HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010 Enfield-Town-Government-Newsletter-Spring-Summer-2010.pdf1
Town of Enfield
168 Enfield Main Road http://townofenfield.org
May-August 2010 Newsletter
Enfield Town Boards
Meetings are held in the
Community Building, 1st floor
Town Board: 2nd Wednesday, 6:45pm
Town Supervisor
Roy Barriere 277-3843
Deputy Supervisor
Jean Owens 273-5682
Town Council Members
Stephanie Gaynor 272-8384
Chris Hern 276-5033
Jean Owens 273-5682
Debbie Teeter 277-4547
Planning Board:1st Wednesday, 7pm
Virginia Bryant, co-chair 387-9376
Jim McConkey, co-chair 387-9830
Ann Chaffee 272-6460
Keith Smith 272-5304
Calvin Rothermich 272-5930
Steve Givin 273-7434
Mike Carpenter 277-4204
Town Offices
Town Clerk 273-8256
Alice Laue, Town Clerk
Pat Dougherty, 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
Carl Staley, Code Enforcement Officer
Code Enforcement Office Hours:
Monday, Thursday & Saturday 8:30-11 am
Wednesday 8:30 am-12 pm & 5-8 pm
Town Historian
Sue Thompson 272-6412
Enfield Volunteer Fire Company
Art Howser, Chief 272-8757
Roger Lauper, Deputy Chief
Ben Giles, 2nd Assistant Chief
Kirk VanDee, Captain
County Legislators
Report from the Supervisor
The first quarter of 2010 has been a busy one! We kicked off the New Year with
the Organizational Meeting on January 6th. We now have most of our committees filled,
including the vacancies on the Planning Board. We still need representatives to serve on
the TC Youth Board, Recreation Partnership and the County Environmental Management
Council. If anyone is able and interested in serving in one of the three remaining
vacancies, please let me know.
The State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) process for the proposed new
highway facility has been reviewed and approved by the Board. A public hearing for the
Bond Resolution was held on March 4th. Once the Board has sufficient time to review and
approve the Bond Resolution, it will be subject to a permissive referendum, which allows
enough time for the public to petition for a mandatory referendum. If the public chooses not
to petition for a referendum, then our next step is to go out for bid.
In December, 2009, Enfield Energy submitted the Wind Farm application. Since
then, the application has been under review by the Town Board and the Attorney. A few
revisions have been made, however, final determination of completeness has not yet
occurred. Once completeness has been determined, all interested agencies will be notified,
then the SEQRA process will begin. In the meantime, a Developer’s Agreement between
Enfield Energy and the Town has been completed and approved by both parties.
A couple other important issues that the Town Board is currently dealing with are
the adoption of two new laws. Actually, one is a revision of a 10-year old law – the Mass
Gathering Law. This law is currently under review, mainly to enhance the safety of
everyone involved. The other proposed law deals with road construction (installing culverts,
ditch work, etc.).
As everyone has heard, the official comment period for the NY DEC’s new
regulations for horizontal drilling and high-volume hydraulic fracturing ended. Now we must
plan our next steps in order to protect our environment and local roadways. A local group
(Enfield Neighbors for Safe Air and Water), has organized a couple seminars so far this
year to talk about how this type of drilling is done and the potential impacts. For more
information, please contact Beth McGee (387-9899) or Nancy Spero (273-6603).
And the last BIG issue that everyone has heard is Census – 2010. Please take a
few minutes to complete the very short questionnaire. The information we provide
determines federal and state dollars that support our roads, bus system, human needs,
and many other services. In addition, if you complete it and mail it in, less time is required
for someone to follow up. In other words, someone from the Census Bureau will follow up
with those who choose not to complete the form and mail it in.
Future events to mark on your calendar:
Annual Spring Clean-up, May 10th–13th
Rabies Clinic, Enfield Highway Facility, May 13th
Don’t forget to visit our new and improved website - http://townofenfield.org/
content. Please take time to visit the website for meeting minutes, committee reports,
agendas, etc. Our Town Board meetings are held on the 2nd Wednesday of every month,
starting at 6:45 pm. As always, if you have any questions or concerns about any of the
issues presented to the Town Board, please contact any of the Town Board members.
Respectfully,
Roy Barriere, Town Supervisor
Dave McKenna
Enfield/Newfield
564-7243, dmckenna@tompkins-co.org
Jim Dennis
Enfield/Ulysses
387-4058, jpd821@yahoo.com
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Town Historian’s Report
Sue Thompson, sdt1@cornell.edu/272-6412
Our Municipal Historians Group of Tompkins County (MHTC) has been working on a new project. The goals with this
project are two: to aid homeowners become involved in recording their own house history and giving members of MHTC
the tools to take back to their communities (and many parts therein) to run workshops that will involve people with doing
some of their own history. Saturday April 10 Kristen Olsen of Historic Ithaca will run a workshop for MHTC discussing
sources, and addressing teaching techniques regarding the project.
