Village of Lansing
MINUTES of a regular meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Village of Lansing held on Monday, September 20, 1999, in the Village Office.
PRESENT: Mayor Don Hartill; Trustees Larry Fresinski and Lynn Leopold; Planning Board Member, Carol Klepack
Mayor Don Hartill called the meeting to order at 7:35P.M. and asked for Public Comment. Viola Miller of 135 Bush Lane was present to ask if she could have a controlled deer hunt on her property. She has very large herds of deer. She loves to garden but can not because the deer eat everything. She has spent a lot of money trying all kinds of things to get rid of the deer but nothing works. The deer are very tame and come up on her porch; she can get within 5 feet of them before they run away. She can no longer farm the 30 acres of open field because the deer eat the corn. Viola had the DEC come in a couple of years ago and they told her to have hunters in. She would like to be able to have people hunt only in the wooded area of her property. The land is posted. Dick Costello would be in charge of the hunters. Don stated that Sundown’s has a controlled hunt for Bow only. The rules are you must be at least 500 feet from a dwelling, you must notify your neighbors by certified mail and submit to the Board a drawn out plan showing where you intend to hunt and the controls. The Mayor suggested Dick contact Jeff Geiger at Sundown’s since he has done this in the past.
Katrina Greenly is running for the Lansing Town Board and she was present to express her interest in having more interactions between the Town and Village of Lansing.
Motion- To Close Public Comment Period
Trustee Larry Fresinski moved to close the public comment period.
Trustee Lynn Leopold seconded the motion. A vote was taken:
Mayor Donald Hartill - Aye Trustee Lynn Leopold- Aye
Trustee Larry Fresinski- Aye
Next on the agenda was the Public Hearing on accepting the dedication of Pembroke Lane from the McLains.
Motion- To Open the Public Hearing to consider the offer of dedication of Pembroke Lane and open space.
Trustee Larry Fresinski moved to open the public hearing and Trustee Lynn Leopold seconded the motion. A vote was taken:
Mayor Donald Hartill - Aye Trustee Lynn Leopold- Aye
Trustee Larry Fresinski- Aye
Pembroke Lane is a new road at the end of Oakcrest, which goes into the McLain subdivision. The Mayor stated that there would be a number of conditions that will go along with the dedication. These conditions include having the paperwork in line with the Village attorney, a security deposit, 2-year warranty on any infrastructure and an agreement that the final topcoat be done after the road sits for a year. Mr. McLain stated that four houses would be built on Pembroke Lane.
Motion- To Close the Public Hearing
Trustee Larry Fresinski moved to close the public hearing and Trustee Lynn Leopold seconded the motion. A vote was taken:
Mayor Donald Hartill - Aye Trustee Lynn Leopold- Aye
Trustee Larry Fresinski- Aye
Resolution #3595- Acceptance of the Dedication of Pembroke Lane
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees accepts the dedication of Pembroke Lane with the following conditions:
- Legal consultant is satisfied with all legal documents
- A contract is in place for the final topcoat
- $25,000 guarantee
Trustee Larry Fresinski moved to accept dedication of Pembroke Lane with the conditions stated and Trustee Lynn Leopold seconded the motion. A vote was taken:
Mayor Donald Hartill - Aye Trustee Lynn Leopold- Aye
Trustee Larry Fresinski- Aye
Next on the agenda was the Engineer’s Report. Dave Putnam stated that the new steelwork and interior steel repairs on the airport ground tank were completed on Saturday and completion of the painting started today. The curing time will be 7 days. Lake Source Cooling Project (LSC) has crossed under the transmission main and backfill will start as soon as the welds are x-rayed. Dave checked with Liz Vastbinder (Project Coordinator) and she has no new information on the agreement to use the Village sewer for an emergency connection for the heat exchange building. Sheraton Drive contracts should be back tomorrow and then they can start right away.
