted regarding maintenance so they could advise the town on the best way to go. Councilman Verola said that she thought the Technology Board would look at different companies that would meet our maintenance needs. The proposed charter will be sent back to the Technology Board with comments from the Town Board and they can work on it a little more.
The Alplaus Creek has been stocked with 300 brook trout in several locations. They will do two more stocking of the Alplaus. When they are done, we should have 900 trout in the creek.
We were contact by a member of the Garden Club regarding the flower boxes at the Town Hall. They need to be replaced. They will get some estimates for the Agenda Meeting.
The Town has “dunks” available at no cost. They only work in standing water or wetlands.
Dave Meager, our insurance consultant, has sent a breakdown of our coverage for this year. Supervisor Acunto will try and arrange a meeting with him on Wednesday, April 27 at 4:00 P.M.
COMMUNICATIONS:
The Burnt Hills Ballston Lake Flag Day Parade will be held on June 9 at 7:00 P.M. We have received an invitation to participate. Line-up is at 6:00 P.M. at the Burnt Hills Bowling Alley. We will participate.
We received a letter from Niagara Mohawk notifying us that they will be doing a survey of their gas facilities beginning in early April and continuing through November. They will begin at 5:00 A.M., Monday through Friday. They will have identification cards and a company vehicle.
We received a letter from the Historical Society with a concern about records that we are in possession of. Gail has responded.
ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER:
Lee reminded residents that there is a leash law. There have been no cases of rabies in town. The dog enumeration will begin soon. We will get Lee a magnetic sign for his truck for identification.
ASSESSMENT REVIEW BOARD:
Grievance Day will be Tuesday, May 24. We do not have the hours yet.
ASSESSORS:
They have been busy conducting appointments and returning phone calls. The Tentative Tax Roll will be published May 1. If you have a concern about your assessment, there is still time to talk.
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN:
Steve Caine reported that based on a lot of input from the community 14 goals have been established. The contracting consultant has developed strategies on how to achieve the goals. We have broken into 4 sub-committees that have been meeting studying each of the strategies and identifying whether they will accept them or if they will be rejected or if there are questions about them. These are being forwarded to other members of the committee that aren’t on that particular sub-committee and also to our consultant. On May 2 at 7:00 P.M. at the Town Hall, the consultant will explain the rational she used in proposing these things and will answer questions, specifically addressing those things we think we might reject or we have questions about. The sub-committees will then go back after they have heard her remarks and decide which ones they will reject and recommend accepting. We will then come back together and work through those and all these things will be drawn together. We will be having a public hearing before we bring anything to the Town Board. The meetings are open to everyone. There is a lot of information on the web site under Comprehensive Plan Project.
CONSTABLES:
For the month of March there were 29 patrols, answered 3 911 calls and 3 EMS assistance calls, covered 2,159 miles, issued 28 tickets and investigated 2 accidents.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION COMMISSION:
The Road Side Clean Up and Tree Give Away will be April 30.
E-GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE:
The Committee is expanding the web site. John Kelley has developed a new tool that will be in place very soon. It is called a CMS, Continuous Management System. It will allow employees of the town to update areas they are responsible for. This new service will allow committees to e-mail each other through the web site without their e-mail addresses becoming public. We will be updating the Bulletin Board section of the web site. That will be a place that will be used for emergency messages.
EMERGENCY PLANNING COMMITTEE:
Supervisor Acunto suggested the committee look at evacuation procedures for the unexpected.
HIGHWAY:
The town-wide bulk pickup will be May 2 – May 6. We are working in cooperation with County Waste and Recycling this year. We will be making one pass through town. We will probably start on the main roads on Monday morning and move very quickly through the town. Put out your items over the weekend. They will be taking household furniture, TV’s, computers, mattresses, air conditioners, lawn mowers, glass, all metals, washers, dryers and hot water heaters. Items they will not take will be brush, demolition materials, paint, motor vehicle engines, tires, propane tanks or any hazardous waste materials. County Waste and Recycling will pick up all leaves, grass clippings and brush starting April 7. They will pick up for all Charlton residents at no charge. Brush needs to be cut in 5’ lengths and tied in bundles. Grass clippings or leaves need to be in bio-degradable bags or placed in separate trash cans. We do not sell bags at the Town Hall. DeGraff Road, Dawson Road, Lasher Road will be reconstructed
this year. They spent a lot of time with clean up after the heavy rain.
