State of New York
County of Fulton
Town of Caroga
Minutes of the Caroga Town Board regular monthly meeting held Wednesday March 14, 2018, at the municipal building located at 1840 State Highway #10 at 7:00 pm with the following persons in attendance by roll call. The salute to the flag followed.
Supervisor James Selmser – Here
Council Member John Glenn – Here
Council Member Jeremy Manning – Here
Council Member James Long – Here
Council Member Kent Kirch – Here
Other town department representatives in attendance were Steve Putman – Highway Superintendent. There were 23 members of the public in attendance.
Supervisor Selmser opened the meeting at 7:00 pm by asking for the roll to be called. The flag salute followed.
Sheriff Giardino was planning to attend the meeting this evening but had to cancel due to another commitment. He will probably be here next month.
Richard Ruberti – Superintendent of the Wheelerville Union Free School and Board Member Suzy Hamalak were in attendance this evening to talk about what can be done to increase enrollment in the school. Enrollment has dropped from 148 to 127 in the last six years. There are 65 kids in high school and 10 kids in the Pre-K class. Three families moved out this year. The school partnerships in various ways with the community, the Senior Pen Pal Program, an annual golf outing and through utilizing local businesses. He asked for feedback on how to build enrollment. Affordable housing is one issue. Mr. Ruberti invited the town board to attend their meeting. They meet the 3rd Monday of the month. He invited the community to use the school building. He noted there were 26 students attending from out of the district right now. The schools website is WUFSK8.com.
Council Member Kirch asked why the families left. Two were job related the other had family issues. One was a housing issue. It was noted that there is not a lot to rent year round, just seasonal. Mr. Ruberti noted there is this same situation in Mayfield where he lives.
Town Justice Subik was on the school board when they built the school. The declining enrollment is a concern of his. He hopes the state does not determine a school is not necessary in Caroga. The school used to recruit students. He suggested a brochure to promote the school. The brochure could advertise the student/teacher ratio and other positive aspects of the school. The budget is 4.3 million with ½ of the money coming from state aid. It was noted that Edinburg has less than 60 kids in K – 6 right now and in Lake Pleasant they have 91 students K-9. There isn’t a set number to say the school must close.
Council Member Glenn asked what the town could do to attract more people. Mr. Ruberti noted it is a great quality of life in Caroga. He wondered if the school could serve as a youth center when not in session. Mr. Ruberti offered the idea of shared services to save money. Council Member Glenn noted the need for infrastructure to grow the town. Supervisor Selmser noted the promotions being done at the county level to promote growth. The cost of housing is lower in Fulton County. He stated declining enrollment is a trend in many districts. Council Member Manning noted the board has the most immediate control over the quality of life and that would take the shortest amount of time.
Mr. Ruberti noted the 2nd Family 5K brings people to the area as well as the kayak run. They want to promote events in the town. The school pays $2,250 per student to go to Johnstown. A total of about $100,000.00. It is a guaranteed five year contract. We would have to pay much more for our own high school level teachers.
Colleen Ricciardi stated that lack of daycare is a drawback for parents. Years ago there was a program at school. Mr. Ruberti noted the regulations are very strict for daycare at the school. There are several things going on after school for the kids to choose from until about 3:40. There is a cost for students to attend clubs and to be tutored. There would have to be a cost to it.
The post office staff has been asked about anyone who could provide daycare. This is a major issue. There used to be a program through the YMCA. Council Member Long stated the current after school program is academic and it could be run longer if the financial angle worked. It could be and extended enrichment program. They do not get state aid for the after-hours events.
There are daycare programs in both Fulton and Montgomery counties that could be looked into.
Mr. Ruberti announced the career day at the school on April 27th. He wants local companies to sign up. Nathan Littauer and National Grid will be there. He asked for other professionals attending the meeting to think about attending.
Mr. Hall of Forrest Ave. complained about the town plow hitting every pole, road signs, tree, and his dumpster with the wing today. He stated this is tough on the equipment too.
Mr. Bishop complained about the plow last week banging into banks. He did not know if they were trained or if the plows were set right. His road has slush on it and doesn’t get sanded much.
Mrs. Aldinger is on Green Lake road and stated this year the roads have been plowed and cared for better than any other year she has lived there. “Steve and the guys have done a great job.” The new paving has helped.
