The monthly meeting of the Pine Plains Town Board, held Feb. 16, did not conclude with any new laws or resolutions, but did touch on several topics that will keep town decisionmakers busy in the months and years ahead.
Town Supervisor Brian Walsh began the meeting by announcing that the installation of new playground equipment near Stissing Lake would begin Feb. 21. The company responsible for the installation is finishing a project at the Cold Spring Early Learning Center in Stanfordville and will head north for their next project. Walsh noted that some high school students have volunteered to help get the playground prepared for use.
The anticipated adoption of a new law governing where a cannabis store could be located in Pine Plains was postponed after the town Planning Board on Feb. 8 suggested changes to the law were needed to make site requirements less restrictive.
The Planning Board asked that the town’s newly designated light industrial area on the west side of Pine Plains be included as a potential location. The Planning Board also questioned wording in the proposed law prohibiting the location of a cannabis store within 500 feet of a park or trail.
The chairman of the Planning Board, Michael Stabile, who conveyed the concerns at the Town Board meeting, noted that if the small parklike area at the southeast corner of Church and Main streets is considered a park, most of the commercial buildings in town would be ineligible for such a store.
Town Attorney Warren Replansky said he would consult with Taylor Young of BFJ Planning, who drafted the cannabis law, and make clarifications. Replansky suggested that it would take at least two more meetings of the Town Board, including a public hearing, before the law could be enacted. Besides Stabile, no members of the public came forward to comment on the cannabis law.
A proposed plan to provide tax incentives to volunteer firefighters, newly allowed under a New York state law, will not be implemented in time to provide tax relief this year. Replansky said he will first need to draft a resolution and submit it to a public hearing before the Town Board could vote to amend the town’s tax law.
Highway Superintendent Carl Baden said the season’s lack of snow was allowing his team to do tree work and equipment repairs that otherwise would wait until later in the year. In the coming days, the highway crew will be working on improving the shoulders of town roads. Board members also agreed to reallocate $34,000 earmarked for snow plowing. That money will now be used for general repairs instead.
Recreation Department director Michael Cooper reported that new soil for the baseball fields is being procured and that a cleanup day at the recreation area near Stissing Lake is scheduled for April 2. Volunteers are needed for this effort. Email recreation@pineplains-ny.gov to sign up to help. The fields will be ready for softball and baseball on April 16.
Board member Matt Zick asked about progress in finding an architect to begin working on a design for a new town hall, which is due to be located on North Main Street. After hearing from Supervisor Walsh that no progress had been made, Zick said he will take on the task and report back at the next meeting.
Replansky was asked if there had been any progress in engaging the Catholic Archdiocese of New York regarding the sale of land adjacent to St. Anthony’s Church for a proposed wastewater treatment facility for the Pine Plains business district. Replansky said Catholic officials have been “very difficult,” but said he would ask Tighe & Bond, the engineering firm which did the feasibility study for the project, to see if they had spoken to the Archdiocese.
Planning Board chairman Stabile was asked for an update on the proposal to build a solar power field in Pulvers Corners. Stabile said the Planning Board had not yet made a determination on whether to permit the facility and will hold two meetings to determine how to proceed in accordance with the State Environmental Quality Review law.
The first, to be held Feb. 22, at 7 p.m. at the Town Hall, will be a workshop meeting to review public comments and issues of concern. The consultancy firm BFJ Planning has been hired to assist the Planning Board in its deliberations; their fees will be paid by Carson Power, the company proposing the Pulvers Corners project, Stabile said.
The second Planning Board meeting, to be held March 11, at 10:30 a.m. at the Community Center above the town library, will be for further discussion of the project with the public. Stabile said residents living in the vicinity of the proposed project would receive notifications about the meeting by mail.
As Pine Plains prepares to mark its 200th anniversary this year, Zick noted that the town’s bicentennial planning committee will next meet on Feb. 24. Ideas and volunteers are needed as the committee makes plans for events leading to a Community Day on Sept. 9. To help or suggest a bicentennial activity, send an email to either pineplainsbicentennial@gmail.com or mzick@pineplains-ny.gov.
The Town Board wrapped up its evening with a closed-door executive session after which no action was taken. The next Town Board meeting is March 16. Town Board meetings are held on the third Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. at the Town Hall. They are open to the public and are also streamed live on YouTube.