Credit: Lenora Champagne
The February town board meeting in Pine Plains featured more items than usual. Right after the formal approval of minutes and bills to be paid, there was a presentation by Erin Hoagland, Director of Conservation for the Dutchess Land Conservancy, requesting a conservation easement be put on Helene Marsh’s land, about 139 acres along Schultz Hill Rd. Some of the land is currently used for agriculture, leased by Chaseholm Farm for their beef cattle. Hoagland said that putting the land into conservation easement “extinguishes subdivision rights” and means that the property, when and if sold, must be sold as a single piece, available for agricultural use in the future. The town board agreed to accept this recommendation.
The next public comment was from Alice Nuccio, who pointed out that the town’s website should be better updated and that no town board minutes had been posted since July. She requested that a newsletter be sent out, at least monthly. She also inquired about the two all-terrain wheelchairs for disabled users that were obtained two years ago. Supervisor Brian Walsh said they are in the purview of the recreation department. She wondered if people knew about them and who they should ask to use them. Walsh said the recreation director, who was going to be named later in the meeting. Finally, Nuccio suggested that, since money for the Pine Plains schools was going to be cut by the state, that negotiations with Carson Power include some means by which Carson would help the town make up the shortfall.
Town Clerk Madelin Dafoe announced that people can now file building permits online, and that she can also do several other permits online now.
The town’s departments made their reports, with at least two people praising Highway Superintendent Carl Baden for the good job done by his crew clearing the roadways during the recent snowfalls. Water Department engineer Ray Jurkowski noted that Pace, the company that tests our water, is closing its local office, and he will look into Adirondack Environmental Services in Albany as another option.
Jurkowski also reported on the request that the library had made to look into whether the ramp and landing on that building meets accessibility standards. He reported that “the building meets the standard that was in place in 2003” which, since the building was built in 2008, is what still applies. It also meets the standards that were established in 2009, he said. Warren Replansky, the town attorney, was consulted, and he asked if there was an automatic door, which there is not. He suggested that a buzzer be placed outside the door so someone can notify a librarian to come open the door for them. Claire Gunning, president of the library board and a volunteer for the Herald, noted that “the building should be user friendly and accessible” and suggested that the intent of the ADA was that people be able to get themselves around without asking for someone to come let them in.
Mike Stabile, chairmen of the Planning Board, also made a report, although not on the agenda. He asked that everything in the building department computer be backed up, and requested $240 to attend a planning board conference in Saratoga in April. He also noted that the Dutchess County Planning Department will do a presentation on state regulations and ideas at an open meeting, currently scheduled for March 5.
Another topic of discussion was the debris at 41 Hoffman Road. The house had been destroyed in a gas explosion on Oct.13, 2021. Board member Jeannine Sisco asked if the property was on the market. Nuccio spoke up and said that there was a contract for sale of the property that had not yet closed, and that the new owners “will clean it up.” She was asked who the new owner is, but said she preferred not to say until the closing.
Supervisor Walsh said there was a letter from the garden club asking who will water their flower barrels now that they can no longer do so, and that they needed to know before ordering new flowers for the barrels. Since there were three high school seniors in attendance, it was discussed that members of the honor society or other students who were interested in community service credit might take on the role. The watering has to happen over the summer, so they will bring it up at the high school and the subject was tabled until next month.
Former Supervisor Brian Coons was appointed Recreation Department Director.
Besides Sisco and Brian Walsh, board member Kevin Walsh was also at the meeting. The three did constitute a quorum of the five-member board.
The meeting featured a surprise ending: Attendees walked out into an unexpected snowfall.
Editor’s note: this article was corrected to include Claire Gunning’s role on the paper, as well as the description of the wheelchair.