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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04.20.2022_Minutes1 Minutes VILLAGE OF CAYUGA HEIGHTS Wednesday, April 20, 2022 Zoom Meeting ID # 4118425407 BOARD OF TRUSTEES 7:00 p.m. MONTHLY MEETING Present: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Hubbard, Marshall, Rennekamp, Robinson, Salton, and VanLoan; Village Engineer B. Cross; Director of Public Works Wiese; Clerk Walker; Treasurer Dolch; Police Chief Wright; Attorney Marcus. 1. Call to Order: Mayor Woodard calls the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. 2a. Approval of Meeting Minutes: March 16, 2022 (Exhibit 2023-005) Resolution # 9194 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees approves the March 16, 2022, meeting minutes as presented. Motion: Trustee Robinson Second: Trustee Marshall Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Hubbell, Marshall, Rennekamp, Robinson, Salton, and VanLoan Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried 2b. Approval of the Annual Organizational Meeting Minutes: April 4, 2022 (Exhibit 2023-006) Resolution # 9195 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees approves the Annual Organizational Meeting Minutes April 4, 2022 meeting minutes as edited with the corrected number of appointment years for the Village Planning Board. Motion: Trustee Robinson Second: Trustee Salton Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Hubbell, Marshall, Rennekamp, Robinson, Salton, and VanLoan Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried •Clerk Walker states that at the Village Organizational Meeting we neglected to re-appoint Scott Howard to the Village Shade Tree Committee. •Mayor Woodard states that she would like to appoint Scott Howard to the Village Shade Tree Committee. Resolution # 9196 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: The Board of Trustees approves the appointment of Scott Howard to the Village Shade Tree Committee for one official year. (4/2023) 2 Motion: Trustee Hubbell Second: Trustee Rennekamp Ayes: Mayor Woodard, Trustees: Hubbell, Marshall, Rennekamp, Robinson, Salton, and VanLoan Nays and Abstentions: none Motion carried 3. Report of Fire Superintendent Tamborelle: Submitted Report (Exhibit 2023-007) •Fire Superintendent Tamborelle states that things are going well at the station. •Fire Superintendent Tamborelle states that the engineering firm has finished the proposal for re-vamping the fire station heating and air conditioning and expects that the cost will be between one hundred fifty and two hundred thousand dollars. •Village Engineer B. Cross states that there will be two different options. One option is the replacement cost of the existing system with new units and the other option is to abandon the boiler system that feeds the individual rooftop units and convert the existing rooftop units to electric coils instead of gas-fired. •Trustee Marshall suggests that the proposal include the expected lifespan of the equipment. •In closing, Fire Superintendent Tamborelle states that he needs the Board to approve the newly elected Slate of Officers. Resolution # 9197 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: The Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees approves the following Cayuga Height Fire Department Slate of Officers as voted on by the Cayuga Heights Fire Company and approved by the Cayuga Heights Fire Department Fire Council. Fire Chief George Tamborelle Assistant Fire Chief Joe Price Assistant Fire Chief Michael Garrett Assistant Fire Chief Brendan Bloodnick Lieutenant Sophie Janowsky Lieutenant John Gregory Lieutenant Macey Chasman Lieutenant Daniel Halstead Motion: Trustee Hubbell Second: Trustee Rennekamp 3 Ayes: Mayor Woodard, Trustees: Hubbell, Marshall, Rennekamp, Robinson, Salton, and VanLoan Nays and Abstentions: none Motion carried 4. Privilege of the Floor: No members of the public wish to speak. 5. Report of Treasurer Dolch: Submitted Report (Exhibit 2023-009) •Village Treasurer Dolch states that the March bank to book reconciliations are complete and the only action item that needs to be approved is this month’s abstract. Approval of Abstract # 11 Resolution: 9198 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees approves Abstract #11 for FYE2022 consisting of TA vouchers 80-87 in the amount of $21,737.32 and Consolidated Fund vouchers 791-878 in the amount of $572,754.15 and the Treasurer is instructed to make payments thereon. Motion: Trustee Rennekamp Second: Trustee Hubbell Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Hubbell, Marshall, Rennekamp, Robinson, Salton, and VanLoan Nays: none Abstentions: none •Mayor Woodard states that the auditors have all of the information requested and the audit should be done very soon. Motion Carried 6. Report of Mayor Woodard: a. 2021 Village Court Report: Village Justice Galbreath