Village of Lansing

 

MINUTES of a meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Village of Lansing held on Wednesday March 15, 2006, in the Village Office.

 

PRESENT: Mayor Donald Hartill; Trustees Larry Fresinski, Frank Moore, Lynn Leopold; Superintendent of Public Works John Courtney; Motor Equipment Operator, Richard Beckwith; P.T. Laborer, Chris Bishop; Code & Zoning Officer, Benjamin Curtis; Clerk/Treasurer Jodi Dake; Clerk, part-time Carol Willard.

 

Mayor Hartill called the meeting to order at 12:25P.M.

 

Rick reported that they have been taking down trees that have fallen and trimming brush. It was asked where the brush is disposed of. The highway department takes brush to the Town of Lansing. They are currently painting John’s office, which is the last room of the shop they need to clean up. Rick asked if they could order rags from Coyne to save on paper towels. Mayor Hartill told them to first look into which would be more economical.

 

John reported that they are starting sewer maintenance.  The County Jail has started a new policy where to receive new items such as combs and toothpaste, the inmates must return the old products. This has cut down on the amount of these items being found in our sewer lines. They will be flushing the Sheraton Drive line. Hope’s Way has installed two grease traps where previously they had none. John has been routinely inspecting the TOPS line.

 

In addition to sewers, the highway department has been doing a lot of checking around the Village. They’ve had a water break. We just had our first really good snow this month. They pick up an average of two deer a month. John is looking into LED lights for Uptown and Warren Road. There is still a loop problem at Graham Road; cars are not tripping the turn light. When we had that windstorm we had trouble with traffic lights hanging by one wire.

 

John will be reprogramming the timer that controls when the streetlights are lit on Brentwood and Arrowwood Drives. Lynn suggested finding out when people were in the complex.

 

John asked if he could purchase a digital camera to use in the field. The board suggested using the digital camera we already have. John stated that he was helping Dave Putnam work on the Northwood landscaping estimate. We hope to complete Northwood and Sevanna Park projects this coming year.

 

Mayor Hartill stated that Suit-Kote is scheduled to resume working on North Triphammer Road in the beginning of April. There is an intermunicipal sewer meeting 3/22/06. This is not a public hearing, questioning will be restricted to committee members and public officials. Frank stated that he sent an email to Bud Shattuck regarding this meeting but hasn’t heard back from him. Don will call Steve Farkas tomorrow. Frank stated that at the last sewer meeting the subject of whether there was any possibility of the NYSDEC changing their mind regarding letting the Town have their own plant and Steve Farkas was very quick to say no way.  Don stated that Steve did not have that attitude when they spoke on Thursday. The Town of Lansing is feeling pressure from DEC and they are scared they will lose funding. The money that is at risk is the $1.5 million for the collector system. Simple economics proves that they can build and operate their own plant cheaper.

 

The Board will have a long budget session on at its regularly scheduled Monday evening meeting on March 20.

 

Larry stated that he received an email regarding the sidewalk beside TOPS that goes nowhere. The Mayor explained that when Pyramid Mall reconfigured the intersection there were no provisions for the sidewalk. We are in the process of negotiations with Pyramid, but we must first finish the North Triphammer Road Project. Once this is completed we will revisit the issue. Until then it was decided that new signage was needed to direct pedestrians to cross the street instead of going down that piece of sidewalk. John will look into appropriate signage.

 

Lynn stated that she received the Stormwater Gap Analysis this morning. To comply we need 65 amendments. Lynn feels there is a lot to do with respect to adopting our own Stormwater law. Don suggested that we get a model law and look at it to make sure our current regulations are there, and also look at our exposure. He suggested that we should not try to develop our own law from scratch but instead use a model. Lynn asked to have the Stormwater Coalition added to Monday’s agenda. The Village needs to decide if we want to join. We pay $1,500 a year for this. Stormwater Regulations are due by 2008.  On April 13th there will be a local training session at the Town of Lansing from 9-4:30pm. It is a free presentation by DEC.

