Ellenville Journal / EYE ON PINE BUSH: Notes From The Town Of Crawford Board Meeting

Planning Board Expansion Placed On Hold
The town board's introduction of a local law increasing the municipality's planning board from five members to seven was shelved on Thursday as the majority of board members did not feel the necessity to act on the issue at this time.

The reason the issue was raised at all stems from reports that certain town board members had received complaints about the town's planning board and its conduct during meetings. In a March 3 interview, Crawford Supervisor Charlie Carnes offered his thoughts for exploring the expansion.

"A lot of towns around New York State have gone from a five member planning board to a seven member planning board, and we think that going to a seven member planning board will give more of a diversity of opinions," said Carnes.

At that point, Supervisor Carnes characterized the board as being "on the fence," a feeling that was demonstrated Thursday night when Councilman Jim Licardi said that he was opposed to the idea, and Councilman Michael Menendez said he didn't feel it was necessary to move on the issue at this time.

One reason for postponing the council's vote was the time constraint involved with the board's approval of two temporary planning board appointments, whose terms would end in December 2008 should the expansion be passed.

"Stop" Signs Of The Times
Responding to concerns raised by town residents, the board asked Crawford Police Chief Daniel McCann to research requirements for installing stop signs on Railroad Avenue and Center Street in Pine Bush. The board raised the issue because local residents have approached the board regarding increased traffic volume in their neighborhoods, a result of impatient drivers avoiding thoroughfares with traffic signs in order to take advantage of those without. Residents on these roads throughout the hamlet feel that the stop signs are a necessary deterrent and will prevent drivers from "flying up and down" these roads.

Chief McCann explained that in order for a stop sign to be placed in a given location, a traffic study evaluating traffic patterns must be performed. The town board asked McCann to follow the appropriate steps and begin gathering the information that would allow the town to place stop signs at various locations in accordance with New York State's Department of Transportation regulations.

Crawford PD Gets Speed Trailer
Chief McCann announced to the board that the police department will be receiving its speed trailer this week. The special trailer and message board were first brought up for board discussion during its February 21 meeting. The message board's main purpose is traffic safety, and is equipped with a sign that displays the legal speed limit in a given area (near area schools for example), as well as the actual speed of drivers entering into that area.

While the details of the exact cost were unavailable at press time, the sign is estimated at somewhere in the vicinity of $8,000 to $13,000.

Possible Police Promotion
CPD Chief Daniel McCann told the board that the county's civil service administration had approved the creation of a lieutenant's position for the town's police department. McCann said that any one of the three sergeants currently within the CPD would be eligible to receive a provisional promotion to the rank of lieutenant at any point as long as the individual passes the lieutenant's civil service examination whenever it was next offered.

The board decided to hold off any action regarding the creation of a lieutenant position within the Crawford Police Department in response to a request by Councilman Dan Flanick, who was not able to attend the evening's meeting.

The move to create a lieutenant position may assist in what McCann referred to as "the logical progression," of choosing a successor for the police chief while he considers retirement. If approved, the new lieutenant position's salary was estimated to be in the $72,000 range.

Other Business…
The board approved John and Sharon Tarrolli's request to have three antique street signs installed at the intersections of Maple Avenue and Depot Street, Maple and Charles Street and Maple and Prospect Street.

The board voted to waive the building application fee for the Bullville Fire Department as it prepares to build an addition onto its current location.

The board approved the "Cold War Veteran's Exemption" to assist those who served in the nation's armed services during peacetime. The board does not know the number of residents that will be eligible to receive a discount on their property taxes and is therefore unable to estimate what the tax-impact could be to other local residents.

Important Dates – Cleaning Up Crawford
The board approved the dates for the Town of Crawford Cleanup. The dates are as follows: Thursday, May 29, 2008, Friday, May 30, 2008 and Saturday, May 31, 2008.

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