presents his Annual Court Report to the Board of Trustees. •Village Justice Galbreath states that he would like to point out that there was a period back in 2020 – 2021 that court was completely virtual. Case numbers were down but time spent on cases was about the same. This year we are holding all court sessions in person. •Village Justice Galbreath states that the centralized court arraignment for Tompkins County has consumed a lot of his time since other court justices do not volunteer their time as often. •Trustee Salton asks Judge Galbreath if he finds it to be desirable that the magistrate justices are enabling the arrangements to the exclusion of the rest of the court system. •Village Justice Galbreath states that it does not have a big effect it has on judges or even the Defense attorneys but it does for the defendants, If someone gets arrested sometime in the evening then maybe they're not going to court until the next morning. However, the advantage of a centralized court arraignment is that a Police Officer is back on patrol and does not have to wait to find a justice to move forward with an arraignment. •Trustee Salton feels that this is a better system but still needs work. 4 •In closing, Village Justice Galbreath states that the Village Court has finally received approval to begin shredding older court documents. He also asks the Board to stop in and observe court at any point in time. b. Village Historian Update: 1001 Hanshaw Road. •Village Historian B. Szekely states that with the knowledge of the potential expansion project at the RaNic Golf Club she feels that it would be of interest to the Board about the background of this property. •Village Historian B. Szekely presented her finding’s on the Land use and Zoning History: Between 1823 and 1923, the property at 1001 Hanshaw Road was the site of the public school in District Number 22 (later Number 6) of the Town of Ithaca. The triangular lot at the intersection of Hanshaw and Pleasant Grove Roads was given to the school district in 1823, the same year 170 acres surrounding it were bought by Philip Kline. Because the lot was surrounded by the Kline farmland, the school that opened there in 1823, or shortly after, was known as the Kline School and the building as the Kline Schoolhouse. Whether the two-room building that has been a dental office since the early 1970s is the original school or a later one is not known. Two doors fronting on Pleasant Grove (formerly Kline) Road—one for girls and one for boys—and a bell on the front porch recall its initial use. School District 22 was renumbered District 6 sometime between 1857 and 1868. Jared T. Newman bought the Kline farm in 1907. The Kline School closed in 1923 when the Cayuga Heights School opened. In 1941, the estate of Jared Newman deeded the property to School District Number 6, the district sold it, and it became a private residence. When the village was enlarged by annexation in 1953, the property was zoned for residential use. Sold for a third time, in 1974, the former school building has been a dental office since. Chronology of Deeds 1. Conveyed by Jacob Cradit to Trustees (Richard Manning, John Shaw, and Samuel Seaman) of School District Number 22, 1823 Book R of Deeds, page 470, August 26, 1823 2. The Kline Farm purchase in 1823 160 acres purchased by Philip Kline (1781-1874), who moved to Ithaca from New Jersey early in the nineteenth century: 117 acres bought from Benjamin Cradit in 1823, and 43 acres from John and Elizabeth Sharp in 1831. See: “The Sources of Title,” Abstract of Title of Lands on Cayuga Heights, East of Highland Road, citing, for the Cradit purchase, the Tompkins County Book F of Deeds, page 546, dated 23 April 1823 and, for the Sharp purchase, Book S, page 107 dated 29 March 1831. The Kline Farm took up most of the land in the northern third of Military Lot 90. The lot at 1001 Hanshaw Road was part of the 117 acres that Philip Kline purchased from Benjamin Cradit. 2. Kline Farm purchased by Jared Treman Newman, 1907 New York Land Records, Index to Deeds – Grantees – Ithaca, N. Y., 1860-1913: Jared T. Newman et. Ano., from Heirs of Jacob Winters Kline, August 14, 1907, Tompkins County Book of Deeds 168, page 96, 159.6 acres on Lot 90. 5 3. Grant and Release of the Lot to School District 6 in 1941 Indenture dated March 4, 1941 between Charles H. Newman, Executor of the estate of Jared Treman Newman and the Board of Education of Union Free School District Number 6, Ithaca, Tompkins County Book of Deeds, Book 260, page 402. 4. Sale to Philip and Frances P. Krebs by Board of Education of Union Free School District Number 6, Town of Ithaca, May 21, 1941, Tompkins County Book of Deeds 260, page 402. 5. Sale by the Krebs to Daniel and Katherine Ann Marvin, April 13, 1973, Tompkins County Book of Deeds 507, page 913. 