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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013 Enfield-Town-Government-Newsletter-Jan-March-2013.pdf1 Town of Enfield 168 Enfield Main Road http://townofenfield.org January - March 2013 Newsletter Enfield Town Boards Meetings are held in the Community Building, 1st floor Town Board: 2nd Wednesday, 6:30pm Town Supervisor Roy Barriere 277-3843 Deputy Supervisor Jean Owens 273-5682 Town Council Members Chris Hern 256-5033 Vera Howe-Strait 273-1413 Ann Rider 277-3478 Debbie Teeter 277-4547 Planning Board: 1st Wednesday, 7pm Virginia Bryant, chair 387-9376 Marie Van De Mark, vice chair 277-4383 Ann Chaffee 272-6460 Dawn George 273-1247 Steve Givin 273-7434 Calvin Rothermich 272-5930 Dan Walker 387-6394 Town Offices Town Clerk 273-8256 Alice Linton, Town Clerk Sue Thompson, Deputy Town Clerk Town Office/Clerk Hours: Monday-Thursday, 3 pm - 6 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 Code Enforcement Office Hours: Monday thru Thursday 8:30-11 am Wednesday 5-7 pm Town Historian Sue Thompson 272-6412 Enfield Volunteer Fire Company Art Howser, Chief 272-8757 Roger Lauper, Deputy Chief Kirk Vandee, 1st Assistant Chief Andy Senno, 2nd Assistant Chief Tucker Snyder, Captain County Legislators Report from the Supervisor Here we are closing out another year and, of course, another budget season. Aside from a couple minor changes, the preliminary budget presented to the public in October was adopted as the final budget for 2012 at the November Town Board meeting. Once again, there were some significant increases in employee benefits, such as retirement, compensation insurance and health insurance. These increases were the main reasons for the tax rate increase noted below. Other budget increases for 2013 included a 2% salary increase for all staff and funds set aside for the upcoming aquifer study. In an effort to keep the levy as low as possible, there were a couple cutbacks, such as no spring cleanup for 2013 and a 50% reduction for the amount to be transferred to the building reserve fund. All of these budget changes will result in a 6.8% increase in local taxes. On a positive note for the upcoming tax bill, thanks goes out to the Enfield Volunteer Fire Company for their commitment to reduce their expenditures. A new 5-year contract was recently agreed upon which resulted in a reduced budget amount. The end result for the fire protection contract will equal only 0.26% increase in the fire protection tax rate. As you more than likely already know, I have decided to resign my position as Town Supervisor for the Town of Enfield, at the end of 2012. This was not an easy decision, but after thinking about it for quite some time, the timing couldn’t be better. The Town Board is very sound and well experienced with all of the major issues we are currently dealing with. There are several reasons why I’ve decided to resign but one of the main reasons is I will be traveling quite a bit next year and away from Enfield at least 25% of the year. The Town Board will need to appoint a replacement to serve for 2013. Regardless of who is appointed, I will be available to assist him/her to make this a smooth transition. I want to take this time to thank all Enfielders for their support over the past few years. I have been very fortunate to have great Board and Committee members to work with for the past 3 years. Because of their efforts and support, my job was much easier. Furthermore, we as a Community are truly blessed to have the volunteers we have in Enfield. A ton of work is accomplished by our volunteers which, in essence, saves us taxpayers a ton of money. Serving Enfield as the Town Supervisor has been a very rewarding experience; one that I will cherish forever. Thanks for allowing me the opportunity. As of the end of 2012, there will also be a vacancy on the Planning Board. If you have an interest to serve a 7-year term on the Planning Board, please submit your notice of interest and a short resume to the Planning Board and/or the Town Supervisor at 168 Enfield Main Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850. Last, but not least, for the most up-to-date local news and general information, don’t forget to visit the Town’s website - http://townofenfield.org/ content. The website includes meeting minutes, committee reports, agendas, and other local news and information pertaining to Enfield and Tompkins County. Our Town Board meetings are normally held on the 2nd Wednesday of every month, starting at 6:30 pm. As always, if you have any questions or concerns about any Town issues, please contact any of the Town Board members. Roy Barriere, Town Supervisor Dave McKenna Enfield/Newfield 564-7243, dmckenna@tompkins-co.org Jim Dennis Enfield/Ulysses 387-4058, jpd821@yahoo.com 2 News from Code Enforcement Although the economy is still slow, 2012 showed an improvement in building in the Town of Enfield. Building permits issued were up by about 15 over 2011 with a total of 70 permits issued. Several new homes were started in 2012 and six older mobile homes were replaced with new double- or single-wide homes. Mobile home are still allowed in Enfield, as they have always been, but changes in New York State Building Codes require all new installations to be on a permanent foundation and installed by a certified installer. If you have any questions about installing or replacing a mobile home, just give me a call. The Code Enforcement continues to be open Monday through Thursday mornings for information or applying for permits. I will be out in the afternoons doing inspections. Hope everyone had a good holiday season and I wish you a safe and prosperous new year. Alan Teeter, Code Enforcement Office Volunteer Recognition