 

The Planning Board has been discussing the Village’s subdivision regulations that permit a 6% exaction of recreational lands as part of the review and approval of new developments. David Dubow has advised the Planning Board that it cannot arbitrarily require this land and must justify its decision in each case with findings supporting the need for the recreational land.  It is the Planning Board’s position that it has been able to justify it previous actions based upon the Village’s long-term plans and goals.

 

Frank thinks the sewer route is on track for Cayuga Heights Road. He feels we are being passive on this subject. He thinks the Board should assert itself. He feels that running a pressurized sewer line through our neighborhoods is a big deal and we have four options:

1.      Do nothing, thereby accepting the Town’s choice of Cayuga Heights Rd. by default

2.      Affirmatively accept the Cayuga Heights Rd. route

3.      Reaffirm our choice of Rte 34, and state firm opposition to Cayuga Heights Road, directing counsel to explore preventative measures

4.      Require access to the Town’s engineering plans, for review with option to require changes. Technical and cost aspects of this review to be done by outside consultant to the Village, and aesthetic and environmental aspects also by an outside consultant.

 

Don explained that using the Cayuga Heights Road design is a way to get a true engineering cost. The total project will not be cheap and he doesn’t know if it will survive a vote. We have a number of options. The Mayor prefers to wait a little longer to see what is actually going to happen. He assured Frank that this is not a done deal. The Board discussed cost aspects.

 

The Mayor entertained the following motion:

 

 Resolution #5221– Abstract of Audited Vouchers

 

Be it RESOLVED, that Abstract of Audited Vouchers No. 10 for the General Fund, in the amount of $24,771.17, is hereby approved for payment, and

 

Be it RESOLVED, that Abstract of Audited Vouchers No. 10 for the Water Fund, in the amount of $351.75, is hereby approved for payment, and

 

Be it RESOLVED, that Abstract of Audited Vouchers No. 10 for the Sewer Fund, in the amount of $448.78, is hereby approved for payment, and

 

Be it RESOLVED, that Abstract of Audited Vouchers No. 10 for the Capital Projects Fund, in the amount of $11,290.32, is hereby approved for payment.

 

Trustee Fresinski moved that this resolution be adopted and Trustee Leopold seconded the motion.

 

                        Mayor Donald Hartill-aye                   Trustee Larry Fresinski-Aye                                       Trustee Frank Moore-Aye                   Trustee Lynn Leopold-Aye

 

Mayor Hartill had to leave the meeting.

 

Ben stated that the Planning Board is reviewing the Lighting Plan to update the areas that need to be improved. There is a zoning law anomaly that will be coming to the Trustees. A water front plan will also be going to the Trustees. The Planning Board has been looking at Crossmore’s recreation land and at Tompkins Trust Company’s lighting. On March 30th they will be blasting in Lansing Trails II to remove rock. The company doing the blasting will be sending out flyers to residents. This will go on for 3-4 weeks.  Construction at 9 Brown Road will be starting soon. T-Mobile got a variance regarding its deficient fall-zone for it’s approved tower. Cardamone has been issued the first Certificate of Occupancy in the Hamlet. John Dart is trying to distribute land at the Dart Parcel that will likely require subdivision approval. The digital camcorder used for recording Planning Board and BZA meetings has stopped working so Ben took it into Best Buy. It will cost approximately $195 to fix. Larry will look into what it will cost for a new camera and then advise Ben on what to do.

 

Carol has completed the newsletter. She has done a fire inspection on Hope’s Way and they now have two grease traps where before they had none. She had Friendly’s at Pyramid Mall pull their fire alarm and it went nowhere. It is supposed to go to Central 911 because it is a public assembly place.

 

Motion- To Adjourn

 

Trustee Moore moved for adjournment. Trustee Leopold seconded the motion. A vote was taken:

 

                        Trustee Larry Fresinski-Aye               Trustee Lynn Leopold -Aye                                       Trustee Frank Moore-Aye                  

 

The meeting adjourned at 1:47 PM.                                       

                                                                                                                                                            Jodi Dake                                                                                                                           Clerk/Treasurer