The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About2014 Enfield-Municipal-Newsletter-Jan-Mar-2014.pdf1 Town of Enfield 168 Enfield Main Road http://townofenfield.org January-March 2014 Newsletter Enfield Town Boards Meetings are held in the Community Building, 1st floor Town Board: 2nd Wednesday, 6:30pm Town Supervisor Ann Rider 277-3478 ann-rider@townofenfield.org Vera Howe-Strait Town Council Members Virginia Bryant 387-9376 Mike Carpenter 277-4204 Vera Howe-Strait 273-1413 Beth McGee 227-9532 Planning Board: 1st Wednesday, 7pm Chair, Dan Walker 387-6394 Ann Chaffee 272-6460 Dawn George 273-1247 Steve Givin 273-7434 Calvin Rothermich 272-5930 TBA TBA 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 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 - Community Bldg, dwnstrs 882-9958 Town Historian Sue Thompson 272-6412 Enfield Volunteer Fire Company Roger Lauper, Chief 272-8757 Art Howser, Deputy Chief Tucker Snyder, 1st Assistant Chief Andy Senno, 2nd Assistant Chief Alan Teeter, Captain County Legislators Dave McKenna Enfield/Newfield 564-7243, dmckenna@tompkins-co.org Jim Dennis Enfield/Ulysses 387-4058, jpd821@yahoo.com Town of Enfield Historian Report Sue Thompson (sdt1@cornell.edu) Our afterschool program history club has been busy with making hats, visiting Treman State Park through pictures, learning about veterans of the military, learning about old scrapbooks and making our own, and collecting pennies through a time line of Enfield. I placed a time line display of Enfield in the Community building (basement). The Municipal Historians of Tompkins County will be updating the towns touring brochures this coming year. There are still more US civil war events occurring in 2014 – monuments for the Civil War Nurses – TC3 program will be placed at the college; Dorothy Cotton Jubilee concert will be held on May 4 at the AME Zion Church in Ithaca and May 9 at the Danby Church. Commemoration of World War I (1914) will start events in 2014. If you have any WWI history in your family you would like to share with me send me an e-mail or give me a call – 272-6412. Report from the Supervisor The 2013 year-end town business has been successfully concluded. The 2014 budget was passed with a general increase of 2% in most categories. All the 2013 budget lines ended with at least a little bit of money left in each line. The referendum to reduce the Justices from 2 to 1 passed by a vote of 433 for and 290 against. Betty Poole will be our Justice for the next 4 years. I look forward to working with her. She does a great job for the residents of Enfield. Sue Thompson has agreed to be our Custodian. Many thanks to Andrew and Paul Thompson for their service over the past few years. Our Community Building looks so much better for their diligent efforts. The Planning Board has almost completed the Draft Comprehensive Plan. After some more additions of statistics and data, the document will be available to the general public for review and comment and, at least, one Public Hearing will be held before the Town Board formally adopts this Plan. If you missed putting in comments earlier in the process, you will have plenty of opportunities to add comments to this process and you should do so. It’s not a Planning Board document, it’s a community document. Looking forward to 2014, I will be asking the Town Board to appoint a Facilities Development Committee to decide the future of the vacated old Highway facility and future use of the Town owned acreage surrounding the new Highway Building. I will also ask the Board to appoint an Emergency Planning Committee to produce these particular plans for our Town. There’s a County Emergency Plan but we need to make some local decisions on how small scale emergencies should be handled. Who should handle what needs to be worked out and written down. If you have any interest in these subjects and would like to join a Town committee, contact me. Happy New Year! Ann Rider, Supervisor 2 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 the Town Clerk for the appropriate referrral. Enfield Cemetery Committee We are looking for new members of the Enfield Cemetery Committee. If you are interested please contact Sue Thompson (sdt1@cornell.edu/ 273- 8256. The Committee is responsible for oversight of the cemeteries within the Town of Enfield. The committee responsibilities include: Coordinates the upkeep of the cemeteries to include maintenance, mowing, trimming, cutting brush, and repair of grave markers. Recommends to the Town Board purchase of equipment and repair of grave markers. Submits budget recommendations to the Town Supervisor. Sets and removes flags from veterans graves (Before Memorial Day - May and After Veterans Day November 11). Ensures cemetery records are maintained. Makes recommendations to the Town Board for revisions to the cemetery