6. Sale by the Marvins to Peter Patrick, January 14, 1974, Tompkins County Book of Deeds 513, 148. Additional sources For inclusion in residential zoning district: Zoning Map of Cayuga Heights Village, August 15, 1953. For the history of the Kline School: https://www.cayugaheightshistory.org/kline-schoolhouse.html. On land use and early village zoning: https://www.cayugaheightshistory.org/land-use-and-zoning.html c. RaNic Golf Club Update: Planned Development Zone •Mayor Woodard states that the Board would like to hold a joint meeting with the Village Planning Board at the RaNic Golf Club to physically walk through the property and see the proposed changes. •RaNic Golf Club Owner S. Whittaker states that he is very flexible after May 5, 2022. Resolution: 9199 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees hereby schedules a Public hold a Special Joint Meeting with the Village Planning Board at the RaNic Golf Club (189 Pleasant Grove Road) on Tuesday, May 10, 2022, at 3:00 p.m. with a rain date of Wednesday, May 11, 2022, at 3:00 p.m. The purpose of this meeting is to review the request of RaNic Golf Club to create a Planned Development Zone (PDZ). Motion: Trustee Hubbell Second: Trustee VanLoan Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Hubbell, Marshall, Rennekamp, Robinson, Salton, and VanLoan Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried d. Lead Update: There are 226 Village Residents that Bolton Point cannot determine if they have any lead water pipes. •Mayor Woodard states that the Village Public Works Committee has reviewed and edited a letter that will be mailed to those who Bolton Point cannot confirm there is or is not lead pipes. 6 •Mayor Woodard states that the Village has also applied for a “shovel ready” grant which will help offset the cost of digging up the waterlines at the curb box. The more difficult situation is when there is lead at the curb box and in the lateral line to the house. It is recommended that both lines be replaced at the same time. •Trustee Salton asks if that is required under this new federal law. •Village Attorney R. Marcus states that no, it is not required, but the Village could adopt a local law that would require an inspection before any transfer of title. This could be something similar to the sump pump inspection. •B. Cross states that this grant was put together and submitted with the help of Michelle Palmer and David Herrick over a weekend since the deadline was so close. The Village staff also was valuable in making this opportunity possible. •Mayor Woodard states that if the Board agrees to the letter in Exhibit 2023-011, then the Village Clerk's Office will mail it out this week. •Trustee Rennekamp is wondering if there is any concern that during the excavation portion of identify the water pipes that it could cause unintentional damage to the mainline to the house. •B. Cross states that it is the intention for the municipal supplied system to be a Village obligation to the curb box which falls mainly in the Village's right of way. •Clerk Walker states that his office will collect any correspondence related to the letter and post them to the water account and Laserfiche repository. The office will also update the website project section and include information in the next eNewsblast. •Mayor Woodard states that she will handle any correspondence as a result of a resident calling about the letter. •Mayor Woodard states that the Village has until 2024 to complete the inventory of the water lines. After that, we are obliged to replace 3% of the total each year after. •Trustee VanLoan suggests that the Village set up a frequently asked question (FAQ) section on the website. The Board agreed that we should incorporate this on the website. e. Plant to Plant Update: The Draft of the new agreement is almost complete. •Mayor Woodard states that the agreement language on how and when the Village sends sewage to the Ithaca Area Waste Water Facility (IAWWF) facility still needs to be finalized. •Mayor Woodard also states that this spring has proven to be an example of why we need to have the ability to use the by-pass to prevent our plant from going over the allowed influx for sewage which included large amounts of I & I. •Mayor Woodard states that in the next phase of renovation at the Village WWTP we will be turning off the sewage digesters and in doing so we will have to send sewage to the IAWWTF. •Mayor Woodard also states that due to this new unknown I & I issue the Village will not be issuing any large project sewer permits. The Village is convinced that there are pipes near streams that when we have a large rain event the water levels allow stormwater into the sewer lines. 