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Philipstown Town Board Approves Winston Lane Truck Weight Limit
Plans for 2nd Annual Triathlon okayed; Garrison residents request authorization to audit GVFD
by Maria Theodore Leiter
A five-ton weight limit restriction on truck traffic traveling on Winston Lane in Continental Village was imposed by the Philipstown Town Board at their March 1, 2007 monthly town board meeting. The resolution, adopted unanimously, came about after residents living on the narrow country road complained that it was being used as a short cut by heavy trucks trying to get from Route 6 to Route 9.
"Anyone who's been on Winston Lane, as with some of our other narrow roads with traffic going through them, should understand this restriction," said Councilman Richard Shea.
The Board also adopted the resolution scheduling the 2007 Town-wide clean-up and authorizing the bid process. The date was set for April 28, from 8am to 4pm. It will be held at the North Highlands Fire Department. The Town landfill will also be open on that day.
"Tires will be allowed at the spring clean-up," advised Councilwoman Betty Budney.
A proposal to amend Land Development Regulations was moved to the Planning Board for comments. The proposed change would make it a requirement that all property owners seeking to subdivide building lots or change lot lines go through the Planning Board. Once the Planning Board makes their recommendations, a public hearing will be scheduled, before the final amendment is voted on.
"This comes from trying to clean up the process," explained Shea. "All subdivisions will now go through the Planning Board. This doesn't necessarily mean a long drawn out process."
The Board approved the following appointments: Robert Dee to a 5-year term on the ZBA; Anthony Merante, George Cleantis, Kerry Meehan, and Josephine Doherty to 4 year terms on the Planning Board; and Lew Kingsley and Tim Donovan to 2 year terms on the CAC.
Hank Osborn and Michael Gibbons of the Philipstown Greenway Committee addressed the Board regarding the planning of the second annual Putnam County Triathlon. They sought the go ahead for their plans.
"We had a very successful first event of fifty-five people in each entry," said Gibbons. "Everybody that participated has asked that we do it again. We would like to do it annually." He advised that most of the entrants were locals, but the event drew people from out of state, as well.
Osborn outlined their plans for this year's event:
"Last year's triathlon was such a success, we don't want to change much at all, but we do want to make it better." This year's event, planned again for September, will have a different event order, he said. The kayaking portion will come first, making it safer by virtue of the fact that the contestants will all be on the water at the same time and will be less tired. The running portion will be next, followed by cycling. The routes will also be different, details of which are still being worked out. The changes were the result of suggestions made by participants. "We are hoping for twenty more [participants]," said Osborn. He also explained that the new set up would allow for parking in one spot, easing congestion on local roads at the time of the event.
The Board unanimously agreed to let the event go forward.
Next, the Board heard from Garrison resident Joe Regele, who requested that he, former Garrison School Board President Stan Freilich, and one other Garrison resident be allowed to form a liaison committee between the Town and the Garrison Volunteer Fire Department. The request led to another heated exchange between Regale and members of the GVFD, in which he expressed his continued frustration over not being allowed access to the fire department's detailed expense reports and GVFD members reiterated their mistrust of his motives.
Mazzuca explained that there was already a process in place for reviewing the fire department's contract, which will expire this year. He said that soon the fire company will invite him, as the town Budget Officer, to sit with them with their budget request. "I will go through it and they will explain things to me. The Garrison Fire Department gets the budget to me rather early."
Mazzuca also advised that under new state requirements, the fire department will soon have to undergo an independent audit.
Freilich interjected, "I respect all volunteers. Very few people volunteer to do anything. And people who volunteer to do firefighting deserve special respect." But, Freilich questioned whether the fire department was truly a private entity under the law, since members were covered by a Workers Compensation policy provided by the Town, as well as a Length of Service Award Program that has to be approved by the Town Board.
Attorney Doyle advised that they were indeed a private not-for-profit contractor. "We have a contract for them to provide services." He explained that the Workers Compensation and LOSAP programs were state mandated.
Frielich later proposed that the Town might want to consider a study of whether the Town is being well served by four different fire departments.
"Maybe we'd be better off with one fire company with some salaried positions," he suggested. He added that, as school board president he was always asked why the schools were not merged into one district."
Mazzuca responded to Frielich's characterization of the school merger discussion by saying that it was not presented by the Garrison representatives as an option, but as reasons that it should not happen.
A lengthy crossfire ensued between Regale and firefighter Chris Simone, in which Simone questioned the veracity of Regale's claims to want to help the fire department and Regale characterized Simone's reluctance to give him an expenditure report as indicative of a guilty conscience.
Simone accused Regale and Frielich of being responsible for scuttling the recent LOSAP increase referendum by publicly lobbying against it; the defeat of which made them according to Simone, one of the lowest paid departments in the area.
Firefighter Rodney Tudor said that the fire department already had a liaison with the Town Board, since the Board was always welcome to sit down with them at any time.
One Garrison resident asked whether there were bids submitted by other fire companies.
"Who would submit a bid?" asked Shea. "There are no other fire departments [in the vicinity] to submit bids." He added, "We trust the people we deal with. They live here in the community, they are taxpayers. They are not stealing from this community.
Russ Cusick of Philipstown said, "I think all the people are asking for is representative government. People of Philipstown just got a significant tax increase. If our money is paying for a volunteer fire department, we deserve to know where every penny is spent, no ifs, ands or buts. We deserve checks and balances."
Mazzuca responded by saying that there was a budget process with public hearings, which have historically seen zero public attendance. "Those discussions will take place here." He also said that the board would take Regale's request under advisement and get back to him.
Simone again addressed Regale, saying, "There is some animosity here, I don't deny that. But with a little good will, I would like to resolve it." He said he did not want to keep explaining himself at these public meeting every month.
The Board also heard from resident Vincent Terio regarding a five-acre plot of vacant land that he was seeking to have placed on the assessment rolls. Mazzuca refused to discuss the matter, explaining to Terio that it has been discussed on numerous occasions at length and that the courts have already decided on the matter.
Shea announced that the Garrison Water District Plans have finally received their final approval from the state and he hoped that a formal presentation would be ready for the next monthly meeting.
Town Clerk Tina Merando announced that the Philipstown Recreation Department received approval for a $25,000 small cities grant to help with their Master Plan. Also, that Susan Timmer had resigned effective the next day.
The next meeting of the Town Board will not be held on the usual first Thursday of April because of a schedule conflict. It will instead be held on April 12 at 8pm in the Town Hall.
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