REGULAR MEETING
February 6, 2017
A regular meeting of the Town Board of the Town of Busti was held on Monday, February 6, 2017 at 6:45 p.m., at the Town of Busti, Town Administration Building, 125 Chautauqua Avenue, Lakewood, New York with the following members present:
Supervisor Jesse M. Robbins
Councilman Jim Andrews
Councilman Kenneth Lawton
Councilman Rudy Mueller
Councilman Todd Hanson
Supervisor Robbins called the meeting to order with the salute to the flag and a moment of silence was observed.
Present at the meeting were: Chief John Bentley, Attorney Joel Seachrist, Code Enforcement Officer Jeff Swanson, Jonathan Mayr – Southern Tier West, Ryan White – Southwestern Soccer Club, E.J. McCague – Village of Lakewood Deputy Mayor, Randy Holcomb – Village of Lakewood Trustee, Melanie Howard, Jack Knowlton, and Tom Turner.
Supervisor Robbins introduced Jonathan Mayr, Southern Tier West NYSERDA Clean Energy Communities Coordinator. Councilman Hanson asked that Mr. Mayr confirm what format needs to be used when sending documentation to NYSERDA. Mr. Mayr will contact NYSERDA and have an answer tomorrow. He explained NYSERDA will require reimbursement receipts; however 25% of the grant funds will be available in advance to assist in the projects start-up process. Supervisor Robbins explained that the Town of Busti has submitted an application to NYSERDA for a $100,000 Clean Energy Community grant that would assist the town with energy saving projects, final approval should be received tomorrow. If approved, the Town of Busti will be the first municipality to receive the grant west of the Hudson River.
Town Clerk Darlene Nygren reported her office is continuing with tax collection and has collected $2,150,673.92 over the counter and through office mail. There has been a technical issue with the lockbox payments, she is working with the county and M&T Bank to resolve the issue. Town Clerk Nygren noted that Deputy Susan Huffman has been out of the office due to a family situation and former Town Clerk Diane VanDewark has willingly come in to assist with the tax collection and other office duties. Mrs. VanDewark has not asked for any compensation however, Town Clerk Nygren asked the board to approve paying Diane VanDewark $20 per hour by voucher and stated that without Diane’s assistance she didn’t know how she would get all the necessary work done.
Councilman Hanson moved the following resolution which was duly moved by Councilman Lawton:
RESOLVED, to pay Diane VanDewark $20 per hour by voucher for her time in working in the Town Clerk office.
Upon roll call vote, all aye, carried.
Chief of Police John Bentley reported 1,070 incidents year to date, 833 incidents occurred since the last report. Chief Bentley demonstrated the use of body cams which have been issued to all officers on the department, stating that the cameras should reduce the number of incident complaints which in turn will reduce the amount paid to officers for overtime due to having to appear in court. The canine unit attended training recently and injured/broke a tooth. He will have to have a root canal to repair the injury.
Code Enforcement Officer Jeff Swanson reported he has been busy working with Jonathan Mayr on the NYSERDA Clean Energy Community application which included training for him as Code Enforcement Officer. He stated that the board should determine who will be continuing to work with NYSERDA now that the application process is complete. CEO Swanson stated ICC has implemented new codes as of October 3rd and he continues to have to study what those code changes involve.
Jack Knowlton reported the Lakewood Fire Department has had 74 incidents year to date, averaging 2 per day.
Ryan White, Southwestern Soccer Club, presented updated plans for the Concession/Storage/Restroom facility at Loomis Park. The program runs year round and desires to have a facility that would draw tournaments to the area. Mr. White stated the club has $12,500 ($7,500 from the Community Foundation grant and $5,000 Southern Chautauqua Federal Credit Union) toward the $28,000 cost of constructing the facility with restroom included. That figure includes the $7,000 Highway Superintendent Peterson has said it would cost to tie in the sewer to the building with installation being completed by the highway department. The club has skilled laborers willing to work at cost to build the foundation and facility. Supervisor Robbins noted there may be another contractor that would be willing to do the foundation work at a minimum cost.
Supervisor Robbins moved the following resolution which was duly moved by Councilman Mueller:
RESOLVED, the Town of Busti contribute up to $15,000 the Loomis Park Concession/Storage/Restroom facility.
Upon roll call vote, all aye, carried.
Councilman Andrews reviewed the proposals for liability insurance for the town from Trident and NYMIR. He noted both proposals have absolute liability exclusion for any asbestos handling. Trident’s proposal was in the amount of $29,485 and NYMIR’s proposal is $28,393. There is a difference is how NYMIR evaluates the buildings which could increase NYMIR’s proposal by approximate $300.
Supervisor Robbins moved the following resolution which was duly moved Councilman Andrews:
RESOLVED, the town accept the proposal from NYMIR for the 2017 Liability Insurance Coverage in the amount of $28,393 with the understanding there may be a slight increase due to the building evaluations.
Upon roll call vote, all aye, carried.
