VILLAGE OF CANASTOTA

MINUTES

December 4, 2023

Mayor Warner called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

PRESENT:	Mayor Rosanne Warner; Deputy Mayor Doug Gustin and Trustees Lori Torrey and Bill Haddad; Administrator Jeremy Ryan; Dave Malbouf, Mark Taylor, Bonnie Stillwell, Dr. Kerry Brown, Sarah Murdie and Dustin Murdie; and Bruce Burke of PAC 99.

ABSENT:	Trustee Jeff Watkins

Motion by Trustee Torrey, seconded by Trustee Haddad, to approve the following budget transfer: move $1,440.00 from 90158.01 (Police & Fire Retirement) to 90108.01 (Employees Retirement). Passed 4 to 0.

Motion by Trustee Haddad, seconded by Trustee Gustin, to approve the transfer of $33,623.45 from the ARPA monies to the Capital Projects Fund for payment of expenses incurred in the Headworks Repair Project. Passed 4 to 0.

Motion by Trustee Gustin, seconded by Trustee Haddad, to approve the attached General Fund Abstract in the amount of $111,328.30. Passed 4 to 0.

Motion by Trustee Torrey, seconded by Trustee Haddad, to approve the attached Sewer Fund Abstract in the amount of $17,624.35. Passed 4 to 0.

Motion by Trustee Haddad, seconded by Trustee Gustin, to approve the attached Capital Fund Abstract in the amount of $33,623.45. Passed 4 to 0.

Public Comments.

Dr. Kerry Brown addressed the Board on behalf of Wanderer's Rest. He spoke about their need for a new building. He talked about the improvements that will be made for the care the animals and the proposal for use of the new building for a community meeting room. He noted that their biggest problem how is the septic system on their property and the fact that the property in the Business Park would be better for them because it has public sewer. Wanderer's Rest has been searching for five (5) years to find property and feel that the best location for them is in the Business Park. The Village Board will need to change the zoning for them to go into the Park. Dr. Brown stated that they need to know if the Board will consider an amendment to the zoning so that they can move forward or they will pursue other opportunities if the Village Board will not make that change. Wanderer's Rest is appreciative of the Board allowing them to speak to us tonight. He noted that they do have other opportunities, but this is their best option. They will move on if the Board will not allow the zone change. The Board reviewed the map of the Business Park with Dr. Brown to identify the parcel next to Subaru that they are interested in. The Mayor asked if they would work with the Office for the Aging on programming. Dr. Brown referenced the work that they do in the schools now regarding education. Sarah Murdie, the Executive Director, spoke about their recent program going into nursing homes. The Mayor asked if they were looking to purchase the parcel. Sarah stated that they are. Dr. Brown talked about the characteristics of this lot that make it attractive to them. Dr. Brown also talked about their water usage and the need for a sewer instead of septic. The Mayor talked about her meeting at Wanderer's Rest about a year and a half ago to tour the facility. Sarah invited the Board to come and tour the facility. Dr. Brown noted that there has been a change in their Board recently and they will have a new building in 2024. Trustee Haddad asked about the capacity in the new facility that they are proposing and asked about the effect it will have on our sewer. Dr. Brown advised that they are on a swamp where they are now and the septic system is not installed properly and they have had to put a lot of money into it and it is still not sufficient. Most of the water used is to wash things down. He again referenced the community room that they would like to have. The Mayor asked about the size of the building that they are intending to build. Sara advised that they do have plans that she would share with the Board. Dr. Brown noted that the new building will not change their capacity but will change the building so that they can better serve the animals. The Board will arrange visits. (Public Comments were paused for the public hearings.)

7:15 Public Hearing regarding Local Law G-2023, A Local Law to Amend the Code of the Incorporated Village of Canastota Chapter 101 Regarding Controlled Burn Permits.

Mayor Warner opened the Public Hearing at 7:15 p.m. and read the Notice of Public Hearing out loud. The Mayor asked if anyone had questions or comments or would like to speak for or against the proposed local law. Bonnie Stillwell spoke out against any fires in the Village explaining that there are many problems with them in the Village and citing that burning wood is not safe or good for the environment, burning things that they should not be and stating that the fires are not policed. She talked about the problems that she has had with her neighbors and what her neighbors burn in their fire pit. She also mentioned that her neighbors fires are often unattended. She noted that no one watches this. Mayor Warner asked again if anyone wanted to speak for or against the proposed local law. Bonnie Stillwell spoke about her neighbor having a fire during the DEC burn ban and the problems that she had with it. The Mayor asked a third time of anyone wanted to speak in favor of or against the proposed local law.

Motion by Trustee Haddad, seconded by Trustee Gustin, to close the public hearing at 7:22 p.m. Passed 4 to 0.

