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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSign in Sheet and Letters from the Public.PDFQ J--1r/u+ r*t jr-t-fl' -f&t!t6="- VC(+ #W_4tr!\tsb-_-\l4H- rtnsrz-Lvnny l$oea Elizabeth Mount, Cayuga Heights - sally and I attended the Town Board meeting last weekand were delighted to see there was absolututJr rvoobjection to_the Town's proposal to let residents increase the height of their fences from 6, anywhere on theproperty - except where fences would obstruct traffic _ toB' with an extension of 90o/o open materials. - My understanding to the objection to tall fencing in theHeights is two-fold. First, people imagine we think fencingwill cut back on the numbers of deer. At No rIME have wesaid ever that. Fencing would simply pass the time whilethe board addresses the sEeR form, p-rrru, a budget, raises our taxes, applies for a DEC permit, takes a ear tosterilize the proscribed number of deu., faces litijation, and then eventually marks off the years it wilr take to cuIIand maintain the size of the rest of the herd. As yzou canimagine, this could take awhile. - second, people imagine that fences are ugly and woulddiminish the value of their properties. Do us a favor -drive through both the village ind the Town and see thehandsome fences that enhance - not diminish - properties. By requiring that fences have permits, w€ will have nomore of those unwelcoming chain link fences and stockades that have gone up in the past. Finally, raise your hands - how many of you don't Iike to see the first bulbs of spring, or peonies in |une, daylilies in Iuly, astors in the fall? I know that fencing is not ail aboutgardenirg, but without some kind of effeclive fencing, youwon't be seeing these flowers any more. Proposol for New Fence Ordinqnce for the Villoge of Coyugo Heights For ihe purpose of ihis ordinonce. o fence is ony oriificiolly constructed, verticol siruciure, of ony moteriol or combinoiion of moieriols, intended os cr borrier to preveni escope or intrusion, to mork o boundory or the proximity thereof, to ensure privocy, or to oci os o support for vegetoiion if the support is wider thon 4ft. o Fences up to four feet high moy be erected onywhere on o property right up to oll properiy lines without o fence permit. (No change from current ordinonce) e Fence Permits for fences over four feet high with set bocks of 25 feet from the front property line, ond l5 feei from side ond reor property lines, must be obtoined. (No chonge from currenl ordinonce) " Fence Permits to erecl fences up lo 8 feet high onywhere on o property must be obtoined ond will be gronted in the following instonces: l. Exisfing fences moy be extended to B feet high provided the extending moteriol is 90% open ond ony supports for the extension ore inside ihe existing fence. 2. New fences B feei high moy be erected right up to the property line provided the fence is no less than 60% open. (Exomp/es of occepfob/e f encing moleriols ond fypes of fences may be obfoined from the Villoge Engineer's office buf wtll nof include so/id f encing, walls or choinlink fencing.) (New - to allow the protecfion of property until deer remediqtion mokes. fencing qn unnecessory deferrenl) n The height of fences will be meosured from the noiurol grode level with ony berm. retoining woll, or ony other siructure upon which the fence is ploced being included in the height of the fence. Exomples of how meosurements ore token moy be obtoined from the Villoge Engineer's office. Proposed by Elizobeth Mount, elizsmount@yahoo.com ond Solly Grubb, sollycq@clqrityconnect.com lf you cre in fovor of omending the current fencing ordinonce, whether or noi you ogree with ihese specific proposols. pleose sign up ond leove us your emoil so we moy contoct you wiih more informotion obout our proposots. My name is Anne Serling Sutton and I live in the Village of Lansing. I have written to the Ithaca Journal in the past and have attended several meetings about the deer issue. I felt encouraged at the meeting before the last that it appeared the trustees were going to look at some revision in the fence ordinance rather than pursuing this bizarte and outrageous proposal to bait and shoot the deer. I was horrified watching the recent video with the discussion amongst the trustees about what to do with the deer parts and to see Mayor Gilmore finding humor in that dialogue. This is a dangerous and polarizing proposal and not a solution at all. The trustees seem to have lost all perspective. Do you honestly believe that deer outside of Cayuga Heights are not going to replace those that you slaughter? Is the Village of Cayuga Heights going to take on the sole responsibility of reducing New York States deer herd? Again, this