VILLAGE OF LOWVILLE

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Meeting Minutes

December 17, 2008

I.      Call to Order

The regular meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Village of Lowville was called to order at 5:30 PM on December 17, 2008 by Mayor Mary Youngs.

The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance.

II.      Roll Call

The following members were present:

Mayor Mary Youngs             Trustee Charles Truax               Trustee Dennis Bishop Trustee Dennis Kraeger

Others present:

Eric Virkler            Mark Tabolt            Eric Fredenburg            Ed Murphy            Dorothy Duflo            Pat Wallace            Renee Beyer            Rob Goss            Dan Meyers            Britt Abbey            Harry O'Connor            Mike Young            Warren Rosenthal            Charles Merrick            Kathleen Merrick            Bill Burke            Leo Sammon            Teresa Sammon            Chris Bach    Terry Wood                Jennifer Wood and children   

III.      Orders of the Day                 None

IV.      Public Comment :

   The Board heard comments, which are paraphrased below, from the following individuals regarding the Village Trail Project. Following the comments there was some discussion and questions and answers  between the Board and the public on the topic.

Rob Goss, LACS Athletic  Director, stated he is disappointed the Board is not pursuing the trail project. He believes it will be an asset and an investment in the community. He believes there are many ways the in-kind requirements can be met.

Harry O'Connor, Ag Society President and Parc Committee member stated that he hoped the trail project would link to a trailhead at the Fairgrounds Laribee Field that the Ag Society is planning. He stated the land could be donated to the Village trail and this could be match. He is disappointed the concept was turned down. The Ag Society is designing a trail network that will connect to the Maple Ridge Farm and the Village trail would be an entrance to that network.

Dan Myers, LACS teacher, stated a community trail allows visitors and residents to have a place to utilize the outdoors. This asset would attract younger people to the community. He believes this will be an opportunity wasted.

Renee Beyer, County of Lewis planner, stated that the County Economic Development committee has offered the services of the County staff to assist with any activity needed to accomplish the Village project. She stated that recreational trails improve opportunities for children and families, they encourage exercise, they provide outside classroom possibilities for the school, they teach respect for the environment, they promote a safe and livable community, they provide a place where neighbors interact, they provide a sense of place and create a source of community pride. She asks the Board to reconsider their decision on the trail.

Pat Wallace, County Legislator, stated that a railroad right of way is very important and the Village should not lose the opportunity to acquire it.

Warren Rosenthal, County of Lewis Economic Development director, states the Board should reconsider their decision for a variety of reasons. He specifically stated the trail could use an alternative surface to asphalt, we should not give up the right of way, we should be part of the larger trail system the County is planning and we should use the time the DOT allows.

Mike Young, Board member for LACS, BOCES, and Ag Society, stated that BOCES classes could be used for labor, he is a Village resident and would like the trail for walking, and he is asking for the Board's thoughtfulness to take the time to consider possible solutions.

Kathleen Merrick, small business owner, stated she is a resident of less than ten years and owns a wellness related business. Her customers and students travel to Boonville to walk on their trail and then have lunch. She stated a trail would benefit individuals and families. She is working on a grant for cancer treatment and the program emphasizes walking and walking groups and she has experience with trail maintenance in other communities and is confident that community groups would assist with long term maintenance.

Chris Bach, stated she is a teacher, mother and high school coach. She believes obesity is a major concern and children need to exercise outside. Her son is a senior in high school and it is important for that age group to be involved in community service projects. She asked the Board to look into this project further before it is discontinued.

Bill Burke, County legislator, stated that this is a great roomful of people with vision. He stated that he is a Board member and he must listen with an open mind and he noted that the County legislators just listened to the public and this caused them to change their approach.

Terry Wood stated he is a Lowville native who moved back here to raise his family. He asked the Board to reconsider their decision, to consider the residents and to think about the future. He stated the community is all we have in Lowville and we owe it to the younger generation to make improvements.

Regarding temporary public parking at the Village tennis courts on Parkway Drive, Mr. Goss and Mr. Myers both expressed their displeasure with this situation. They both commented that once something is converted to parking it does not return to its prior use and they believe the recreation uses at the Park are much more important.

V.      Approval of Minutes / Excuse Absent Board Members

Motion by Trustee Bishop, seconded by Trustee Truax to amend the minutes of the December 3 meeting, in the Unfinished Business, Trail Project topic, for the motion to state "to terminate the trail project, and for our Village Administrator to contact NYSDOT staff and effect the immediate termination of our trail contract with them".  All in favor.

Motion by Trustee Kraeger, seconded by Trustee Bishop to approve the minutes of the December 3, 2008 meeting, as amended.  All in favor.

Motion by Mayor Youngs, second by Trustee Truax to excuse Trustee Western. All in favor.

VI.      Approval of Vouchers

Motion by Trustee Truax, seconded by Trustee Bishop to approve the vouchers as audited.  All in favor.