policy and procedures. From the Highway Superintendent First order of business Thank you for giving me another two years to serve you as your Highway Superintendent. We are well into winter, so in thinking about snow and ice please drive slow, as speed is a big factor . Enfield does have a parking law during the winter. It is a no parking on the roads and you can be towed. In regards to a e-mail that was sent by the town supervisor, Ann Rider the day before the election I felt that this was not accurate and one sided. I would be happy to talk to anyone that got this e-mail to hear the Highway's side and the "rest of the story". We are pretty much caught up with repairs from the August storm, with just a few minor details to attend to. Fish Road took longer then we would have liked to complete as we were taking care of other storm damages and waiting on funds to be ok'd from the Ann Rider, town supervisor, After getting the money we had to order the pipe, and wait for it to come in. The town of Ithaca loaned us an excavator to do the job which saved a substantial amount of money. On a different subject: I was very disappointed that the board choose to pay some lines in the budget that were in the minus with the left over Highway bond money which could have and SHOULD have been used to finish the Highway Project. They could have used Town savings or contingency fund to right these lines. In the plans (that the people of Enfield voted for) there was to be a salt barn, paving of the driveway, salt spreader hanger building and cold storage. This money was approximately $130, 000 which could have gone a long way in completed these last projects. Now it will have to come from some where else, if it gets completed at all. The last couple of months I heard a lot about the Highway working (or not working) with the board. It is my hope in the year 2014 and years after, that the board and the Highway department will reach an understanding of what it means to "work with the board." As I have presented to the board every month in my reports what issues need attending to, the success we have had, and the challenges too. If this is not working with the board, then what is? It is my hope that the new board members with have this same goal in mind. I have my job to do and they have theirs, but our common goal should always be what's best for our town roads, the town in general, and they safety of our residents. I would like to thank our neighboring towns, Newfield, Ulysses, Ithaca, and also Tompkins County Highway department for all their help, especially as this year was more difficult then most with storm of August 8, 2013. I would like to thank the residents that were appreciative and helpful during this year. Mostly I would like to thank the guys at the Highway, Chuck Sinclair, Brandon McGee, Scott George, Gabe Newhart and Chris Willis. These are your Highway crew, they do a great job. See you on the roads. Buddy Rollins Enfield Highway Superintendent. From The Town Clerk By the time this newsletter reaches you, tax season will be well under way. Payments are accepted until January 31 with no penalty. During February, 1% will be added to your bill and during 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 3-6 Tuesdays 9-12 and 3-6 Wednesdays 3-6 Thursdays 9-12 and 3-6 Saturdays 9-12 The remainder of the year our hours will be Monday - Thursday from 3-6 p.m. 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 schedule. The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation will be making some changes for hunting and fishing licenses. One of the changes is fishing licenses will be good for one year from the date purchased. For example, if you purchase your fishing license on February 15, 2014 it will be good until February 14, 2015. For more information on licenses you can visit the DEC's website at www.dec.ny.gov. Please remember that all dogs in the Town of Enfield need to be licensed every year. The cost continues to be $10 for dogs that are spayed or neutered and $20 for unaltered dogs. Stay warm and safe this winter, and enjoy the snow! Alice Linton Enfield Town Clerk 3 Dear Enﬁeld residents and supporters from outside Enﬁeld: $1000 Matching grant for year end donations to the Aquifer Study Fund! A Tompkins County Resident would like to help with our fund raising effort! Every dollar you give now will be matched from this fund, up to a total of $1000. This is a great opportunity to make your donation to the Enfield Aquifer Study Fund go even farther. Some of you donated in 2012, but not in 2013. Some of you may wish to increase your 2013 donation. Some of you may not yet have had an opportunity to support this cause. We are asking you to join with us to raise money for a study of the Enﬁeld Aquifer to ensure the safety of our water supply now and for the future. All donations