is preposterous, unsafe and irrational. I have spoken before to the board expressing my hope to have a fencing option to the deer problem, When I moved into my home 11 years ago, a4 foot split rail fence was all ready in place around the property line of our back yard. The deer easily jump over it and even slip under it. I would love to be able to put up a90Vo see through extension high enough to prevent deer from entering the yard. Again, I state, that because of the deer that take residence there all winter and leave their scat, I cannot let my grandson play in the yard. I am sure if businesses like Home Depot , Lowes, and Witmore Fence were asked, they could come up with some options and gladly do business with resident of Cayuga Heights. As a home owner and tax payer, I would appreciate being able to enjoy ALL of the property I own. Please consider the Proposal for New Fence Ordinance as developed by Elizabeth Mount and Sally Grubb, for the Village. June Silberman A 0 ;n\X-qM tl tt)fn^^nuk Plwu first, my thanks to dan potter and rick arsenault for their service, which went above and beyond - at their initiative. thanks also to sally and elizabeth for their efforts in pursuing a new fence ordinance. we have a constitutional right to protect our property, and I hope that the mayor and board recognize that right and act accordingly. given the costs that the village is facing with the deer program and the building renovation project, I urge the mayor and board to reject unnecessary expenses - especially those that benefit only certain board members and not the entire village, and to stop playing fast and loose with procedural requirements for the approval of expenditures. I fuither urge this administration to abandon the plan to add an addition to marcham hall at a cost of close to one million dollars and instead, act upon the alternative plan proposed to utilize the adjacent property owned by the village to house a new building for the court and the police, which would save hundreds of thousands of dollars and provide greater safety and facilitate afar less expensive and far greater aesthetic result for the historic hall. acting to protect our volunteer fire chief s cost of living, no matter how well he does his job, is not the duty of this board. their duty is solely to the village residents. Later this evening you will be discussing the Village Fencing Ordinance. I hope you will consider, positively, the proposal Elizabeth Mount and I have presented and you have in your packets. - Gtoee^a^4 cc,r.s.de.^er*g ean*qed w^lsfei-'tse'fo ctrwu,ttli-q lqPl"€ - d,;;; W/r&^r pra{.Acot[u.p" It has been suggested that our proposals will turn the Village into a gated community and that the open nature of the Village will be destroyed. However, we are not suggesting majgr changes to what is already allowed. We a re recom m e nd i n g74 efufdfltffi ttffe fe n ci n g o rd i n a n ce. @o €hffgrq Owners can already erect 4ft high fences on their property lines. And there is no controls on what these can look like. Property owngrs can grow thick high hedges on their property lines and many have. tn" #iffi"1sn6s-strffiid between a hedge and a fence is that the fence can be put up in an afternoon and a hedge can take 20 years to grow. There is a leash law in the Village which requires oog own?q{6 have some sort of fence to restrain their dogs. A 4ft high fence will not keep in a big dog as I discovered to my neighbors discomfort when I was away on sabbatic. / f Variances glre conmonly given for dog fences.L High fences are also rgguired for swimming pools and ponds, wherever they are located on a propefi. ntso there are currently no controls on the type or height of fence one can erect 15 ft from the side or rear property line and 25ft from the fnont. This does not make us a gated community but means that fences are an established fact in the Village. Because of the deer and we need remediation now while culling and sterilization take effect. *- U<U^{ What are we proposing;/,r*" aL proposing that.we be attowed to extend 4ft high fences on property tines to 8ft provided tn#ffit:n#,naterial is 90% open. We are proposing that fences 8ft high can be erected on property l;qes provided they meet certain design requirements. And this is where ffiffitJrTfr'r.0. I can already put up a fence of any height as long is it is far enough away from the property line - | could even put up a 1Oft high stockade fence. But I don't want to. That would indeed spoil the character of the Village. Also I want to enjoy all of my yard not just part of it leaving a chewed unkempt scruffy strip round the outside. Please read our proposal carefully. We are proposing fencing that is far less obtrusive than is currently quite legal.