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2009-03-30 SP MTG#14SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 03-30-2009 MTG. #14 SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING MTG. #14 MARCH 30, 2009 RES. 111-114 7:00 p.m. TOWN BOARD MEMBERS SUPERVISOR DANIEL STEC COUNCILMAN ANTHONY METIVIER COUNCILMAN RONALD MONTESI COUNCILMAN JOHN STROUGH COUNCILMAN TIM BREWER TOWN DEPARTMENTS DIRECTOR OF RECREATION STEVE COVERING RECREATION COMMISSION MEMBERS REPRESENTATIVES OF SO. QUEENSBURY FIRE DEPARTMENT RESOLUTION 1 RESOLUTION DESIGNATING TARGET NEIGHBORHOODS FOR PURPOSE OF AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING CORPORATION GRANT APPLICATION RESOLUTION NO.: 111, 2009 INTRODUCED BY: Mr. Ronald Montesi WHO MOVED FOR ITS ADOPTION SECONDED BY: Mr. Tim Brewer WHEREAS, the Town of Queensbury has developed an Affordable Housing Strategy, and WHEREAS, the Affordable Housing Strategy document included a detailed analysis of neighborhoods in the Town, and WHEREAS, that document identified Census Tract 708 and 706 Block Group 2 (known locally as West Glens Falls and South Queensbury) as areas which contained high concentrations of lower income, owner-occupied housing in need of significant rehabilitation assistance which cannot be met by the private sector without governmental assistance, and WHEREAS, that document identified that Strategy 1 included in the Affordable Housing Strategy was the "Protection and Expansion of the Stock of Affordable Housing in the Existing Neighborhoods", and SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 03-30-2009 MTG. #14 2 WHEREAS, The Town has received a HOME grant from the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal and a CDBG grant from the New York State Office of Community Renewal targeting the rehabilitation of existing owner- occupied homes in these Census areas, and WHEREAS, in designating these areas as part of the HOME and CDBG Applications the Town has established that housing conditions in the area are characterized as deteriorating, substandard and in need of basic rehabilitation, and WHEREAS, the Town in the adopted Affordable Housing Strategy specifically identified the New York State Affordable Housing Corporation as an important source of funds to implement the Town's program of owner- occupied housing rehabilitation in these targeted areas, NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Town of Queensbury reaffirms the analysis and conclusions included in the Affordable Housing Strategy and designates that Census Tracts 708 and 706 Block Group 2 as an area, as described in 21B NYCRR Section 2161.2 of the Regulations of the Affordable Home Ownership Development Program in which governmental assistance is necessary and appropriate to make necessary investment in homes in the area. Duly adopted this 30th day of March, 2009 by the following vote: AYES Mr. Metivier, Mr. Montesi, Mr. Strough, Mr. Brewer, Mr. Stec NOES None ABSENT: None DISCUSSION: Recreation Commission Request to Terminate Lease with South Queensbury Fire Supervisor Stec-Noted that the Town has had a lease for use of the South Queensbury Fire Company land for recreation purposes since 1986, there are two or three years left on the lease. There is language in the lease that with thirty days notice we can break it. The Recreation Commission has made a decision to discontinue programs at that park and they wanted the Town Board to terminate the lease. Recreation Director Steve Covering-In November or December of last year the Commission voted to discontinue the lease, that was based on the cost that goes into maintaining that property, plus outside of the Fire Company there is really not a lot of people using the park. The softball field would remain and the structures would not be taken out, but cutting the grass, empting the garbage would not be done. SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 03-30-2009 MTG. #14 Councilman Strough-That area is targeted for re-development with the new zoning that could go big time the opportunities there. Director Covering-The park will still remain. Councilman Strough-But out of our control, do we have an alternate site in South Queensbury? Director Covering-This is the only site. Councilman Strough-If we had an alternative site, there might be a better more improved better location...I could say ok, but in lack of that this would leave no recreational opportunities to anybody in South Q that is maintained by the town. Director Covering-I would say the people in that area will still go over to the Fire House and play basketball and use the softball field, because those facilities are not going to disappear. Councilman Strough-But now, the Parks and Recreation maintain them. Director Covering-They would be like all the other fire companies they would maintain their own property. Councilman Strough-It could be under utilized because additional facilities would attract a wider use, the other argument is that, that area is targeted for potential re-development, if we lose that lease it might not be easy to get it back. Recreation Commissioner-Noted there are other options, such as behind Dunkin Donuts... if the opportunity presented itself and we needed to do something we do have some opportunities. We have been twelve years without any structured programs down there, if the effort is just for us to maintain the property I do not know that is fair to the Parks and Recreation Dept. for our budget and as Steve indicated we are not putting any additional staff on we just put a lot of money in Ridge Jenkinsville and man hours taking care of that park. We spend a lot of time in all the other parks as far as man hours go, it does not sound like a lot when you spend three or four hours a week down there but you are taking three or four hours away from Gurney Lane and Ridge Jenkinsville and the rest of the parks