Minutes of the January 8, 2003 were approved as presented on a motion by Hitchcock seconded by LaPierre and carried.

The Supervisor's report was given to the Board and bank statements were made available for review.

Mr. Peter Peters discussed with the Board ideas on redoing the Town's web site. He will sketch up a new page and will come back with a presentation and cost. He will work with Councilmen Hitchcock and LaPierre.

Assessor Georgette Krauss gave a memorandum to the Board on the annual reassessment project for 2003. She is meeting with the State Office of Real Property the end of February and will report to the Board in March.
This item was tabled.

Building Inspector Robert Bosworth gave a written and oral report to the Board.
He was unable to work on the unsafe building information the Board requested. He said he would have that information for the March meeting.
He is working on a possible major sub-division off of County Rt. 14.
He has talked with Jeff Prince concerning the Shabby Ranch property. Attorney Rappleyea spoke with Mr. Prince and "made it very clear what he needed to do".
The Building Inspector is working with Attorney Larry Gardner concerning the barn on County Route 23C. Attorney Gardner "only wants me to confirm the fact that I've covered the place and there are no DEC problems there. I will contact DEC and work with them".

Courtesy of the Floor:

Helga Pscherer asked the Board if anything could be done about people plowing their driveways and leaving the snow on the main road. It becomes very bumpy and is a hazardous.
Superintendent Mallory will speak with the parties involved. Attorney Rappleyea saying this is a violation of the vehicle traffic law.

Courtesy of the floor was closed.

Superintendent Mallory addressed the Board on several items.

"We have to buy a pick-up truck, if we lease we'll ruin it. It will get scratched and we'll put more miles on it. We need a truck, if the Board would like to lease a truck that would be fine by me."
Councilman Middleton "It doesn't matter if it gets banged up. You build that into the lease. I don't like the fact that you're using your own truck. I think we should lease it. You can build in more miles."
Superintendent Mallory "I'd just as soon buy one because I'd like to keep it 10, 12, 14 years."
Councilman Middleton "I understand that. The only reason it was brought up is because we wouldn't be eating up cash money that sitting somewhere making some money. We would just absorb a monthly lease on a new vehicle and then we would turn it over every 3 years. Why would you want to keep a truck 12 years, in their lies the problems we're just getting out of."
Supervisor Flaherty "We were more concerned with ordinary ware and tare on a lease vehicle."
Councilman Middleton "It's not like the lease you and I have. They have leases that work for construction companies and businesses'."
Superintendent Mallory "I down loaded some State contract information. A new ¾ ton Dodge truck would run $19,000 and a new ¾ ton Ford truck would run $18,500 both with the option to plow."
On Councilmen Middleton and Hitchcock's suggestion the Superintendent will find out prices on leases and outright purchases and get back to the highway committee.

The Superintendent asked the Board to consider a new insulated bay and a new roof over the summer barn. The existing roof was built with used tin and is full of holes. The highway crew, over the summer, could build a new bay approximately 60 to 80 feet long by 40 feet across.
Councilman Middleton "I think it's all great and I don't have a problem. I just wish we were further along in our thought process as to the disposition or potential move to a new location."
The Board approved the Superintendent getting prices for a new roof on the summer barn.

Superintendent Mallory "The salt barn was built to small. In the next 3 or 4 years we'll have more Town roads. The existing salt barn is not adequate enough to hold the sand and salt needed to take care of the roads we have now. I want to extend out the back and/or the front."

February 12, 2003 page 2 of 3

Supervisor Flaherty "I've been on the phone with the State. Maybe we could get 50% funding from the Clean Water Bond Act."
Superintendent Mallory "I called up the people who put the building up and asked what they recommended. I just want the Board to think about putting an extension on."

Superintendent Mallory "Just for the record. We have 3 men working and we usually have 4. No one is knocking down the door for a job. We need the 4th worker. If the school project had passed I would have been down a few men because they wouldn't have been able to afford to work here and pay the new taxes. We have to consider, this coming year, adjusting the pay rates for these men."

Superintendent Mallory said he wanted to hold off, for a bit, making Peck Road one way. "If I make it one way there will be more traffic by Pierce's."
Councilman Middleton "I think the Board was smart in visualizing that as a necessity and a dangerous possibility. But at the same time I'm not 100% certain that I think it should happen either. I don't see a lot of cars coming out of there."
Superintendent Mallory "We should address the issue, one way or the other. I'd like to ask the Board to write a letter to the County or State. The State has the right to control the intersection. I think the letter should request that that house on the corner be looked at. It's a State right of way and there is no field of vision with the house there. Before we make any decisions I should write a letter to Jess Pierce and let him know what we're thinking about and get their input."
Councilman Hitchcock "I'm just wondering how much the traffic will be increased by Pierces? Instead of going out there onto the State road because they can, they might go on Goshen Street and down or the back way by Higgins' and hit 23C and not necessarily always going by Pierces."
Superintendent Mallory " Before we make a decision I would just like to write them a letter."
Councilman Hitchcock " Your right, as a courtesy just to let them know we're considering it."
The Board was in agreement and this item was tabled.