7:20 Public Hearing regarding Local Law H-2023, A Local Law to Amend the Code of the Incorporated Village of Canastota 106 Regarding Permitting For Sales on Temporary or Intermittent Basis.

Mayor Warner opened the Public Hearing at 7:24 p.m. and read the Notice of Public Hearing out loud. The Mayor asked if anyone was here to speak for or against garage sales. Bonnie Stillwell asked about the reason for the permit. Trustee Haddad advised that it was so you don't have a perpetual sale at any property. Administrator Ryan noted that the Code Officer needs to keep track of the sales to make sure that no one has more than two (2) per year which is the most that is allowed. Bonnie Stillwell stated that no one enforces these laws and mentioned that she has had problems with fire works and no one does anything about that. She believes that because there is no one enforcing it, it causes problems with neighbors. The Mayor will speak with Code Enforcement Officer Adsit tomorrow. Bonnie Stillwell noted that she has already spoken with CEO Adsit and it did stop for a while, but she noted that her neighbor is burning plywood. She complained that the permit was reissued to her neighbor even though there were problems. The Mayor asked again if anyone wanted to speak for or against the proposed local law. Bonnie Stillwell asked about selling fruits and vegetables in front of your home. Clerk Treasurer Williams noted that fruits and vegetables are part of the Ag Laws and not considered a garage sale. The Mayor read the definition of sales in the law. She noted that this is a good question and asked a third time if anyone would like to speak. Bonnie Stillwell asked what happens if you have a garage sale and don't get a permit - what happens? The Mayor noted that there are penalties in the law. Administrator Ryan read the penalty from the local law for having a garage sale without a permit.

Motion by Trustee Haddad, seconded by Trustee Gustin, to close the public hearing at 7:32 p.m. Passed 4 to 0.

Report on status of OCWA Building Roof Replacement Project from David Malbouf of AJM Construction.

David Malbouf of AJM Construction reported that Change Order 1 and the main contract are done and he is about 60% done with Change Order 3. He expects to be done this week. He reported that everything went well and it was great that the trusses came in sooner than expected. Dave noted that he submitted invoices for the work that has been done. Administrator Ryan advised that payment of those invoices was approved tonight. Trustee Haddad asked if they will be done this week. Dave advised that as long as the weather permits they will and he talked about the extensions that he had to put on the chimney. The Mayor noted that the roof has leaked as long as she can remember, but there should not be any more problems with it now. Mayor Warner thanked Dave for coming in. Administrator Ryan asked Dave to let him know when he is done.

Motion by Trustee Haddad, seconded by Trustee Torrey, to approve payments totaling $5,675.20 from the General Fund to MBI for health insurance debit card transactions from November 1, 2023 - November 30, 2023. Passed 4 to 0.

Motion by Trustee Haddad, seconded by Trustee Gustin, approving a wire transfer to be sent to the NYS Retirement System in the amount of $91,437.00 from General Fund account 90158.01 (Police & Fire Retirement) for payment of the 2024 Annual Invoice. Passed 4 to 0.

Motion by Trustee Gustin, seconded by Trustee Torrey, approving a wire transfer to be sent to the NYS Retirement System in the amount of $84,455.00 from the following accounts: $76,983.65 from General Fund 90108.01 (Employees' Retirement) and $7,471.35 from Sewer Fund 90108.02 (Employee's Retirement) for payment of the 2024 Annual Invoice. Passed 4 to 0.

Motion by Trustee Gustin, seconded by Trustee Haddad, declaring the 1979 Ford Fire Truck ("Old Betsy") as surplus and authorizing its sale at auction. Passed 4 to 0.

Motion by Trustee Gustin, seconded by Trustee Haddad, approving the attached Resolution adopting Local Law 7-2023, A Local Law to Amend the Code of the Incorporated Village of Canastota Chapter 101 Regarding Controlled Burn Permits. (Note: A roll call vote is required.). Trustee Haddad - Aye; Trustee Gustin - Aye; Trustee Torrey - Aye; Mayor Warner - Aye. Passed 4 to 0.

Motion by Trustee Haddad, seconded by Trustee Torrey, approving the attached Resolution adopting Local Law 8-2023, A Local Law to Amend the Code of the Incorporated Village of Canastota Chapter 106 Regarding Permitting For Sales on Temporary or Intermittent Basis. (Note: A roll call vote is required.). Trustee Haddad - Aye; Trustee Gustin - Aye; Trustee Torrey - Aye; Mayor Warner - Nay. Passed 3 to 1.

Motion by Trustee Gustin, seconded by Trustee Haddad, approving the request from the Recreation Commission to run a Basketball Skills and Drills program on Saturdays from January 13, 2024 - March 9, 2024 from 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 p.m. at the Canastota Central Schools for children in grades 1 - 6. Passed 4 to 0.

