In an otherwise light monthly meeting, the Nelson Town Board accepted the resignation of the town zoning board of appeals chair, appointed an interim ZBA chair and made other appointments to both the ZBA and the town planning board.
Jeff Rubenstein, chair of the ZBA, officially submitted his resignation letter to the town board recently because he is moving out of Nelson. Town Supervisor Roger Bradstreet read Rubenstein’s letter to the board, after which Councilor Mike Costello made the motion “with regret” that the board accept the resignation.
Both Costello and Bradstreet publicly lamented the loss of Rubenstein from the ZBA, saying he did an excellent job, was always reliable and will be sorely missed. The board than unanimously approved his resignation.
While the board was disappointed to lose Rubenstein, his resignation was not unexpected. He announced his intention to leave last December, at the same time one member each of the town ZBA and planning board announced their resignations as well.
Because of those events, the board began in January actions to amend town law to allow for alternate members to be added to both the planning board and ZBA as a way to ensure a full complement of each board when in session if a member was absent or had a conflict of interest. The alternates, similar to alternates on a jury, would attend every board meeting and be subject to the same training and rules, but not vote unless needed.
The town board approved the new law in April.
At its May 9 meeting, the board approved Eric Lints, of Nelson, who applied to be a ZBA alternate, to fill the now-vacant seat on the zoning board. It also approved Jeff Spaulding, of Erieville, as the planning board alternate.
The town planning board has seven members, each serving a term of seven years. The ZBA has five members, each serving a term of five years.
The board also approved a resolution to appoint senior ZBA member John Foley as the interim ZBA chair, but if he is not interested in the position, to appoint John Tobin interim chair instead. The interim chair will lead the ZBA until the zoning board members themselves choose among themselves who will become the permanent chair.
“It’s our appointment in the end, but we’ll happily take their recommendation,” Costello said.
Lints’ appointment as a permanent ZBA member now leaves that board with no alternate member. The town board is now seeking applicants for the alternate spot. Anyone interested in applying for the position can contact Town Clerk Debbie Costello for more information at 655-8582 ext. 1.
At the next town board meeting, scheduled for Thursday, June 13, the board will hear proposals on upgrading its village hall to a solar-powered facility through Madison County’s Solarize Madison program.
Solarize Madison is a community-focused renewable energy program promoting sustainable energy production to stabilize current and future energy costs. By working with state and county organizations, Madison county residents and solar energy installers, Solarize Madison County will streamline the installation process making solar energy installations easy and affordable for Madison County residents, farmers, business owners, municipalities and institutions.
Justin Williams, owner and NABCEP certified installer of CNY Solar, Inc., the official installer for the 2013 campaign, has already done a walk-through of the Nelson town office building and will present his finding and his proposals for solar electricity and hot water installations to the board, Bradstreet said.
“No one else in Madison County is doing this right now,” Bradstreet said. “It will generate enough electricity to offset the costs of our air condition.”
For more information on Solarize Madison County, visit solarizemadison.com.
Jason Emerson is editor of the Cazenovia Republican. He can be reached at [email protected].