Mrs. Voght agreed the roads have been plowed well this year.
Mrs. Barrett noted East Shore has been good too.
Mrs. Donnelly walks Alderwood Park Road every day the conditions are super. She thanked Steve.
Ms. Hamalak stated they do a good job at the dump.
Mr. Putman agreed with infrastructure being part of the solution. He also spent many years on the Planning Board. One thing he doesn’t want to see is over regulation. He thought the town was going down that road. The updated code information in the directory shows you are over regulating. He knows things that were voted down when he was on the board are now regulated. He challenged the board to go through the information in the directory and point out what is legally there according to state code. Excavation is one thing… he has been digging all his life with equipment so now if you dig a stump you need a permit? Is the town going to have to get permits to dig? He would have to talk to the code officer every day. The town is not exempt he stated. Handouts from the Code Office were given to the board members. Supervisor Selmser stated it is very similar to what other towns are presently doing. Mr. Putman stated this was never voted upon. Council Member Kirch stated not a single new requirement was added from last year.
Mr. Putman noted the town has the highest cost for transfer station permit in the county. Supervisor Selmser stated “we’ve taken action based on good facts.” Council Member Kirch noted the increase was to cover the cost of the transfer station.
Assessor’s Report – Vicki Hayner has completed the yearly exemption renewals most were renewed. Letters were sent to those who did not renew their exemption. She will now be working on updating valuation as necessary and making the roll ready for tentative roll time.
Code Office -John Duesler submitted a written report – 14 inspections were completed in February. He is working on due process for two unsafe structures. A mailing was done to businesses for 2018 to schedule fire and safety inspections. A mailing went out to property owners with open permits from 2016 and 2017. His annual training for certification has been completed for 2018. He thanked the board for the updated town website. Supervisor Selmser stated wording has come back from the town attorney and the town may have to have a public hearing on some issues in the future.
BTI – John Delesky stated they have been trying to treat after March 1st in between storms. The larger streams are open and if they are trying to get to them on snowshoes. The smaller streams are still snow covered. There are larvae out there.
Clerk/Registrar – Mrs. Gilbert presented the monthly Town Clerk report. As for Tax Collection to date the office has collected $2,533,347.68. Second notices were sent out to about 350 taxpayers. This is less than the previous two years.
Deputy Clerk Judy Aldinger participated in a Historical Records webinar. Archival storage temperature should be between 65° and 73°, and humidity between 35 and 45 %. The area should be sealed and no food or drink allowed in the records room. Access should be restricted.
New Feature - tax bill can now be viewed on the county website.
Transfer Station Stickers are now available. The cost is $15 for a car and $35 for a truck. Shane Manns DEC officer thanked the town for the use of the golf course and building for training on Monday and Tuesday this week. The Sheriff Department and NYS Troopers also participated in the training.
Supervisor Selmser noted the town website was enhanced recently.
Blight – Council Member Kirch stated blight is a priority for everyone on the board and for most of the people attending this meeting. It is not a popular subject to deal with, to tell people they are not in compliance with the town and the state standards for people’s property and structures.
At the opening of the meeting we discussed the need to attract people to our town. It has to be cleaned up a little bit. We haven’t really enforced the blight laws very effectively over the last 10 – 20 years. He has looked at blight laws in a lot of different towns because there was talk that our laws need to be tougher. In talking to the code officer and town justice he has come to the conclusion, and recommended to the board, that the laws on the books don’t need to be changed. They are adequate and specific and have stiff fines. The fines start at $250 and go up to $700. For unsafe structures the town can go through a process if they need to take a structure down and charge the owner. He suggested putting some energy and focus around the laws we have had for years. He noted the instability in the code office in the past. We now have a high quality individual in the office. He thinks some progress can now be made. Council Member Kirch noted the need to fill the open Assistant Code Officer position on a seasonal basis from May to September.
Mr. Cooper asked when the last time someone was fined for blight? The board thought it was between 2 and 5 years. The judge noted less than 1% of his cases are local code violations. Right now there are two cases of unsafe structures.
