The Skaneateles town board dealt with scrutiny from a concerned resident at its Sept. 5 meeting.
Skaneateles resident Jim Moore questioned the statement made by councilor Rick Keyes at the board’s Aug. 15 meeting that the board had met its legal obligation to review the town comprehensive plan in 2010. Moore said that he made a Freedom of Information Act request to the town for a record of that review and did not receive any documentation proving that it was done.
“There are some big things that are happening out there and if we as a community working with the boards, if we don’t stay on our toes, I firmly believe that the character of this community will change quickly,” Moore said.
The board did review the plan in 2010 and chose not to make any changes, which did not require any official board resolution according to Patrick Sardino, the town attorney at the time, Keyes said.
However, a committee including town and village officials met starting in 2009 and drafted a revised version of the plan in 2011 that would change the language and add graphics to make it easier to understand for the residents of the town, Keyes said.
The committee was created to go over suggestions for changes made by a group of students from the University of Notre Dame hired to review the plan. The board is planning to open up these revisions to the public for feedback this year. These revisions would be in advance of the town’s requirement to review the document every five-years, the next benchmark coming in 2015.
The review of the plan is an open and ongoing process and the town does not feel a need to make wholesale changes or changes that would have an effect on zoning laws, Keyes said.
“It’s been tested in court and it has actually worked to countersue very large proposed subdivisions that have been challenged and the plan survived and actually stopped that,” he said.
In other business:
–The board approved highway superintendent Jim Card’s request for $185,124 for the purchase of a new snowplow truck. The new truck will replace a 1998 model that has a cracked frame and will likely not pass inspection next year, Card said. The old truck was due to be replaced and the money for a new one has been budgeted and is available in the town’s equipment reserve fund.
The funds will be transferred for the purchase following a required 30-day permissive referendum during which residents may petition the town against the decision.
Card also reported that all the “Welcome to Skaneateles” signs placed on the town borders on Routes 321, 41 and 41A have all gone missing over time. The one on 41A was most recently reported missing by a resident who lives nearby, though several have disappeared, presumed stolen, from Route 321 on the Skaneateles/Elbridge border, Card said.
The metal signs were specially made for the town, at a cost of $300 each, and had its logo and colors.
Board members said that it was not worth the expense of having nice signs if people steal them every time they are put up. The board moved to purchase the standard white municipal signs that display the town’s zoning and parking regulations at a price of about $50 each.
–The town moved to replace its furnaces and re-do the heating and cooling system in the town hall. The project has an estimated cost of $9,845 and will be transferred from the town hall capital reserve fund.
–The board reminded the public about its free household hazardous waste collection day it will hold from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sat. Sept. 14 at the transfer station. Items that can be properly disposed of at the event will include: adhesives, pesticide, antifreeze, polish, waxes, solvents, pool chemicals, driveway sealers, all paints and stains, household cleaning products, aerosol cans, fire extinguishers and products containing mercury.
The town will also hold a paper shredding day from 9 a.m. to noon on Oct. 26 at the transfer station. The event will be free to anyone with a transfer station permit.
Joe Genco is the editor of the Skaneateles Press. He can be reached at [email protected].
