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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009 Enfield-Town-Government-Newsletter-Summer-2009.pdf1 Town of Enfield 168 Enfield Main Road http://townofenfield.org Summer 2009 Newsletter Enfield Town Boards Meetings are held in the Community Building, 1st floor Town Board: 2nd Wednesday, 7pm Town Supervisor Frank Podufalski 277-0838 Deputy Supervisor Jean Owens 273-5682 Town Council Members Roy Barriere 277-3843 Stephanie Gaynor 272-8384 Robert Harvey 277-7656 Herb Masser, Jr. 387-8213 Planning Board:1st Wednesday, 7pm Virginia Bryant, co-chair 387-9376 Jim McConkey, co-chair 387-9830 Ann Chaffee 387-8405 Rich Neno, Sr. 273-9464 Calvin Rothermich 272-5930 Debbie Teeter 277-4547 Vacant: contact Town Supervisor if interested in this board Town Offices Town Clerk 273-8256 Alice Laue, Town Clerk Pat Dougherty, Deputy Town Clerk Town Office/Clerk Hours: Tuesday: 8-11 am, 3-8 pm Wednesday: 4-7 pm Thursday: 2-5 pm Highway Department 272-6490 Barry Rollins, Highway Superintendent Town Highway Office Hours: Monday-Friday: 6 am - 2:30 pm Town Court 273-0363 Justice Poole: Monday, 5:00 pm Justice Varricchio: Thursday, 5:00 pm Code Enforcement Office Community Building, 2nd floor Code Enforcement 277-0266 Alan Teeter, Code Enforcement Officer Carl Staley, Code Enforcement Officer Code Enforcement Office Hours: Monday, Thursday & Saturday 8:30-11 am Wednesday 8:30-12 pm & 5-8 pm Town Historian Sue Thompson 272-6412 Enfield Volunteer Fire Company Ron Switzer, Chief 272-8757 Art Howser, Deputy Chief Roger Lauper, 1st Assistant Chief Ben Giles, 2nd Assistant Chief Kirk VanDee, Captain County Legislators Report from the Supervisor Greetings from the Town Board; as many of you know, I will not be seeking re-election as Town Supervisor. I’ve found the position to be very challenging and rewarding, but am unable to continue to commit the time required to do the job correctly. I do, however, look forward to serving the Town in other ways. The next few years have the potential to be very exciting for the Town. The Town Board recently selected a legal firm with expertise in utility scale wind energy projects to represent Town interests in the consideration of the Enfield Energy LLC wind farm project. Contrary to what you may have heard, this will not create a financial burden for the town, as in accordance with the Town's Wind Energy Law, Enfield Energy LLC is required to provide up front funding to cover these, and other, costs. Although the legal firm will handle much of the more detailed work for this project, there will still be a lot of work for Town Board members; this project will require the reading and comprehension of much technical material. I’m confident current and future board members will be equal to the task. The Town Board recently approved Enfield’s participation in the County-wide Health Care Consortium, a project of the Tompkins County Council of Governments (TCCOG). Through economies of scale, lower administrative fees and greater financial control, the program is projected to save municipalities money without diminishing employee benefits. It is scheduled to begin operation at the beginning of next year and would be the first inter-municipal Consortium of its kind in New York State. The Board is currently considering a multi-year fire protection contract with the Fire Company; the Board approved a multi-year contract with the Community Council last year. This helps everyone with long term budgeting and planning. In the case of the Fire Company, it would also reduce the time both the Town and Fire Company spend each year on the funding process and associated legal fees. Thanks to Town Board member Roy Barriere for working with the Town web site’s web master (and Town Historian) Sue Thompson to add a “Local Events” tab—check the site regularly to keep current with Town happenings, and if you have an event to post, email Sue at sdt1@cornell.edu. As mentioned in the last newsletter, we’ve experienced some contentious times at this year’s Board meetings. Privilege of the Floor was reinstated at the July meeting, and although there were still a few outbursts from some members of the public during that meeting, the August meeting was conducted respectfully and without incident. We are approaching budget time, and in these tight financial times many residents are worried about tax increases. Please be assured we have every intention of ensuring that Enfield continues to have the lowest municipal property tax rate in the County, and have set a goal of developing a budget with no increase. Respectfully, Frank Podufalski Town Supervisor Greg Stevenson Enfield/Newfield 273-2439 gwstevenson@htva.net Jim Dennis Enfield/Ulysses 387-4058 jpd821@yahoo.com 2 “Volunteerism on the