Woodstock Town Board Meeting, March 17

This article appeared in the Townsman, March 19 edition

The monthly meeting of the Woodstock Town Board executed the monthly business by unanimous votes on paying the bills in the amount of $112,000, accepting the Town Clerk’s report, the monthly budget transfers and minutes for previous meetings. There was also unanimity in authorizing expenditure of up to $147,000 for the purchase of new highway equipment, and in granting waivers of rental fees for use of the Community Center by two not-for-profit groups.

Paul Shultis Jr, representing the Skate Park Task Force, reported that an application for a variance that would permit construction of a ten foot high fence around the existing skate park was heard by the Woodstock Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) at its March 12 meeting, and that a decision will be made at the ZBA’s March 26 meeting. A denial is not expected. The Woodstock Planning Board at its April 2 meeting will deliberate on the new fence plus the addition of a specially manufactured material to deaden sound. Shultis asked that it be stressed the cost of the improvement, estimated at approximately $45,000, will be covered by the moneys received as a member item from Senator Bonacic, and will not be borne by local tax payers. He credited the previous Supervisor for securing such funding.

The board wrestled with its desire to financially aid the Food Pantry to the tune of $500.00, and not conflict with law that prohibits allocations to religious institutions that host the pantry. It was decided to allocate the funds contingent on receiving guidance from the attorney for the Town, Rod Futerfas.

During committee reports Councilwoman Liz Simonson again said that she was continuing to add data to software purchase last year to help the Town address its energy costs.

More interesting was her report on the RNN tower, the privately owned 300 foot tower on the top of Overlook Mountain, which she feels would be a good asset for providing cell phone service to areas of the town not currently served. “The tower is staying there,” she stated, even though it had lost its non-conforming use status when it ceased broadcasting television signals several years ago. She reported the tower’s owner, Powers Taylor, had contracted with Qualcom, a technology company, to install some type of communications device not having to do with cell service. Verizon Wireless is apparently not interested in the site, and Nextel withdrew an application a while ago. In the past several carriers had reported that the RNN site is not suitable for providing cell phone service. She also spoke with a representative of Pyramid Developers, the company more noted for development of shopping malls, but which apparently has a division dealing with communications. She was informed that since the Town had “given away the diamond in the crown” by permitting the cell tower in California Quarry, which serves almost 75% of the town’s population, it would be “a complicated thing to get service to the less dense areas of the town.” It was suggested to her that the Town Board creating a “easy approval method” might facilitate matters. She did not go into details. Simonson did not report on her meeting with the Fire Commissioners, where it was reported she and George (“Jerry”) Washington were met with less than enthusiasm in their effort to garner support for the RNN tower.

Supervisor Jeff Moran gave a more upbeat report, saying he had spoken with Ulster County officials who are eager to expand broadband service, including wireless telecommunications, to rural areas not currently served. There are moneys in the recently passed federal Stimulus Package that may assist the effort. Moran is currently constructing a map of un-served areas in Woodstock, saying he is “keenly interested in getting service to the west.”

Councilman Jay Wenk had little to report on his effort to remove buried fuel storage tanks near the aquifer that feeds the municipal wells, except to say that a company he had contacted, VASCO, which specializes in fuel tank removal, had stopped retuning his calls, and that he and George (“Jerry”) Washington each had scheduling conflicts that prevented them from meeting on the subject. A VASCO representative made a presentation to the Town Board last January, but nothing has been heard since.

There was another long, desultory conversation on the Supervisor’s attempt to get a legitimate estimate for the cost of purchase and renovation of the Elna Ferrite building on the Bearsville Flats so that such cost could be compared to the known cost, almost $2 million, to renovate the Town Hall for court, dispatch and police services. Elna Ferrite would house almost all of the Town departments (Not highway or water/sewer), in addition to those named. It was finally decided to meet at 3:00 PM on March 30 at the Town Offices to construct a request for proposals from experts to help estimate the Elna renovation.

The meeting had begun at 6:30 with an executive session to discuss with attorney for the Town, Rod Futerfas the issue of ethics and the Ethics Board, which recently have caused hot discussions over controversial decisions [see article on this subject elsewhere in this edition]. The public portion of the meeting adjourned at around 10:00 PM.