• The Board unanimously approved to declare itself the lead agency, pursuant to State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQR), for the adoption of the Town of Wawarsing's comprehensive plan.

• The Board unanimously voted to refer the Wawarsing Comprehensive Plan to the Ulster County Planning Board and the Town of Wawarsing's Planning Board for review.

• Supervisor James Dolaway said the town has been working on the new master plan for more than 2 years, and has held numerous information meetings and public hearings. The process is nearing the final vote.

• The Board unanimously approved to establish a speed limit of 30 miles per hour for Lucks Road in the Town of Wawarsing.

• The Board unanimously approved the closing of Main Street in Kerhonkson on Saturday, September 30, 2006 from 7 am to 6:30 pm for the hamlet's Fifth Annual Street Fair.

• The Board approved the release and transfer of a Logging Performance Bond in the amount of $5,000.00 for Jim Brooks Logging, Lands of Osgood, Campbell Road Property, Tax Map # 58.3-3-23 to another logging operation across the road on the same parcel.

• The Board unanimously approved the setting of October 2, 3 and 4 at 1:00 for a series of Special Town Board Workshop Meetings to be held in the Supervisor's Office to discuss the Town of Wawarsing's 2007 budget.

• The Board approved a special meeting on Thursday, October 12, 2006 at 3:30 pm at Town Hall for the purpose of discussing various issues with the Village of Ellenville's Board of Trustees. Disappointed with a poor showing on the part of the Village Board, the Town Board approved the meeting request with the stipulation that a minimum of 3 village trustees attend future meetings.

• The Board decided to authorize Mark Blauer, of Blauer Associates, to submit an application on behalf of the Town of Wawarsing for the New York State Department of Transportation Implementation Program for the culvert replacement of Old Minisink Road in the Oak Ridge area. The repairs are needed because of frequent problems with flooding and road damage. This will be named the number one priority on the grant application, but funds for the rail trail are also being requested.

• The Board decided to set a public hearing on the budget for November 2 at 7:15 pm in the Town Hall.

• The Board will send a letter to the Sheriff's Department inviting them to locate a sub-station at the Joseph Y. Resnick Airport, which would increase the department's coverage in our area.

• The Supervisor met with representatives including fire chiefs and representatives from the Ellenville Regional Hospital, Ellenville School District, Eastern Correctional Facility, state police and others to create a town emergency evacuation plan. Town officials approved the use of the town hall for task force's meetings.

Prior to the Village of Ellenville's Board Meeting, the Mayor, the Board of Trustees, representatives of the Ellenville-Wawarsing Chamber of Commerce and several community members were on hand for the ribbon cutting ceremony to announce the Grand Opening of iWireless.

• The Board and several interested area residents were the first to see a presentation by Gerry Foundation Executive Director, Jonathan Drapkin. Mr Drapkin came on behalf of Bethel Woods and explained how the facility's hope to create a definable region included the area of Ellenville and Wawarsing. Mr. Drapkin explained that Sullivan County did not have the requisite dining and lodging to satisfy the facility's attendance, thus creating windows of opportunity that would make Ellenville a prime location for individuals wishing to eat or stay in close proximity to the concert site. Mr. Drapkin's presentation concluded with a series of questions, comments and suggestions about how the Ellenville area and Bethel Woods could best serve each other.

• The Board unanimously approved the Historic Preservation Committee's nominations which were the Traphagen (or Kimble) House on Canal Street and the Canal Ticket House (currently the home of the local Chamber of Commerce) on Berme Road.

• Marion Dumond explained that a survey was performed in 1967 to account for all of the buildings in the area that were built before 1850. A recent survey by the Historic Preservation Committee states that about half of those pre-1850 buildings no longer exist.

• The Board unanimously approved to schedule a 6:00 pm Public Workshop on October 10, 2006 with the New York State Office of Real Property.

• The Board unanimously accepted the donation of a bus on behalf of the Ellenville-Wawarsing Youth Commission from the First Student Bus Co. The Village will own and insure the vehicle and the Town will maintain it.

• The Board unanimously approved the establishment of Fall Cleanup days to occur from October 16 � November 10.

• The Board unanimously agreed to authorize Barton and Loguidice to go out to bid for twenty-five (25) waste receptacles with bids returnable by noon on October 10, 2006 and to be opened publicly at that evening's Board meeting.