Council Member Glenn noted some ambiguity pointed out by the town attorney in the law with the words “when feasible”. He thought they should be removed. Council Member Kirch stated it is not the overall blight law. The when feasible applies to things being out of sight. Council Member Manning thought the interpretation could sometimes be a problem. Not many have read the laws. There are 12 pages of blight laws and Council Member Kirch has reduced it down to a one page explanation that he thought would be helpful to people. Council Member Long thought this summer if there is someone dedicated to working on blight we should expect to see some improvement. The proof will be in the pudding. Council Member Kirch did not want the misconception that new blight laws are being enforced like a Nazi. Supervisor Selmser stated both local laws on the books were examined and signed off by the town attorney.
RESOLUTION #2018-000 to advertise for an Assistant Code Officer was offered by Council Member Kirch at the regular monthly meeting of the Caroga Town Board held Wednesday March 14, 2018 at 7 pm at Town Hall.
WHEREAS, the board desires to clean up blight in the Town of Caroga, now therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the Caroga Town Board hereby moves to place an ad in the Leader Herald Newspaper for 5 days to advertise filling the Assistant Code Officer position - experience/ certification preferred at a rate of $20.00 for 20 hours per week during the months of May 1st to September 31st. The person would report to Mr. Duesler. The applications will be accepted until April 15, 2018.
Council Member Long seconded the motion.
Adopted by a vote of 5 ayes, Selmser, Glenn, Manning, Long, Kirch
Council Member Glenn brought up the idea of having a dumpster available for residents to use to clean up their property. The attendant from the transfer station Suzie Hamalak stated last year for the cleanup days most people had a permit. There were 12 – 15 who did not. Council Member Glenn wanted the container placed at various locations in town. In the past this has been a problem. Council Member Kirch stated in a previous discussion the conclusion was to have an open free transfer station day. Supervisor Selmser want to table the discussion. Council Member Kirch suggested doing a cleanup day after Memorial Day. Communication would have to take place with the county about extending the hours on a couple of Saturdays. A highway employee was paid to monitor clean up days.
Dog Control – 10 Delinquent dogs for 2017 and 3 for February as of 3/16 late fee due. Supervisor Selmser will contact Mr. Dutcher.
Golf Course – Mr. Jennings will meet with the Town Supervisor next week to sign off on his contract. Supervisor Selmser gave an updated spread sheet showing 2016 revenues and expenses. He stated the course lost $9,252.88 that year.
Highway – Mr. Putman stated Council Member Long was correct about the A. Johnson quote - it did not include the duct work.
Mr. Putman noted the need for the generator for town hall. During the last storm the Highway crews were without radios and he had to reset the unit when power was restored. Council Member Long stated he is searching out USDA grant money. The Highway Dept. had to borrow 156 gallons of fuel from the school as the pump wires burned out. They were paid back and he thanked the school for helping us out.
Next month the contract for a cell phone picked up for him will end. He never wanted the phone and never used it.
The battery box of the 2004 dump truck was brought in and placed on the board room table. It is rusted out and had to be rebuilt. The town board needs to know the shape of the equipment. It is a sand truck in the winter and a dump truck in use all summer. The 2004 and 2006 trucks should be replaced.
The men have been asking to have direct deposit for years. Supervisor Selmser has the information to present tonight.
Mr. Putman was called off the road for questions on his bills. He sends up the necessary copies of paperwork to be processed. Council Member Kirch noted there was one without any backup paperwork. That is what was questioned. Next there was a question about the purchase of rags. Mr. Putman has specific types of rags he uses. (No polyester) He has checked with various companies but refuses to use something that was previously on someone’s body already. Council Member Kirch had brought up at a previous meeting that he wanted the town to purchase or order from the local businesses instead of buying at Walmart. “It is not completely about the lowest price in my opinion.” The board agreed we should buy local whenever possible. Mr. Putman asked if we should be purchasing gas locally. They have the highest price in the town.
Mr. Putman responded to Mr. Bishop – he stated the shoes are not put down low now because the frost is coming out of the roads and will peal the asphalt. If a hunk of asphalt rolls under a vehicle it will do damage.
Mrs. Hart asked when he started running the meetings? It is his time to report Mr. Putman noted. Yelling between the parties begins. Randy Snyder and Ms. Hart stood up and stated they were going to find someone to replace his butt and put that person in office.
Mr. Putman responded to Mr. Hall he left a nasty message on the highway garage machine. Mr. Putman offered to come down and looks at the problem on Forrest Ave. tomorrow.
