TOWN BOARD MEETING OF JUNE 6

Public Hearing: The public hearing on Local Law #2 was opened. Supervisor Rob Eggleton went over the pertinent section, which provides for a six-month moratorium imposing limited land use in the town, with the possibility of another six months if needed. This is to allow the town to review and revise its current local law. During the public comment portion of the hearing, local resident Art Steinhauer asked about the reason for amending the law. Eggleton said the concern is for the protection of the environmental quality of the town and its streams.

Minutes: The minutes of the previous meeting were approved.

Correspondence: A NY State Town Clerks Association scholarship of $450 was awarded to Town Clerk Marinella DeVita. A thank-you letter was received from the Catskill Mountainkeeper for the town’s contribution to the O&W Rail Trail. The NY Dept. of Labor’s provision of prevailing wages will affect projects on or after July 1.

Resolution Required: The following resolution was required and was passed by the board:

Send $50 to the Sullivan County Probation Officers Association for the 20th annual Jake Classic Golf Outing.

Old Business

The following resolutions were required and were passed by the board.

Appoint Lisa Lyons, Andy McRell, Robert Eggleton, Jennifer Devantier, Russell Budd and Art Steinhauer to the O&W Rail Trail Committee. More members are welcome.
Appoint Maria Bivins, Robert Eggleton, Andy McRell, Peter Devantier, Russell Budd, Megan McNeill and Kevin Cooke to the NY Forward Committee. More are welcome.

New Business

Resolutions Required: The following resolutions were required and were passed by the board.

Adopt Local Law #2, imposing a limited land use moratorium in the Town of Rockland. The law was passed unanimously on a roll call vote.
Lease the Twin Village Golf Course concession stand to Elizabeth Dibartolo for the season for $1,200. She will also collect and report the greens fees to the town.
Send a letter of support to the Pro-Housing Community Program, an innovative policy designed to reward local governments that are working hard to address New York’s housing crisis.
Waive the 30-day notice for a liquor license for Threshold Hospitality. The LLC plans to open a Korean restaurant in the fall at 430 Old Rte. 17, the site of the former Little North eatery.
Hire Jason Moreno to assist the Town of Rockland with its website and some IT help at $50-to-$60 per hour.

Department Heads: Chris Bury, Water and Sewer: The public service line at the Rockland Motel has been fixed. Reuben David passed his water license. Roger Decker, Highway: One employee has resigned, and the department is seeking to hire a mechanic. Clifford O’Dell will be moved to road work, and Steven Hecht will get his CDL. Ten miles of road have been sealed.

Resolution Required: The following resolution was required and passed by the board.

Trees at the top of the Orchard St. Cemetery will be removed to create a parking space for cars.

Public Comment: Rog, owner of the Owl Citgo gas station, asked the board to reconsider illumination restrictions at the facility because several incidents have occurred due to poor lighting. Kathy Fries of Manor Renaissance said that a flower bed on Main Street had soil dumped over rocks despite a request that the rocks be removed. John Hendrix asked if NY State Housing will affect Local Law #2.

Approval of Bills: The bills on Abstract #11 were approved.

Details of all dollar amounts, etc., can be found at townofrocklandny.com under the minutes June 6.

TOWN BOARD MEETING OF JUNE 20

Public Hearing on Solid Waste: Code Enforcement Officer Glenn Gabbard showed the board a number of pictures of solid waste left on property at 58 Pearl Street after a fire. The owners have not responded to requests from the town to remove the debris, so Gabbard would like the town to have the trash removed and add the cost to the owners’ tax bill.

Resolution Required: The following required resolution was passed by the board.

Hire a contractor to remove all the solid waste at 58 Pearl Street and add the cost to the owners tax bill.

Public Hearing: There was no response to the request for salt shed bids, so the hearing was closed.

Minutes: The minutes of the previous meeting were approved.

Presentation: President Alex Rau and Captain Ralph Bressler of the Livingston Manor Volunteer Ambulance Corps gave the board an update on the status of the LMVAC. In 2023, they answered over 900 calls, with more than half being to neighboring communities. The legislature has made the ambulance Corps a priority and gave them a cash award. The LMVAC then presented the town with two defibrillators and will train town personnel in their use and how to apply CPR.

Correspondence: The NY State Dept. of Conservation announced that sporting licenses will now be issued on plain paper.

The Livingston Manor Central School district was awarded Sullivan 180’s Golden Feather for proposed work on a new outdoor basketball court and a greenhouse (see story on page 4).

Old Business

Contracts are out to purchase the Coyne property for the O&W Rail Trail. Once acquired, a gate will be installed to prevent future trespassing. Delaware Engineering has filed the requisite grants. The town met with the Open Space Institute about land acquisition for the Rail Trail.

A meeting with the Town of Liberty was set for June 27, at 7 p.m., at the LM Firehouse to discuss flood mapping of the Little Beaverkill and the Willowemoc creeks. The public is invited to attend.

Resolutions Required: The following resolutions were required and were passed by the board:

Amend resolution #47, wherein employee Alex Feeney was hired as a seasonal grounds worker up to 40 hours per week.
Amend resolution number #52, wherein board member Peter Devantier was hired as a seasonal grounds worker up to 40 hours per week.

New Business

An appraisal of $20,000 was completed for the small parcel on Creamery Road. The property is probably too small for any use and will be offered to a neighbor. The four-acre parcel being considered for a new well was valued at $50,000. Testing of aquifer will be required, and 50 to 200 gallons per minute is the pumping capacity needed to serve the town.

Because of the July 4th holiday, the first board meeting of July will be held on July 2.

Supervisor Rob Eggleton showed the board the new water meters that are being considered for the town. All meters will probably be replaced since many are aged. Because meter orders take six months to be filled, a decision on the replacements must be made soon. The order of about 700 units would cost approximately $219,000, but no payment will be required for the first year. Specifics of the purchase will be taken up at the next meeting.

A Zoning Board open meeting about the Local Law #2 moratorium on land use will be held on July 24, at 6:30 p.m.

Resolutions Required: The following resolutions were required and were passed by the board.

Approve a waiver of the noise ordinance until 11 p.m., on July 3, for a wedding at the Antrim Streamside.
Order two 30-in. x 24-in. LMCS Wildcats signs for $275 each from Keller Signs.

Department Heads: Chris Bury, Water and Sewer: Digging will start soon on Rockland Road for a sewer main issue. The flower bed work is finished. There will be two classes next week for waste water training. Glenn Gabbard, Code Enforcement: Fire inspections for the year are nearly completed. The town currently has several cases in court. Roger Decker, Highway: The department is preparing for road paving work. Shoulder work was done on Cattail and Mongaup roads, with guard rails to be added. Decker wants to meet with Clean Path NY to discuss their work on power lines. The hope is that they won’t have to dig up roads that were just paved.

Public Comment: Marshall Shnider of the Catskill Public Theater, a nonprofit group in Roscoe, requested that the town waive the fees for use of the Roscoe Fireman’s Field for performances during the month of July. John Hendrix asked if there will be a hearing on the proposed well. County Legislator Brian McPhillips said the legislature passed $2.7 million to provide ALS and BLS with two year contracts for ambulance services. This would take some pressure off the LM Ambulance Corps.

Resolution Required: The following required resolution was passed by the board.

Waive fees for the use of Fireman’s Field by the Catskill Public Theater for the summer months.

Executive Session: The board briefly went into executive session to discuss personnel matters.

Approval of Bills: The bills on Abstract 12 were approved.

Details of all dollar amounts can be found at townofrocklandny.com, under the minutes of June 20.