7 •Trustee Salton that there is a lot of demand for new housing construction, and we need to attack this situation immediately. •Directory Wiese states that they did some sewer line camera work on the sewer line between Forrest and Comstock hoping that they would find an I & I issue. It turns out that this section was in good shape. Kendall will be the next place to investigate. •Mayor Woodard states that each municipality has a grasp on their sewer lines and I & I but something has changed considerably. •B. Cross states that through various forms of communication with staff and elected officials from the other municipalities, they are all in support of finding a solution to this issue. •Village Attorney R. Marcus suggests that the Village inform RaNic Golf Club about the temporary hold on issuing any sewer permits. •B. Cross also believes that the new sewer meters in place providing real-time data has helped tremendously in tracking flows in different parts of the Village. f. Schedule a Public Hearing on Proposed Local Law B -2022 Video Conferencing: •Village Attorney R. Marcus states that New York State has just enacted a law that will supersede the various executive orders and prior legislation regarding public bodies holding meetings with video conference capabilities. •Village Attorney R. Marcus will draft a local law to present to the Board for the May 18, 2022, monthly meeting. •Trustee Robinson asks if the quorum of the public body has to be present or virtual. Village Attorney R. Marcus states that where there is a quorum that location has to be open to the public. The result isn’t any different than what the Village has been doing in recent months it's just that it has to be encapsulated in local law. Resolution: 9200 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees hereby schedules a Public Hearing on Proposed Local Law B of 2022- A local law to allow for video conferencing on May 18, 2022, at 7:05 p.m. Motion: Trustee Robinson Second: Trustee Salton Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Hubbell, Marshall, Rennekamp, Robinson, Salton, and VanLoan Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried 7. Report of The Trustees: •Trustee Salton states that would like to know why the Cayuga Heights Elementary School still has shipping containers on the property. •B. Cross states that he has reached out to the school principal already but with no response. He is willing to reach out once again. 8 •Trustee Hubbell states that he has been approached by a Village resident who voiced a complaint about the volume of the CHES loudspeakers playing music and making announcements after school •Village Attorney R. Marcus states that ultimately the Village does not have any jurisdiction over the school district. •B. Cross will inform them that the Village finds this situation not consistent with what we would expect from other Village property owners to comply with and if they choose not to comply then we have a base on what to do next. 8 . Report of Police Chief Wright: Submitted Report (Exhibit 2023-012) •Chief Wright thanked the Board for the prior conversations and approval of the seventh patrol officer •Chief Wright states that he appreciated Seargent Manning's input and different perspectives at the last meeting. •In Closing Chief Wright would like to propose filling the newly formed seventh position with a Part-Time Officer Raven Miller. Resolution: 9201 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees authorizes Mayor Woodard to offer Raven Miller the newly created seventh Full-Time Patol Officer Position with the Village of Cayuga Heights Police Department. Officer Miller will move from the current part-time status to full-time status starting on June 1st, 2022 at the annual base salary of $59,568.00 Motion: Trustee Salton Second: Trustee Marshall Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Hubbell, Marshall, Rennekamp, Robinson, Salton, and VanLoan Nays: none Abstentions: none •Chief Wright states that he greatly appreciates the support and will work from his position to make sure that this change is as effective as he believes it will be. •Trustee Salton thanks Chief Wright and the department for their efforts in presenting to the Board the merits of doing this. Motion Carried 9. Report of Director of DPW Wiese: Submitted Report (Exhibit 2023-013) •Director Wiese states that the Village will “piggyback” off the Village of Lansing paving a small section of Highland Road and Highgate Place as well as a section of E. Remington Road. In June we will be concentrating on the upper part of the Village which includes Randolph, Cambridge Road, Warwick, and Winthrop Place. •Director Wiese states that the asphalt costs are not as high as he anticipated but is still going to wait to decide if the paving will be done this summer or next spring. 