The meeting was gaveled down. Time out called.
Mr. Putman discussed the meeting with Lynch Heating & Cooling. They had the same conclusion as A. Johnson as to why the furnace burned out so fast. The furnace was gunned up so high it overheated the box. The nozzle should be reduced and the heat better distributed. Mr. Duesler noted the chimney would have to have a new liner. There will have to be a new thimble. We do not have any quotes for the chimney work. Neither vendor being discussed for the furnace replacement are in the business to do chimney work. Mr. Costello has done chimney work for the town. There are four quotes that range from $13,650 to $18,513 to replace the furnace. Each vendor has been on site. Mr. Putman is not an expert on furnaces and can’t comment of what is being installed. The board discussed recommendations on the various vendors. The building maintenance person and members of the public added comments. Council Member Manning asked if the biding was closed. The clerk explained quotes were solicited. When advertised in the newspaper we never received any bids back. Council Member Glenn asked for the matter to be tabled until he could talk to Mr. Lynch.
Lake Steward Program – Council Member Glenn had a conversation with Mike Durkee via email he noted chemicals are being used outside the Adirondack Park experimentally in reservoirs used for drinking water. Council Member Long noted this is down in the Fulton reservoirs chain. It is a lot of money for the chemicals. Inside the park it is a long shot.
Council Member Glenn had a discussion with DEC Northville about having a lake steward program at the campsite and or the marina. They discussed car top launch boats meaning canoes, kayak and anything else that goes on top of a car. The bigger boats can’t be launched at the campsite because the water is not deep enough. The kayak and canoes can be cleaned by hand. It was recommended to use the portable wash station at the marina. Mr. Ziemann is looking for a part time employee. A meeting will be set up with them in April.
Council Member Long has been a part of the Adirondack Lake Assessment Program for many years. The data are online for East Caroga Lake, West Caroga Lake, Pine Lake, and Canada Lake. The report is more than 140 pages of all participating lakes. There is a lot of information there.
Town Hall Building – Mr. Travis is working on the sign across the street. He is waiting for the track and letters to come in. The electrician will be at town hall tomorrow probably to install more outlets in the town clerk’s office. Supervisor Selmser noted the sign on the front of the building are weathered and has damage. The board should look at them and maybe a quote will be obtained from Mr. Lakata to repair them.
Weeds – Were discussed earlier in the meeting. The clerk spoke to Mr. Centi earlier in the day he wanted contact information for the fire departments to reach out to anyone who may want to be a diver this summer. The Assistant Chief – Ralph Palcovic will be contacted.
Youth – Colleen Ricciardi is beginning work on the summer recreation program. She noted the life guard Patrick Groom won’t be coming back. She has someone willing to take the course but it costs $350.00. Last year the town paid for Mr. Groom’s recertification. She asked if the town would pay for the course. She plans to take the kids to Pine Lake and Glimmerglass State Park where the kids will swim. The bus diver will be a counselor this year. Ms. Ricciardi stated we don’t have daycare up here so people do utilize this program for day care in the summer. The kids can’t swim at the NYS campground without an aquatics director. Council Member Glenn wondered if we could get a waiver... maybe this would involve some politics. There is also an enrichment program before the program starts for K – 5. Everyone working on the Summer Rec. program lives locally. Jessica Smith is a teaching assistant and willing to take the lifeguarding class. Council Member Manning asked if she will come back next year. He suggested paying ½ this year and ½ next. Mrs. Ricciardi was notified by the Dept. of Health that the state no longer recognizes 2 year certifications for CPR. They want training annually. The school nurse looked this up online and found it not to be the case – that would affect everyone.
RESOLUTION #2018-000 to pay the cost for certification for a lifeguard for the summer recreation program was offered by Council Member Glenn at the regular monthly meeting of the Caroga Town Board held Wednesday March 14, 2018 at 7 pm at Town Hall.
WHEREAS, the board desires to have access to the water to the participants of the Summer Recreation Program offered in the Town of Caroga, and
WHEREAS, the director of the program Colleen Ricciardi has indicated the need to have a certified lifeguard for the program, now therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the Caroga Town Board does hereby move to reimburse Jessica Smith upon the completion of the course.
Council Member Long seconded the motion.
