Town Board Meeting Minutes for 11/3/2021

TOWN OF LAKE LUZERNE 

TOWN BOARD MEETING 

NOVEMBER 3, 2021 

 

 

DEPUTY SUPERVISOR PETTEYS CALLED MEETING TO ORDER AT 7 PM WITH THE FOLLOWING MEMBERS PRESENT: COUNCILMAN LEWANDOWSKI, COUNCILMAN FAZIO, COUNCILMAN WATERHOUSE. ALSO PRESENT, HIGHWAY SUPT DEUEL, ATTORNEY FOR THE TOWN MICHAEL CROWE. ABSENT COUNCILMAN O’ NEAL AND SUPERVISOR MERLINO. 

 

 

ATTORNEY ADVISED THAT WE RE-ITERATE THE RESOLUTIONS DISCUSSED AND MOVED AT THE WORKSHOP MEETING AS FOLLOWS. 

 

RESOLUTION 157 OF 2021 – INTRODUCED BY COUNCILMAN FAZIO SECONDED BY COUNCILMAN LEWANDOWSKI 

TO MOVE THE TENTATIVE BUDGET TO PRELIMINARY BUDGET AND SET THE PUBLIC HEARING. ALL IN FAVOR, AYE, NONE OPPOSED, CARRIED 3- 0. 

 

RESOLUTION 158 OF 2021 – INTRODUCED BY COUNCILMAN WATERHOUSE SECONDED BY COUNCILMAN LEWANDOWSKI 

TO SET A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE 2022 PRELIMINARY BUDGET FOR NOVEMBER 15, 2021 AT 7 PM. ALL IN FAVOR, AYE, NONE OPPOSED, CARRIED, 3- 0. 

 

 

CLERK GAVE THE PROPOSED RESOLUTION FOR HEALTH INSURANCE RENEWAL TO THE BOARD MEMBERS. 

ATTORNEY ADVISED THAT IN THE LAST DISCUSSION THE MEMBERS WERE WAITING FOR PRESCRIPTION INFORMATION. 

 

 

DISCUSSION REGARDING ENGINEERS: SUPERVISOR HAS MADE CALLS TO SEVERAL ENGINEERS AND GOT ONE RESPONSE BACK FROM CT MALE REGARDING THE MILL ST. DAM ISSUE AND A LETTER ADVISING DEC THE TOWN WAS INTERVIEWING FOR AN ENGINEER. 

 

 

ATTORNEY FOR NETTLE MEADOW, EDWARD FITZGERALD FILED A 30-DAY NOTICE FOR LIQUOR LICENSE TODAY TOGETHER WITH A LETTER OF REQUEST THAT THE BOARD WAIVE THE 30 DAY WAIT REQUIREMENT. THE OWNER CALLED TO SAY THAT THEY HAVE WORKED ON IT SINCE FEBRUARY AND THE DELAY HAS CAUSED THEM TO HAVE TO RE-FILE. 

 

RESOLUTION 159 OF 2021 – RESOLUTION INTRODUCED BY COUNCILMAN WATERHOUSE AND SECONDED BY COUNCILMAN LEWANDOWSKI TO WAIVE THE 30 DAY ADVANCE NOTICE PERIOD REGARDING THE LIQUOR LICENSE APPLICATION FOR LUMAZU, LLC dba THE HITCHING POST TAVERN AT NETTLE MEADOW. ALL IN FAVOR, AYE. NONE OPPOSED, CARRIED 3- 0. 

 

 

DISCUSSION REGARDING KOFILE BOOK PRESERVATION QUOTES FOR TWO MINUTES BOOKS FROM THE FORTIES AND SIXTIES. 

 

 

TOWN CLERK ASKED ATTORNEY FOR THE TOWN FOR ASSISTANCE IN PREPARING A WATER PAYMENT SCHEDULE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE GOVERNOR’ S DIRECTIVE DURING THE COVID PANDEMIC WHEREIN NO INTEREST COULD BE CHARGED FOR LATE PAYMENT AND NO RELEVY ON TOWN AND COUNTY TAX BILLS OF UNPAID WATER FOR THIS BILLING CYCLE. 

 

 

THE AGREEMENT WITH COUNTRYSIDE VETERINARY HOSPITAL WILL BE DISCUSSED AT THE REGULAR TOWN BOARD MEETING. 

