Starting Tuesday, Sept. 18, Lincklaen Road will be under construction between the intersections of Summerfield Drive and Lucas Cross Road, for two weeks.
At the Sept. 10 Cazenovia Town Board meeting, councilors approved a plan presented by Town Engineer John Dunkle which outlined the reconstruction of the stone wall at St. James Cemetery and redesign of the roadway for drainage purposes. The town is working together with St. James Church parishioners, who have already raised the funds necessary to pay for the entirety of the project.
“The only section [of the road] that will be closed is directly in front of St. James Cemetery. Local traffic will not be affected, and all residents will be able to get to and from their homes,” said Cazenovia Town Highway Superintendent Tim Hunt. “No homes will be impacted. Drivers can always use Ridge Road or Route 13 to bypass the construction.”
Also during the meeting, Councilor Bill Zupan discussed his views on hydraulic fracturing. In reference to a letter that was recently printed in the Cazenovia Republican, Zupan admitted he did in fact sign a gas lease for some of his property, but affirmed his cautious stance on the issue.
“If the New York State Department of Conservation approves hydrofracking, I would be in favor of a moratorium, and ultimately would vote to ban hydrofracking in the town of Cazenovia,” Zupan said.
Residents in attendance asked why a moratorium against hydrofracking hasn’t already been passed, as other Madison County towns have done. Councilors said a moratorium can only be in effect for so long, and they want to wait for the verdict from NYSDEC before passing anything. Also, some municipalities that passed moratoriums are now being sued by gas companies, and councilors said the town board wishes to avoid legal issues of that nature.
Town Supervisor Ralph Monforte told the public the town’s High Impact Industry Board has been working on a road-use agreement — in order to protect local roadways and traffic patterns, in the chance hydrofracking is approved in New York state.
In other board news:
—An inter-municipal agreement with the village of Cazenovia was unanimously approved, in regards to dog control services. The reach of Dog Warden Chuck Seager will be broadened once he receives additional training from New York state.
—Robert L. Johnson of Racine-Johnson Aquatic Ecologists was authorized to perform an aquatic plant survey of Cazenovia Lake. Traces of blue-green algae were recently discovered in select areas of the lake, and tests of the harmful algal blooms have been sent out for further examination.
—Councilors passed local law authorizing the town board to override the limit of real property taxes that may be levied. Supervisor Monforte said this was simply a precautionary measure as the board approaches time for budgetary work, and does not guarantee the tax levy will be increased.
Pierce Smith is editor of the Cazenovia Republican. He can be reached at 434-8889 ext. 338 or [email protected].