Adopted by a vote of 5 Ayes, Selmser, Glenn, Manning, Long, Kirch
Ms. Ricciardi tried to apply for a state grant for breakfast and lunch for the kids but there was a lot of red tape. Last year money came out of the budget to provide snacks/treats. The board thought it was reasonable.
The board members were given a copy of the financial report for the month of February. Mrs. Young ran it with a different option. He would like the previous format used so the subtotals for the general and highway funds were listed.
The 2017 Annual Report was filed with the state yesterday. The supervisor had Mrs. Young change and correct some of the preliminary information. This took time to do as you have to build the history on some of the information to make sure everything is complete.
New accounts were opened at NBT Bank. He discussed direct deposit with Tammy Malagisi, she referred him to someone else. We have online service at no charge. For direct deposit or EFT transfers there is a charge of $25.00 per month. ($300.00 per year) We have approx... 12 accounts with the bank do we want to change banks because they are charging us a fee. Supervisor Selmser prefers not to switch banks. Currently the bookkeeper has to go online to pay Social Security and other state… Mrs. Holliday asked if the fee could be waived. The town has over 1 million dollars in NBT bank. There is no cost to look at our accounts online.
RESOLUTION #2018-000 to set up Direct Deposit through NBT Bank was offered by Supervisor Selmser at the regular monthly meeting of the Caroga Town Board held Wednesday March 14, 2018 at 7 pm at Town Hall.
WHEREAS, the board desires to utilize direct deposit with NBT Bank, and
WHEREAS, upon discussion with the bank it was noted that there is a $25.00 fee per month now therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the Caroga Town Board does hereby move to move forward with the process, however the Town Supervisor will first try to negotiate the fee down but in the event that does not work the board desires to institute the process to make direct deposit available. The cost will come out of the General Fund - Supervisors Contract.
Council Member Long seconded the motion.
Adopted by a vote of 5 Ayes, Selmser, Glenn, Manning, Long, Kirch
The board members were given a copy of the communication back from Robyn Burgess from APA regarding the draft Zoning Ordinance. The county is revising the SEQR process. Once that is complete the board will have to pass a couple of resolutions to enhance the filing of that data to send it back to the APA. The last proposed update submitted to the Town board was in November of 2016. The Planning Board, at the request of the town board, addressed some other map issues and were done in 2017. The Supervisor want to make sure they are instituted and part of the new package to go back to the APA.
Supervisor Selmser had a discussion with Nathan Littauer hospital and it was noted they are paying rent on a monthly basis. There is no general contract. The hospital board will discuss internally a future contract and get back to the town. Previously there was some talk of the hospital doing something on their own but they have budget constraints and need some state approvals that may not be able to happen. Council Member Long asked if the town would get a contract long enough to offset the cost of improvements to the entrance to the clinic. He did not want to come off in the red on the project if they only stay a couple of years. Supervisor Selmser noted previous contracts were for five years.
Supervisor Selmser contacted the town of Bleecker about the garbage pickup contract. He had a verbal agreement but asked that contract be formalized. The clerk has a copy of the signed contract. The contract is for $21,000.00. They usually pay the town in September or October.
Council Member Glenn asked how much the clinic pays in rent. $550.00 was the response. Council Member Glenn asked if the clinic is operating under the proper certificate. The hospital was thinking about a standalone facility but felt the traffic may not justify the capital investment. They would have to get approval first. They had a CFA grant for $40,000.00 to do a study last year.
Council Member Glenn noted in the meeting with DEC picking up the campsite garbage was discussed. The issue was discussed with Mr. Putman and he is willing to reinstitute picking it up. It was noted by two members of the board that there was a problem the year before last with the truck and a safety issue. It was hoped they had corrected this. Mr. Putman did not like the cost of the tipping fees to the town but if it benefits the town…. If we did not pick it up they would have to send a truck down from Warrensburg or have it done by a private contractor. Supervisor Selmser noted the town originally agreed to pick up the garbage because the youth program got access to the campground 5 days a week. That is not happening now. Council Member Glenn noted the conversation was about the town working with DEC. They may allow us to do the steward program and boat washing there etc. He thought this was a new beginning. Council Member Manning wanted to get the campground open until Columbus Day. Supervisor Selmser believed we should get something in return. He wanted Council Member Glenn to talk to DEC to negotiate keeping the Caroga campsite open longer even two more weeks would be great.