Present: Supervisor Charles Penna,; Council Members Judy Young, Nick Salomone, Regina Saunders and Sean Moriarty; Town Attorney Richard Stoloff; Town Clerk Jean Dougherty; Town Planner Alan Sorensen; and Town Justice Marcelle Matthews.

Work Session: Justice Matthews explained how eliminating plea-bargaining in traffic infraction cases would impact the Town. She anticipated an increase in trial costs from the new regulations and a two-thirds reduction in revenue to the Town from violation fees collected.

Alan Sorensen and Thomas J. Shepstone, of Sheptstone Management, Co., responded to the Board's questions about a proposed amendment to create planned residential development (PRD) floating zones. Though Shepstone wrote the amendment for the Town, he couldn't actually recommend the change because it may affect one of his clients, Simon Geld, who owns property west of the Village of Wurtsboro currently zoned Industrial/Office. Geld had considered a residential development on that site. A "floating zone" is described in a zoning ordinance (i.e. PRD) but its specific location is not mapped, creating opportunities for developers to get Town Board approval for a zone change prior to Planning Board review of their specific proposal. Like shovel-ready sites, floating zones can fast track a review process for a project. Shepstone described this type of zone as a blend of legislation and regulation being used in "every town" to promote growth. Though Saunders and Moriarty voiced support for the amendment, the Board agreed not to move forward with the change in zoning at this time.

Discussion continued concerning the Town's annexing 17 plus acres of park property into the Village of Bloomingburg.

Business Meeting: Motions to approve payment of Abstracts 41 through 44 and the transfer of $10,200 from the Dedicated Landfill Fund to the General Fund were unanimously passed. All Board members also voted to approve an Inter-Municipal Agreement for Mamakating's Building Inspector to temporarily serve the Village of Bloomingburg in the same capacity.

Two resolutions were also passed unanimously. The first authorized Supervisor Penna to sign a petition on behalf of the Town to annex approximately 17 acres of park property into the Village of Bloomingburg. The other set Saturday, October 14, 2006 at 10am as the date to conduct a joint public hearing with the Village and the Town on the annexation petition. The meeting will be held at Bloomingburg Village Hall. Annexation is dependent on both Town and Village approval. Prior to the public hearing, interested parties should make themselves aware of the law and procedures involved in annexation.

It should be noted that at the September 5, 2006 meeting, Duane Roe (Sullivan Farms, Inc.) presented a proposal for a gated housing/golf community in Bloomingburg that as proposed includes park property. In exchange for that, Roe would provide the Town land in Wurtsboro but did not identify a specific parcel or its worth.

Supervisor Penna announced that he had engaged the Town's engineering firm, Lanc & Tully, to design a new bathroom facility for the Town park and the New Jersey engineering firm of Shoor DePalma to design a master plan for future park development, including where to place the new bathroom building. Lanc & Tully's fee of $3,600 was approved. DePalma's fees of $10,500 will be paid with revenues from a cell tower agreement - $35,000 of which has been set aside for expenditures on this park project.

Public Comment: Several residents said Saturday morning was an inappropriate time for a public hearing and that Town Hall was a better venue than the Village Hall for a joint public hearing because it is a larger space.

Wurtsboro resident Jackie Border, Chair of the newly formed Citizen's Park and Recreation Advisory Committee introduced members present, including Vice Chair Nathan Berg of Summitville and Secretary Helene Romer of Wurtsboro. Border hopes that representatives from all the hamlets and both villages in the Town will participate in assessing and planning park activities. The group meets on the first and third Monday of the month at Town Hall (except on Yom Kippur, October 2 ). Sara Buckstad-Russo of Wurtboro volunteered to create a quarterly Town Newsletter, and the Board agreed to pay the cost of mailings.

Finally, the Board was asked to address what appears to be a pattern of the Zoning Board - obstructing the public's access to information and ability to participate fully at public hearings. An example was that two documents very pertinent to the Board's decision on a recent use variance request were not available prior to the public hearing. One document was the County Planner's recommendation of denial of the request, resulting in a super majority needed for Board approval. The Supervisor asked Councilman Moriarty, liaison to the Zoning Board, to look into the matter.

Note: Subsequent to the meeting, several Mamakating residents complained to the Supervisor about holding a public hearing on a Saturday morning, since it is the Sabbath for many members of the community. (And, October 14 is the last day of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.)

COMMENTS about this article (0 )