Attorney Joel Seachrist inquired if the policy offered a non-monetary suit defense, NYMIR agent Randy Graham stated that he did not see it on the current NYMIR policy and will see if that endorsement is available through NYMIR. The board was in agreement that if the endorsement was available they would offer the addition at the March meeting. Mr. Seachrist suggested the town add the endorsement in future years.
Councilman Mueller moved the following resolution which was duly moved by Supervisor Robbins:
RESOLVED, the town authorize Supervisor Robbins to accept a proposal for Asbestos Insurance Coverage of up to $2,800 with the understanding the Village of Lakewood would pay for half of the cost.
Upon roll call vote, all aye, carried.
Supervisor Robbins moved the following resolution which was duly moved by Councilman Hanson:
RESOLVED, Town Clerk Darlene Nygren be authorized to attend the NYS Town Clerk’s Association Annual meeting in Rochester, NY – April 23-26, all expenses paid by the town.
Upon roll call vote, all aye, carried.
Councilman Hanson noted he has been in contact with National Grid Consumer Representative, Frances Porpiglia, regarding LED Outdoor Lighting Conversion in the Town of Busti. Councilman Hanson proposes that this project be funded by the $100,000 NYSERDA grant if awarded, if not awarded the town should budget the project in 2018. Currently the town pays just over $23,000 per year for all the street lights, which would be reduced to approximately $17,000 per year. The upgrade cost to the town would be just over $11,000, which would be a 2 year payback.
Supervisor Robbins moved to confirm the authorization to submit a letter of support for Chautauqua County’s Intent to Propose Application for Phase 1 consideration from NYSDOS through its Municipal Consolidation and Efficiency Competition. Motion was seconded by Councilman Hanson.
All aye, so moved.
Supervisor Robbins noted the board received a letter from Douglas Bush, Endurancefactor LLC, regarding the 4 Four 44 Relay at Southern Tier Brewery on September 10, 2014. The relay is a road running event proposed by event organizer, Endurancefactor LLC in partnership with Southern Tier Brewery. The event starts and finishes at Southern Tier Brewery and travels on public roads around Chautauqua Lake. Two distance events are being proposed – a 3.1 mile (5K) run and a four person, 44 mile relay traveling around Chautauqua Lake. The goals of the events are to promote the Chautauqua region, to help local charity partners, and to create a safe & fun event for the participants. The town roads proposed to be used are 2nd Avenue, 4th Avenue, Gleason Road, and 5th Avenue.
Councilman Hanson moved to authorize the 4 Four 44 Relay at Southern Tier Brewery to be run along the proposed town roads on September 10, 2017. Motion was seconded by Councilman Andrews.
All aye, so moved.
Councilman Mueller presented the possibility of the Village of Lakewood moving their offices and police department to the town administration building at 125 Chautauqua Avenue, utilizing the unused space in the rear of the building. Discussion followed. The board asked Town Clerk Nygren to forward them copies of the Citizen Advisory Committee recommendations from 2014.
Councilman Hanson motioned to pursue the idea of the Town and Village sharing a building with the most cost effective option. Motion was seconded by Councilman Mueller.
All aye, so moved.
Supervisor Robbins moved the following resolution which was duly moved by Councilman Lawton:
RESOLVED, that Supervisor Robbins be authorized and directed to pay the presented General Fund, Highway Fund, and the Joint Recreation Fund for Abstract No. 23 from warrant #855 to and including warrant #871 in the amount of $12,606.58 and Abstract No. 2 from warrant #18 to and including warrant #59 in the amount of $57,103.50.
Upon roll call vote, all aye, carried.
Supervisor Robbins moved to accept the board meeting minutes included in the 2017 Organizational Minutes, which was duly moved by Councilman Hanson.
All aye, so moved.
The town received two proposals for installing a camera system in the Town Clerk office area and in the rear parking lot, with the options of updating the camera system in the court office & court/board room area and adding two cameras in the holding cell hallway & the holding cell. FSC’s proposal was in the amount of $4,854 and Allied Alarm’s proposal was in the amount of $6,290.
Councilman Hanson moved the following resolution which was duly moved by Supervisor Robbins:
RESOLVED, the town accept the proposal from FSC in the amount of $4,854 for all three options.
Upon roll call vote, all aye, carried.
Supervisor Robbins motioned to adjourn the regular board meeting at 8:38 p.m. and moved to have the Town Board members perform the annual audit for accounts for the Supervisor, Town Clerk and Court Clerk, which was duly moved by Councilman Andrews.
All aye, carried.
Moved by Supervisor Robbins, seconded by Councilman Lawton:
RESOLVED, that the Town of Busti Town Board met at 8:40 p.m. and completed an annual audit for accounts for the Supervisor, Town Clerk and Court Clerk on February 6, 2017 and found such accounts account to be true and correct.
Upon roll call vote,
Supervisor Jesse M. Robbins
Councilman Todd M. Hanson
Councilman Kenneth J. Lawton
Councilman James Andrews
Councilman Rudy Mueller
Resolution adopted.
The audit meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
____________________________________ Darlene H. Nygren, Town Clerk