Volunteerism runs strong in the Enfield Community; here’s a “Thank You” to our most recent Volunteers of the Month: October 2012: Trevor Alling, Sam Hubbell, & Keven Morse Jr. Three outstanding young people who cheerfully and enthusiastically helped with this year’s Harvest Festival preparations and event. It’s wonderful to see our youth diving into volunteerism for their community! December 2012: Art Howser, Jr. Art is recognized for several different efforts in the community—as Chief of the Enfield Volunteer Fire Company and top-responding EMT and also for his help with the food pantry and Harvest Festival. Volunteer of the Year: Art Howser, Jr. There were many hard-working volunteers this year to choose from, but Art stood out with many letters of recommendation and a broad base of community involvement—thanks to Art and all the many volunteers that make our community a great place to live! Do you know someone who goes above and beyond for our community? Submit a letter of nomination for Volunteer of the Month to Roy Barriere at the Town Hall by the first Wednesday of each month for consideration. Attention Bus Riders: Please be aware that at this time of year, when night falls so early, it can be very difficult to see you as you walk to and from bus stops. Since we are a community without sidewalks, pedestrians often walk in the road. Please—if you are walker, wear light clothing, preferably with reflective markings. We can all agree drivers should be mindful of pedestrians, but if they can’t see you, the can be some close calls. Town of Enfield Historian Report – December 2012 – Sue Thompson (sdt1@cornell.edu) I have started an Enfield History Club with the kids at the Enfield Elementary After School Program. We started on November 5 with learning about Enfield Town Supervisors and the terms they served in connection with U.S. Presidents. I started a scrapbook with Supervisors pictures and terms, the oldest Supervisors picture is that of Leroy VanKirk 1876. We also learned where Enfield residents voted in the Town: 1858 – 1923 VanMarter/Harvey/Teeter Hotel, 186 Enfield Main Road 1858 – 1951 Wortman/Wright/McFall/Newhart Store, 201 Enfield Main Road 1938 – Delivery of Voting Machines to McFall’s Hall 1923 -- 1951 Town Hall, 1923 (Pig’s Ear) Enfield Main Road 1952 – 2007 Community Building (Fire Hall), 182 Enfield Main Road 2008 – 2010 Enfield Elementary School, 20 Enfield Main Road 2011 – Current Enfield Volunteer Fire Company, 172 Enfield Main Road We also have learned about the Enfield School built in 1957 and the property was purchased from Mr. Ross. The kids have “met”, through photographs, community residents who lived over 100 years ago in the town of Enfield. They learned about our first “dog wardens”, called Fence Viewers, and the first record we have in the town for collecting “dog tax” is 1889 - $137.00. Signatures and autographs of town clerks and supervisors along with presidents of the U.S. were shared. We then each signed a card which will be placed in the town vault to be shared with future generations of town residents. Our next topic will be Rolfe Cemetery and making an 1863 map of Enfield. Our Tompkins County Municipal Historians group is still working on the Churches of Tompkins County. I recently attended a Region 10 APHNYS meeting in Bainbridge. Presentations were given on the Ku Klux Klan of Binghamton and Ithaca, NY and Joseph Smith of the Mormon religion. We will be working on a list of “significant women in your community” for Women’s History Month in March. If you have someone you would like added to the list let me know. Thanks to the following people for contributions to the Enfield Historian’s collection. I will gladly accept items – letters, photos, etc. you would like to place in our historians collection. I am willing to make copies of the items so that you may keep your originals. · Harvest Festival Quilt 2012 Photograph · Graham family of Enfield – letters, obit information. Receipt book from Miller’s Auction Service - M. Clyde (Jack) Hubbell · Election posters and campaign material from 1969 – Robbie Linton · Picture and article regarding the farm at 230 South Applegate Road - Jeff Smith · Book – The Woods a beginning… by John L. Drake · Barn Photographs from 909 Bostwick Road - Norman Smith photographs from Julie Schroeder 3 From the Enfield Town Clerk Good news! A grant for shared services between Tompkins County and six towns, including Enfield, will enable us to digitalize and store town minutes. Once this process is complete, Town minutes back to 1889 will be available on-line for public access. By the time this newsletter reaches you, tax season will be under way. Payments are accepted until January 31 with no penalty. In February, 1% will be added to your bill and in March, 2% will be added. Unfortunately we are unable to accept debit or credit cards for payments. We have additional hours during the month of January as follows: Mondays & Wednesdays 3-6 Tuesdays & Thursdays 9-12 & 3-6 Saturdays 9-12 Throughout the year if our hours don’t work for you, please give us a call at 273-8256 and we’ll be glad to accommodate your work schedule. Please remember that all dogs in the Town need to be licensed yearly. The cost continues at $10 for dogs that are spayed/neutered and $20 for unaltered dogs. You can check the town website at www.townofenfield.org for information on dog licenses, dates of town board meetings, upcoming events and more. It's a visit! Alice Linton, Town Clerk From the Highway Department We hope everyone had a good holiday and that you have a good New Year. Our Equipment is serviced and ready for winter. We will do our best to keep the roads safe. This year will be a challenge as we start the new 2013 budget with very