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Town board – July 2019

CLERMONT TOWN BOARD MINUTES

                                                                        JULY 1, 2019

The Clermont Town Board held their regular meeting on Monday, July 1, 2019 at 7:00 P.M. at the Town Hall.  Those in attendance were Supervisor Raymond Staats, Councilman Robert Desmond, Councilwoman Dawn Brownson, Councilman Evan Hempel and Councilman Kris Gildersleeve.  Others in attendance were Mary Howard, Phyllis Heiko, Cody Rockefeller, Chris Nolan, Ray Tousey and one other resident.

Supervisor Staats opened the meeting with the salute to the flag.

MINUTES: A motion was made to accept the minutes of the June meeting by Councilman Desmond, seconded by Councilman Gildersleeve.  All in favor.  So carried.

CORRESPONDENCE:

  • TOWN CLERK’S REPORT: The Town Clerk presented a check for the General Fund in the amount of $320.94 and for Trust & Agency in the amount of $900.00.
  • Columbia County Office for the Aging Elder Express newsletter for July – September.
  • Received the budget and revenue report from the Supervisor for June 30, 2019.
  • Website: There were no comments.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:

  • Councilman Desmond reported that the new Highway Truck has been received and there are just a few items which have yet to be done but it is within the budgeted amount.  The Supervisor will report on the old truck.
  • PARK COMMITTEE: Committee members planted bushes and plants at the entrance to the park on Route 9.   The Committee met on June 24th regarding screening with two neighbors who responded to a request for input. Water for the site was also discussed for watering plants, trees, etc. The committee is looking for recommendations on the site plan and they are also suggesting that the two parks be joined together. They also have come up with a park logo showing an apple tree and sheep. There were suggestions made for signage but no decisions have been made.  Supervisor Staats would like to see ‘no animals allowed on the sports fields’ on the signs. Mary has also written up a brochure with the park rules. These topics will be discussed next month.  Supervisor Staats thanked Mary Howard and the committee for all the work that has been put into it. The highway department also did a lot of preparation and the Supervisor thanked them also.
  • WEBSITE: Councilman Hempel is hoping to finalize the new website within the next few weeks and switch over early next month.  The board said that when he feels it is ready to go live he should just go ahead.  Councilman Gildersleeve asked if an email could be sent out to the board members before so they could look at it.  Councilman Gildersleeve did speak with someone who is interested in web design and development and would be willing to help. 
  • GRANTS: Councilwoman Brownson was advised that the Bank of Greene County did award Clermont $750.00 towards the grant that she wrote for the park.  They will be awarding this on August 13th at the Germantown branch.  More details will follow.

Councilwoman Brownson requested $6300 through the Iroquois Community Grant. We were awarded $5000.00.  We have one year to complete the project, starting on 6/15/19, completing by 6/15/2020.

Councilwoman Brownson also thought it might be possible to submit the hours spent by the highway department on the project as in-kind donations. Supervisor Staats thanked both organizations for their continued support.

OLD BUSINESS:

  • Last month the Supervisor reported that he borrowed benches from Germantown for the soccer games which were held in our field.  He thanked them for lending them to us.  Last month it was approved to order two benches for our field and they have been received.
  • GRIEVANCE DAY: The Board of Assessment Review and Assessor met on June 4th to hear 37 grievances on assessments.  Some adjustments were made where they felt necessary. We are now at 100% with the state.  We will continue to keep it at 100%.

NEW BUSINESS:

  • ASSESSORS REAPPOINTMENT: The Assessors term expires September 30, 2019 and the County has asked that we make an appointment early.  The board has discussed the job that Cheryl Kaszluga has been doing and Supervisor Staats would like to reappoint her for a six-year term beginning October 1, 2019 through September 30, 2025. A motion was made to approve Resolution #40 – 2019 by Councilman Desmond to reappoint Cheryl Kaszluga for a six-year term beginning October 1, 2019 to September 30, 2025, seconded by Councilwoman Brownson.  All in favor. So carried.
  • HIGHWAY TRUCK: The Supervisor would like a motion to declare the 2006 Ford F550 dump truck with 9 foot Myers plow as surplus equipment.  A motion was made to approve Resolution #39-2019 by Councilman Gildersleeve, seconded by Councilman Desmond. All in favor. So carried.
  • AUGUST MEETING:  There is a conflict with the Supervisor for the August meeting, which would normally be on the first Monday and after discussion with the board, a motion was made by Councilman Desmond, seconded by Councilman Gildersleeve to change the meeting to Friday, August 2nd at 7:00 P.M.
  • SUPPORT LETTER: Supervisor Staats was asked by Columbia Land Conservancy to send a letter of support for their application to NYS Environmental Conservation’s Local Stewardship Planning grant opportunity.  The Supervisor prepared a letter and asked for a motion which was made by Councilman Desmond, seconded by Councilwoman Brownson.  All in favor.  So carried.

SUPERVISORS REPORT:

  • B/T General Contractors was awarded the bid for painting and roof repair from the hail storm damage.  They are working on the scheduling and the Supervisor would like it to be done by the end of summer.
  • Raymond thanked the volunteers that worked on the park entrance and the Highway department for the preparation work. He also thanked the Bank of Greene County and Iroquois for their support.

ABSTRACTS:

A motion was made by Councilman Gildersleeve to approve General abstract #7A, vouchers #174 to #204, in the amount of $13,135.54, seconded by Councilman Hempel.  All in favor.  So carried.

A motion was made by Councilman Hempel to approve pre-paid General abstract #7, vouchers #171 to #173 in the amount of $154.35, seconded by Councilwoman Brownson.  All in favor.  So carried.

A motion was made by Councilwoman Brownson to approve Trust & Agency abstract #7, vouchers #19 to #21 in the amount of $650.00, seconded by Councilman Hempel.  All in favor.  So carried.

A motion was made by Councilman Desmond to approve Highway abstract #7, vouchers #59 to #68 in the amount of $112,736.07, seconded by Councilman Gildersleeve.  All in favor.  So carried.

PUBLIC COMMENTS:

Phyllis Heiko heard that they are taking down the Mill Road bridge.  Yes, it is in the process of being taken down.

Chris Nolan asked if there is anything to prevent trees from being removed from your own property, determining what kind of trees can be planted or where you can plant trees in relation to the road.  It was suggested that he speak to the highway superintendent about planting near the right of way.  He also talked about old houses and the types of plaques that can be mounted on these houses that shows the year that they were built.

Phyllis Heiko asked about the senior shredding program which ended June 28th.  The next is expected to start December 2 thru December 13th.

Mary Howard said that there is state funding, which we might qualify for with the application due in July or August.  She would like to work with Councilwoman Brownson on the next grant for the park.

A motion was made to adjourn by Councilman Desmond, seconded by Councilman Gildersleeve at 7:40 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,

Mary Helen Shannon, RMC

Town Clerk