 

 

HIGHWAY SUPT RON DEUEL PUT FORTH PROPOSALS FOR PURCHASE OF A BRINE MAKER 

 

AT THIS TIME TO GET BRINE WE BORROW A MACHINE FROM THE COUNTY. 

 

THE COUNTY MACHINE AT THIS TIME IS BORROWED NOT RENTED. AND IT IS USED IN WASHINGTON COUNTY AS WELL THAT MIGHT LIMIT US. 

 

HAD THREE QUOTES FOR PURCHASE: 

 

STONY CREEK PURCHASED THEIR OWN —STAINLESS STEEL .THEY KNOW THE SYSTEM . RON HAS MONEY IS LEFT OVER IN THE SALT BUDGET . THE ONE STONEY CREEK BOUGHT IS $24,000. A PLASTIC ONE COSTS $ 8, 000. 

 

COUNCILMAN FAZIO—THIS IS THE FIRST FULL YEAR WE’ VE USED IT RIGHT 

 

RON: YES, IT’ S A TOOL. ITS NOT A MIRACLE. IT MAKES CLEANUP A LOT QUICKER. AND USE LESS SALT. 

 

COUNCILMAN FAZIO—WHAT CONCERNS ME IS THAT WHEN YOU SOLD US ON THIS BRINE SYSTEM EARLIER THIS YEAR, YOU TOLD US THAT THE SALT BUDGET IS GOING TO GO THROUGH THE FLOOR. 

 

RON: NO. SINCE WE CALIBRATED OUR TRUCKS AND WE GOT THE ELECTRIC DICKEY JOHNS, LOGAN USED TO GO THROUGH A LOAD AND A HALF EVERY TWO ROUTES, NOW THREE ON ONE FULL TRUCK.

 

COUNCILMAN FAZIO- AT THE BUDGET HEARING YOU WANTED YOUR BUDGET DRAMATICALLY INCREASED. 

 

RON: IT WASN’ T A LOT. YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT KIND OF WINTER YOU ARE GOING TO GET. IT IS THE TOOL TO USE LESS SALT. BUT IF THERE IS A YEAR WITH A LOT OF FREEZING RAIN, YOU WILL USE THE BRINE RIGHT UP. WE HAD A DECENT WINTER SO I HAVE A GOOD BALANCE LEFT OVER. 

 

COUNCILMAN FAZIO WOULD LIKE TO SEE A FULL YEAR OF USAGE BEFORE MAKING THE DECISION. 

 

RON: STONY CREEK IS ON THE SECOND FULL YEAR. 

 

COUNCILMAN FAZIO- I AM JUST SAYING WITH A VERY WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY TO USE IT, AND WHAT YOU JUST SAID CONTRADICTS WHAT WE THOUGHT. SO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A FULL YEAR OF USE. 

 

COUNCILMAN WATERHOUSE WOULD LIKE TO EXPLORE SHARED SERVICES. ITS NOT LIKE YOU ARE USING IT EVERYDAY. 

 

HIGHWAY SUPT DEUEL- THE OBJECT OF THIS BRINE IS TO SWEETEN THE ROAD, NOT TO PUT IT DOWN ONCE. IF ONE TANK GETS LOW A WORKER CAN MAKE THE BRINE AND TWO OTHERS GO OUT AND DO THE BRINE. ONE ROUTE TAKES 700 GALS AND THREE HOURS TO DO. SO IT IS A COUPLE OF DAYS TO DO. 

 

COUNCILMAN WATERHOUSE- IF YOU BOUGHT ONE COULD YOU RENT IT TO OTHER TOWNS. 

 

RON: I DON’ T THINK I WOULD BECAUSE IF WE BOUGHT ONE IT WOULD BE STATIONARY. WE HAVE THE STORAGE TANKS AND THE WATER SOURCE TO DO THIS. SOME OTHER TOWNS HAVE TO PUMP WATER IN BY TANKER. 

 

RON: THE FIRST TIME I USED THIS I WANT TO GO FOR IT. WE SAW A QUICKER CLEAN UP THE FIRST TIME WE USED IT. 

 

COUNCILMAN FAZIO- YOU ARE THE HIGHWAY SUPT, YOU ARE THE EXPERT, SO WHAT YOU TELL ME I BELIEVE., WE JUST WANT TO SEE WHAT OTHER OPTIONS THERE ARE BEFORE WE DO IT, 

 

RON : WHAT OTHER OPTIONS DO YOU THINK THERE IS. 