Next Dave Herrick gave a report on the Regional Sewer Initiative. A couple of weeks ago the Unified Engineer’s Report was adopted. Originally the amount of money that was being asked for was $19 million for capital improvements. Now that figure is up to $36,390,000. The Regional Group is asking for $21,480,250 when there is only $25 million available for the whole Fingerlakes Area. Steve Eidt from NYSDEC came last week to discuss the application so he can make the best case for us in Albany. Steve will be back in early October. Lynn asked Dave if it was possible for us to get $21 million when there was only $25 million available to the Fingerlakes. The one positive thing is that we are being used as a showcase example for regional cooperation. The increased expenditure will be to lower the phosphorous level which is an environmental benefit. DEC is the lead agency for the SEQR. If a full Environmental Impact Statement has to be done it will be a very length process. Growth potential will be the main concern. The Mayor stated that if there are no sewers there will be no growth and if there are sewers then there will only be normal growth because there are no economic drivers. The Village is not interested in expanding the sewer district. The Mayor asked Dave Herrick to get bids out to have the elevated water tank removed once the ground tank is painted.
Resolution #3596- To Join the Sewer Planning Group
WHEREAS, the City of Ithaca, the Towns of Ithaca, Dryden and Lansing, and the Villages of Cayuga Heights and Lansing have submitted a joint application for state grant funding under the New York Clean Water/Clean Air Bond act of 1996 for municipal wastewater collection and treatment (sewer) system improvements, and
WHEREAS, the Village of Lansing is committed to upgrading the condition of the Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Facility and reducing phosphorous levels in Cayuga Lake, and
WHEREAS, the Board of Trustees of the Village of Lansing believes that every municipality needs to make its own decisions regarding the future use of the land within its borders, and that growth issues in a region can have financial impacts on such matters as roads, bridges, and public transit in many areas, and
WHEREAS, an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be undertaken as part of the decision-making process involved in the grant application process, and
WHEREAS, the EIS can provide information about an growth-inducing effects of a proposed sewer agreement extending sewer to areas not presently served by public sewers and the impacts associated with the extension of public sewers, now therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees of the Village of Lansing resolves to work cooperatively with the other municipalities on the EIS and on a sewer agreement that will provide mutual benefits to all parties, with an understanding that growth and planning issues will be identified in the EIS and discussed prior to the signing of a joint sewer agreement among the six possible partners, and be it further
RESOLVED, that an inter-municipal group with representation from all municipalities be formed in order to discuss regional planning issues that emerge as a result of the proposed sewer agreement concurrently with the EIS process.
Trustee Larry Fresinski moved to join the sewer planning group and Trustee Lynn Leopold seconded the motion. A vote was taken:
Mayor Donald Hartill - Aye Trustee Lynn Leopold- Aye
Trustee Larry Fresinski- Aye
The Village was asked by the Lansing Fire Department to participate in Fire Prevention Week and "The Great Escape" again this year. "The Great Escape" is a fire drill, which will be performed nationwide on Wednesday October 6th at 7pm. They ask that every household develop a home fire escape plan and practice it collectively.
Resolution #3597- To Declare the Week of October 3-9th as Fire Prevention Week
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees declares the week of October 4-10th as Fire Prevention Week.
Trustee Larry Fresinski moved to declare the week of October 4-10th as Fire Prevention Week and Trustee Lynn Leopold seconded the motion. A vote was taken:
Mayor Donald Hartill - Aye Trustee Lynn Leopold- Aye
Trustee Larry Fresinski- Aye
Next on the agenda was discussion of the Greenspace Advisory Councils recommendations. The Planning Board reviewed the recommendations submitted by the Greenspace Advisory Council and submits the following comments which the Board of Trustees then discussed:
Recommendation- The Village needs a clean-up day. It could be announced in the next Village of Lansing Newsletter and the Superintendent of Public Works should coordinate the pick-up of trash.
Response- The Board pointed out the problem the City had with massive dumping when they tried this. It would be a huge cost to the Village, we don’t have the manpower or equipment and they were concerned with people putting out hazardous waste. Lynn is writing an article for the newsletter as to where one should dispose of junk.
Recommendation- To place trash barrels around the Village. The Planning Board thought the idea needs further research as to the placement, responsibility for emptying and who would be using them.
