The June 7 Clay Town Board meeting is shaping up to be a busy one.
At its May 17 meeting, the board approved the scheduling of no less than eight public hearings. At public hearings, applicants for zone changes, special permits, creations of special districts and more present their cases to the board. The board asks questions of the applicants and may make comments regarding their thoughts on the proposals, though no decision is typically made until the meeting after the public hearing has been closed. The public then has the opportunity to question the applicant and inform the board of their feelings on the projects being considered.
Among the public hearings on the June 7 agenda is a controversial request for a zone change on three and a half acres of land on Buckley Road across from Waxwood Circle. Red Barn Country LLC is asking the board to change the zoning from R-10 One-Family Residential District, which allows for the construction of one-family homes, to O-2 Office District to allow for the construction of a medical office building. Residents of Waxwood Circle and the surrounding areas have objected to the proposal at previous town planning board meetings, citing excessive traffic as well as the proliferation of office buildings in existence in the area. That hearing is scheduled to take place at 7:56 p.m.
Other public hearings involve the construction of a drive-through at Panera Bread on Route 31, a special permit to operate a U-Haul facility on Henry Clay Boulevard, the construction and acquisition of sewer, drainage, water supply and lighting districts for the Inverness Gardens project on Taft Road by Wegmans and a special permit for the expansion of a National Grid substation on Ver Plank Road.
In other business:
The town board passed a resolution honoring Moyers Corners Fire Department Battalion Chief Stephen Zaferakis and Deputy Chief E.J. Stevens for their efforts in a rescue operation after a serious accident March 28 at Oswego Road and Provo Drive.
In the two-vehicle accident, a man, woman and infant, all in the same car, suffered injuries. Zaferakis was first on the scene. He and Stevens moved the male victim, the driver of the car, who had been ejected into the backseat, so that he could be removed from the vehicle by other rescue personnel.
After moving the man, Zaferakis discovered the infant unconscious and not breathing. According to the resolution read by Deputy Supervisor Robert Edick, he righted the infant’s car seat and, while maintaining cervical spine stabilization with two fingers, brought the child’s neck into a neutral position. The child then began breathing again and acting much more oriented to its surroundings.
All three victims were transported to area hospitals, where they recovered.
Zaferakis and Stevens were in the audience at the board meeting and were acknowledged by the board and the other residents in attendance for their efforts, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd.
I was extremely proud to read this, and I’m grateful for your dedication and service for this incident, Edick said.
[These are] members of this community and volunteer fire fighters, Supervisor Damian Ulatowski said, the only fire protection that this town relies on – it’s all volunteers. And when we hear stories like this, it reminds us all of what a great asset it is to have people like these gentlemen in our community.
‘ ‘The board will hold another public hearing on June 21 regarding a request for a special permit to operate a drive-through at Kinney Drugs in Bayberry. The drugstore had made a similar request in 2006, but Ulatowski said this is a different plan.
At the time, they were looking to construct a stand-alone storefront in the plaza with a drive-through, he said. Now they’re going to move into the Metro Mattress store [an anchor at the end of the plaza] and put the drive-through on the side of that building.
That public hearing is set to take place at 7:53 p.m.