HISTORIAN:
The architect for the new town hall asked for a report on the land of the site for the new town hall. We are now involved in a cultural resource investigation which is part of the environmental review process for that land. The Stauffers are coming back for the Founder’s Day weekend. Laura is in the process of preparing a resolution honoring them. On May 7 flags will be placed on the veteran’s graves. This will be done with middle school students. They will meet at Jeremiah Smith Cemetery on Swaggertown Road at 9:15 A.M. Anyone is invited to help. The flags are purchased by the Galway American Legion Post. Jenna Smith, a senior at Galway School, was chosen as a semi-finalist in the Coca Cola Scholars Program, a nationwide competition. Our veterans used to carry the flag at the front of the Founder’s Day Parade but are no longer able to do that. They will be riding in a red car at the front of the parade. We have students from Charlton Heights School now carry the flag for us. If there are any veterans that would like to take on that responsibility, please let Laura know. May 1-3 is the Association of Public Historians of New York State meeting in Amsterdam. The featured speaker will be the author of The Island at the Center of the World, a history on the founding of Manhattan and the Dutch colony that New York was before it became part of the United States. The book has sold 60,000 copies. May 14 is the Region 5 Association of Public Historians Meeting which will be held at Fort Edward. Laura will be attending the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference in Albany on April 22-23. She has been working with the Local Government Records Management section of the New York State Archives evaluating grants and learning about what we could be doing here as part of grant writing. Members of the Records Advisory Board will be attending the New York State Archives Local Government Records Management Workshop on Electronic Document Imaging on May 6 in Ballston Spa. The theme of the Founder’s Day Parade this year will be Our Dairy Farms. The Schenectady County Historian Society is celebrating their 100th birthday this year. Last week they had a series of programs about the history of Schenectady County. The “Y” at the end of Dawson Road and Crane Street is part of Charlton’s character. Laura said she can understand how in modern times you can want to take those away but it is part of the character of the rural nature of Charlton. As we remove those things we do change the nature and character of our town. Think carefully as we do those things. They are traffic calmers.
HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION:
They will be meeting April 20 at the Town Hall. LIBRARY:
They will be having a reception for the young artists that have had their materials displayed. That will be June 4 from 1:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M.
PARKS:
We have had 4 request for use of our parks. Two are for Elmer Smith and two are for Gideon Hawley. We will be meeting on Wednesday, April 13. We will be walking around Elmer Smith Park starting at 6:30 P.M. Supervisor Acunto said that the flag in Gideon Hawley needs to be replaced. George will work with Ron.
PLANNING BOARD:
They are meeting on April 18. They have quite a number of issues on their agenda.
RECORDS ADVISORY BOARD:
We have a book at Brown’s River Records Preservation being preserved. Our next meeting will be April 28. We are looking at the care of records in the new town hall.
TECHNOLOGY ADVISORY BOARD:
They are working on their charter and the inventory of computer equipment and associated software. The next meeting is April 19.
TOWN HALL:
An Informational Meeting was held at our last Agenda Meeting. We have a resolution prepared for tonight releasing the capital reserve fund. We are entering into a contract with the archeological company. Laura, Sandy and Alan walked the site with them last week. They will be starting a study once we have approved the contract.
VETERAN’S RECOGNITION BOARD:
There are about 70 new names to add to the Board this Memorial Day when the Historical Society holds it’s Veteran’s Remembrance Program at 2:00 P.M. at Gideon Hawley Park. If there are additional names, we will include them in next year’s update. The cost for placing these names on the Board is $132.00.
Motion made by Councilman Lippiello, seconded by Councilman Verola, A Motion to authorize the Veteran’s Recognition Board Committee to spend up to $150.00 for the printing of new names of veterans to be added to the Board, be approved:
Approved: Councilman Grattidge Yes Councilman Lippiello Yes Councilman Mitchell Yes Councilman Verola Yes Supervisor Acunto Yes
WATER:
John would like to begin work the Environmental Design Partnership to develop the specifications for the painting of the water tower and the creek crossing at Little Troy in order to put these two jobs out to bid.