little increase in our Highway Budget. It will take some creativity with fuel and materials costs always increasing. Our winter projects will be taking care of brush and trees, Updating signs and ditching when possible. During the winter months we will also be doing in house training which helps us update on new procedures and safety. There is also the repair and service of summer equipment, looking toward the next season and warmer weather. The Enfield Center Rd. Creek project was completed this fall with the help of soils and water. We hope to get Bostwick Rd. creek done this next 2013 year. It would be very helpful if you check your culvert pipes as there were lots of leaves last fall. Remember to keep your speed down during storms and rain, snow and icy weather. It is always helpful to get a call (good or bad) about the roads or weather conditions. Your Enfield road keepers and myself will keep on eye to the sky this winter. And as always an eye on the roads too. Just for information purposes, when you are plowing out your driveway (or someone else plows it for you), it is illegal to push the snow across the road. However if you still continue to push it across the road make sure you do not leave any snow in the road, as this becomes a liability for you, the home owner. Thanks, Buddy Rollins Sr., Enfield Highway Superintendent 272-6490, Hours 6:00am-2:30pm, Monday-Friday (& always On Call) Dear Enfield residents and supporters from outside Enfield: Please make a donation to the Enfield Aquifer Study Fund We are asking you to join with us to raise money for a study of the Enfield Aquifers to ensure the safety of our water supply now and for the future. All donations are tax-deductible. The Enfield Aquifer Study, to be done by the US Geological Service, will map the local aquifers to determine the quantity, quality, and locations of our water resources and any contamination. Having this critical information about the aquifer system will allow Enfield and Tompkins County to make well-informed decisions on how best to manage and protect our vital water resources. In addition, the information from the study will provide local government, water managers, businesses, and homeowners with help to ensure that there will be: a safe and plentiful drinking water supply - water available for economic development - a healthy aquifer environment In 2000 the Tompkins County Planning Dept. and the USGS entered into a 20-year agreement to study the aquifer areas on a systematic basis. The source of funding to pay for the study is: 30% USDS funds, 35% County funds, and 35% Town funds. This means the Town of Enfield will need to raise $90,000 for the study. We are starting this Fund to ensure this most important project will be done. Please join with your neighbors by contributing to the Aquifer Study Fund for a safe and a healthy water supply in Enfield. Thank you, The Enfield Aquifer Study Fundraising Group _____________________________________________________________________________________________ To support the Enfield Aquifer Study, Contribute: ___$25 ___$50 ___$75 ___$100 Other_____ · Make checks payable to: Social Ventures (Social Ventures is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Your contribution is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.) · Enter on the memo line of the check: Enfield Aquifer Study Fund (Social Ventures will use all funds raised to help the Town of Enfield pay for the study.) · Mail to: Enfield Aquifer Study Fund, PO Box 571, Ithaca, NY 14851 Name: __________________________________ Address: __________________________________ __________________________________ We thank you for your generous support of this critical project, and we will send you a written acknowledgment of your donation. 4 Dates to Remember January 2 Planning Board Meeting Community Building, 7 pm 2 Volunteer of the Month nominations due 9 Town Board Meeting Community Building, 6:30 pm February 6 Planning Board Meeting Community Building, 7 pm 6 Volunteer of the Month nominations due 13 Town Board Meeting Community Building, 6:30 pm March 6 Planning Board Meeting Community Building, 7 pm 6 Volunteer of the Month nominations due 13 Town Board Meeting Community Building, 6:30 pm Town of Enfield 168 Enfield Main Road Ithaca NY 14850 Need a Space to Meet? The Enfield Community Center is available for Enfield community events and activities, and has tables and chairs available. To reserve space, or report a problem with the facility, contact Chris Hern at 256-5033. Helpful Tompkins County Web Sites (all begin with http://www.): Government: co.tompkins.ny.us Legislature: tompkins-co.org/legislature Assessment: tompkins-co.org/assessment Board of Elections: tompkins-co.org/boe Clerk: tompkins-co.org/clerk Health Department: tompkins-co.org/health Highway Department: tompkins-co.org/highway Solid Waste: recycletompkins.org Town Board Vacancy At the last meeting of 2012 (December 20th), the Town Board appointed Councilperson Ann Rider to complete the Town Supervisor term following Supervisor Barriere’s resignation. As a result, there is a vacancy on the Town Board as of January 1, 2013. Any Town of Enfield resident interested in filling this vacancy is invited to submit a one-page letter of interest, including their resume and reasons for wanting to serve, to any Town Board member or the Town Hall by January 25th. Questions can be posed to any Town Board member. The Board sincerely thanks Supervisor Barriere for his leadership over the past three years as Supervisor and Councilperson prior to that—he will be missed. The Board is also very grateful to Councilperson Rider for being willing to step in to complete the term, and looks forward to working with her and the new Councilperson.