Motion by Trustee Torrey, seconded by Trustee Gustin, approving the request from the Recreation Commission to hold the Spring Craft Fair on March 24, 2024, at Theodore's Restaurant and setting the cost of registration at $30.00 per table. Passed 4 to 0.

Motion by Trustee Haddad, seconded by Trustee Gustin, approving the request from the Recreation Commission to hold a Winter Painting Party (Couples Night) on February 7, 2024, from 6 - 8 p.m. at The Three Pines and setting the cost at $50.00 per couple. (Note: Karl's Custom Framing will provide supplies and canvases at a cost to the Village of $40.00 per couple. There is no fee being charged by The Three Pines.) Passed 4 to 0.

Correspondence.

None.

Mayor's Comments.

Mayor Warner noted that Doug Chandler brought paperwork in today for the SCBAs and it has been sent to the Village attorney for review. Trustee Haddad would like to wait for the attorney's review before we act on this. The Mayor reminded the Board about the meeting tomorrow on Zoom regarding Micron. Mayor Warner asked the Board if they had reviewed the information from Tim O'Hara regarding the generator for the UV system. The Mayor advised that we have reviewed the ARPA money today and we should be able to use those funds to purchase the generator. Mayor Warner has submitted the plans and reports to the DEC which they are still reviewing and they sent her the forms that we need to submit for payment. She believes that the DEC is happy and now we can submit the paperwork for payment.

Administrator's Report.

Administrator Ryan reported that the tree and stump removal project is complete. T-Mobile has mailed two (2) wireless routers for us to demo for security camera internet access. We will install them this week and see if they work for that purpose. He noted that we are working with JoJo Electric to continue to adjust the new lights at the Spencer Street playground. A couple of neighbors have complained about the brightness of the lights. The DPW has removed benches and trash cans from Peterboro Street for the winter and all plow trucks are ready to go. Governor Hochul recently announced $700,000 for the repaving of North Peterboro Street from the Boxing Hall of Fame to Canal Street with work to begin this spring. Administrator Ryan has been approached by the Canastota School District, Madison County Working Solutions and ARC of Madison Cortland to help organize and promote a career fair. He is working with them to look for a location in the Village to host this event during daytime hours. Mayor Warner asked Administrator Ryan about the quote from Sharp Archive. Administrator Ryan is looking for another company to help us with archiving our social media accounts as our current provide, Archive Social, has proposed a significant increase to the cost of the service for next year. Mayor Warner talked about the $127,000 grant that we received for the next phase of the Canal corridor work. Trustee Torrey asked about the current work that needed to be done on the Canal bridge and Canal and Main Streets. Administrator Ryan reviewed the work that will be done by the DOT on the bridge and talked about the detour that will need to be put in place during the work. He stated that large trucks would likely be routed down Route 5 or another large streets. Work is anticipated to take about a month. Administrator Ryan spoke with the DOT about preserving the mural on the bridge and he talked about what the DOT will be doing that will affect the mural but very minimally. DOT anticipates work to be done after the holiday. The Board talked about how DOT will pour concrete in the winter to keep it warm. Trustee Haddad asked if we have any flexibility with the State regarding when the work is being done noting that work on the Main Street Thruway bridge was just completed and opened back up. Trustee Haddad would like the DOT to do it when school is on a break or during the summer to minimize the impact on the school busses. Administrator Ryan asked about that and he advised that he has provided the information on the work to be done to the school, fire department and Greater Lenox, adding that the work will cause a full-time shut down of the area.

Trustees Comments.

Trustee Gustin congratulated everyone who worked on the Parade of Lights and noted that it was a great event that continues to get better and better. Trustee Haddad was disappointed that he didn't get any pizza dough. Trustee Haddad asked about the flooding at East Hickory Street and Peterboro Street. It is pooling there and he is concerned about it freezing. Administrator Ryan will contact the State about the problem. He believes that it is a slopping problem and not a problem with the catch basin. Trustee Haddad asked about the new local laws that the attorney just sent. Clerk/Treasurer Williams advised that we just received them on Friday. We will review them and put them on the next agenda.

Trustee Torrey asked about the mural for the bank. Administrator Ryan stated that he has not heard back from the artist, Corky Goss. Mayor Warner stated that she spoke with Joe DiGiorgio and the artist was waiting for us to hang the mural. Administrator Ryan will follow up with Corky Goss and let the Board know.

Motion by Trustee Gustin, seconded by Trustee Haddad, to adjourn at 7:58 p.m. Passed 4 to 0.

Respectfully submitted,

Catherine E. Williams

Clerk/Treasurer