Motion made by Councilman Lippiello, seconded by Councilman Grattidge, A Motion that the board approve John Morgan working with EDP to get the specifications ready for bid for the painting of the water tower and crossing the Alplaus Creek, be approved:
Approved: Councilman Grattidge Yes Councilman Lippiello Yes Councilman Mitchell Yes Councilman Verola Yes Supervisor Acunto Yes
ZBA:
They are having a Public Hearing tomorrow night.
ZONING ADMINISTRATOR:
For the month of March the issued 4 permits, issued 4 CO’s and collected $485.00. The tanks were removed from the Getty Station on Stage Road.
ZONING ORDINANCE REVIEW COMMITTEE:
They are still meeting but are waiting for the Comprehensive Plan to make their report.
RESOLUTIONS:
Attorney Bob VanVranken spoke on the proposed resolution, A Resolution Authorizing the Issuance and Sale of Serial Bonds for the Construction of a Town Hall and Authorizing the Expenditure of Funds from the Town Capital Reserve Fund of the Town of Charlton subject to Permission Referendum. There are three or four pieces to the resolution. The first piece has to do with an existing Capital Reserve Fund that was established in 1996. It has approximately $750,000.00 in it. It is the intent of the Town Board to use that money toward the purchase and construction of the Town Hall. In order to do that, there must be a resolution authorizing the use of that money. That is subject to permissive referendum. The second piece of money is the general funds or unexpended balance that do not need authorization from the voters to be spent by the town. This money the Town Board has control over and is not subject to a permissive referendum. The third piece of money is money the Town Board has through its General Fund. The Board has already started to expend some of those funds, particularly for the payment of the architect. The resolution includes the continuing expenditure of those funds which don’t need any authorization to spend. The final issue is the authority of the town to issue Serial Bonds. That is subject to permissive referendum. Two of the expenditures are subject to permissive referendum and two are under the discretion of the Town Board. There had seemed to be some question about the difference between a mandatory referendum and a permissive referendum. A mandatory referendum is generally not applicable in town financing. It has to do with those situations where there is a substantive legislative change in which there is a mandatory referendum or vote that must go to the public. It’s not optional. A permissive referendum is a case in which there are certain procedures that must follow this resolution, if it is passed tonight, and those include within 10 days of the passage of the resolution, the Town Clerk publish this resolution in a local newspaper which is The Daily Gazette and post it wherever the posting is done in the Town for the General Election. There is a time frame that starts to tick tonight which is 30 days from tonight, if the resolution is passed. During that 30 days, if the Town receives a petition to hold an election or vote on the resolution, then it must do that. The permission referendum, under Section 91 of the Town Law, says in essence, that if 5% of the voters of the Town of Charlton who voted in the last gubernatorial election, sign a petition to have this resolution and its terms as to the Capital Reserve Expenditure and as to the Serial Bond Resolution put to a vote of the public and is signed by the required number of people, then another procedure starts. The other procedure is that within no less than 60 days from that 30 days nor more than 75 days, there is a special election which is a town-wide vote. The results of that vote will determine whether the Serial Bond portion of this resolution and the expenditure of the Capital Funds portion of this resolution can go forward. If it is positive, it can go forward. If it is negative it cannot. There is almost no mandatory voting on financial aspects of town government. You will see it more often with schools. With towns, it is mostly permissive referendum.
The Town Board read the entire resolution.
Motion made by Councilman Grattidge, seconded by Councilman Verola that Resolution #76, A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE ISSUANCE AND SALE OF SERIAL BONDS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A TOWN HALL AND AUTHORIZING THE EXPENDITURE OF FUNDS FROM THE TOWN CAPITAL RESERVE FUND OF THE TOWN OF CHARLTON SUBJECT TO PERMISSIVE REFERENDUM, be approved:
Approved: Councilman Grattidge Yes Councilman Lippiello Yes Councilman Mitchell Yes Councilman Verola Yes Supervisor Acunto Yes
Motion made by Councilman Grattidge, seconded by Councilman Verola that Resolution #77, A RESOLUTION TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT FOR ARCHEOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT SERVICES WITH LANDMARK ARCHEOLOGICAL, INC. OF ALTAMONT, NEW YORK, be approved:
Approved: Councilman Grattidge Yes Councilman Lippiello Yes Councilman Mitchell Yes Councilman Verola Yes Supervisor Acunto Yes
Motion made by Councilman Grattidge, seconded by Councilman Verola that Resolution #78, A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE SUPERVISOR TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT FOR TRASH REMOVAL SERVICES WITH COUNTY WASTE OF CLIFTON PARK, NEW YORK, be approved:
This is a contract for trash removal from the highway garage. We are changing vendors.