Decline” This is a statement being made all over the country and if you follow the stats you cannot ignore the fact that the fire service, in particular, is not immune. The Enfield Volunteer Fire Company Inc (EVFC) has done its best over the years to cope with this ever growing problem. We have been able to maintain a consistent level of volunteers over the last 3 decades but that does not mean we are ignoring the volunteer crisis issue at hand. It has become more and more difficult for EVFC members to commit to the hours needed to maintain training requirements. Thirty years ago a basic 40 hour Essentials of Firemenship course was all that was needed to be a firefighter; now that same requirement will set you back 86 hours just to start. The fire service has become such a magnet for liability issues that everyone out there from fire equipment manufacturers to fire department administrators are covering their rear ends. That means more requirements, more mandates, and more time commitments - and with all that comes the cost of doing business. Keeping on top of all this has forced local fire departments to operate more like a business than a community organization. Signing ride contracts for annual field day events has given way to dealing with quarter of a million dollar contracts and budgets: OSHA, New York State Department of Labor, Attorneys, Insurance agents and claims, FEMA, preventative maintenance contracts, accountants, auditors, State and Federal taxation departments and New York State Charities Bureau just to name a few. This is all before you even consider one’s annual and weekly fire department trainings and the calls themselves. So how do you get someone to sign on to such a commitment? After all, you’re asking them to not only be on call 24 hours a day 365 days a year, you’re asking them to be a part of a business that most executives would get a healthy salary to run. You have to search for those individuals that are truly committed to serving their community, those that will drop whatever they’re doing to help someone in need, someone they may or may not even know. Once you find these people the bigger job is to retain them, and the best way to do this is provide them with the equipment and moral support they need to do the job. Fire and Medical personnel run mostly on adrenalin and community pride. Every call we are dispatched on is considered a serious call to someone in need of help, otherwise our assistance would not be requested. It’s the feeling that your presence has made a difference that keeps most volunteers motivated, and even when a call goes bad you can find some sense that you have done all you can. In most cases a simple “thank you” is all that is needed. What really derails a volunteer is not the bad call or the enormous hours involved, but the lack of appreciation or unneeded negative comments made by the public. Every negative comment either begins or ends with “my tax dollars”, so if you are one of those that find yourself making these comments and you are truly concerned about your tax dollars, consider the fact that the volunteer you are expressing this to is saving you $50,000. That is the average paid firefighter salary, without benefits. Now you can pull out your calculator and multiple that by the roughly 30 active volunteers we have and you can see why every community in the country is concerned about retaining their volunteers. So the next time you see one of your volunteer firefighters, or any community volunteer for that matter, give them a simple thank you or, better yet, express to them your appreciation for what they do and the “tax dollars” they are saving you. Or, even one better, consider volunteering yourself. I do believe at some point volunteers will be a thing of the past; however we need to do everything in our power to keep it alive as long as we can. Keep up to date on EVFC activities by visiting our website: www.enfieldfirecompany.com Submitted by Dennis Hubbell, President EVFC Notes from the Enfield Volunteer Fire Company, Inc. It has been another busy year. We have responded to over 155 Fire Emergency and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) calls so far this year. While many of the calls are EMS in nature many others cover a variety of emergencies. Here are some of the types of calls we have responded to this year: structure fire, motor vehicle accidents, hazardous conditions, traffic control (Fire Police), power lines down, carbon monoxide detector activation, smoke detector activation, water in basements, severe weather, trees in roadway, grass fires, trash/rubbish fires, public assistance, false alarms, chemical spills, smoke conditions, and gorge trail injuries. The most frequent call is the EMS call to residential homes and property for medical