The town of Clay’s long-awaited sign ordinance is still not complete, Supervisor James Rowley said at the board’s regular meeting Monday night.
“The board continues to struggle with it,” Rowley said. “But we are making progress.”
The ordinance, part of the town’s zoning code, will “define, promote, and regulate signs that identify a business, service, or product in a manner that provides for or promotes public safety and are compatible with and enhance their existing and planned surroundings. The appearance, character and quality of a community are affected by the location, size, construction and graphic design of its signs. Therefore, such signs should convey their messages clearly, simply, and should be designed in a manner that is compatible with their existing and planned surroundings,” according to the town’s website.
Rowley said he hopes to have a draft proposal at the board’s next meeting Aug. 20, but he can’t promise it.
In other business:
– Judy DeMore of Toomey Residential gave a presentation to the board and those in attendance about a proposed group home for three developmentally disabled young women at 4202 Gemini Path, Liverpool. Toomey Residential is a nonprofit organization associated with Catholic Charities that helps children and adults with disabilities to live as independently as possible. The proposed home will house three women ages 18 to 21, all of whom are high school graduates and are employed. Toomey has put a purchase offer in on the property and is awaiting state approval to close on the home. The home will be staffed 24 hours a day.
Councilor Robert Edick told the audience that the home would benefit the neighborhood. “There’s a group home in my neighborhood on Japine Drive,” he said. “It’s hard to tell — they come and go in a van and you rarely see the people that live there. I can say that you’ll have less problems in a group home like that than you would with regular homeowners — kids speeding or drug selling or whatever else. I see no problem with it whatsoever.”
The town does not regulate group homes. The presentation was given for the purposes of public information only.
– Warner Energy’s request to install two 100-foot masts to support two small wind turbines and one 100-foot mast to support meteorological sensors at 7526 Morgan Road was approved. The request was made by a start-up company looking to develop small wind turbines for residential installation.
Presenter Michael Brown assured the board that the turbines would be significantly smaller than those seen at Tug Hill or Fenner in Madison County and that sounds emitted were well within the sound ordinance. The initial installations will be used for research and development purposes. Eventually, Warner Energy plans to manufacture the turbines and sell them to residential customers. Brown said the typical cost of one of the turbines would be $50,000 to $60,000. Each turbine, provided the requisite wind and weather conditions are in place, would produce 10 kilowatts of energy, or enough to offset the electrical use of a medium to large household.
“I think this is a great project,” Edick said. He later made the motion to grant the request, which was approved unanimously.
– The board approved a settlement with Edward and Florence Rosenthal, who sued both the town and the county after sustaining $10,000 to $20,000 in flood damage to their home at 4267 Belmont Drive. The town agreed to pay the Rosenthals $1,500. The liability was shared with the county.
