This article appeared in the Townsman, June 19 2008 edition
Woodstock, June 17 2007
George (“Jerry”) Washington, tapped by councilman Jay Wenk along with Craig Barber and Janine Mower to serve on a subcommittee to help prepare and deliver a report on the danger of old underground home fuel oil tanks leaking into the aquifer supplying the municipal water system, abandoned his long held position that the Town appoint a “health safety officer” to order property owners with buried fuel tanks to replace them with above ground tanks, and instead urged the town board to enter into a far more expensive project to install monitoring wells and to dig deeper wells, which would not be as susceptible to oil contamination, he claimed. Washington, who admitted he was not a professional hydrologist, further claimed that property owners have the legal right to maintain old underground tanks, but proposed the town board meet in secret session to “discuss and propose options and plans” to eliminate the tanks. He also thought the town should begin commercial sales of water, claiming the revenue would fund the expense of the improvements. Washington gave no reason for abandoning his less costly approach to addressing the threat, which he had urged repeatedly on the previous administration. Washington identified 16 known underground tanks, omitting two located on Meadow Court, one of which belongs to subcommittee member Janine Mower, since they were “less than twenty-five years old.” Woodstock environmental commission (WEC) chairwoman Mary Burke pointed out that Washington’s data matched almost exactly data gather by the WEC several years ago. At the conclusion of the report Wenk expressed great relief in seeing this long festering problem finally addressed, although the board took no action based on the recommendations. Wenk did announce that local musicians would put on a fundraiser to help homeowners finance tank removal, but no date was given. Further action was not discussed.
In other committee reports, Supervisor Jeff Moran updated the board on the proposed town hall renovation project, which is stalled after bids for the project exceeded the 1.6 million dollars (1.45 million to be bonded) authorized by the December, 2007 referendum. Meetings with the contractors, where paring down the project was discussed, resulted in possible savings of up to $200,000, but the total price tag is still too high. Moran broached the idea of purchasing the soon to be vacated Elna Ferrite building, which some recall as the bowling alley located on the Bearsville Flats about one mile from the town center. The structure, approximately 18,000 square feet, would not only have room to house the police, dispatch and justice court departments, but all the remaining town departments as well. He also cited ample parking and the building’s up to date code compliance (the structure was completely renovated in the late 1990’s) as more reason to seriously consider purchase and remodeling. Feelings on the board were decidedly mixed, with the question of what to do with the town hall and the Comeau town office building if vacated by the governmental agencies apparently the most perplexing. Councilman Chris Collins lamented the lack of a “global” plan for town infrastructure, while councilwoman Terrie Rosenblum maintained that it was the responsibility of the board to meet present needs of the departments. All agreed the existing facilities are inadequate. Two members of the public made brief but passionate pleas to maintain the town hall as a municipal building. The board will discuss the matter more at its scheduled July 8 meeting.
Both the board and the public responded very favorably to the much-anticipated report by the ad hoc Comeau Users Group (CUG) with recommendations to the board for accommodating the increased use by the public of the Comeau property. The eleven-page report encouraged improved signage, coordination of field schedules, volunteer traffic control during busy events, getting dog owners to obey leash laws and to clean up after their pets, more garbage receptacles and better fields and trails maintenance. It also called for some expansion of the upper parking lot. CUG’s membership include dog owners, trail walkers, soccer players and Bird On A Cliff theater company representatives along with two professional mediators to construct the comprehensive document. Woodstock Recreation Commission (WRC) member Gordon Wemp, in charge of overseeing the town’s parks, praised the document and urged CUG members to become part of the WRC. CUG member Michael Platsky expressed his pleasure in seeing such universal agreement with the product, citing David Boyle and Sam Mercer’s approbation as particularly satisfying. Boyle, although mostly in agreement with the report’s conclusions, pointed out that the soccer kids deserved some sort of shelter against sudden inclement weather and also decent bathroom facilities, which were not part of the report’s recommendations. He was also concerned with the lack of an alternate access for emergency vehicles. The town board agreed to look into implementing many of the CUG suggestions with an eye to incorporating some of the expense in the 2009 budget.
The CUG report to some extent dovetailed with Councilwoman Liz Simonson’s report on the parking problem at Comeau, which she constructed with Wenk’s assistance based on their investigation of the premises over the last two months. They found a shortage of parking spaces numbering from an average of 27 to 37, depending on the day of the week and the scheduled event. Simonson recommended installing some additional parking and improved lighting, and also coordinating events, relying on event volunteers to guide traffic, and plan parking in such a manner as to maintain access for emergency vehicles. She did not recommend widening Comeau Drive to provide roadside parking. Wenk offered up suggestions that dog walkers be required to use the lower parking lot, plus measures to encourage car pooling, install removable speed bumps on Comeau drive, and mill lumber from recently felled trees on the property to delineate parking spaces.
Councilman Chris Collins again reported that progress has been made with amendments to the zoning law regulating development in the area of the wells supplying the municipal water system and near wetlands and watercourses, and also on the comprehensive plan. He referred to a document prepared by Kathy Daniels, a planning consultant engaged by the Town, but such document will not be made available to the public. Collins has been working on these projects for two and a half years.
Simonson reported that a glitch in the formatting would necessitate her to re-submit the paper work required for re-imbursement from the New York State Estuary Program for the moneys spent on a study of the Sawkill stream. Simonson secured the grant in 2005 and it expired at the end of 2007. She also reported that she had not heard from planning board attorney Drayton Grant on matters pertaining to the Nextel application to install a personal wireless (cell phone) service on the so-called RNN tower, which most people know as the tower with the red, blinking light on top of Overlook Mountain.
Wenk, town board liaison to the Senior Recreation Program, announced that instructors for the program would probably be seeking a raise in pay for their services.
Rosenblum, town board liaison to the Recreation Commission and the Woodstock Library, reported expanded activities for the Summer Rec program. She also reported that the Library would honor the memory of 30-year trustee Ruth Simpson, and that it was arranging with the cooperation of the Catskill Center for Photography an exhibit. The Library Fair, scheduled to go off on July 26 from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM is in sore need of volunteers to help with the event. Interested parties are urged to contact Michael Perkins. In response to a question from Simonson, Rosenblum said she doubted the Library would include in its 2009 proposed budget the enormous expenditure it had proposed last year to go toward an extensive renovation/expansion of the facility. The proposed 2008 Library budget was resoundingly defeated in September 2007.
It being the monthly business meeting several routine resolutions were adopted, the resolution to pay the bills amounting to $126,154.96 barely squeaking through since neither Simonson nor Wenk had the time to look over the vouchers and therefore abstained from the vote.
The meeting adjourned at approximately 11:30 PM in the presence of the town clerk, videographer and two reporters.
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