The Seneca Falls Town Board Held a Regular Monthly Meeting on Tuesday, May 1, 2012 in The

SENECA FALLSTOWN BOARD REGULAR MEETING MAY 1, 2012

The Seneca Falls Town Board held a regular monthly Meeting on Tuesday, May 1, 2012 in the Town Hall Meeting Room, 81 W. Bayard Street.

Present were Supervisor Donald Earle; Councilpersons Duane Moore, Susan Sauvageau and T.J. Casamassima. Also present were Patrick Morrell, Attorney for the Town; James Spina, Commissioner of Parks and Recreation; Steven Turkett, Zoning Officer; Donald Wood, Highway Superintendent; Stuart Peenstra, Police Chief; Jeffrey Rowe, Town Engineer and a Member of the local media.

Supervisor Earle called the Meeting to order at 7:00 P.M. Board Member Emil Bove was absent from the Meeting; the Pledge of Allegiance followed.

Petitioners:

Gene Connelly – Hydrogen Fuel Generator on Tower: Gene Connelly of ReliOn Fuel Cell Manufacturer stated he was asked to come before the Board by Sprint to address any questions the Board may have. Sprint would like to install a fuel cell system on the tower located on Auburn Road which is a backup system for the cell phone equipment on top of the tower. Mr. Connelly said the system is very quiet, creates no noxious fumes and it is a very safe and reliable system. He added it is more energy efficient than a diesel fuel or propane powered electrical generator, and requires little or no maintenance. Discussion followed.

Kathy Cole: Kathy Cole stated she wanted to take the opportunity to thank the Police Department and the Fire Department because she had a choking episode and they were there very quickly; they were very professional, and they beat the ambulance. She added switching to a Town Government and enlarging the area to be covered, has not in any way affected the quality of care you get. She again thanked all the agencies that came to her aid.

Approval of Minutes:

A motion was made to approve the minutes of the regular monthly Meeting of April 3, 2012 and the Special Meeting of April 6, 2012 by Sue Sauvageau and seconded by Duane Moore. No questions. Motion carried

4 ayes. 0 nayes.

Reports:

Dog Control Officer: The Dog Control Officer’s report states that eight dogs were impounded and five redeemed; one dog was adopted and four Appearance tickets were issued. A total of $40.00 in fees was collected and turned over to the Town Clerk.

A motion was made to accept the Dog Control Officer’s report by T.J. Casamassima and seconded by Sue Sauvageau. No questions. Motion carried 4 ayes, 0 nayes.

Zoning Officer: Mr. Turkett noted the Board has a copy of his report for permits issued in the former Village and the Town. Town Zoning Permits issued are Permit #2413 issued to Nancy Davis, 2928 E.Bayard Street Ext., roof; Permit #2414 issued to Anna Marie Vestal, 2502 Lower Lake Road, siding; Permit #2415 issued to Randy Freeman, 3113 Demont Road, #11, storage shed; Permit #2416 issued to McDonald’s Real Estate Co., 2500 Route 414, demolition and build restaurant; Permit #2417 issued to Pauline Bojczuk, 2869 Farron Road, deck/railings; and Permit #2418 issued to Mike Mazzeo, Jr., 2837 Farron Road, roof.

A total of $1,311.10 was collected from the issuance of these Permits, and 17 Zoning Permits have been issued to date for the year 2012.

Zoning Permits issued for properties within the former Village are Zoning Permit #30998 issued to Douglas Avery, 54 Cayuga Street, roof; Permit #30999 issued to Kelly VonBergen, 48 Garden Street, roof; Permit $31000 issued to Gina Hill, 9 Mechanic Street, fence; Permit #31001 issued to Lisa Pullen, 8 John Street, demo garage; Permit #31002 issued to Salvadore Spano, 34 Shamrock Avenue, roof; Permit #31003 issued to Nice n Easy, 193 Fall Street, sign change; Permit #31004 issued to Gary and Mary Gilbert, 17 Tall Oaks Drive, storage shed; Permit #31005 issued to Keith Blaisdell, 114 Clinton Street, roof; Permit #31006 issued to Tom and Carol Addona, 93 E. Bayard Street, roof; Permit #31007 issued to Robert Parker, 31 Seneca Road, handicap ramp; Permit #31008 issued to Christine Smith, 1 Beryl Avenue, roof; Permit #31009 issued to Peter Soscia, 10 Miller Street, fence and windows; Permit #31010 issued to Steven Cooley, 16 Courtney Drive, fence; Permit #31011 issued to Chuck Wicks, 10 Anthony Drive, fence; Permit #31012 issued to Shirley Porcelli, 6 Cuddeback Street, replace windows; Permit #31013 issued to Lisa VanFleet, 16 Boston Avenue, porch floor and steps; Permit #31014 issued to James Provenzano, 201-207 Fall Street, signage; Permit #31015 issued to Philip Olmstead, 22 Leland Drive, roof; Permit #31016 issued to William K. Clary, 4 Washington Street, Weatherization/windows; Permit #31017 issued to Chris and Randy Calabrese, 29 VanRenssalaer Street, siding and windows; Permit #31018 issued to Chris Denny, 1 Hickory Place, roof; Permit #31019 issued to Janet Summers and Randy Blaisdell, 60 Bridge Street, roof; Permits #31020 to #31028 are void; Permit #31029 issued to Chris Redder,