Response- The Board felt that we would have the same dumping problem. The State Park System has adopted a carry in/carry out policy, which works pretty well.
Recommendation- The Village have a contest to get a Village Logo. The issue of the Village logo is important but the Planning Board did not feel that a contest would achieve the desired results. The Planning Board recommends we hire a consultant and get it done. Village signs are needed and the logo should be a part of them.
Response- The Planning Board is authorized to hire a consultant to get three different logos then the Board of Trustees will make a final decision on which logo to use. The money will come out of Greenspace funds. We need signs to our trails and parks and they should have our logo on them. Simple is better. Lynn has a catalog, which she will get to Walter Weitgraf.
Recommendation- Publish information regarding deer damage, repellants, and the Village tree program.
Response- This should appear in the next Newsletter.
Recommendation- Greenway Trails - The Village needs authority (permission) from NYSEG and Cornell to use the land under the power lines for a trail to Sapsucker Woods. The Superintendent of Public Works could do the clearing of the trail-cutting brush and grass once permission is granted. Some consideration needs to be given to the crossing of Warren Road. Crosswalks would be appropriate. The Planning Board feels this is a great idea and should be approved. The issue of trail surfaces has never been resolved. The Public Works Department covered a trail in Lansing Trails with grit but no report of its success has been forthcoming. The recommendation of hard surfaces in all cases is not recommended.
Response- A proposal needs to be generated for the Mayor. The surfaces should not be paved. It is too expensive to maintain.
Recommendation- To place grills and benches in the park in Lansing Trails. The Planning Board supports the placement of grills and benches in the park in Lansing Trails. It might also be appropriate to build a pavilion.
Response- Both the Planning Board and Board of Trustees agreed that this needs the support of Lansing Trails Homeowner’s Association.
Lynn will report this information back to the Planning Board. The Board also feels that the Planning Board and Greenspace Advisory Council should have a joint meeting once things calm down.
RESOLUTION #3598-To Set Water Rates for 2000
Be it RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees accepts the January 2,2000 water rate decrease proposed by SCLIWC from $2.04 to $1.79 with a change in the water surcharge the Village of Lansing charges from 20% to 22%.
Trustee Lynn Leopold moved to adopt this resolution and Trustee Larry Fresinski seconded the motion. A vote was taken:
Mayor Donald Hartill- Aye Trustee Lynn Leopold- Aye
Trustee Larry Fresinski- Aye
Next on the agenda was the approval of the minutes for July & August. Jodi stated that there was an increase of $309.08 on the General Abstract total on August 11th. It was a prepay and she left off the Medicare entry. The Board agreed to change this in the August 11th minutes. The Mayor also initialed the change on Abstract #3.
Motion-Approval of Minutes for July 5, 14, 19, August 11 & 16, 1999
Trustee Larry Fresinski moved that the draft meeting notes, as reviewed and revised by the Board, are hereby adopted as the official minutes. Trustee Lynn Leopold seconded the motion. A vote was taken:
Mayor Donald Hartill-Aye Trustee Lynn Leopold-Aye
Trustee Larry Fresinski -Aye
Last on the agenda was general discussion. The Mayor is still working on getting two new Trustees and two Board of Zoning Appeal members plus an alternate. John Bailey is a possibility for a Trustee. The Mayor spoke with Randy regarding the issue of conflict of interest since we get our insurance through his company. Randy assured him it would be ok as long as he didn’t vote on anything that had to do with insurance. He hopes to have a proposal for next meeting. The Mayor has a call into Brent Cross to see when the letter will go out to the airport to inform them that they need sewer units for the carwash. Lynn asked Don where John Bailey stood on the NEST issues. The Mayor will get a reply from John.
Motion- To Adjourn
Trustee Larry Fresinski moved adjournment. Trustee Lynn Leopold seconded the motion. A vote was taken:
Mayor Donald Hartill- Aye Trustee Lynn Leopold- Aye
Trustee Larry Fresinski- Aye
The meeting adjourned at 10:05 P.M.
Jodi Dake
Village Clerk