The Nelson Town Board last week extended for another year the local law prohibiting parking along a certain portion of North Lake Road, which expired on Jan. 1.

The law was passed in 2013 due to concerns from the fire department that the area near the Blue Canoe restaurant was congested at times by street parking and needed to be passable by emergency equipment. The original law contained a sunset clause to allow the board to review the parking situation and effectiveness of the law in 2015. The town had planned to undertake road improvements to that stretch of North Lake Road in 2014 to help with the parking issue, but that work did not get done last year.

Because of that, the board agreed on Jan. 8 to discuss extending the law for another year, and plans to complete the road improvements this year.

The board held a public hearing on the issue during its Feb. 12 regular monthly meeting. During which no members of the public spoke.

Proposed Local Law no. 1 of 2015 prohibits parking along the northerly side of the portion of North Lake Road beginning at the Hall Road intersection and continuing east to a point 200 feet beyond the J. Dermody property line as it exists as of the date of the adoption of the law.

Town Attorney Jim Stokes said the proposed local law contains the “exact same restrictions” as were previously in place. The law did include a new penalty clause, however, where parking violators will be fined $25 for each violation. Fines unpaid within 10 days will be increased by an additional $25, and fines not paid or contested within 30 days will be fined an additional $25 (for a total $75 fine after 30 days).

Stokes said these fines are less severe than Madison County Sheriff’s Department parking tickets, which were more than $100.

After closing the public hearing, the board unanimously approved the law, which will take effect once it is filed with the secretary of state and will expire at midnight on Jan.1, 2016.

Also at the meeting, the board approved the adoption of the New York State Unified Solar Permit, which is intended to reduce costs for solar projects by streamlining municipal permitting processes and support the growth of clean energy jobs across the state. The state will give $2,500 to every municipality that approves the permit, and that money can be used by the municipality for anything it chooses.

“I know it sounds too good to be true … but it is [true],” Stokes told the board.

Scott Ingmire, Madison County Planning director, who attended the board meeting on another topic, agreed with Stokes. And said that solar polar has “really taken off” during the past five years in Madison County and across New York state.

At the end of the meeting, Supervisor Roger Bradstreet, who turned 71 that day, was surprised by his family who entered the meeting room with a birthday cake and sang him “Happy Birthday.” Everyone in the room then joined in the celebration with coffee, cake and birthday wishes.

Jason Emerson is editor of the Cazenovia Republican. He can be reached at [email protected].