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PV Town Board Tries to Find Ways to "Do the Right Thing" with New Code Changes
New Firehouse proposal presented to Board
by Edward Paul Greiff
Wanting to do the right thing and being able to do so can at times be a challenging experience for a legislative body. Such was the case the Putnam Valley Town Board faced at the public hearing and work session held Wednesday, April 9, 2008.
A public hearing was held to amend Section 165-86 of the Town Code which pertains to building permits and permit fees. The law calls for a first year permit fee as a percentage of the cost of the project. Renewal permits can be renewed for two more one-year extensions, each at a fee that is fifty percent of the original permit fee. The total time allotted to a building permit is three years.
What has initiated a change in the law is one particular case where a couple had a building permit but during the first year of the permit's enforcement the wife got sick and the husband had a heart attack. Based upon this hardship they have appealed to the Town Board to have the renewal permit fees waived until such time that a Certificate of Occupancy is issued. All applicable fees would be paid at that time.
Supervisor Bob Tendy, wanting accommodate their request, had asked for the Resolution to amend the Town Code.
In the debate that followed Legislator Sam Oliverio raised the question that the Town might be creating a loophole in the law for developers to take advantage off. A developer could claim financial hardship and extend their building permits without paying any additional permit fees until the closing.
Councilman Bob Cinque stated that the Town Board is astute enough that, "They can tell when a request does not pass the smell test."
Councilwoman Priscilla Keresey presented a compromise that perhaps a three-month extension could be granted before a renewal fee had to be paid.
Councilman Gene Yetter argued that from his experience on the Planning Board the last thing a builder does is secure his building permit because he now has everything he needs in order to proceed with construction of the project. The last thing he wants at that time is to delay the project.
All agreed it was the right thing to do for the family with the hardship but left the question unanswered as to "How can we prevent an abuse of the law?"
Town Attorney Bill Zutt will try to come up with an answer.
Another challenging bit of legislation this evening had to do with a request from Rose Hill Cemetery to waive a $1,500 arborist's fee in order to comply with the Town's Tree Law. The Town's Tree Law requires all trees that are six inches or greater in diameter, as measured at chest height, to be identified and marked before a tree cutting permit can be issued. Rose Hill needs to clear cut some five acres of land in order to prepare the land for the services they are in business to provide: burying bodies. Unfortunately the Tree Law does not have a provision for cemeteries and treats them the same as any other request.
Rose Hill's dilemma is the trees are going to be cut anyway because they need to prepare the land, therefore why do they have to spend an unnecessary $1,500 for an arborist? When the Board expressed their willingness to approve the request Town Attorney Bill Zutt said they might not be able to do so because of the way the Town's Tree Law is written. He will research it and get back to the Board.
The Town Board agreed to issue a statement supporting the Cahill Bill in Albany. This Bill calls for an end to property tax as a means for funding schools in New York State and replacing the property tax with an income tax as the funding mechanism. According to the County Legislature the Cahill Bill has the best chance of passing in Albany.
The Putnam Valley Volunteer Fire Department presented their justification for spending approximately ten million dollars on constructing a new fire house building adjacent to the existing Ambulance Corps building on Oscawana Lake Road. The plans call for a 25,000-square- foot building with nine fire equipment bays (currently they have six bays). It will be a two- story building with the first floor being the basement at ground level and it is being designed to accommodate Putnam Valley's fire needs for the next fifty years.
In their proposal the PVVFD Building Committee explains they have combined the "need" for a new building with the "opportunity" to incorporate into the construction features that will make joining the Fire Department attractive to younger people, provide for an in-house training facility, and provide sleeping and shower facilities for those volunteers stuck at the fire house during inclement weather and long extended tours.
One of the facilities asked for and encouraged by fire oversight agencies is to have an in-house gym where members are encouraged to work out and stay in good physical condition. Presently they can be reimbursed for memberships in health clubs.
One of the strongest arguments for a new building and providing for future growth potential of Putnam Valley's all-volunteer Fire Department is what happens when a town does not have enough young volunteers and they have to go to a paid fire department. The cost of fire prevention in the town is astronomical and can cripple a town financially. Putnam Valley is fortunate to have the number of volunteers that they do.
If a new firehouse is completed the PVVFD will simply turn over the keys to the existing building to the Town. This will provide the Town with much needed space for a new Town Hall, Court Room, Parks & Recreation, and facilities for many of the Town's services.
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