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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1998-08-11-TB -79 TOWN OF ULYSSES REGULAR TOWN BOARD MEETING AUGUST 11 , 1998 PRESENT: Carolyn Duddleston , Deputy Supervisor; Councilman Robert Weatherby; ABSENT Supervisor Douglas Austic, CEO Alex Rachun, Councilman Peter Penniman and Andrew Hillman ; Town Clerk Marsha Georgia ; Highway Superintendent James Meeker. Others Present : Free Press Reporter Ann Brewer; Ann Stover; Peg Hopper; Liz Thomas and David Tyler. Deputy Supervisor Duddleston called the meeting to order at 7 : 30 PM and led those assembled in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America . APPROVAL OF MINUTES : July 14th Regular Board Mtg . Minutes could not be approved due to the fact that there was not a quorum . Corrections that need to be made are as follows : page 3, Mr. Warren should be Mr. Brown and on page 4, This is a fact of Mother nature and the may she works, should read the way she works . APPROVAL OF MONTHLY CLAIMS Claims could not be approved . REPORTS OF REPRESENTATIVES County Board Representative No one in attendance . Trumansburg Fire Department Deputy Supervisor Duddleston read the report from Fire Chief, Jack Fulton . For the month of July the fire and ambulance calls totaled 36 . Year to date 174 calls . Fewer services this year were needed at Grassroots Festival and he spoke very positive about it. There was a problem on opening night, of OD's and alcohol so Friday and Saturday night they put someone at the main gate to check Id's : The Fire Company received a $ 2, 000 donation from the Grassroots committee and their supplies were paid for. The Parade is coming and he would like to know if the Town was going to have a truck this year? Fire Police will be directing traffic to detour outside the village a different way . This is something they are trying new this year, just to see if they can stop the congestion in the village . Town of Ulysses 2 Regular Board Meeting 8- 11 -98 TOWN REPORTS Highway Superintendent James Meeker reported that they have been cleaning ditches, trimming around road signs, and mowed all the roadsides . They have also helped the Village of Trumansburg with paving and have been working with Tompkins County on Krums Corner Road . Some stone has been hauled and asphalt was removed on Cemetery Road Bridge . Code Enforcement Officer, Alex Rachun was absent and no report was handed in . Town Clerk, Marsha Georgia reported that the total fees collected for the month of July was $ 1 ,386 . 00 and of that $689 . 75 was turned over to the Supervisor along with the monthly report. Monday is the start of sales for hunting licenses . Mrs . Georgia stated that her deputy is out for surgery and that her deputy from a year ago will be returning . BOARD MEMBERS and / or Committees Mrs. Duddleston reported that she had the proposed budget for the Recreation Partnership Program but it is not right. There is a meting Thursday night , so hopefully it will be revised . SUPERVISOR FINANCIAL REPORT Mrs. Duddleston stated that Mr . Austic did not get the bank statements so there was no cash flow. report. Mrs . Duddleston distributed copies of revenue and expenditures . No questions heard . OLD BUSINESS — none NEW BUSINESS Cayuga Lake Watershed Membership Mrs. Duddleston said that the matter of the Cayuga Lake Watershed Network Membership is on the agenda, but it can not be acted on because we do not have a quorum . It is $35 . 00 a year. They are having a get together this Saturday at Goosewatch Winery . HEARING OF INDIVIDUALS OR GROUPS Peg Hopper resident on South Street Ext . expressed her disconcert of the Grassroots Festival playing their music past the hour of 2 AM . She is not against the festival but it is disturbing to have the music go so long into the evening and wee hours of the morning when residents have to get up and go to work the next day . Mrs . Duddleston suggested that the Town Board , Fair Assoc . , Grassroots Directors and any local residents get together to discuss these problems . Mrs . Duddleston will try and arrange a meeting and get back to Peg Hopper . OTHER Liz Thomas from the Cayuga Nature Center and David Tyler of 5396 Rice Road wish to address the Board and will arrive after 8:30 PM . Town of Ulysses 3 Regular Board Meeting 8- 11 -98 CORRESPONDENCE Mrs . Duddleston reviewed the correspondence that has been received as follows : Pre- retirement Seminars information . Letter from Revenues Sharing — a new approach . Request for Festival of Lights Sponsorship . Permit for Steam work — Gerald VanOrden , 4191 South St. Ext. Correspondence from Ben Curtis re : Cable Contract of $2 per person for a total of $583 . Information on the Star Program . Copy of Judgement from Bruce Wilson CAYUGA NATURE CENTER Liz Thomas arrived and explained to the Board that the Cayuga Nature Center is working on a food scrap composing demonstration on Houghton Road, which could be useful to the Town of Ulysses . The objectives of the project : 1 . To demonstrate a way to divert food scrap waste from going to landfills . The plan is to accept from 5 to 10 tons per week of food scrap generated by Wegmans grocery store to the composing site at the Cayuga Nature Center (CNC) . 2 . To demonstrate economical composing methods that can be used by municipalities, schools, institutions, farms, restaurants and grocery stores . 3 . To provide interested organizations with our time and expertise in setting up other composts sites in this region . 4 . To donate the CNC's:facilities for a 4-day workshop on developing large scale composts . 