emergencies. Sometimes three and four times a day we are out responding to EMS calls. We also provide support to and receive support from surrounding fire departments. Through the year we assist and receive assistance from departments like Ithaca, Mecklenburg, Newfield, and Trumansburg. When needed we also are involved with other fire departments and agencies. Regardless of the type of call we respond to we constantly train for all types of emergencies. We conduct hands on Fire Emergency, Fire Police, and EMS trainings Thursday nights at 7:30 PM at the station in Enfield. Other trainings can be obtained from state instructed classes in Ithaca, Watkins Glen, and elsewhere. Also, at the station your talents are put to use maintaining and up keep of the fire station. With the skills you can provide we constantly perform general maintenance on the station, equipment, and grounds of the Enfield Volunteer Fire Company. There is always something to do around the station. Another important way you can help us is through the Enfield Ladies Auxiliary. They are hard at work supporting the Enfield Volunteer Fire Company, their community, and across the county and state. Your membership there is also greatly appreciated. So when you have a chance, we welcome you to stop down any Thursday night at 7:30 PM and check out the fire station. See where you can help support the Enfield Community by volunteering you time here at the Enfield Volunteer Fire Company. Also, mark you calendars for Saturday October 3’rd. This is the scheduled date for the 2009 Enfield Volunteer Fire Company Open House. 3 From Code Enforcement It's been a busy summer for the Code Office. Even with a slow economy there have been several new homes started and lots of smaller projects, including additions, garages porches, decks and new pools. We've been busy catching up with many overdue fire inspections in the town for multiple residences, businesses and places of public assemblies. This can be a difficult process, as many people are not aware of the code requirements involved when buildings are open to the public. Fortunately, once we get through these initial inspections, the process in subsequent years will be much simpler for everyone. Also, a reminder if you are considering a project, please give our office a call with questions regarding the building permit process. We are always glad to answer questions about the necessary requirements and to assist in anyway we can. We can be reached Monday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings and Wednesday evenings at 277- 0266. Recent County Legislature Activity Legislature Voices Support for Dairy Farmers: The Legislature urged the federal government to take immediate steps to help provide relieve from the economic challenges facing New York’s dairy farmers and to preserve local dairy production. The Legislature urges that the government immediately provide additional funding to increase payments to dairy farmers from the Milk Income Loss Contract program; utilize the Dairy Export Incentive Program and Food for Peace Program to move dairy commodities off the domestic market; temporarily increase the product price levels in the Dairy Product Price Support Program; and make immediate dairy product purchases for Women, Infants & Children (WIC) and other nutrition programs which received large funding increases from the Federal stimulus package. It also calls for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to implement long-range policies to address the situation. Legislature Establishes 2010 Budget Guidelines: The Legislature established 2010 budget guidelines which call for departments and agencies to cut spending by 6.25%, as an initial step in the 2010 County budget process. The administrator has indicated that the 6.25% reduction is needed to achieve the $2.4 million reduction in discretionary spending needed to balance the budget and meet the Legislature’s 3% tax levy increase goal. The fiscal target is the maximum amount of general revenue spending authority that a department may request without initiating an over-target request as part of the budget process. Town Historian’s Report Sue Thompson I have been attending monthly meetings of the Tompkins County Municipal Historians’ group at the History Center. Our latest project is a book of photos (200+) of people around Tompkins County from the early 1900’s to the 1960’s with the History book press, “Work and Play in Tompkins County”. The book should be out in late fall. We will also host a Region 10 Association for Public Historians of New York State (APHNYS), which will meet in Tompkins County on October 10th. I will host an Historical Enfield Scavenger Hunt and collect more information on Enfield Civil War soldiers at the Annual Harvest Festival, September 