that are getting used by the rest of the people I think that does have an impact on the department. Councilman Montesi-What was to be done with the suggestion of spending twenty thousand on that park? Supervisor Stec-Re-surface the basketball court and parking lot for the rec. area. Recreation Commissioner-Spoke on the success of the West Glens Falls Park our focus has changed that we do not run the little programs at the parks anymore it is all at Queensbury School. The Commission feels that our time and effort is better spent in other places, that doesn't shut the door if the population demands it down there and things change and we have had discussions regarding other sites. So. Qsby. Fire Company Representative-Concerned about mowing the lawn, three times more than they have now..raising the cost... Supervisor Stec-Indirectly the taxpayer would end up paying for that. Councilman Montesi-What kind of time do we spend there? Recreation Commissioner-When the grass is growing, we are down there twice a week. Director Covering-Spoke in the trash pickup and repairing of the tables. The fire company using cars out back as training tools does not lend itself to a park, have lost SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 03-30-2009 MTG. #14 4 numerous tires and metal is in the grass. I have estimated the maintenance of the park to be approximately fifty seven to seventy-five hundred a year. Councilman Brewer-If we dissolve the contract and put three thousand in to mow the lawn ... Supervisor Stec-Right now the town spends about two hundred and twenty eight dollars a year on the lease, itself. Recreation Commissioner-Nobody uses this park for recreation purposes, they use it for other purposes, nobody uses it under our jurisdiction as a recreation site, therefore we would like to terminate this responsibility. We do not want to be responsible for property that nobody uses. Recreation Commissioner-I think you were getting to the point of maintaining the lease and just giving the fire company some money to do the maintenance, that would be fine with us as long as we are not dealing with the maintenance issues. Councilman Strough-I think we could do more with it than what we have in the past. Recreation Commissioner-Another reason I do not like it is I do not think it is safe for kids in and out of that street on the bicycle to get to that park. Your point about an alternative site as the population changes is very good and we will continue to look into that. Councilman Strough-I am not comfortable giving up something that we have. Councilman Brewer-Do you think that your company would have an issue if at some point two years, five years down the road we wanted to re-do this lease and improve the property? Representative of Fire Company-It would be a new lease, I do not think there would be a problem with it. Councilman Brewer-If we end it, whatever it cost to mow the lawn we would put in their budget. Supervisor Stec-That would be done in next years contract. We will keep the lease and let it run out if at the end of the lease we want to renew it maybe it is the Town Board that renews it and not the Rec. Dept. responsibility, ... Who owns the equipment Recreation Commissioner-The Town owns the equipment. Supervisor Stec-The Recreation Dept. will not do any active programming down there but the lawn will somehow get mowed and the towns will not cancel the lease. Insurance coverage will be on the Fire Company. The consensus I hear for the Town Board is not cancel the lease, Recreation Dept. is out of the business out there, we will have to figure out how we are going to take care of this years grass mowing but next year's grass mowing we may bump up into the contract or we may send a crew down there and we may not mow it as much with Chuck's crew. Councilman Brewer-Requested that the fire company get prices on mowing the extra property. Supervisor Stec-Noted we cannot give So. Queensbury more money without opening the contract, we can use town forces to help with mowing but only if we keep the lease. Representative of Fire Company-The Fire Company will get quotes on mowing. SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 03-30-2009 MTG. #14 Supervisor Stec-We will not have this proposal on the agenda until the quotes are received. For now we will maintain the status quo. Supervisor Stec-two items for Executive Session CSEA SETP III GRIEVANCE ALTERNATE PLANNING BOARD INTERVIEW RESOLUTION CALLING FOR AN EXECUTIVE SESSION RESOLUTION NO. 112, 2009 INTRODUCED BY: Mr. Tim Brewer WHO MOVED FOR ITS ADOPTION SECONDED BY: Mr. John Strough 5 RESOLVED, that the Town Board of the Town of Queensbury to discuss CSEA Step III Grievance and also conduct Alternate Planning Board interviews. Duly adopted this 30th day of March, 2009 by the following vote: AYES: Mr. Metivier, Mr. Montesi, Mr. Strough, Mr. Brewer, Mr. Stec NOES: None ABSENT: None RESOLUTION ADJOURNING EXECUTIVE SESSION RESOLUTION NO. 113.2009 INTRODUCED BY: Mr. Tim Brewer WHO MOVED FOR ITS ADOPTION SECONDED BY: Mr. John Strough RESOLVED, that the Town Board of the Town of Queensbury hereby adjourns its Executive Session. Duly adopted this 30th day of March, 2009 by the following vote: AYES: Mr. Metivier, Mr. Montesi, Mr. Strough, Mr. Brewer, Mr. Stec NOES: None ABSENT: None NO ACTION TAKEN DURING EXECUTIVE SESSION RESOLUTION ADJOURNING TOWN BOARD MEETING RESOLUTION NO. 114.2009 INTRODUCED BY: Mr. Tim Brewer WHO MOVED FOR ITS ADOPTION SECONDED BY: Mr. John Strough RESOLVED, that the Town Board of the Town of Queensbury hereby adjourns its Town Board Meeting. Duly adopted this 30th day of March, 2009 by the following vote: SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 03-30-2009 MTG. #14 AYES: Mr. Metivier, Mr. Montesi, Mr. Strough, Mr. Brewer, Mr. Stec NOES: None ABSENT: None Respectfully submitted, 6 Miss Darleen M Dougher Town Clerk-Queensbury