UPDATE: In order to comply with Town Law Section 82, the Route 48 Sidewalk District referendum vote will be held from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018, in the Town Clerk’s Office in Lysander Town Hall, 8220 Loop Road, Baldwinsville.
By Ashley M. Casey
Staff Writer
A handful of residents in the town of Lysander will decide next Monday whether the town should install sidewalks in their neighborhood. The Lysander Town Board voted Aug. 16 to set a referendum on the proposed Route 48 Sidewalk District for Aug. 27.
The 2,505-foot sidewalk will run along Route 48 north of Chaucer Circle to the Country Lane/Hourglass Lane intersection and connect to the village of Baldwinsville’s sidewalk system. (See a map of the proposed district at bit.ly/route48sidewalk)
Originally, the town board’s draft agenda proposed scheduling the referendum for Thursday, Aug. 23. During the Aug. 16 work session, Councilor Roman Diamond urged the board to choose a later date.
“I think we’re not giving people enough time to plan for it,” Diamond said. “We’re not giving residents enough time to do their own due diligence.”
“It shouldn’t be a surprise to anybody in that district,” said Supervisor Joe Saraceni.
Saraceni noted that the town sent out a survey about the proposed district back in January and is sending letters with details of the vote and the cost of the sidewalk district to the residents within the proposed boundaries. In January, town received 86 survey responses in favor of forming the district and 30 responses opposed to the district.
Since Town Clerk Dina Falcone would be out of town on Aug. 30, the board settled on a new referendum date of Aug. 27.
At the public hearing, resident John Whiteside asked why the district encompasses more than the houses that directly front Route 48.
“We had to make a determination of who is going to benefit from the sidewalk, and those people are included in the district,” Saraceni said.
Town Engineer Al Yager said while the project is not in its final design phase, all construction would take place within the state’s right of way. Whiteside said part of his driveway is in the ROW and is concerned that snow removal will deposit snow in his yard and driveway.
“Where’s that snow going to go? It can’t go into the road, so it’s got to go, I guess, further in my yard,” Whiteside said. “I know how much snow we get when we wing that thing back, that big second wing.”
Whiteside also inquired about speed, and Saraceni said speed was a factor in considering the construction of a sidewalk.
Resident Kevin Rode expressed concern about the timing of the referendum.
“I just think the last week of August when people are out of town, last week of vacation before school starts, might not be the most opportune time to allow residents to vote,” Rode said.
Rode asked if the vote would be based on the affected properties’ assessed value or the number of properties. Since the cost of the district is calculated per unit, Town Attorney Tony Rivizzigno explained, all registered voters who live in the proposed district may vote in the referendum.
Rode reiterated his opposition to the date of the vote.
“I think you should give people more time than 11 days from today,” he said.
What will the sidewalk district cost?
In 2016, the town of Lysander and the village of Baldwinsville received a $1.3 million grant through the New York State Department of Transportation’s Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) and Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) programs to build or improve sidewalks in the town and village.
While the TAP/CMAQ grants will cover 80 percent of the project’s cost, the town must provide a 20 percent match. Lysander will secure a 10-year bond for the project.
- Total project cost: $200,400
- TAP/CMAQ grant: $177,720
- Town of Lysander’s contribution: $22,680
- Annual cost to each home: $53.05 for the first 10 years
This includes $19.04 per year in debt service and $34.01 for annual sidewalk maintenance. The maintenance cost will remain after the bond is paid off.