The New York History Conference will be held in Ithaca June 3 to 5, located primarily at Ithaca College. The MHTC
will be assisting with this conference.
The MHTC has also started a project regarding the concerns of people within our community such as the wind farm
proposal for Enfield, the problem of extracting oil from shale by fracturing in Danby and elsewhere in the county, the
issue of parks, all environmental and financial concerns. We will keep track of information about one or several of these
issues to see what we have in a year or so.
I have also been working with Mary Cole, at Enfield School, setting up for the school’s 51th Birthday. The
Celebration will be June 4, 2010–5:30 pm.
Last but not least in regard to the Civil War Commemoratives events in 2011 we are looking for diaries and letters
from the Civil War (1861-65) period from those who went off to fight or those who remained at home. If you have any of
this information and would like to share please let me know.
News from Code Enforcement
After a slow start to the year
things are starting to pick up at the
code office. We have already issued
permits for four new homes this year
along with permits for many smaller
projects.
Spring is the time of year when
many folks start those home projects
they've been planning over the winter;
most of the smaller ones don't need
permits, such as painting, new siding,
landscaping, repairing windows and
trim, roof repair, driveway repair, or
general maintenance.
Major repairs that involve
foundations, structural work, adding
windows or doors do require permits
according to NYS law, as do new work
such as decks, porches and additions.
As always, if you have questions or
are unsure give us a call and we will
be happy to discuss it with you.
Another question we get asked a
lot is the matter of open burning. This
is regulated by the Tompkins County
Department of Health and the
regulations state no open burning is
allowed in Tompkins County, except
for recreational fires such as
campfires or small bonfires. No
burning of papers or garbage is
allowed. The only exception to these
regulations are that farms are allowed
to burn some items such as brush or
farm products. Any questions, give us
a call or call the Health Department
directly at 274-6688.
Our office hours will remain the
same over the summer: M-W-Th-Sat
8:30-11, and Wed evenings 5-7. We
are in and out of the office at others
times but give us a call at 277-0266
if you want to make sure we're here
before you come by or want to make
an appointment.
News from the Highway Department
Winding up Spring and going into Summer is a busy time for us at the
Highway. I would first like to publicly thank the guys at the Highway for a job
well done this winter; in closing our winter work I would like to remind you that
if you need specifications for mailbox placement, I will leave copies with Alice
at the Town Clerks office.
Spring and summer bring wood chips and fill, as always contact me at
the highway if you would like some. When we are working near your home, we
will deliver as according to the waiting list.
Spring Clean Up will be May 10-13th, 12:00-7:00 pm at the Highway Barns
Please Note: Only tires with the wheels, scrap metal; no
refrigerators, no Freon items.
There are three bridge projects scheduled to be done: the first is the
bridge on Enfield Center Road will be repaired and widened, the second is the
bridge at Connecticut Hill Road North of Trumbulls Corners Road will be
worked on, and the third is the bridge on Hines Road will be painted.
We will continue to finish up Harvey Hill Road, as well as replacing
many culverts throughout Enfield. Just an FYI, some of the road work that is
done on the town roads is required by law, to maintain the roads in a fashion
that meets standards. For instance how wide the road is, how wide the
shoulders are, sweeping the roads three times a year, etc. These are all tasks
that have to be preformed to protect the liability of our Town. These are
Highway laws that the Highway Superintendent is required to follow.
The new Highway barn is a topic of interest to many; your Town Board
held a informational meeting in February, however I feel confident in saying
that if you still have questions any board member would be willing to answer
your questions.
And in closing, I would like to say I feel that the new Town Supervisor
and board and I are working together. I was especially happy with the way the
Board meeting on April 14, 2010 went, I felt that the Board was interested in
what I had to say, and I was also interested in their opinion, we communicated
well.
I continue to enjoy being your Highway Superintendent and please, as
always, feel free to contact me with any questions, concerns are praises for
the guys.
Sincerely,
Buddy Rollins Sr., Enfield Highway Superintendent
607-2726490 - Barns 607-273-5679 - Home 607-227-7285 - Cell
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From the Town Clerk
The last few months have gone by quickly. Tax
season is over and we are now working to get dog
licenses up-to-date. You may be receiving a notice
in the next few months to renew your dog’s license.
If so, you’ll need to be sure his/her rabies are
current. There will be a Free Rabies Clinic at the
Enfield Highway Department on May 13th from
7–9 p.m.
May 13th is also Tax Assessment Review Day at
the Town Hall.
Also, Enfield is starting the process to have a
dog enumeration this summer. In order to avoid a
fine for having an unlicensed dog, please stop in or
call us for a dog license form - or find the form on
the town’s website:
www.townofenfield.org
As always, if you are in need of a marriage
license or hunting/fishing license, please stop in.
Our hours continue to be Monday through Thursday
from 3 to 6 p.m. and our phone number is 273-
8256.