Mr. Putman noted he has also helped to keep Kane Mountain parking access open. That is a courtesy also. Council Member Glenn thanked Mr. Putman personally for that. Supervisor Selmser stated the state has made over a million dollar investment in the work last year and what they plan to do this year at the campsite. Because all that work was done maybe they would keep the campsite open longer. No decision was made. Supervisor Selmser thought another conversation should take place before they open. They open the weekend before Memorial Day.
Mr. Selmser signed up for a one day seminar with Council Member Kirch regarding lighting programs for municipalities on April 11th in Mohawk from 11 – 3. They hope to obtain information to save on the cost of street lighting. LED lighting does save money. Council Member Kirch asked if both needed to attend.
Supervisor Selmser gave the board a handout on Physical Ability Testing from his county meeting. The county may have future testing to get a detailed analysis of each job-breaking down the task to determine the physical demands. He will share more information as it becomes available.
Supervisor Selmser met with Bill VanGorder, our insurance representative. It was mainly to talk about insurance requirements for use of the Sherman’s property and to see if there were any changes. One of the concerns was the possible kayak poker run. One thing the supervisor did bring to the insurance company attention was when the garbage truck was purchased only part was insured. There are two parts - the truck and the packer. The packer was not being insured.
Supervisor Selmser had Angie Meredith fill out the form that Council Member Manning is working on for use of town property. She gave tentative dates of August 4th with a rain date of August 5th for the kayak poker run. She was notified that insurance was required three days before the event. The Town Supervisor will help her with that issue. Council Member Glenn noted the form was to be discussed later in the meeting it is only in a draft form. It was noted the Sherman’s property is being used by the music group on Aug. 4th. The kayak event is at 9 am – 3 pm. The town clerk handed the form from Mrs. Meredith back to the Supervisor.
RESOLUTION 2018-000 to approve the use of the Sherman’s beach for the kayak poker run was offered by Council Member Kirch at the regular monthly meeting of the Caroga Town Board held Wednesday March 14, 2018 at 7 pm at Town Hall.
WHEREAS, the board desires to allow the use of the Sherman’s beach for the kayak poker run on August 4th or 5th, 2018 now therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the board does hereby move to approve the use of the property with the condition that the group obtain the proper insurance as discussed and to conform to any requirement the board should set forth.
Council Member Long seconded the motion.
Discussion: Supervisor Selmser noted there was a similar form provided by the insurance provider since Council Member Manning was working on a form….
Adopted by a vote of 5 Ayes, Selmser, Glenn, Manning, Long, Kirch
The clerk questioned the Town supervisor as to the location of the launching of the Kayaks. She believed it would not actually take place on town property. He explained they may be using part of the town owned property.
Supervisor Selmser received a call from Kyle Price yesterday. He requested an additional date for use of the Sherman’s property on Friday June 8th to have a concert of Sawyer Fredericks. Council Member Kirch asked if there would be the same terms, conditions, and rates. Council Member Manning thought it could be brought under the previous agreement. He thought they could just add another date with the same lump sum previously agreed to a set amount for the year.
Mrs. Voght asked if the venue was big enough… were they concerned at all?
Council Member Manning thought it was early enough in the year if it were taking place mid-summer maybe it would be a problem. He spoke to the Board of Health today to ask about additional requirements. They stated not unless they reached a mass gathering of 5,000 people. He did not think we would even approach that. There were 500 at their concert last year. They would have to make accommodations necessary for crowd size. It will only be for a couple of hours. Council Member Manning thought there would be at least double the crowd size of last year. Mrs. Hart talked about local businesses being excited about this event and wanting to get everybody on board. Council Member Kirch wanted this to be a good experience with adequate parking and facilities. Supervisor Selmser stated there would be a number of planning meetings ahead to address some of the possibilities.
RESOLUTION 2018-000 to amend our agreement with Caroga Arts Collective was offered by Council Member Long at the regular monthly meeting of the Caroga Town Board held Wednesday March 14, 2018 at 7 pm at Town Hall.
WHEREAS, the town supervisor received a phone call from Kyle Price of the Caroga Arts Council about adding an additional date to their already approved schedule this year for the use of the Sherman’s property, now therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the board does hereby move to amend our agreement with the Caroga Arts Collective to include June 8th for a Sawyer Fredericks Concert under the same terms as the current agreement.
