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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015 Enfield-Town-Government-Newsletter-Jan March 2015.pdf1 Town of Enfield Municipal Newsletter 168 Enfield Main Road http://townofenfield.org January-March 2015 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 229-7870 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 Red Poney Carpenter 279-2372 Henry Hanstein 727-3746 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 Tucker Snyder, Deputy Chief Kirk VanDee, 1st Assistant Chief Alan Teeter, 2nd Assistant Chief Tony Carlisle, Captain County Legislators Dave McKenna Enfield/Newfield 564-7243, dmckenna@tompkins-co.org Jim Dennis Enfield/Ulysses 387-4058, jpd821@yahoo.com Report from the Supervisor Dear Residents of Enfield - Hope your holiday season was peaceful and calm. We can now look forward to an extra minute of daylight in the coming days. Always something I look forward to. The 2015 budget was passed with little comment. The Black Oak Wind Farm is continuing its final round of funding with qualified investors. BOWF will be back here locally for a final round of investing, for residents who want to invest smaller amounts of money to support this effort to reduce our carbon footprint on the planet. The Town Board is in the process of writing and then approving a Findings Statement, a Road Use Agreement, a Community Host Agreement and security for decommissioning in case of failure. When these processes are finalized, the Town will issue permits for construction to commence. The Enfield Community Council has been talking for many months about building a Community Building. This building will allow them to expand their programming for youth and adults in this community. There seems to be some confusion in residents’ minds about the Town’s place in this project. Since ECC’s inception in 1976, the Town has had a contract with them to provide programming for youth. Why does our Town do this? The simple answer is that our youth are our future and resources that are put into educating and molding them to become contributing members of society pay off for us older folk by having a body of younger people who can support themselves, take care of their families in a responsible way and do the responsible things that make our community a pleasant and safe place to live. This contract with ECC to provide programing for youth would continue in the same way. The ECC has entered negotiations with the Ithaca City School District for a long term lease to build the building. Why not on the Town property near the new highway facility? Several reasons….it’s nowhere near the center of the community, they can use the playground that the school already has, and buses can deliver the children to programming. The school is interested in this project because the teachers will be able to use this space as a specialized classroom. There are many reasons why the siting of this building near the school is a real benefit to the taxpayers of the Town. If this building were built near the new highway building, on Town property, an additional septic system and probably a well would have to be installed at taxpayers’ expense. Anything done by the Town is much, much, much more expensive than the ECC, as a not-for profit, could afford. ECC can use volunteer help, is not bound by the stringent rules of bidding that the Town is obligated to use, etc., etc. These are the main reasons that the siting of this building near the school is a real benefit to the taxpayers of the Town. So, I hope it is now clear. The taxpayers of the Town will not be obligated to pay for this building. The ECC is an incorporated not-for-profit and as such, has to have a business plan, can borrow money, and has to pay back the money borrowed. The residents of this Town who want to support this project can (and they can deduct it from their taxes because it is a not-for- profit) and the residents who do not want to support it, do not have to. ECC sees its mission as responding to the needs of Enfield families and residents. It sees the new community center as bringing the community together with a facility that meets current needs. Ann Rider, Supervisor 2 From The Highway Superintendent Hope this finds you getting through the 2014-2015 winter safe and having had good holidays and maybe even some time off. We at the Highway have been in full gear with snow and ice as we were able to add another truck to our snow plow routes. We converted the two man plow truck to a one man plow truck. This enabled us to add a fourth truck to our snow/ ice services. The new route would be starting at Aiken Rd working back toward the center of town, and Enfield Center Rd. We had some major issues with the 1998 Excavator which was out of service for approximately four weeks and was fixed at a cost of $9,500. We also had issues with the 1997 Loader, it was down for three weeks, the fly wheel came off the engine, the cost to fix this machine was going to be anywhere between $3,000-$20,000, if we had to send it out, depending on what was found to be the issue after taking it apart. We pulled the engine and did the repair in house for $300.00 (Your new Highway Shop at work!) This Loader is 17 years old, this is one of our main pieces of equipment. There are also transmission issues, which was another estimate of $15,000- $20,000 if we decided to repair. In an effort to be completely transparent with purchases and needs of your Highway, after a great deal of assessment and thought, rather than continue to pour more money into this 1997 Loader, it was decided the first of the year we will be purchasing a new loader. The board also gave the Highway enough money in the budget for a Pickup truck. This truck is a 2003 with 130,000 miles on it at this time. (Not trusty, but rusty!) Winter work is snow and ice, trimming trees and ditching when possible, maintenance on summer equipment. Drive safe, we’ll see you out on the roads. Buddy Rollins, Enfield Highway Superintendent Highway@townofenfield.org/607-272-6490 From Code Enforcement New e-mail for the Code Office: code-officer@townofenfield.org The local code offices in Tompkins County have been working with the County clerk and County assessment on how approval for tax map changes are handled at both the local level and the county level. In the past, with every town, city, or village having different rules for land division, it made it very difficult for the county clerk or assessment to know what was allowed where without prior approval. What was happening was unapproved subdivisions could be recorded with the county and when building permits were applied for, the new owners would have to go backwards and ask for planning board approval. What this means for the Town of Enfield is that as of the first of the year, County assessment will require property splits and subdivisions to be signed