Alice Linton, Town Clerk
Pat Dougherty, Deputy Town Clerk
Town of Enfield Web Site – www.townofenfield.org
Sue Thompson, webmaster
Don’t forget to check out our Town Web Site. I have tried to
keep it up-to-date and have added new sections. If you have
current events, a new group or business you would like to see on
the web site please contact Sue Thompson – sdt1@cornell.edu/
272-6412.
Some of the areas on the website:
• News Area – This is where we place announcements
concerning Town business, community events, and a
check list of “Calendar” Events.
• Agendas for Regular and Special Town Board meetings
are placed on the “Calendar” Section.
• Application Forms – for dog licenses; building permits,
etc.
• Boards and Committees where we have updated
descriptions of each of the 18 groups listed
• Community Groups – a link to the website of the Friends
of Robert H. Treman State Park has been added to keep
you up to-date on what is happening to our State Parks.
• Enfield Neighbors for Safe Air and Water – The
purpose of this site is to keep you informed of issues
relating to natural gas drilling in Enfield's Marcellus Shale
as well as our surrounding areas
High Speed Internet Survey
As many residents are aware, we have been working for the past several years to bring high speed Internet to
our community, and especially to unserved residents. In partnership with 11 other towns in Cayuga and Tompkins
County, we have applied for a Federal grant to create the infrastructure to make high speed wireless and fiber-to-the-
home service everywhere in our town a reality. However, to have a chance of bringing this funding to Enfield, we need
to SPECIFICALLY demonstrate that the project is needed and viable. This questionnaire is meant to document to what
degree our residents are interested in the proposed service. If we are funded, virtually everyone in Enfield will be able to
get high speed wireless Internet and at least two thirds will get fiber to the home. We know this is not the first survey
you've taken on this topic and we have kept it as short as possible—but we REALLY need your support and ask that you
take a moment to respond as soon as possible.
(1) The proposed price for residential high speed wireless service is $29.95/month for a 5 Mbps connection. Would you
be interested in that service at that price? yes_____ no_____
(2) The proposed price for the fiber-to-the-home service is $39.95/month for an 11 Mbps service. Would you be
interested in that service at that price? yes_____ no_____
(3) How important do you think it is to our community to have high speed Internet access available to all residents?
Very Important _____ Important _____ Not Important _____
(4) If you think it is important or very important, can you tell us how it might help you or the community?
(5) Would you like to be contacted when the service is available, assuming the grant is awarded? yes _____ no_____
(6) Whether successful or not with the grant, would you like to get regular updates on our efforts? yes _____ no_____
(7) Any other comments or thoughts?
Your name (optional):
Your address (needed to verify you are in the targeted service area):
Phone number (optional): Email address (if you have one, optional):
Thank you for your time!
PLEASE RETURN TO: The Enfield Town Hall, either in person or by mail: 168 Enfield Main Rd, Ithaca NY 14850
Questions? Contact Town Councilperson Chris Hern, 276-5033
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Town of Enfield Planning Board Report
The Town Planning Board welcomed newest member Mike Carpenter, and
now has a full membership. The first few months of this year the Planning Board
has been reviewing and updating the Town’s Site Plan Review Law, which is
currently not in compliance with New York State Law. They expect to review
what could be the final draft at the May meeting; once members are satisfied
with the draft it will be forwarded to the Town Board for review and action.
The Planning Board recently began reviewing various informational maps for
the Town to identify potential Critical Environmental Areas. Critical
Environmental Area is a Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC)
designation that municipalities can use to identify areas they believe need
special consideration when the DEC reviews permits for activities that could
disturb or threaten these areas, such as drilling for natural gas.
Dates to Remember
May
5 Planning Board Meeting
Community Building, 7 pm
10-13 Spring Clean-up
Town Barns
12 Town Board Meeting
Community Building, 6:45 pm
13 Rabies Clinic
Highway Department
13 Tax Assessment Review Day
Town Hall
June
2 Planning Board Meeting
Community Building, 7 pm
9 Town Board Meeting
Community Building, 6:45 pm
July
7 Planning Board Meeting
Community Building, 7 pm
14 Town Board Meeting
Community Building, 6:45 pm
August
4 Planning Board Meeting
Community Building, 7 pm
11 Town Board Meeting
Community Building, 6:45 pm
Town of Enfield
168 Enfield Main Road
Ithaca NY 14850
Town of Enfield Spring Clean Up - For Enfield Residents ONLY
May 10-13th, 12:00-7:00 pm
at the Town Highway Barn, across from Town Hall
NO:
• Constructions materials
• Refrigerators/anything with Freon (freezers, air
conditioners)
• Items that can be recycled elsewhere (glass
bottles, newspapers, cardboard, plastic, etc.)
• Household trash/rubbish
• Batteries
• Liquid Paint
• Hazardous Materials
• Chemicals (farm or household)
YES:
• Tires on the wheels/rims ONLY
• Scrap metal
• Large & small appliances
• Wood
• Furniture
• Miscellaneous items