Council Member Manning seconded the motion.
Discussion on what exactly the terms of the previous terms were.
Adopted by a vote of 5 Ayes, Selmser, Glenn, Manning, Long, Kirch
Supervisor Selmser explained the proposed resolution to transfer funds to correct an entry of December 2017 for highway funds received from the close out of the Adirondack Trust account that was deposited into the General Fund checking. On May 11, 2016 a resolution was made to amend the highway budget to raise revenues and appropriation in the amount of $167,450.00. Copies of the bank statements were given to the board members showing where the money was taken from. In a second packet of information there was a resolution passed for the Chassis and Compactor on May 11, 2016. The cost at the time was $55,420.70 for the packer and $89,797.00 for the International truck. He again provided copies of the bank statements as proof coming from the highway checking account. This should have come out of the general fund.
RESOLUTION #2018-000 To transfer funds was offered by Council Member Glenn at the regular monthly meeting of the Caroga Town Board held Wednesday March 14, 2018 at 7 pm at Town Hall.
WHEREAS, the town board was informed that a budget transfer was necessary to correct an entry from December 2017, now therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the board does hereby move to make the following transfer:
FROM: A6200 General Fund Cash $256.490
TO: A0200 Highway Fund Cash $256,490
Council Member Long seconded the motion.
Adopted by a vote of 5 Ayes, Selmser, Glenn, Manning, Long, Kirch
Department heads had requested a formal list of liaisons. They are as follows: The clerk will distribute the list to the department heads.
Assessor – James Long
Bookkeeper – Jim Selmser
Code Office – Kent Kirch
Golf Course – Jim Selmser
Highway – Jim Selmser
Town Clerk – Kent Kirch
Town Hall – James Long
Youth Program – Jeremy Manning
Lake Management – Jack Glenn
Sherman’s Security & Lighting System – Supervisor Selmser stated this was brought up at a previous meeting. Council Member Glenn noted this was discussed three years ago. A quote was given in the amount of $2,300 to $2,500 for a security system at the Sherman’s property.
He will talk to him again. Council Member Long would like to inspect to see what is already there. He did not think a wireless system would work. We do not have an inventory of what is there… motion, door sensors, cameras. We should know. Council Member Kirch thought simple motion detectors spot lights on the outside of the buildings would be cheap.
Sewer District Grant application – Council Member Kirch has had some discussion with the local business owners and he has gone to the laundromat building. It is vacant due to a septic issue. “We all know we’ve got issues potentially with anything that happens at Sherman’s pretty much. It is not really about Sherman’s thought; it’s really about the center of town and long term worth. Sooner or later we are going to end up needing a solution for that.” He thought the past efforts around a sewer district have been pretty massive/large. It would be worthwhile to pursue if we can get grant money or any other funding assistance to do a study to see what a much more realistic sewer district that just includes from Vrooman’s down to the new Fire House and over to the Outlet and everything in that area. We know we have a lot of septic issues. He would like to see what that would cost before we go to the trouble of having someone actually developing a formal plan. He does not know if we'll get any funding or if we'll get anywhere but he would be interested in pursuing it.
Supervisor Selmser noted we had seven and nine proposals last year that anticipated that. Council Member Glenn noted the one we decided upon was the Environmental Design Partnership, LLP, dated April 26th 2017. They were proposing conceptual engineering associated with development of a wastewater collections and treatment systems in the Town of Caroga for a small collection system. That proposal cost was $11,500. Copies would be given to Council Member Kirsch and Council Member Long. Council Member Glenn would like to sit down and have a work session with them. Supervisor Selmser noted there is some CFA process Grant applications that have to be in by the middle of July every year. That was a major source of funding. If we do this that would start us in this direction. Council Member Manning suggested calling them and talking with them. They know where the money is. That's how they get paid. He thought it was a smart thing to do. Council Member Long thought they could give us a verbal ballpark number based just on the number of lots and number of miles of roads to allow us to know if the proposed sewer district could actually be self-sustaining in terms of the fees and maintenance. Council Member Kirch wanted to meet with them.
