Town of Williamson – September 25, 2012

The meeting was called to order at 7:30 by Supervisor Jim Hoffman with all Board members present. The first order of business was a Public Hearing on sidewalks, “Safe Route to School Program”. This program is an opportunity to fund new or replacement sidewalks within 2 miles of the school. There is only $1,260,000 available to be distributed among 7 counties; Williamson’s grant application would have to be as strong as possible due to the very competitive nature of the funding. The Supervisor pointed out that applications for the grant have already been received well in excess of the available funding. Newly-constructed sidewalks must now conform to the standards which require a width of 5 feet; currently sidewalks must be at least 4 feet in width.
The first person to speak on the issue was Mike Collins, president of the Williamson Central School Board of Education. He noted that the primary importance is the safety of the children, and sees this as an opportunity to upgrade the sidewalks, an important amenity for those students who walk to the schools. He would, however, not want to see the removal of trees along the routes, as they contribute to the beautification of the community. Several residents were not in favor of sidewalks on Locust Street and saw no need for them. Another comment by a Locust Street resident felt that the sidewalks are necessary not only for school children but for those people who walk their dogs and push strollers on that street. The focus should be on safety and the appearance of the Town. The Main Street sidewalks beyond the BID are in dire need of repair; some are so bad that they cannot be plowed, at least from Maple to the east. In response to a question, Supervisor Hoffman stated that the Town is responsible for the maintenance of all sidewalks. One comment was that there should be a sidewalk installed in the stretch in front of the Fire Hall. The Supervisor responded that it is too far from the school – the focus will be on Main Street, which will improve the competitive nature of the Town’s application. There is no plan beyond this grant for any future sidewalks. The Public Hearing was closed at 7:50.
- Correspondence – Town Clerk Deborah DeMinck received a letter from the Wayne County Planning Department noting that there was a change of date for the leaf drop-off program to October 20th, 27th, and November 3rd, from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Residents may take leaves to the landfill site on Pound Road on those dates; the program is provided by the Western Finger Lakes Solid Waste Management Authority.
- Consent Agenda – The Board accepted the previous minutes of the 9/11/12 meeting, the Supervisor’s Report, payment of the Library bills in the amount of $2,513.11, and budgetary transfers within the General, Highway, Water, and Sewer Funds.
- Economic Development – Councilman Gary Orbaker moved to authorize the Town Supervisor to sign a snow removal agreement with the Business Improvement District. Under this agreement, the Town agrees to provide snow removal services to the District, consisting of the labor and equipment required; this is subject to limitations created by labor and equipment availability, and weather conditions. The BID agrees to pay the Town the sum of $70.00 for each occasion, payable within 30 days of invoicing. There will be a Green Buildings Open House on National Solar Tour Day on October 13th, during which time Supervisor Hoffman will be available to demonstrate the solar panels at the Town Hall.
- Finance – Amendments were made to the 2013 Tentative Budget within the General Fund regarding salary adjustments and the Library’s unexpended balance used from $0 to $1550.00. In addition, the Town Clerk was authorized to advertise during the weeks of October 7th and 14th for the upcoming Public Hearing for the proposed 2013 Budget to be held on Tuesday, October 23, at 7:30 p.m.
- Parks & Recreation – Councilman Mike Bixby moved to adopt Local Law #2, amending Chapter 32, Part 2, Park Rules & Regulations, Article IV – Regulations and Prohibitions. This amendment concerned the consumption of alcohol at the Town Park Lodge; it will be permitted upon the issuance of a permit obtained for a fee of $25.00.
- Personnel – Councilman Tony Verno moved to reappoint Curtis DeBrine to the Board of Assessment Review; the term of office will be for 5 years, from 10/1/12 to 9/30/17. It was noted that there were no other applications for the position.
- Planning – Councilman Tom Watson presented a motion to instruct the Town Clerk to advertise the week of 9/30/12 for an informational meeting to be held on 10/16/12 at 7:00 p.m. in regards to the proposed Zoning update.
- Public Safety – Councilman Orbaker moved to authorize the Town Supervisor to sign an agreement with Shelley Associates to conduct an elevation survey of the water surface and the bottom of the creek from the existing culvert on Ridge Chapel Road just south of Ridge Road to the culvert where Salmon Creek crosses Ridge Road. The cost for this service is not to exceed $1950.00, and the funds for this will be charged to the Drainage Fund. There was a discussion regarding a letter received from Kathleen Alessi of 5631 Ridge Road which requested signage at the crosswalk on that road. This installation was not recommended by Wayne County Highway Superintendent Kevin Rooney because of the diagonal parking on Main Street. It would create an unsafe condition in that drivers do not expect pedestrians to be walking across from between the parked cars; the pedestrians would therefore be unseen until they appeared from behind the cars.
- Public Services – Councilman Verno moved to authorize the Town Clerk to advertise the weeks of October 7th and 14th for the leaf drop-off program at the landfill site.
The Councilman also presented a resolution regarding the bids opened on 9/19/12 to clean, crack fill, and stripe the Town Complex parking lot. The bid document was supposed to include sealing of the parking lot, but was erroneously left out of the bid specifications, which might have prevented all interested parties from bidding. Only one bid was received from Champion Paving – All County Construction, in the amount of $6660.73. The Board determined that the total cost for the project is under the threshold required for bidding, so the bid will be rejected and quotes will instead be obtained as per the Town’s Procurement Policy. The last motion made was to approve Kurt Allman, Superintendent of Highways, to attend the Public Utilities & Waterworks Management Institute held at Finger Lakes Community College at the Victor Campus Center from October 15 – 17, 2012. The cost for this course will be $499.00 with all other necessary expenses to be a town charge.
The Board adjourned into Executive Session at 8:05 and reconvened at 8:20 with no other actions. Adjournment was at 8:20 p.m. The next business meeting of the Town Board will be on October 9th at 7:30 p.m., preceded by a workshop at 7:00.
Submitted by Monica Deyo

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