         A#014            $  20,312.35

F#014            $    9,769.25

G#014            $  22,686.24

VII.      Correspondence

a.       Cream Cheese Thank you: A letter received from the Cream Cheese Committee thanking the Village for its financial support of the Festival.

b.       Senator Griffo and Assemblywoman Scozzafava letters: Responses received from our two state representatives regarding the Village's resolution about State funding cuts and mandate relief.

c.       Britt Abbey letter: A letter with comments from Mr. Abbey regarding Planning Board issues.

d.       NYCOM Budget summary: This is a summary received from NYCOM regarding Governor Patterson's initial budget proposals.

e.       Department of Health letter: This is a letter from our DOH representative summarizing a recent inspection at the Water Treatment facility.

VIII.      Officers & Committee Reports   

a.       Mayor: Mayor Youngs reported she attended the Mayors and Supervisors meeting and they heard from Judge Gideon who stated that the District Court concept is no longer being pursued.

b.       Administrator:      Mr. Virkler presented a written report with information related to other items on the agenda.

c.       Superintendent:  Mr. Tabolt updated the Board on two old business issues. We have received bids on two vehicles and the Board has a report on the high bids for each. Mr. Tabolt has continued to work with the cooperative highway management group that will be submitting a NYS grant application. The program would provide software to identify our in-ground assets and also provide a consulting service to assist with evaluation of our streets. The Village would be responsible for approximately $2,500 of required match for this grant application. The resolution needed for the grant has been provided to the Board and does call for a maximum $5,000 match per participating municipality.

Motion by Trustee Bishop, second by Trustee Kraeger to accept the high bids of $3,787 for the 2000 Chevy Pickup with plow and $1,502 for the 2001 Dodge Durango. All in favor.

d.       Finance Committee:

§         Trustee Kraeger updated the Board on the process for a bid for our property/casualty insurance. He asked the Board's preference on limiting the bid to Lewis County agencies. All Trustees present noted they favor an open bid for any agency, not just Lewis County. The Finance committee will proceed with this process.

IX.      Unfinished Business

a.       Health Insurance

§         The Finance committee met with Steve Foy, our health insurance agent. Premium increases for 2009 are 13%. The committee discussed other plan options with Mr. Foy and determined that we should begin to discuss other options with staff before the next renewal period (January 2010) and that we should not make any changes at this late time for 2009. Mr. Virkler noted that with the increased premium, he estimates we will be approximately $5,000 over budget for our 2008-09 health insurance costs.

b.       Planning and Zoning Board appointments

§         The Trustees asked Mr. Abbey his thoughts on a five or seven member planning board. There was some discussion on this topic. Trustee Truax and Mayor Youngs are not opposed to the five-person board and Trustees Bishop and Kraeger did not have a preference. The Board agreed to wait for the Town Board's discussion on this topic and then be prepared to appoint a new member at the next meeting if the discussion is to continue with seven members on the Planning Board.

§         The Board discussed the joint Town/Village appointment for the Zoning Board. The individual currently in that position has not completed their required annual training. Mayor Youngs stated a strong preference that the Planning and Zoning members complete their required training and the other Board members concurred. The Board again agreed to wait for the Town's discussion on this topic and to follow their lead in the appointment.

c.       Other Appointments

§         Mr. Virkler noted that we have other appointments to be completed for the 2008 year as highlighted in his Administrator's Report.

Motion by Trustee Bishop, second by Trustee Kraeger to reappoint Dorothy Duflo to the Municipal Board for a five-year term to expire December 31, 2013. All in favor.

 Motion by Trustee Kraeger, second by Trustee Bishop to reappoint Mary Ingersol to the Lowville Housing Authority for a five-year term to expire May 31, 2013. All in favor.

Motion by Trustee Bishop, second by Trustee Truax to reappoint Dan Myers to the Lowville Recreation Commission for a five-year term to expire May31, 2013. All in favor.

          Kraft Sewer Agreement:            Discussion in executive session.

X.      New Business

a.       Resolution for Local Government Efficiency Grant

§         As discussed in Mark Tabolt's report, the Board was presented a resolution to state that the Village will participate in this grant application with the County of Lewis as the lead agency.

Motion by Trustee Truax, second by Trustee Bishop to authorize the proposed resolution following review and approval by Attorney Gebo. All in favor.

XI.      Executive Session

Motion by Trustee Bishop, second by Trustee Truax to enter executive session at 7:38 PM to discuss negotiations of a contract where public disclosure could effect the negotiations and to discuss personnel matters. All in favor.

Motion by Trustee Bishop, second by Trustee Kraeger to exit executive session at 8:40 PM. All in favor.

Action:

Motion by Trustee Truax, second by Trustee Bishop to authorize the Clerk to sign the resolution for the Kraft sewer financing of the 2006 project. All in favor.

XII.      Adjournment