Council Member Kirch noted there is a new downtown development specialist in Gloversville who is putting on a lot of new events. Her goal is to bring back the downtown. She has a 10 year plan and has brought many new events to downtown. There is a seminar called Place Making – a practice of working with communities to reinvent, reengage the public spaces so they are once again the central focus of public life. It is 2 days and the cost is $50.
RESOLUTION #2018-000 to allocate moneys for Council Member Kirch to attend a seminar was offered by Council Member Kirch at the regular monthly meeting of the Caroga Town Board held Wednesday March 14, 2018 at 7 pm at Town Hall.
WHEREAS, Council Member Kirch shared information with the town board on an upcoming seminar called Place Making being offered in Gloversville NY, and
WHEREAS, Council Member Kirch feels it could be beneficial in helping to revitalize downtown Caroga Lake, now therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the board does hereby move to allocate $50 for Council Member Kirch to attend the two day seminar on April 18 & 19, 2018.
Council Member Long seconded the motion.
Adopted by a vote of 5 Ayes, Selmser, Glenn, Manning, Long, Kirch
Supervisor Selmser asked if there were any questions on the Correspondence.
Council Member Manning had some correspondence with Attorney Ferlazzo and Supervisor Selmser gave him information from the insurance agent so he would like to review both documents prior to discussing the property use agreement. He would like to work on this document some more then get more feedback and discuss this at next meeting. The agreement would be for use of any town property. Council Member Glenn thought the supervisor should be the contact for this in his opinion.
Council Member Manning stated the correspondence from Hashtag Adirondack Management LLC who is interested in purchasing a town owned lot next to The Country Store cannot be discussed in an open session.
The town received a formal letter from Ralph Hayner asking to purchase the dishwasher unit in Town Hall kitchen. John Delesky reported if it were in good condition it could be worth $1,400. We did not know what condition it is in. Jim Subik didn’t know if it could pass inspection. A previous board approved the sale of obsolete equipment in the kitchen.
RESOLUTION #2018-000 to accept the offer from Ralph Hayner for obsolete equipment was offered by Supervisor Selmser at the regular monthly meeting of the Caroga Town Board held Wednesday March 14, 2018 at 7 pm at Town Hall.
WHEREAS, a verbal and written inquiry were received from Ralph Hayner of Mussey Road in the Town of Caroga to purchase the obsolete dishwashing unit in the kitchen at town hall, and
WHEREAS, the board discussed the sale of the obsolete equipment, now therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the board does hereby move to accept $200.00 for the dishwashing unit being sold as is and does authorize Mr. Hayner to remove the unit from town hall.
Council Member Long seconded the motion.
Adopted by a vote of 5 Ayes, Selmser, Glenn, Manning, Long, Kirch
The clerk asked the board about reading the minutes of the February meeting. Supervisor Selmser stated at other meetings he attends that is the first action of the meeting to accept the minutes. The clerk agreed to make the change to next month’s agenda.
Council Member Long made the motion to accept the corrected minutes of the February meeting without reading them. Council Member Kirch seconded the motion. All board members were in favor of the motion.
Council member Long made the motion to pay the bills as presented for audit. Council Member Kirch seconded the motion. All board members were in favor of the motion.
RESOLUTION #2018-000 to set a work session was offered by Council Member Long at the regular monthly meeting of the Caroga Town Board held Wednesday March 14, 2018 at 7 pm at Town Hall.
WHEREAS, the Caroga Town Board desires to conduct interviews for potential Town Attorneys including the firm of Dunn and Dunn but not limited to that firm, now therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the board shall hold a work session on Wednesday March 21, 2018 at 7 pm at town hall.
Supervisor Selmser seconded the motion.
Adopted by a vote of 5 Ayes, Selmser, Glenn, Manning, Long, Kirch
Council Member Kirch introduced Rick Sturgess from the Campers Corner as the Caroga Business Spotlight tonight. Mr. Sturgess was noted as being the hardest working business owners in Caroga Lake. He has many plans for the property – cabin rentals, and mini golf being just two. He makes fabulous fresh cannoli. He thanked the public for their support. Barb Donnelly won the gift certificate give away.
At 9:50 pm Council Member Long made a motion to adjourn. The motion was seconded by the entire board.
Respectfully Submitted,
Linda M. Gilbert, RMC, CMC
Caroga Town Clerk
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