Approved: Councilman Grattidge Yes Councilman Lippiello Yes Councilman Mitchell Yes Councilman Verola Yes Supervisor Acunto Yes
COUNCILMAN REPORTS:
Councilman Lippiello – Nothing additional. Councilman Verola – Nothing more. Councilman Grattidge – There will be a Party in the Park Meeting on April 27 at 7:30 P.M. The information that we presented the night of our Informational Meeting was updated to reflect the total cost of the construction. I apologize to the supervisor and the rest of the board for not having that information the night of the Informational Meeting. We had been concentrating on this project for the last number of years and concentrating heavily on the construction costs of the building. The assumptions that we gave that night were based on the construction costs. I do have copies of the presentation that was given that night. They are available. They do reflect additional fees of the architect, construction manager and incidental fees for moving from one hall to another. We have been working on this project every month since Fred has come into office because he has made it a priority of his administration to see this project through. We have had a number of outreach meetings with different organizations. We have met with many members of the committee that was originally formed back in the 1980’s or 1990’s when they evaluated this town hall. I would be happy to talk with anyone that has questions. We are making a presentation to the Senior Citizens on Wednesday morning at 9:30 A.M. The architect will be here. Drawings are available in the Town Hall. Councilman Mitchell – Thursday is the deadline for the newsletter.
PRIVILEGE OF THE FLOOR:
Jay Price – Featherbed Lane – Mr. Price submitted a letter requesting a speed reduction on Featherbed Lane to 25 MPH. He stated that there have been various accidents and death and destruction of animals. Cheryl Doyle – Featherbed Lane - Read a letter dated September 13, 2001 that she received from Supervisor Acunto sharing her concerns about the speed limit on Featherbed Lane. She believes at that time Featherbed Lane was made a dead end. It is not a dead end. The school buses travel the road at 50 MPH. She feels the Town would not have to spend as much money on road repair if the speed limit was reduced.
Supervisor Acunto explained that the Town of Charlton is considered by the State of New York as a town of the Second Class. Because of that, the Town Board is not allowed to set speed limits. When we received a request for a speed reduction, we pass a resolution authorizing that the request be sent to the Saratoga County Commissioner of Public Works. He submits the request to NYS Department of Transportation. DOT will do an analysis of the road and then send a determination to the Town. If the request for the reduction is approved, we then erect an appropriate sign. It was decided we would hold the request for two weeks so that we could include any further documentation from Mr. Price to support this request. We can only request a speed reduction in our jurisdiction from Route 67 to the Town line.
Motion made by Councilman Lippiello, seconded by Councilman Mitchell that Resolution #79, A RESOLUTION REQUESTING A SPEED REDUCTION ON MAPLE AVENUE/FEATHERBED LANE, be approved:
Approved: Councilman Grattidge Yes Councilman Lippiello Yes Councilman Mitchell Yes Councilman Verola Yes Supervisor Acunto Yes
Kevin Stone – Charlton Road – Read the following letter:
April 11, 2005
Charlton Town Board Town Hall Charlton, New York 12019
To the Charlton Town Board,
We thank the Town Board and the Town Hall Committee for all their hard work in the development of the proposed new town hall. It is an impressive building. We support the construction of a new town hall to address the limitations of the existing town hall’s office space, parking, meeting room size and storage for the town records.
However, we are very concerned with the new town hall’s proposed construction costs of $2.9 million and the size of the proposed new town hall (9,200 sq ft, not including the 4,000 sq ft basement) compared to the town’s existing approximately 2,200 sq ft town hall. Is this the right size building for Charlton, a town of 4,000 people? Most importantly, though, we are concerned about the Charlton Town Board’s decision not to schedule a vote by the people of Charlton to approve the new town hall’s design, size, and costs. It is our understanding that the Town Board does not plan to solicit the approval for the final town hall design and cost by means of a vote by the people of the Town of Charlton. We strongly believe that such action by the Town Board is contrary to the best interests of the citizens of Charlton.
