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Fees and Fines Again Dominate CS Village Board Workshop
Waterfront could be the setting for GAC art exhibition this summer
by Kevin Foley
The Cold Spring Village waterfront will become a destination on an outdoor sculpture tour this summer if a plan proposed by the Garrison Arts Center comes to fruition. The Village Board of Trustees listened to the idea at its weekly workshop meeting on Tuesday, January 29, 2008 and liked what it heard.
Although still in a formative stage, the plan, as described by the arts center's representatives Carinda Swann and Mary Ann Syrek, would involve the placement of perhaps three or four large scale pieces of sculpture somewhere in the vicinity of the bandstand area at the foot of Main Street.
The pieces, selected by a Garrison Arts Center jury of outside experts, would be a part of a larger outdoor celebration of sculpture involving Garrison Landing, Manitoga/The Russel Wright Design Center, Boscobel and the Desmond- Fish Library. The other locations participated in a similar sculpture event last summer. The sculptures would be on display from June 1 until Aug. 10.
Carinda Swann explained that the event was both an arts exhibit and a fund-raising tool for the Garrison Center to finance scholarships for artists. At the outset of the program tickets are sold for a premiere party where donors can meet the artists, enjoy music and food and be given tour maps to go and see the works.
"This year we'd like to stretch out our program to Cold Spring. We want to get the trolley involved," Swann told the trustees. "We've been fantasizing about people walking down Main Street onto the waterfront landing and seeing the sculpture," she said.
Swann said the Cold Spring Area Chamber of Commerce was also considering the possibility of supporting the event.
In reply to a question from Trustee Karen Dunn, Swann said their thinking wasn't limited to the waterfront and that locations such as the Butterfield Library and St. Mary's Episcopal Church were also possibilities if there was interest in exploring an expansion of the program. "We're open to suggestions," said Swann.
Mary Ann Syrek said they did not yet know how many artists would be involved but that the process of reaching out to prospective participants had begun. Last year there were 40 sculptures done by 14 artists.
Although generally enthusiastic about the project the trustees raised concerns regarding insurance, vandalism and the subject matter of the sculptures to all of which Swann offered reassurances.
"The directors of the organizations on which we place sculptures have final approval of the pieces," said Swann who also said the project would be fully insured.
As to possible damage she said, 'there's something about art that people seem to respect and the pieces are durable." "Part of the selection process is determining how pieces will work in a particular space," added Syrek.
Mayor Anthony Phillips summed up the Board's reaction by declaring: "it's a great idea, once you have selected the pieces we can all walk down and choose specifically where we can locate them."
The trustees other meeting business was their ongoing consideration of the fees and fines the village charges for various services and infractions. The Mayor led the discussion as he introduced recommendations forwarded by village departments
The Police Department suggested $25 be charged for non-village residents who apparently frequently request fingerprinting to meet various employment requirements. Villagers would not have to pay. Subject to a fairness review by the village attorney the trustees liked this idea.
Also receiving a positive reaction were a few proposals from the Water and Sewer Department. First, house sellers seeking a final water reading for closing purposes would have to pay $50. The Mayor pointed out that the village has to pay the people who need to perform the tasks involved including meter inspection and report generation.
Next, commercial restaurants would be required to report grease trap maintenance to the village on a quarterly basis. The current fine of $25 for failing to maintain traps should be raised to at least $50, if not more, the department suggested.
Trustee Seth Gallagher wondered if the proposed fine was enough to discourage grease trap violations. The Mayor pointed out that the Village bears considerable expense when sewer lines become clogged with grease and other refuse from commercial establishments. There was some general discussion about a fine for failing to report and then a considerably larger fine for an actual maintenance failure.
Mirroring other municipalities, residential sewer rates would also rise but would use a formula that includes both a water usage factor and a flat rate. "People who use more water should pay more," said the Mayor, who agreed the matter needed further study to determine how much more should be charged over all.
The notion of the Building Department charging a minimum application fee of possibly $35 and then a further fee of perhaps 25 cents a square foot for a project requiring inspection was favorably received by the trustees who saw this method as fairer and less prone to manipulation than the current one based on the estimated cost of a renovation or new construction.
A suggestion from the Fire Company for a second false alarm fine aimed at alarm companies who don't properly maintain systems met with some skepticism. "A fire alarm fine seems unforgiving, maybe if it was within a certain time period," said John Teagle.
"What do we want to achieve with this fine?" asked Gallagher. "Just to cover the costs of what happens when it goes off," replied the Mayor.
Higher fines for violation of the Historic District codes were more enthusiastically embraced. "Charging $100 doesn't deter people from using inappropriate building materials," said Karen Dunn, who urged her colleagues to consider a fine for the violation and more fines for recalcitrant residents who fail to correct the condition in a timely fashion. She also suggested they obtain input from the Village Architectural Review Board
Throughout the discussion the officials stressed they were not trying to raise revenues generally but only seeking to rationalize the fees charged with the underlying expense of the service or the impact of a violation.
"Our current fee structure doesn't cover the cost of the service provided for the fee," said the Mayor.
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