 

COUNCILMAN FAZIO- SHARED SERVICES 

 

RON: IF YOU DO SHARED SERVICES IT HAS TO BE MOBILE. THE ONE THE COUNTY HAS IS OVER$ 100,000.

 

COUNCILMAN WATERHOUSE- WE DON’ T KNOW THIS WHICH IS WHY WE ASK THE QUESTIONS. 

 

RON: I AM PROPOSING THIS BECAUSE THIS IS THE WAY I WANT TO GO FOR THE FUTURE. EVERY YEAR THE MONEY SAVED COULD BE PUT BACK INTO THE PROGRAM. I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THE TOWN OF HAGUE COULD COME TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT IT. BOARD MEMBERS AGREED TO COME AND SEE THE MACHINERY. 

 

COUNCILMAN FAZIO- THIS IS REALLY NOT THE MEETING FOR THIS. THIS IS FOR RESOLUTIONS FOR NEXT WEEK. A RESOLUTION TO BUY IT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN TONIGHT FOR NEXT WEEK. 

 

COUNCILMAN WATERHOUSE- SO GET THE QUOTES AND GET SOME GUYS DOWN HERE TO TALK TO US. WE COULD GET THEM ON THE AGENDA TO TALK TO US . 

 

RON: ON MONDAY? I AM NST TRYING TO GET THIS TO YOU NOW . LEAD TIME IS 3- 4 WEEKS. 

 

COUNCILMAN WATERHOUSE- IF HE WANTS TO COME DOWN WE COULD TAKE TURNS COMING TO THE SHOP AND DO THROUGH IT. 

 

COUNCILMAN LEWANDOWSKI- WHAT DO YOU FIGURE YOU HAVE IN IT WITH THE TANKS, THE APPLICATOR? 

 

RON: UNDER$ 25, 000, 

 

COUNCILMAN FAZIO- I LOVE THE BRINE IDEA. SAVE THE LAKE, THE TRIBUTARIES. 

 

RON: SAVING ON PUTTING DOWN SAND AND PICKING IT UP IN THE SPRING WHICH IS BUILDING UP ON THE SHOULDERS. THE BRINE IS A GOOD PROGRAM ENVIRONMENTALLY. 

 

COUNCILMAN WATERHOUSE- ASKED WHEN STREET SWEEPER IS TO BE SOLD. THERE ARE THREE OF THEM THERE. 

 

RON: WAITING TO PUT STREET SWEEPER OUT TO AUCTION BECAUSE THERE WAS LOCAL INTEREST IN IT. SO IT WILL BE STORED UNTIL SPRING WHEN IT COULD GO ON THE AUCTION SITE. IT IS UNDER COVER IN THE SHED. 

 

 

FURTHER DISCUSSION REGARDING UNIFORMS:

 

RON: HAS CALCULATED THAT WE ARE PAYING $8, 500 PR YEAR. IF WE COULD GIVE A$ 500 ONE TIME ALLOWANCE TO EACH MAN THE FIRST YEAR TO GET WHAT THEY WANT TO BUY FOR UNIFORMS AND BOOTS IT WOULD SAVE $4,000. THE FOLLOWING YEAR WE GIVE $400 EACH PR YR WHICH WOULD SAVE$ 4,900 COMPARED TO WHAT IS BEING SPENT RIGHT NOW. WITH A COMPANY, THERE IS A CHARGE ON EVERYTHING. 

 

COUNCILMAN FAZIO- DO YOU THINK THEY WOULD BUY THEIR OWN UNIFORM. RON- I THINK THEY WOULD BUY PANTS THAT THEY COME TO WORK WITH 

 

COUNCILMAN LEWANDOWSKI – IF YOU GIVE THEM $400 THEY WOULD NEED TO BUY WITH THEIR NAME OR TOWN OF LAKE LUZERNE. 

 

RON- NO THEY WOULD BUY WHAT THEY WANT. IF THEY COME TO WORK AND GET THEM DIRTY. IF THEY WANT TO BUY A$ 12 PAIR FROM TRACTOR SUPPLY. 

 

COUNCILMAN FAZIO- IT IS MORE OF A CLOTHING ALLOWANCE THAN UNIFORM ALLOWANCE. NO SET STANDARD OF WHAT THEY HAVE TO WEAR TO WORK. 

 

RON THEY DON’ T NOW. THEY DON’ T WEAR THE SHIRTS. THEY COMPLAIN THAT THE PANTS ARE BAGGY OR SMALL . 