are tax-deductible. Information about how to donate is below. The Enﬁeld Aquifer Study, being done by the US Geological Service, will map the local aquifer to determine the quantity, quality, location 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, and 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% USGS 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. We are on our way to making this project a reality, thanks to community members donating over $5000, a $5000 grant from the Community Foundation of Tompkins County and a $5000 grant from the Soil and Water Conservation District. In addition the Town of Enfield has paid in $7000 from Town funds to date. The 2013 work by USGS for is: · Collected existing driller's well logs from NYSDEC and organized data from logs spatially into GIS database. · Completed two cross-sections across the valley measuring depth to bedrock using HVSR (horizontal to vertical seismic ratio) techniques. · Began identifying areas to collect surface water-quality samples. · Began identifying existing groundwater wells to collect water-quality samples. · Began planning seepage runs to examine gaining and losing streams which may be recharging or draining the aquifer. 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, Please 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 Please include your name and address so we may send you a written acknowledgment of your donation. We thank you for your generous support of this critical project. For questions regarding the Aquifer Study or the Aquifer Study Fund, please email enfield.aquifer@gmail.com Town of Enfield Planning Board Report The Planning Board submitted a rough first draft of the Comprehensive Plan to Town Board Members for their preliminary review and comment on December 10, 2013. I, Virginia Bryant, outgoing Planning Board Chair, spoke at the 12/11/13 Town Board Meeting, stating that there still were statistics that needed to be inserted (which assigned Planning Board Members were actively seeking). I also expressed the hope that there would be ample opportunity for more public review and input, over and above the required public hearing, once the Town Board has reviewed the plan and made its comments/requests back to the Planning Board for any alterations. The Planning Board, with the assistance of a number of committed community members who assisted Board members with specific plan sections, has been working on the draft Comprehensive Plan for over a year. Development and creation of a good Comprehensive Plan is not a speedy process, nor should it be. There should be ample time to consider diverse community opinions, and make appropriate changes, additions, edits, etc. as warranted. In addition, I want to extend a very special thanks to Judy Hyman who has worked tirelessly to assemble all the plan sections, edit them and consistently keep me, the Chair, and others “on track and on task.” I also want to thank Sue Thompson for her ‘above and beyond’ help in finding appropriate photos to insert into the plan. There also are many other community members who are publicly acknowledged in a listing at the beginning of the Comprehensive Plan. I personally wish to thank all of them, too. Virginia Bryant Town of Enfield Planning Board Chair 4 Town of Enfield 168 Enfield Main Road Ithaca NY 14850 Enfield Volunteer Fire Company Chief’s Report 2013 Year End We responded to 328 calls last year, in the following categories: · 3 Structures fires · 13 Carbon monoxide and smoke alarm · 2 Propane or gas leaks · 3 Vehicle fires · 3 Grass, brush, trash burning Thirty-one Mutual Aid was provided and received by following Fire Departments: · 22 Trumansburg · 6 Mecklenburg · 4 Newfield · 4 Ithaca · 1 West Danby · 1 Spencer Members logged 7,634 hours for responding to calls, trainings, maintenance, and administrative duties. The members of the fire department also have supported the community in many other ways. Examples include: Annual EVFC Calendars, American Red Cross Blood drives; Primary and general elections; Enfield Harvest Festival; Halloween; Road side clean up’s of Enfield Main Road; Support Enfield ECC Basket Ball Program, EVFC Scholarship Program, Enfield School holiday baskets for families, and Chicken BBQ’s. We thank the Enfield Residents for their support during 2013. Dates to Remember January 1 Planning Board Meeting, Community Bldg, 7 pm 8 Volunteer of the Month nominations due 8 Town Board Meeting, Community Bldg, 6:45 pm February 5 Planning Board Meeting, Community Bldg, 7 pm 5 Volunteer of the Month nominations due 12 Town Board Meeting, Community Bldg, 6:45 pm March 5 Planning Board Meeting, Community Bldg, 7 pm 5 Volunteer of the Month nominations due 12 Town Board Meeting, Community Bldg, 6:45 pm · 22 Storm related calls · 222 EMS calls · 22 Motor vehicle accidents · 7 Other calls