19th at Enfield Elementary School. Stop by and see me! Highway Report: July 24, 2009 Well another 3 months have past, so I guess you would call this my 6 month report! We finished up dust control for the dirt roads on July 24th, I know it was a little late getting done, do to weather and other projects, I hope to do better next year. Thank you for your patience and your input. It seems to me to be quite expensive considering this has to be done every year, although it has also been very important to the people living on these dirt roads. What I am going to do is look into coming up with a program for these roads, to get them stoned and oiled little by little in coming years, considering the cost has been this year alone $30,000 plus. Bostwick Rd and Fish Rd work has gone well, it has taken a little more work then was anticipated once we got started, and they will be done soon weather permitting! There was what we were calling The Creek Project, this was to bring the creek at Bostwick Rd. and Enfield Center Rd. under control as it was wearing away at the banks of residents property. Unfortunately I was informed by Soils & Water that the project has been put on hold for this year due to funding. I have enjoyed working on the Town Roads, working with the guys at the Highway while trying to keep the budget in check. As true highway men, myself and the guys at the Highway have continued our journey to improve the roads in Enfield and provide needed maintenance. And I personally would like to thank you for giving me this opportunity these last 6 months. And as always any concerns or input will be welcomed. Respectfully; Barry (Buddy) Rollins Sr. Highway 272-6490, Home 273-5679, E-mail Rollins4enfield@juno.com Extending Thanks Individual letters of appreciation were sent out to volunteers in the community a couple of months ago, but we would like to take this opportunity to thank the various groups and committees organizations that volunteer numerous hours of their time to make Enfield a better place. Of course, there are too many individuals who volunteer their services to the community to list by name, but some of the organizations and committees that we are so thankful for are: • Volunteer Fire Company • Ladies Auxiliary • Community Council • Planning Board • Food Pantry • Cemetery Committee • Beautification Committee • Fire, Disaster, and EMS Advisory Board • Town representative for the TC Environmental Management Council • Town Website Master • Local Advisory Board of Assessment Review 4 Dates to Remember August 5 Planning Board Meeting Community Building, 7 pm 12 Town Board Meeting Community Building, 7 pm September 2 Planning Board Meeting Community Building, 7 pm 9 Town Board Meeting Community Building, 7 pm October 7 Planning Board Meeting Community Building, 7 pm 14 Town Board Meeting Community Building, 7 pm Town of Enfield 168 Enfield Main Road Ithaca NY 14850 Town Planning Board Seat Available: The Planning Board meets at 7:00 p.m. the first Wednesday of the month. Contact either Virginia Bryant or Jim Cockney, co-chairs, for information about the board, or Supervisor Podufalski if interested in applying. Group Wishes to Form Committee Have you ever needed information or needed answers from a local, state, or federal government office or department and been frustrated trying to get your questions answered? A local group (RFABE) is looking for persons interested in forming a local BI-PARTISAN advisory group that would be able to point you in the right direction. We are looking for people that like to work with other people, have some computer skills, interest in the internet, interest in our government, or just enjoy researching. Any or all of the above! The purpose is to compile a resources list of contacts, government offices (local, county, state and federal) with names, addressees, and telephone numbers and/or web addresses. There are resources out there to help, but some people are not comfortable with, or do not have the skills to find them and a local group of familiar faces from our community might make a difference in helping them get started on the right path. It might be as simple as a letter or telephone call to a county or state representative and some residents may have no idea where to begin. We are looking for residents that would be interested in forming such an advisory group. Implementation would not occur until early 2010, but we need to know who might be interested in planning and initiating such an undertaking - YOUR perspective and ideas would be appreciated! We are compiling a list of persons interested, then a meeting will be scheduled to brainstorm the idea. Please call Herb Masser (R) at 273-9278 or Roy Barriere (D) at 277-3843 and leave your name and number if you think you would like to help!