 

COUNCILMAN WATERHOUSE – THE JACKETS ARE PART OF THE UNIFORM. 

 

RON- YES BUT HALF THE GUYS DON’ T WEAR THEM BECAUSE THEY DON’ T FIT RIGHT. 

 

COUNCILMAN FAZIO – WHY ARE WE SPENDING THAT MONEY TO BEGIN WITH. RON: I DON’ T EVEN WEAR THE UNIFORMS BECAUSE I DON’ T LIKE HOW THEY FIT. 

 

RON- I HAVE A PRINT OUT OF WHAT I PAID RIGHT NOW. ABOUT$ 8, 500.IF WE GIVER THEM AN ALLOWANCE, THEY CAN BUY THEIR BOOTS AND GLOVES AND HATS WITH IT. EITHER WAY WE CAN SAVE MONEY. 

 

COUNCILMAN FAZIO – IS THERE SAFETY CONCERNS. STEEL TOES ? RON- THEY HAVE TO WEAR BOOTS, NO SNEAKERS. 

 

COUNCILMAN FAZIO – I CAN SEE IT MORE A REIMBURSEMENT THAN A DISBURSEMENT. RATHER THAN HAND EVERYONE MONEY, DO IT WITH A RECEIPT.

 

ATTORNEY CROWE- IF THIS IS PPE, STEEL TOED SHOES, SAFETY GLASSES, HARD HATS, I WOULD FEEL BETTER HAVING THAT SUPPLIED, RATHER THAN BRINGING IN A RECEIPT, OR YOU HAVE EXCEEDED THE AMOUNT YOU CAN SPEND FOR THE YEAR AND NOT HAVE STEEL TOED SHOES OR SAFETY GLASSES. THE CLOTHING TO WEAR CAN BE AT RON’ S DESCRESION AS TO WHAT WOULD BE BEST .BUT FOR PPE THEN THAT IS SOMETHING YOU WANT TO HAVE AVAILABLE, IF THERE ARE GUIDELINES AS TO WHAT THEY NEED BASED ON WHAT THE JOB THEY ARE GOING TO BE IN. 

 

ATTORNEY CROWE- AN INTERNAL POLICY CAN BE IN PLACE AS TO WHAT SAFETY WEAR IN THE ENVIRONMENT THEY WORK IN. 

 

 

RON: HAS CHIPS MONEY LEFT OVER BECAUSE SCHOFIELD ROAD TOOK A LONG TIME. MOUNTAIN RD CONFLICT OF PAVING WITH CORINTH COMING TO US, I WAS BUDGETED$ 200,000 THIS YEAR, BUT WE ARE GETTING BACK$ 292,000. THAT WOULD BE A ROLL OVER, I WOULD LIKE TO BUY A HOT BOX WITH THE APPROVAL OF THE BOARD OUT OF THE CHIPS MONEY. 

 

A HOT BOX IS A LOAD OF BLACKTOP THAT CAN BE BROKEN UP DURING THE WINTER AND PUT IN THE HOT BOX AND THEN IN THE MORNING THERE IS ASPHALT FOR POTHOLES INSTEAD OF BUYING CHEAP COLD PATCH. IT IS ANOTHER GREAT IDEAL. FITS ON A TRAILER WHICH LIFTS UP AND IT COMES OUT A SHUTE. PRICES FOR A 3 TON= 28,000 AND A 4 TON= 32,000. IT IS ON STATE CONTRACT SO NO BID.. 

 

COUNCILMAN WATERHOUSE- IT’ S A GOOD IDEA. BUT THE FULL BOARD NEEDS TO LOOK AT IT. RON WILL TALK TO HADLEY SUPT TO SEE IF THEY WANT TO GO IN ON IT OR IF IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE. 

 

 

COUNCILMAN LEWANDOWSKI- DISCUSSED WITH ZONING OFFICER – BOARD IS LOOKING IN TO FINES FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT GET A BUILDING PERMIT, ALSO DISCUSSED WITH BARBARA MITCHELL OF THE SENIOR CENTER THAT HUDSON HEADWATERS IS COMING IN TO LOOK AT THE HOOK UP FOR THE MOBILE VAN. 

 

MEETING ADJOURNED UPON A MOTION BY COUNCILMAN WATERHOUSE, SECONDED BY COUNCILMAN LEWANDOWSKI. ALL IN FAVOR, AYE 

 

 

RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED, 

CYNTHIA SHERWOOD, RMC, TOWN CLERK