The proposed new town hall total costs is estimated to be $3.2 million when you add the architect fee of 11% to the total construction costs. This proposed new town hall is probably the largest capital expenditure the Town Board has ever considered for Charlton. The people of the Town of Charlton should have a right to approve the use of approximately $1.9 million of the town’s $3.0 million in cash and the issuance of approximately $1.0 million in bond notes for the town hall.
Furthermore, as we understand the state of the Town of Charlton’s finances (see attached Town of Charlton Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2004), the source of the $1.9 million in cash will be from a $0.75 million Capital Reserve Fund and $1.1 million from the Town of Charlton’s General Fund. The remaining $1 million in town cash is in the Water District #1 Reserve ($0.6 million) and the Highway Reserve ($0.4 million). This means the cost of the new town hall will use almost 100% of the Town of Charlton’s unrestricted reserves and the cost of future debt service will significantly reduce the ability and flexibility the town has to fund any other large projects or initiatives that might arise from the development of Charlton’s Comprehensive Plan. For example, protecting working farms and farmlands and protecting open space ranked just ahead of a new town hall in the Comprehensive Planning Project written survey results under the category of ‘interested in pursuing using existing town and/or county funds’. In the same section of the Charlton Comprehensive Planning Survey, 32% of the respondents voted no to a new town hall and 23% voted yes, assuming the use of grant funding only. These results clearly do not give the Town Board a mandate to build a new town hall as proposed.
We appreciate that the Town Board has made it a goal to avoid the need to create a town tax to pay for the town hall. However, having come up with a plan to do so does not excuse the Town Board from trying to avoid a vote on the project. The project is still being funded in large part by funds that were paid to the Town of Charlton by Saratoga County. These funds originated in large part as county taxes paid by the citizens of Charlton. Therefore, the Town Board should encourage a vote by the people of the Town of Charlton for the use of such a large sum of taxpayer funds for a single project.
While we agree there is a need for additional space for the town government to function, we believe the Town Board has been extremely delinquent in publicizing and communicating the plans and the process to fill this need. I understand that numerous meetings open to the public have been held, in which the town hall plans have been discussed. However, we do not feel they were very well publicized. The Burnt Hills Spotlight has been the only means by which we have been made aware of public meetings and the newspaper is not delivered to our home. What has the Town Board done to actively solicit and encourage feedback and discussion on what is likely to be the largest town expenditure in its history to date? Posting Town Board meeting minutes on the town website, in some of which minutes are buried some notes and discussion about the town hall, does not count. Likewise, setting up a page on the town website showing only the site plan layout and architectural sketches of the front of the two preferred designs does not count either. The only other information on the Town Hall that is at all accessible with a reasonable amount of searching is the minutes of the March 28, 2005 meeting. There is no other easily accessible information about the town hall project, and there appears to have been little if any active encouragement of town involvement in this project.
In stark contrast to this lack of communication, fostering of discussions, and availability of information on the town hall is the Charlton Comprehensive Planning Project. We have attended at least two very well publicized and very well attended meetings whose purpose was to gather input and support from a large segment of the town. The Charlton Comprehensive Planning Project’s website contains probably 100 times as much useful information as can be easily found on the town hall. We encourage the Town Board to adopt some of the attitude and methods inherent in the Charlton Comprehensive Planning Committee’s approach to communications.
Reasons that we have heard voiced for not holding a vote on the proposed new town hall are that such a vote costs money and that a vote would delay construction and therefore, possibly raise costs.
To the first point, yes a vote will cost money. Democracy costs money and effort, but our country is founded on the belief that these costs are worth it and that the benefits far outweigh the costs. These are the costs we pay to sustain our society and our rights.
To the second point, a vote might delay construction and possibly raise costs, but cost to the town community and taxpayers could be far more in the long run if an estimated $3.2 million town hall without broad support is built. The Town Board has had it in its power from the beginning to include a vote and better publicized discussion meetings in the schedule. The lack of having planned for this is an unacceptable reason for not conducting such meetings and a vote now. Immediate proactive leadership by the Town Board on this matter is the best way to minimize the schedule impact in the long run.