South Street, Office/Shop; Permit #31030 issued to SF Elks Lodge #992, 2221 W. Bayard Street, sign; Permit #31031 issued to Seneca Manor, 192 Ovid Street, Lot 121, Mfg. home; Permit #31032 issued to Seneca Manor, 192 Ovid Street, Lot 4, mfg. home; Permit #31033 issued to John Litzenberger, 12 Miller Street, steps and deck; Permit #31034 issued to Rose Romeo, 52 Oak Street, porch roof; Permit #31035 issued to Frank and Lauren Caratozzolo, 37 Van Renssalaer Street, pool; Permit #31036 issued to Sylvia Kellogg, 6 Meadow Street, roof; Permit #31037 issued to Gerald Graziano, 19 Pine Street, 10 sq.ft.siding; Permit $31038 issued to Stephen Laurenza, 76 W. Bayard Street, repair porch deck/railing; Permit #31039 issued to Seneca County House of Concern, 35 State Street, repair deck; Permit #31040 issued to Trivedi Manoj, 101 Auburn Road, demo building and Permit #31041 issued to Alex Orlando, 86 Mynderse Street, porch repair.

A total of $680.00 was collected from the issuance of these Permits, and 76 Zoning Permits have been issued to date for the year 2012.

Mr. Turkett stated the Planning Board held a Meeting relative to a subdivision and a couple of major projects. Final Site Plan was approved for Amish Structures, and Preliminary Site Plan reviews were approved for solar panels at two locations of the Seneca Falls Savings Bank. Also, a Preliminary Site Plan review was held for the Bill Cram Body Shop. The Zoning Board of Appeals met to endorse the February 23, 2012 Meeting Minutes.

A motion was made to accept Mr. Turkett’s report by Duane Moore and seconded by Sue Sauvageau. No questions. Motion carried 4 ayes, 0 nayes.

Commissioner of Parks & Recreation: Mr. Spina stated the Board has a copy of his report. Summer Program planning is in the final stages and should be ready in a week or two. They have added additions of non-traditional sports camps which, hopefully, will draw some different interests. He mentioned that Little League is up and running.

Ms. Sauvageau commented that of the total numbers for the Fitness Room, the women participants are at 60%. Mr. Spina said they are maintaining those numbers. They are very proud of the numbers for the Fitness Room.

A motion was made to accept Mr. Spina’s report by T.J. Casamassima and seconded by Sue Sauvageau. No questions. Motion carried 4 ayes, 0 nayes.

Highway Superintendent: Mr. Wood mentioned some of the work they have done around Town. Three street islands which get marked up by garbage trucks and school buses were dug out and replaced with blacktop. They received some of the pipe supplies and the pipe should be coming in any time. There are 18 dumpsters in service, and the leaves and brush pickup was last week. Mr. Wood said the sweeper is working out very well. They took out some trees on Noble and Farron Roads, and cleared out dead trees where they are filling in on Garden Street. Picnic tables were painted and put out in the three Parks. The purple Seneca Falls banners were put up downtown and along the Canal.

Mr. Wood stated they met with DOT at the Railroad crossing as an Individual wanted some signals at the railroad crossing on Johnson Street; they will be getting some stencils to paint on the road. They have scheduled with the County the waterline crossing on River Roadon May 15th; River Road will be closed on the 15th and the 16th.

Mr. Wood stated the HighwaySchool is next month in Ithaca. He mentioned that there is a lot of landscaping that needs to be done, and they don’t have time to do it. He doesn’t know if the Town wants to hire that out or hire a part-time person.

A motion was made to accept Mr. Wood’s report by Duane Moore and seconded by Sue Sauvageau. No questions. Motion carried 4 ayes, 0 nayes.

Assessor: Mr. Earle noted that Mrs. Loncosky is sitting with the rolls.

Attorney for the Town: Mr. Morrell indicated that there were matters on the Agenda that can be discussed as they come up.

Town Justice: Mr. Earle noted that the Town Justice is on vacation.