Superintendent Mallory "We're over on expenses."
Councilman LaPierre asked if the Town has used up its allotment of salt.
Superintendent Mallory said he does his estimation high. "I requested 160 tons and you can get 50% either way of that."

Supervisor Flaherty explained about the Carr Road project. "We applied to the DEP to do some remediation in South Jewett on Carr Road. They reviewed our project. It did meet the minimum water quality standards but not overwhelmingly. They'll give us $10,000 to do more studies to see if we can bring the course down and increase the water quality issue."

Superintendent Mallory "we'd like to black top the parking lot this year. The general fund pays for it." The Superintendent will get the measurements and bring them back to the Board.

Superintendent Mallory "We talked about a roller last year. I under estimated what it would cost us. A new trailer I can get for $10,000 or a used one for $8,000. I checked on leasing a roller for the summer. It was $18,000 for 6 months. We would use it about 30 days a year."
Councilman Middleton asked about the cooperative effort with other mountain top towns.
The Superintendent said Hunter and Ashland have rollers but they're to big for us to use.
Councilmen Middleton suggested the Superintendent check out places that hold auctions.

Councilman Hitchcock asked about the outside lights. The Superintendent said he was looking into a motion sensor. He is working on the problem.

The Board discussed the ambulance contract.
Supervisor Flaherty "my only item for consideration was Article 3. I spoke with Supervisor Meehan. He's not going to hold us to making 2 equal payments. It's his intent to get the invoices to us in a timely fashion. He going to make an effort to bill us bi-annually, which is really the same thing. I just wondered if it shouldn't be in the contract if he's not going to hold us to it."
Councilman Middleton " In there is the problem with just having verbal conversations. If we can say now we want to be billed monthly that would be a little less of a sting. I think that a more frequent billing schedule allows us to keep better track of things."
On a motion by Flaherty seconded by Hitchcock and carried the Board went into Executive Session concerning finances. On a motion by Flaherty seconded by Middleton and carried the Board came out of Executive Session.
The ambulance contract was discussed and after some revisions a new draft will be prepared and submitted.

Correspondence:

Councilman Middleton speaking on the Tarnow situation, "I still think there's a way that can work if everybody get this right. I don't know about the ownership part. I would hate to think that we can't in this rural Town accommodate people that want to be creative, artistic, or whatever but at the same time make them adhere to the neighbors."

February 12, 2003 page 3 of 3

Other:

Attorney Rappleyea updated language in the Sign Law by inserting a new paragraph J.
A motion was made by Flaherty seconded by LaPierre and carried to schedule a Public Hearing at 7PM on March 12, 2003 to amend the Sign Law.

Councilman LaPierre "Relative to the web-site. At the Supervisor's meeting they were talking about the new County web-site with links to all sorts of other County related sites. They have a development firm over in Hudson to do the County site. I asked if it would be feasible with that contract to extend their services to all the Towns or other agencies in the County that might want to be involved at a reduced cost? They said they would look into that."

Councilman Hitchcock asked if we had received the annual reports from the fire departments. Nothing has come into the Town office as of tonight's meeting.

Councilman Hitchcock said he's had some questions on non-conforming lots. There's one by Lossee Road on 23C. What happens if someone else buys that? Is the only thing that can go on that another trailer or could someone put up a house? It's a sub-standard lot."
Attorney Rappleyea "They could still get a house on there and still meet the set back requirements."

Councilman Hitchcock "In regard to non-conforming. I think what's happening in Jewett is we're seeing the squeeze begin. This non-conforming thing keeps coming up. If we decide on a code enforcement officer should we kind of make an attempt to list or document our non-conforming properties in the Town?"
Supervisor Flaherty "Yes. The gentlemen that come for the employee handbook meeting has guidelines for zoning and code enforcement officers and will supply us with the information."

Councilman Hitchcock asked about the upper end of Shad Road. At one time it was called Memory Lane?
The Supervisor said the entire road has been changed to Shad Road for 911 purposes.

Councilman Hitchcock "On 23C east just past Shad Road there's two horses there with no cover." The Councilman was advised to contact our dog control officer or the ASPCA.

All Town Board members voted no to appointing Richard Ferro to the Planning Board.
The Board was concerned because Mr. Ferro said he would not be able to attend all the meetings.

The bills were audited and ordered paid. The general fund was $33,150.65 on abstract #2, claim numbers 34 to 50. The highway fund was $24,385.87 on abstract #2, claim numbers 12 to 40.

There being no further business the meeting was adjourned at 10:20PM on a motion by Flaherty seconded by LaPierre and carried.

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Patricia Merwin Town Clerk