We urge the Charlton Town Board to pass a resolution tonight to give the people of Charlton a final vote of approval of the proposed 9,100 square foot, $3.2 million new town hall for our town of approximately 4,000 residents. We suggest that the Town Board hold a very well publicized meeting to invite the town residents to review the final proposed size and costs of the new town hall with the Town Board, Town Hall Committee and the architect. We would be happy to provide the Town Board with a list of questions to be addressed at this well publicized town hall meeting. Then hold a town-wide vote on the final proposed new town hall.
If the Town Board does not take any action tonight at the April 11, 2005 town board meeting, then a group of Charlton residents will pursue its only means to force a vote on the new town hall.
Sincerely,
Kevin D. Stone Eileen C. Stone 724 Charlton Rd
Laura Linder – Laura asked if the people who are being added to the Veteran’s Board will be informed of the ceremony on Memorial Day. She asked if those names could be put in the next Town Board Newsletter. She would like to see these people be part of the ceremony. Councilman Lippiello said there would be an article in the Newsletter but all the names were not mentioned.
Dick Lupi – Beechwood Avenue – Stated that as a former member of the Town Board, he supports the plan for the Town Hall that the Town Board has proposed. Dick said he had attended many Town Board Meetings and Agenda Meetings and feels that the Board has balanced the size of the building with the cost of building. He commended the Board for the openness of the process. The public has been invited to sit at the table with the architect. (Changed tape) He feels the Board is doing a good job.
Laura Linder – Town Historian –She stated that she is an employee of the town who is tired of having her office in her home. The town hall is long overdue. Word of the building project has been out there. Not enough people come out and participate. She feels they have put this building together in the most economical way. The Town Board needs our support.
Walt Schmidt – Sacandaga Road – I have been in the contracting business all my life. A couple of month’s delay will cost a tremendous amount of money. Now is the optimum time for contractors to set up what they will be doing in 2005. A couple of month’s delay will put you into a whole different category of bidding. It’s time we had a new town hall. Not to go forward with this as soon as possible is a tremendous mistake.
Vicki Hayner – Town Assessor - Supports the Town Board and the new town hall. I have been working in the assessor’s office for the last four years which also serves as our furnace room. Three assessors and the tax collector share that space.
Gary Vanderhorst – Sacandaga Road – I support the new town hall especially for the sake of the justices. If you are holding court and a person needs to use the restroom, the judges back is to that person. It is very important to get the town hall completed.
Cheryl Doyle - I agree we need a new town hall. I worked here on Election Day. I am not sure we need what you are proposing. You are more than doubling your space.
Bob Cromie – Town Assessor - I think we should appreciate Mr. Stone for his interest in coming tonight. We elected the people on the Board in front of us to make those decisions for us. We have a representative democracy and this is part of how it functions. We have to become more involved (could not understand).
Chris Nelson – Secretary for Zoning Board and Comprehensive Plan – I support the Board on a new town hall and the cost of it. In the past I have been secretary for the Board of Assessment Review. The last two years there was standing room only. Several years ago the ZBA had a public hearing on the Cell Tower Ordinance. We had to hold a meeting at the school. We need to be looking at what the future of Charlton will be 10 or 15 years down the road. Things are growing. I support the Board.
Lee Bramer – Animal Control Officer – I work out of my house or out of my pickup. I have a shoebox for a file for dog enumeration. There is no file space to put things. I have files at home that should be here. I support the Board. It is a lot of money. What will happen in the future? It sounds like a lot of money but it is something we need to do.
Scott Holbrook – West Charlton – I support the Board. Encouraged people to come every month and get involved.
Dave LaFountain – Zoning Administrator – We have office hours on Tuesday night. People are lined up down the hall. We share an office with the police department and court clerk. There is no privacy for residents. I support the Town Hall and the Town Board.
Dave Schweizer – DeGraff Road – We have been saving money for over 20 years for this Town Hall. It is our reserves that will be spent. I think it is time to get out of this building and into something more useable for our employees and the citizens. Complimented the Board on the work they have done and the direction they have taken us in.
The next Agenda Meeting will be April 25 at 7:30 P.M.
After everyone had the opportunity to speak wished, the meeting was adjourned at 9:15 P.M.
Respectfully submitted,
Gail Hanchar Town Clerk
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