The town of Skaneateles will employ two peace officers starting this year.
The Town Board voted to appoint Charles Augello as its second town constable at its May 1 meeting.
Augello will provide extra security at the state boat launch off of Route 41A during the busiest boating days of the summer. He will also serve as a backup to constable to Tom Adessa, who provides security for town court on Wednesday evenings.
In the past, the town boat launch has had two town employees on duty during busy times: one near the road and one near the water. Starting last year, the Skaneateles Lake Association also had a “steward” stationed at the launch to check incoming boats for any plant life, in hopes of preventing the spread of invasive species like Eurasian milfoil or hydrilla.
Sennett said that the town will still have a person by the road and will have the constable patrol the parking lot and launch area to help deal with potential issues when the area gets congested on busy days.
“As you can well imagine the boat launch can get very busy in the nice weather and there were some situations [in the past] where it would have been helpful to have a constable present,” Sennett told the board.
The lake association will still have a steward present and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has also been working with the town on the new arrangement, Sennett said.
Augello came highly recommended by Adessa. He is a captain with the Auburn Police Department and has 41 years experience as a police officer, Adessa said.
“I can’t think of a better candidate for the town, I think he will bring that wealth of experience and a lot of people skills to the position,” he said.
Like Adessa, Augello will be paid $18.36 an hour and used at the discretion of the board.
In other business:
–Following an executive session, the board voted to hire Syracuse-based architecture firm Ashley McGraw to do an assessment on the town’s options to move the town offices. They will assess the town’s space needs and provide an estimate of the cost to potentially co-locate with the village or to build a new building on the town-owned property on Fennell Street.
The board has sought proposals from three architectural firms with local representatives: Ashley McGraw, King and King and Lake Architectural. The cost to hire McGraw will be no more than $$4,200, Town Clerk Janet Aaron said.
–The board voted to hire Fran Lawlor, at a cost not to exceed $1,500, to do an ash tree inventory for all the trees on town property and in town right of ways. Many ash trees in the region have been infested with emerald ash borers — an invasive species of beetle. The town wants to keep track of ash trees to prevent infestations or properly take down and dispose of trees that are infested. The cost will be covered by the town’s contingency fund.
–Though they didn’t vote, the board is considering Sennett’s request to amend the rental agreement for Austin Park Pavilion to waive the fee for any non-profit groups or events that may want to use the facility in the summer.
The new agreement would require the groups to take the facility “as is,” meaning town employees will not assist with setup or cleanup, and they will be required to give the town a deposit and document liability insurance, Sennett said.
Joe Genco is the editor of the Skaneateles Press. He can be reached at [email protected].
