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Village of Cold Spring Board Approves Creation of Special Board for Master Plan Process
Mayor Phillips Vows to bill Nelsonville for Police Calls
by Allison Dunne
The Village of Cold Spring Board of Trustees has established a "Special Board" to help carry out the revising and updating of the 1987 Village Master Plan. Per a resolution agreed upon by all the trustees at their October 10, 2006 meeting, there is a three-month interim period authorized for creating a framework and setting goals for the Special Board. The interim period will also allow for designating the number of and nominees for appointment to the Special Board. The Board also created a procedure to extend the interim time period and handle appointments to the Special Board if needed.
The Village Board authorized Trustee Karen Dunn as liaison to the Special Board, and appointed her as interim director of the development process, thereby giving her the green light to authorize such actions as needed on behalf of the Village to further the goals of the Village Master Plan. Trustee Dunn is also authorized to spend the funds necessary from the Comprehensive Plan budget during the interim development period, not to exceed $200.
As of October 10, Village Clerk Mary Saari said five applications had been received for seats on the Special Board.
In other Board happenings, Village of Cold Spring Police Department Commanding Officer Darrell Burris delivered his monthly report for September, and with this, opened various paths of discussion. First, on Sunday, October 1, 2006, there was a report of two Cold Spring residents who were assaulted and robbed about 2:30 am, and Trustee Seth Gallagher asked if additional information were available. Officer Burris said no, that the investigation continues. A person attending the meeting asked if police think the alleged perpetrators were from the community, to which Burris responded that currently there is no indication to think yes or no.
This, along with reports of alleged break-ins here and there, prompted Mayor Phillips and the Board Trustees to say something must be done to combat the relatively new wave of incidents. Phillips said Cold Spring is not a high-crime area, but there are incidents occurring, and people need to come forward with what they know. He stressed that Village officials are interested in any helpful information, and such information can be given anonymously.
"It seems some wacky activities are happening in our sleepy town," said Trustee Dunn. She asked if there are guidelines for establishing a neighborhood watch. Officer Burris said he would get them.
Mayor Phillips said that in the past year or so, there have been incidents that require more follow-up by local police, because he finds that when such followup is turned over to the County, the follow-up seems to stagnate. He said it's time to, "have our own people starting to investigate our problems." Officer Burris concurred with the Mayor that when turning cases over to the County, not much moves forward.
This led to another avenue of discussion, with the Mayor saying he has asked Officer Burris to calculate the number of hours Cold Spring police have spent responding to calls in Nelsonville. Mayor Phillips said these hours should translate into a dollar figure that Nelsonville officials should put in their budget. So, the Mayor said he will be sending a bill of sorts to Nelsonville officials. He said Cold Spring has no responsibility to Nelsonville, and Nelsonville's use of Cold Spring's police resources is a drain on Cold Spring. In addition, Mayor Phillips said he objects to the Putnam County Sheriff's consideration of Cold Spring as a law enforcement substation for Nelsonville.
In other Board business, the monthly report from the Wastewater Department yielded information that the inspection of the facility by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation found the treatment plant to be in good order. However, there was a letter drafted that included a requirement to perform an inflow and infiltration study of the collection system.
The mayor said that representatives from Oakwood Environmental Associates, who are assisting the Village with the DEC matter, had met with residents on the west side of Parrott Street, because the sewer line runs on the back of their properties. He said the residents agreed to allow the Village to access their properties to solve any problems. There was to be excavation this week at the back of Church Street to pull out a tree trunk, whose roots are thought to be responsible for interfering with the pipe. If this is the case, then a new piece of pipe will be installed, and, hopefully, the problem in the sewer line will be solved. Village Attorney Stephen Tomann advised the Board to draw up an easement maintenance agreement, because this may not be the only time the Village would have to access these properties to maintain the sewer line. Tomann said if current homeowners move, who is to say the new owners would permit the access. So, he advised having such an agreement to ensure that any new owners would also allow maintenance.
In his monthly report to the Board, Building Inspector George Tompkins said it is time for residents to adhere to the Village's alarm permit law. He said residents with automatic alarms have to renew permits for these alarms every three years, per the village code. Tompkins said it does not cost anything to renew. He said he has learned of several alarms without permits, and he urges these people to apply for a permit. In fact, the Mayor agreed that he should put a notice in this newspaper.
Another issue on Tompkins' mind is the matter of outdoor heaters, or wood boilers that are outside. He said he has had some inquiries, and he says it is a zoning issue because it is an accessory to a building, and not an accessory building. As such, he said the Village is not covered should, say, a fire break out. It seems there will be further research into how the Village wants to treat the issue.
A building of another sort was discussed as the Mayor read from a letter from Associate Architect Robert Gabalski updating the status of The Grove Restoration project. Gabalski said the drawings and specifications are complete, and that two roofing material alternates are included, one for wood shingles and one for slate shingles. Disassembling the one-storey "ell" roofing will reveal the original roofing material. Board members said if the roofing is slate, the expense could greatly increase, as slate is considerably more expensive than wood. There is a bid due date of October 27.
It's almost that time of year again and the Board wants to let residents know that Winter parking rules will go into effect November 15, 2006 through April 15, 2007. The Village Board has again agreed to a trial call-in program whereby callers may phone a number at the highway garage that is a pre-recorded message available after 4pm, saying whether the seasonal, off-street parking will be enforced that evening. The Mayor said the trial call-in is intended to help Village residents who find off-street parking a problem during the overnight hours.
Trustee Phillip Heffernan said the development of the Village Web site is moving along, He said he had received $1,200 in citizen contributions to help with the first-year cost of $5,083. He asked the Board to find more money. The Mayor said it is imperative to do the Site without digging into the budget. Trustee Edward Mancari noted there is about $2,000 in the budget that can be used for the Web site creation.
In addition, Heffernan anticipates sponsorships on the site will defray the cost, which prompted a red flag from Attorney Tomann, who warned Heffernan that there can be no advertising, or no promise of advertising in exchange for contributions, i.e., no quid pro quo. Heffernan asked whether sponsored links would be permissible, to which Tomann replied he would have to look into the matter for clarification.
In other Board business, during his report, Mayor Phillips announced that a memorial garden has been established at Mayor McConville Park, dedicated to the remembrance of victims of 9/11. He said he had received a section of the World Trade Center steel that will be installed. He said the garden is 99 percent complete, and that the dedication would take place Sunday, November 12.
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