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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997-09-29 - TB 359 TOWN OF ULYSSES SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING SEPTEMBER 29 , 1997 PRESENT : Supervisor Douglas Austic; Councilpeople Catherine Stover , Carolyn Duddleston , Peter Penniman , and Robert Weatherby, Town Clerk Marsha L . Georgia; Highway Superintendent James Meeker , others present: Grace Wolf, Free Press Reporter ; Bob Howarth ; Connie and France Fadalti; Tom Reitz; Joe and Eileen Heptig ; Ruth Tubbs; Suzanne and Erik Hillman ; Mark Finnigan ; Don Sola ; Jean Foley; Mark Scibilia-Carver ; Gregg Vorhis . Supervisor Austic called the meeting to order at 7: 30 pm . Supervisor Austic stated that the Special Meeting had been called to, 1 . Discuss the request from the Planning Board to consider the Town Barn site as a possible alternative to the tower site . 2 . To present you with the budget for 1998 . Mr . Austic continued -- first of all this is not a meeting for public comment unless we request it . We are just here to discuss the possibility of using the Town Barns site as a site . Mr . Austic said he would like to make a couple of statements before we get started ; 1 . The Town Barn site , from the Property Description Map and truthfully is probably half the size of the site that would be required by the ordinance . It is approximately seven acres , six and a half of useful space other than the buildings and the ordinance if you go twice the height of the tower and the tower they are talking about is roughly 200 feet , you would need an 800 ft . square piece of land , which basically is 14 1 /2 acres of land . 2 . When the Town Board and Planning Board passed this ordinance , we passed the ordinance as a Town wide ordinance for all locations in the Town or all sites that were proposed . This would require a massive variance on behalf of the Zoning Board in order to do this . 3 . The ordinance also requires a 300 ft . set back or distance from the tower to the nearest dwelling , which is questionable at the Town Barn site . 4 . The Town Barn site is basically used for the Town Highway Department to carry on it ' s activities, probably I would estimate 75 to 80 % is being used for gravel , salt, machinery storage , whatever , disposal of chips and brush . 5 . This site is basically a fill site over the years and the stability the site is probably in question . Mr . Austic has requested information from the Engineering Consultant as to whether or not Frontier would be willing to even consider building on a fill site or whether they would consider a free standing tower with no guides , which would be another consideration that I think we should request if we consider this site . Since no mention was really made of the height of this tower at this point I have requested that. Till now I have not gotten that information , they were gong to submit that to me today by fax but they did not do that . Mr . Meeker added that the fill area is roughly 30 to 40 ft . but the base under that is questionable as to how far they would have to go . We do have stone piles, according to the ordinance it has to be 200 feet away from the property line , Supervisor Austic corrected Mr . Meeker by saying 400 feet if it was a 200 foot tower . Mr . Meeker said that roughly we are only a little over 500 ft . wide back there , so it really does not fit . D-\°Q STB 9/29/97 L When we mix gravel etc . we pull the machines in there towards the middle . The stone piles are off to the left side and stock pile on the other side . It would really hamper the Highway Department to have a tower back there and still continue to work there . Mr . Austic stated that it almost seems to him that the salt shed is right where the tower would be . Mr . Austic said that those are the considerations or thoughts that he has. He assumes that everyone has the ordinance and can verify what he is saying . Upon request from the Planning Board , they want to know if we are willing to consider this as a sight ? If the Town Board would consider this they would need a letter of intent . Mrs. Duddleston -- even if you had a free standing tower it would have to be 300 ' from the houses . Mr . Austic said that the point is that I don ' t think we can even consider a guyed tower because of the expansion of the wires and guys . A free standing one would be larger at the base . Mr. Penniman stated that it sound ' s like a free standing 125 ft . tower would work . Mr . Austic said he has no information on what they would want . Mr. Penniman stated that as far as the lot size that sounds , according to the ordinance , like the largest tower would not work . Mr. Austic - the minimum lot size requirement in the ordinance is 5 acres and that was because of the 100 ' tower . Mr. Penniman comments that by the time and not to get into all the issues the planning board is dealing with , but by the time they finish going back and forth about how tall the tower is it maybe a lot shorter than it is now . Mr. Austic -- that ' s possible -- at this time the information is that it will be roughly 195 ' . Mr . Austic asked if there is a motion to consider or not to consider or any other discussion . Mrs . Duddleston moved , seconded by Mrs. Stover the following : RESOLVED that the Town Board of the Town of Ulysses DOES NOT consider the site on Colegrove Road known as the Town Barn Site to be- an alternative site . Mrs . Stover asked if the resolution should state the reasons why? Mr. Austic suggested that the Board could modify that or they could add something such as -- at least until all other alternative sites have been considered and eliminated and that the actual need for the tower has been verified to the satisfaction of the Planning Board . Mr . Penniman stated that he feels that it should not be held out as an option when it is not an option now . As far as the side distance to the residents - he ' s not sure that is up to the Board to decide . If Mr . Meeker can not do his work with a tower there than that is enough for him . He ' s not sure any of these reasons are valid at this point . If the tower is shorter or further back it may not be a problem -- it would not be up to the Board to decide that . The motion has been made and seconded and it will stand as originally voiced . Mr . Austic called for a vote . Mr . Austic aye 3 to STB 9/29197 Mrs . Stover aye Mr. Penniman aye Mrs. Duddleston aye Mr. Weatherby aye Adopted 1998 TENTATIVE BUDGET Mr . Austic presented the tentative budget to the Board along with an explanation of why and what changes he has made to the budget . The budget requests are on file and Mr . Austic will leave them in the top basket for review by the board . He asked that if any one wanted to remove anyone to please make a copy . The overall budget will reflect a tax rate of $ 1 . 76 (as it stands now) . The 1997 rate was $ 1 . 90 and the 1996 rate was $ 1 . 60 . There may not be no fund balances for this budget. The building is totally out of this budget , but things like the bridge projects and some increases in attorney fees and planning expenses have been increased . The board reviewed the budget in general . Hearing no further business Mrs . Duddleston moved , seconded by Mrs. Stover to adjourn the meeting . Unanimously approved . Respectfully submitted Marsha L . Georgia Ulysses Town Clerk MLG : mg