Water & Sewer Superintendent: Mr. Earle stated that Mr. Cafolla is out of Town. He has submitted a report.

A motion was made to accept Mr. Cafolla’s report by T.J. Casamassima and seconded by Sue Sauvageau. No questions. Motion carried 4 ayes, 0 nayes.

Police Chief: Chief Peenstra stated they had 601 calls for service in April, compared to 491 calls in 2011. Of the 601 calls, 51 resulted in criminal arrests, and eleven of the calls required extensive specialized investigation

by an Investigator. In addition, 9 extensive criminal cases were closed out during the month. The Department was assisted by other agencies on 29 calls, and the Department assisted other agencies on 7 calls. SF Police Department responded to 35 traffic accidents, three of which resulted in personal injury. They also conducted 110 traffic stops, with 76 traffic tickets issued. Mr. Peenstra noted the Department saved $2,984.00 by utilizing their part-time Officers. He mentioned the incident that Kathleen Cole referred to earlier in the Meeting.

Chief Peenstra mentioned the Community Events that the Department will be participating in, such as the 10th Annual Seneca County Community Safety Fair on May 12th, hosting a Meet and Greet on May 31st, and the Bicycle Rodeo on June 30th. They participated in Operation Safe Stop on April 18th which seeks to promote school bus safety through education and enforcement efforts; NYS Governor’s Safety Committee reimburses all overtime costs that were incurred. He noted the wireless capabilities within the patrol vehicles are now up and running; Officers are able to complete all necessary paperwork within their patrol vehicles which would allow Officers to keep up with their paperwork throughout their shift, thus decreasing overtime created at the end of their shift to complete reports.

The Department has added a “Warrant Hot Sheet” to their website which includes all active people wanted by their Agency. Sgt. Hawker is attending a mandatory training in police supervision in Solvay. Data Entry Clerk Linda Sherman received training in the use of Incident Base Reporting to complete Mandatory Crime reporting to the NYS Department of Criminal Justice.

Chief Peenstra stated Officer Leland Tyler resigned from his position on April 28th and accepted a position with the NYS Policeas a recruit in their PoliceAcademy. He was an exceptional Officer with the Department, and his services will be missed in the Community. The Department wishes him luck in his future endeavors. Officer Poole returned to full duty on April 25th.

The Chief stated the NYS accreditation continues to move forward and is a huge success. Sgt. Snyder has been assigned lead Officer on this task, and has done a superb job. Several policies have been updated and more are being updated and implemented soon.

A motion was made to accept Chief Peenstra’s report by Sue Sauvageau and seconded by T.J. Casamassima. No questions. Motion carried 4 ayes, 0 nayes.

Ms. Sauvageau stated she would like to congratulate Chief Peenstra on the successful completion of the Civil Service Exam. He not only passed the test, but he received the highest ranking on both the inside and the outside test. She said the Civil Service procedure is to offer formal appointment at the earliest opportunity after passing the required test. She added in the interest of fairness and keeping the Board’s part of the bargain, she believes that should be done as soon as possible. Ms. Sauvageau said it will also send the proper signal to the Employees that they are valued and give them faith that they will be treated fairly as they come up for appointments and promotions. Mr. Earle also congratulated Chief Peenstra on his score.

Mr. Earle mentioned that the Town has always submitted an AUD report to the State which was successfully filed; we are now in the process of being audited which is a normal process. The Village had a fiscal year ending in May, so the Town is not required to file an AUD until after that time. He will be working on getting that completed ahead of time so that we can see exactly where we stand, and combine that part of our business.

Committee Reports:

Transition: John Condino stated they are continuing to work on the Assessment Management Program; their Staff will be making appointments with Department Heads. They will also be doing some facility assessments, and are pushing to maybe have a preliminary priority list next month.

Mr. Condino stated there was a pre-bid Meeting regarding the generator replacement project which was well attended; bids will be opened May 10th, and hopefully there will be a decent response on that.

Mr. Condino noted Seneca Meadows Landfill pre-treatment equipment is still on schedule, and is projected to be on line by the end of July. They have been in discussions with the Landfill in putting together a new discharge permit. The Landfill wants to be sure they have that new permit by the end of July. Mr. Condino stated they have also made some progress on the force main pump station issue – the Town would like to have the line clean before they take it over. He added they have already started making those arrangements with Mr. Cafolla. He noted they will be working on the Sewer Use Law; DEC would like it to be brought up-to-date.

Mr. Casamassima referred to the inventory, and asked if a lot of that was done previously; Mr. Condino replied yes – that is what they are using. Mr. Moore mentioned that he and Mr. Condino are working on a schedule for the Bridgeport Sewer District Committee so they can meet again.

