The Skaneateles Town Board announced Thursday that it will hold four hamlet meetings in coming months to communicate and get feedback from residents.
The meetings will be a chance to discuss community development projects and other issues with residents who live in the affected areas, Town Supervisor Mary Sennett said at the board’s March 20 meeting.
“We really haven’t had the chance to bring the community together to talk to them about our proposal … it would be good to talk to them about some of the things we are thinking about with the rails to trails, etc.,” she said.
At recent meetings the board had discussed its application for community development funding from Onondaga County and a five-year plan it was developing for Skaneateles Falls. The application, which has now been turned in, asked for funding to bring in new playground equipment and improve Skaneateles Falls Playground.
Other aspects of the five-year plan included seeking better access to that park and working on a “rails to trails” project intended to connect the northern hamlets to the village.
At the meeting the board also voted to establish a Rails to Trails committee, which will be made up of volunteers and tasked with identifying the right of ways that the town can use and learning more about what it would take to install a pedestrian culvert to go under Old Seneca Turnpike, Councilor Connie Brace said.
The schedule for the hamlet meetings will be:
— Skaneateles Falls: 7 p.m. Monday, April 14, Skaneateles Falls American Legion post
— Mottville: 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 21, Mottville Fire Department
–Shepherd’s Settlement: 7 p.m. Monday, June 9, town conservation area pavilion (will be moved to June 11 if it rains)
–Mandana: 7 p.m. Monday, June 23, Mandana fire department substation (location may be changed)
In other business:
–The board approved an expenditure of no more than $5,000 to purchase and install netting inside the roof of Austin Park Pavilion. In the past, the birds nesting in the roof has been a nuisance to groups that hold events in the building during the summer, Sennett said.
Highway Superintendent Allan Wellington said the town is getting the netting at an inexpensive rate from a company that supplies the product to wineries.
–The town accepted a bid from Elbridge-based DeMarco and Sons for the sale of its excess mulch. Per a contract with town, the company will haul away most of the current stockpile of mulch at the transfer station and will get to take future excess, though the town is allowed to retain a certain amount for use by its residents.
Joe Genco is the editor of the Skaneateles Press. He can be reached at [email protected].