5 . To help build awareness of the feasibility of large scale composing by publicizing the CNC compost project . Wegmans grocery has already agreed to bring 5 to 10 tons of food scrap per week to the site . In order to be successful and safe, the compost project needs large quantities of carbon materials such as leaves, wood whips, yard waste or sawdust to mix with the food scrap . Since the cost of trucking carbon materials is expensive, they are looking for interest and cooperation from the nearest sources . They are very interested in acquiring the chips and leaves generated in the Town of Ulysses for at least the next two years . Town of Ulysses residents could take wood chips or -finished compost from the piles free of charge . Mr. Meeker, Highway Superintendent stated that he could probably help out but like he had previously told her the Town bought their chipper from DEC with the understanding that residents would be able to have the chips for nothing because DEC paided for half of it. This program was to run for four or five years . Mr . Meeker asked if she had talked with the Village about-leaves? He Town of Ulysses 4 Regular Board Meeting 8- 11 -98 also knows some other places that have chips that he could put her in contact with . Liz said that she would contact Mr. Meeker for this information . Mr. Weatherby asked if straw would work? She replied that yes it would work very well but the problem maybe to get it there. Liz's phone number is 273 -6260 if there are any other questions . Continuation of this Meeting Mrs . Duddleston and Mr. Weatherby set a meeting for Monday night, August 17th at 7 PM to approve payment of bills . Rice Road Resident, David Tyler Mrs . Duddleston stated that they all had copies of the letter Mr. Tyler had written to Mr. Meeker and also the letter Mr. Meeker had written to him in return . Mr. Tyler wanted to explain why he has a problem with the ditch and roadwork that Mr. Meeker is doing on Rice Road . He states that up until about 1990 every two to three years the road would be oiled and stoned, which is less than a mile long and has seven houses . Not a high traffic road . For whatever reasons in 1990 the oiling and stoning stopped and now the road is not in great shape . He understands now that the only solution is to do a different type of pavement, which is much less flexible, to replace what is their now. In order to have that last they have to have supper duper drainage . The ditching has been under way and what got his attention was when they wanted to remove the culvert pipe and lower that farther than before. He felt it was a little over kill . The bottom line is that he does not mind having ditching but the ditch now is a foot to a foot and a half deeper than before. The banks are large and really is not very good environmentally, and a hazard for anyone that may venture off the road . Mr. Tyler states that it gulls him that number one the farm equipment has over the years been coming and going where there was no ditch and now that the ditches have come in the farmer can not get into the field without a wide culvert. Mr. Tyler feels that because of the Town letting the road go for awhile and now they have to do a significantly different job changing the general scope of things . In order for him to keep things in a similar situation, to provide excess for the farm equipment, he is told that he has to fork out a lot of money. That does not seem right. Mr. Tyler would Pay for plastic pipe in front of his house so that the ditch is not so deeppbut he feels that the Town should pay for the culvert pipe to - make a driveway for the farmer to go in and out of the field . Mr. Meeker clarified that the road has not been let go but that you can only stone and oil the surface of a road so many times until you get what they call a fat road that will bleed and than come apart. The life expectancy of a- pavement of cold mix asphalt is only roughly ten years . Mrs. Duddleston states that Mr. Tyler has to realize that the Town 's policy is that they don't do excess driveways to fields . Mr. Tyler stated that there was access to the fields and he feels if the Town is doing something to destroy that access than doesn't the Town have some obligation . 5 �7 3 Town of Ulysses Regular Board Meeting 8- 11 -98 Mrs . Duddleston stated that all the highway is doing is digging out a preexisting ditch . Mr . Tyler states that is a question of dispute as to whether it existed that large before . Mr . Weatherby states that over the years it may have slowly filled in with farm equipment . When plowing the farmer will try and get as close to the ditch and over time could contribute to filling that ditch . Mr . Tyler discussed the way the water flows in that area . Mr. Weatherby also stated that most farmers like it when the ditches are cleaned out because it makes their drainage of the fields work better . Mr. Weatherby states as far as road entrances to fields . The company, which he and Mr . Austic work with , has a requirement that the roadways into the fields have to be thirty feet wide . He has had to widen some ditches and he called Mr . Meeker and his policy is that the owner pay at cost the price of the pipe and he will do all of the work and furnish all the material . The Town of Covert has this same policy . He feels that is more than fair . He knows what it cost to run a backhoe, the time it takes and he knows what it cost to get stone . It is more than fair ! He even wonders if the Town is going too far sometimes . Mr . Meeker says that Tompkins County Highway charges a permit fee to come out to 'the location and determine what size pipe is needed . You would than buy the pipe and for every load of gravel they use it is a $ 100 . He goes on to say that he has a right of way that the Town has to maintain and that includes the ditches . This is what the right-of-way is there for . Mr. Tyler has agreed to buy the plastic pipe for the front of his house to go into the ditch and the Town will install . Mr . Meeker talked with Mr. Tyler and asked him to give the ditch sometime before he goes ahead with this . Mr. Meeker feels that he may be surprised when the ditch starts to grow back. He also will extend the twenty-foot culvert by ten feet to be less expensive for Mr . Tyler . Mr . Meeker and Mr . Tyler will get together to work out the particulars . Mr. Weatherby thanked Mr . Tyler for coming in and discussing this . Hearing no further business Mrs . Duddleston closed the meeting . No motion due to no quorum . * / Respectfully submitted , Marsha L. Georgia Town Clerk MLG : mg