9 10. Report of Village Engineer Cross: •B. Cross states that Cayuga Heights Rightsizing Culvert Project is out to bid and to date, we have 4-6 contractors who have taken out plans. The bid opening date is May 12, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. a. Walking Safe Cayuga Heights Sidewalk Grant: •The Engineer's Report has finally been approved by NYS Historic Preservation Organization, and subsequently, NYSDOT has filed the documentation with the Federal Highway Administration. Minor editing was needed by Fisher Engineering. Before moving onto the full final design phase, Fisher will prepare an updated schedule and opinion of cost. b. Marcham Hall Greenhouse: •The current estimate to get the heat fixed and to do additional framing/glazing repairs is $5,500 (plus ongoing heating expenses). The cost to remove the greenhouse and install a new weather-tight door is approximately $3,500 plus DPW labor. •Mayor Woodard states that we need to make a decision and decide one way or another. Energy consumption is her biggest concern. •Trustee Robinson states that if we are going to keep the greenhouse then we need to have a plan on maintaining it. •Clerk Walker states that the last thing he wants to see happen is the greenhouse being torn down. The greenhouse is an intricate part of Marcham hall and part of his plan for the restoration of Marcham Hall is to have a working greenhouse. •B. Cross states that last week we had a visit from Dorothy Cornell’s Neice who stopped in to take a tour of the old homestead. She even had a picture of the greenhouse. She was filled with joy to see that the Village has preserved the house so well. c. Wastewater Treatment Plant Operational Report: •B. Cross states that the Phase 2 Renovation Project work at the site has picked up with workers from all trades engaged in daily activity. The secondary digester has been decommissioned and Blue Heron is in the process of cleaning out the stored sludge. •During the renovation of the secondary digester, Yaws will continue to dewater the sludge from the primary digester. There is an expected delay in the project due supplier delays. The extent of the delay is unknown at this time. This will cause a change order to be issued to the general contractor to later be approved by the Board. 11. Report of Clerk Walker: •Clerk Walker states that the Village HR Committee met and conducted interviews for the Village Deputy Clerk position. •Clerk Walker states that the Board will need to pass a resolution supporting the Annual Village Justice Report. •Mayor Woodard states that she will be interested in discussing a change with our audit firm. 10 Resolution: 9202 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees authorizes and approves the 2022 Village Justice Report as presented in Exhibit 2023-010. Motion: Trustee Salton Second: Trustee Robinson Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Hubbell, Marshall, Rennekamp, Robinson, Salton, and VanLoan Nays: none Abstentions: none 12. Report of Attorney Marcus: •Village Attorney R. Marcus states that he has been working with B. Cross on the Right-Sizing Culvert Project Easements. 13. Executive Session: Mayor Woodard asks the Board for an Executive Session at 9:20 p.m. Resolution: 9203 WHEREAS: The NYS Open Meeting Law §105 prescribes matters for which a public body may conduct an executive session; and, WHEREAS: Upon a majority vote of its total membership, taken in an open meeting pursuant to a motion identifying the general area or areas of the subject or subjects to be considered; and, WHEREAS: The conduct an executive session for these enumerated purposes only, provided, however, that no action by formal vote shall be taken to appropriate public money: THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT An Executive Session of the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees are conducted for the purposes of subsection (F), the medical, financial, credit, or employment history of a particular person or corporation, or matters leading to the appointment, employment, promotion, demotion, discipline, suspension, dismissal, or removal of a particular person or corporation. Motion: Trustee Marshall Second: Trustee Robinson Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Hubbell, Marshall, Rennekamp, Robinson, Salton, and VanLoan Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried Resolution: 9204 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees exits the Executive Session and returns to an open meeting. Motion: Trustee Hubbell Second: Trustee Salton Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Hubbell, Marshall, Rennekamp, Robinson, Salton, and VanLoan Nays: none 11 Abstentions: none Motion Carried Resolution: 9205 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees authorizes Mayor Woodard to appoint Amy Jacot as the full-time Village Deputy Clerk at an hourly rate of $22.00 per hour. Subject to a successful background investigation. Motion: Trustee Salton Second: Trustee Rennekamp Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Hubbell, Marshall, Rennekamp, Robinson, Salton, and VanLoan Nays: none Abstentions: none 14. Adjournment: Mayor Woodard adjourns the meeting at 9:32 p.m.