Mr. Earle asked if Ms. Sauvageau had an update on the sign issue; Ms. Sauvageau replied not really – it was left

that they were going to come back with some report. She will make contact with them. Mr. Earle asked that she do that before the next Meeting.

Mr. Earle asked Mr. Moore if there was any report on the tank or helicopter. Mr. Moore replied he did make contact with Mr. Fox, and they are going to meet to discuss the background as to where they want to put one of these items. Mr. Fox hasn’t heard anything yet as far as what piece of equipment they are going to obtain.

The Town Clerk made a report as to the expenses for the Special Election. She read the report of expenses which total $5,318.17, and said this does not include her time that was spent working on the Election.

Communications:

A motion was made to receive and file Communications numbered 1 to 32 by T.J. Casamassima and seconded by Sue Sauvageau. No questions. Motion carried 4 ayes, 0 nayes. Communications numbered 1 to 32 are as follows:

1. Check in the amount of $5,000.00 from Lakeview Mental Health Services representing 2012 PILOT payment.
2. Check in the amount of $170,402.72 from Seneca County Treasurer representing Villae relevies paid to the County.
3. Check in the amount of $30,180.70 from Town Justice representing fines, fees and forfeitures collected by the Court during the month of March 2012.
4. Check in the amount of $7,612.11 from SenecaCountyIDA representing Town 2012 PILOT for Scepter, and check in the amount of $19,703.06 representing Village PILOT for Scepter.
5. Minutes of the SenecaCounty Planning Board Meeting of March 8, 2012.
6. Order Granting Trustee’s Motion to Limit Notice relative to Cordia Communications Corp., Northstar Telecom, Inc. My TelCo., and Midwest Marketing Group from US Bankruptcy Court.
7. Statement of Accounts as of March 31, 2012 from M & T Investment Group.
8. Check in the amount of $10,705.40 from TA Operating LLC representing annual payment relative to the Sewer Service Agreement.
9. Notice to Occupants of intention to discontinue service due to non-payment of bill from NYSEG.
10. Notice of Public Hearing relative to SenecaCountyIDA and Jascor, Inc. (McDonald’s Restaurant) proposed straight lease transaction from SenecaCountyIDA.
11. Checks totaling $177.60 representing reimbursement to the Town for advanced funds to Employees’ HSA accounts.
12. Checks totaling $3,831.52 from retired Employees of the Village representing their portion health insurance premiums due.
13. Check in the amount of $147.74 from Magee Country Diner, Inc. representing annual payment relative to the Sewer Service Agreement.
14. Check in the amount of $598.72 from Nice n Easy representing annual payment relative to the Sewer Service Agreement.
15. Checks totaling $3,793.32 from Sprint Nextel representing three months rental payments for cell tower on Auburn Road.
16. Check in the amount of $1,095.00 from the Town to Village funds representing fines, fees and forfeitures collected by the Court during the month of January 2012.
17. Check in the amount of $95.10 from Mary L. Sloan representing payment of Cobra insurance.
18. Resolutions adopted by the Association of Towns at their Annual Meeting in February.
19. Check in the amount of $8.48 from Finger Lakes Technologies Group, inc. representing tax due the Town on gross utility receipts.
20. Check in the amount of $259.12 from Verizon Wireless representing credit refund (Village account cancelled).
21. Check in the amount of $1,132.27 from Parker’s Grille, Inc. representing monthly payment of CDBG and HUD loan.
22. Notice that an application has been submitted to the State Liquor Authority for renewal of liquor license from Dewey’s 3rd Ward Tavern.
23. Check in the amount of $8,112.24 from Town Tax Collector representing penalties and interest collected.
24. Minutes of the Heritage Preservation Commission Meeting of February 28, 2012.
25. Notice of Non-Evidentiary Hearing relative to Trans National Communications International, Inc. (Chapter 11) from Murphy & King PC.
26. Notice of Order establishing a 30 MPH speed zone on Balsley Road from NYS Department of Transportaiton.
27. Check in the amount of $642,400.00 from Seneca Meadows, Inc. representing 1st quarter payment as per Host Community Agreement.
28. Minutes of the Planning Board Meeting of April 5, 2012.

1. Notice that Order Dismissing the case, David Pitcher/Sara Pitcher, was filed on April 20, 2012 from US Bankruptcy Court.
2. Statement of monies received and disbursed from January 2012 to April 2012 from Betty Verzillo, Tax Collector.
3. Monthly Report for the month of March 2012, as per Town Operating License and Host Community Agreement, from Seneca Meadows, Inc.
4. Checks totaling $1,195.54 from various Companies representing return by utilities of tax on Gross Income.

Ms. Sauvageau noted there is a Tax Collector report under Communications; $4,731,972.80 was collected by the Tax Collector.