off by the Town before they are accepted. As some of you may know, but many are unaware of, the Town of Enfield has had subdivision regulations in place since 1994. These regulations require planning board approval for some property splits, and all major and minor subdivisions. The way it will work is if you are dividing property, you should contact me with any questions on what needs approval, and once the property is surveyed, I can sign off if planning board approval is not needed or send it to the Planning Board for approval. Then the County will accept and file the survey and change the tax map. This does not mean that every survey done needs to be approved, only when you are dividing and selling property, or if you want the tax map changed to divide parcels. Surveys can be done at any time, it is only when you chose to file them that they will need approval. At the town’s request, consolidations and boundary corrections do not need approval and will be accepted without the Town signing off. Hopefully this will make splitting or subdividing property a smoother process and done in the proper order. Any questions feel free to give me a call. Alan Teeter Code Enforcement Office 607-277-0266 Comprehensive Plan Update The Enfield Comprehensive Plan Committee continues its work on the Plan and always welcomes new participants and resident input. If you would like to participate, please feel free to attend our meetings. Upcoming meetings are January 21st and 28th at 7:00 PM in the Enfield Community Building. In preparation for working on the Agriculture section, we hope those in the Enfield Agricultural community will attend an Open House to share their experiences in Enfield Agriculture to help inform the Comprehensive Plan. WHEN: Saturday, February 21st, 2015, 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM (drop in at your convenience during those times) WHERE: Enfield Community Building (upstairs) Beverages and snacks will be provided. Topics to consider sharing: · What has been positive for you in your experience working in Agriculture in Enfield? · What has been negative? · What would you like Agriculture to be like in Enfield in 5,10, 20 years? · What are you worried/afraid it might be like in 5, 10, 20 years? · If you'd like, please share details of your agriculture practice, such as location, size, types of activities, length of time. Feel free to give any other input you'd like to share. We look forward to seeing you there and learning from your experiences. 3 A Note From Enfield Fire Chief, Roger Lauper As 2014 draws to a close, I’d like to update the community on Fire Company responses for 2014, and officers for 2015. Our volunteers logged 2,133 training hours, and when added to responding to calls, they put in a total of 8,584 hours. Calls for 2014 (through the end of November): Structure Fires 7 Carbon Monoxide 4 Smoke Alarm Investigations 11 Propane Gas Leaks 9 Authorized/Unauthorized 10 Motor Vehicle Accidents 27 Vehicle Fires 2 Storm Related Calls 2 Service Calls 17 EMS Calls 194 Mutual Aid Calls Trumansburg 7 Newfield 6 Mecklenburg 3 Ithaca 4 Ovid 1 Officer for 2015, elected by the membership at the December general meeting, are: Chief, Roger Lauper 2nd Assistant, Alan Teeter Deputy Chief, Tucker Snyder Captain, Tony Carlisle 1st Assistant, Kirk VanDee Be safe and take care for 2015—Roger From The Town Clerk By now all residents who own property in the Town of Enfield should have received their tax bill, unless they have an escrow account with a bank or mortgage company. This year we are pleased to announce that you can look up your tax bill information on-line by going to www.townofenfield.org and clicking on the "tax collection" tab. You will be able to see if your tax payment has been processed, print copies of your bill or receipt, and look up prior year's bills. For anyone who doesn't have access to our website, we are still glad to provide information when you call our office. In January we will have extended hours as follows: Mondays 3-6 Thursdays 9-12 and 3-6 Tuesdays 9-12 and 3-6 Saturdays 9-12 Wednesdays 3-6 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 Town of Enfield recently joined the Tompkins County Electronic Document Management System (Laserfiche). This program has enabled us to scan important documents, such as town minutes, and place them on the “cloud". This system will ensure that our town documents will be around for future generations. We have also been granted space for “public” documents we think the community would like to view. More documents will be added as time goes by. This is the link for the “public” space: https://LFWeb.Tompkins-Co.org/WebLink8/Login.aspx?dbid=5. Many thanks to Sue Thompson, deputy town clerk and historian, for her efforts in adding documents for the public to view. If you'd like to see some really old recipes, take a look under the historian link at this site! Stay warm and safe this winter, and enjoy the snow. Alice Linton, Enfield Town Clerk Enfield Town Web Site – www.townofenfield.org We hope you have been enjoying our new Town Web Site. Many thanks to Beth McGee for setting the site up. We have recently made some new additions to the site. One is the Tax Collection (top menu) and under “Resources” (top menu) then Documents, Public Laserfiche. If you have questions or additions such as events or community news let Sue Thompson know (susan- thompson@townofenfield.org). Top Ten Responders for 2014: 1. Jim Whittaker 2. Tucker Snyder 3. Roy Barriere 4. Jessica Elliott 5. Luke Apgar 6. Pam Whittaker 7. Alan Teeter 8. Larry Stilwell 9. Wayne Snyder 10. Kirk Vandee Chief’s Award recipient: Art Howser Note: The Chief and Deputy Chief hours are not considered for the Top Ten Award 4 Town of Enfield 168 Enfield Main Road Ithaca NY 14850 Dates to Remember January 7 Planning Board Meeting, Community Bldg, 7 pm 7 Volunteer of the Month nominations due 14 Town Board Meeting, Community Bldg, 6:45 pm February 4 Planning Board Meeting, Community Bldg, 7 pm 4 Volunteer of the Month nominations due 11 Town Board Meeting, Community Bldg, 6:45 pm March 4 Planning Board Meeting, Community Bldg, 7 pm 4 Volunteer of the Month nominations due 11 Town Board Meeting, Community Bldg, 6:45 pm Volunteers of the Month For November, eight 7th and 8th grade Enfield youth were recognized for their hard work in helping to make the Enfield Harvest Festival a success. Crew attended Enfield Town Board Meeting to be honored as Volunteers of the month! Each young person was honored individually at the November 12th Town Board meeting. The Town is happy to recognize those who help make a positive difference in the community, and it is refreshing to honor some of our young people. The students above are: (back, from left) Vanessa Lopez-Drake, Jade Gonzalez, Darie Burlingame, Teddy Trenchard, (front, from left) Jacob Carl, Oscar Vasquez, Michael Predmore, Brandon Kelly.