(Hamilton, NY – April 2014) The April Hamilton Town Council meeting started with news from Earlville. Elections have recently been held, with Margaret Corey and Daniel Piliero elected as Village Trustees.
Miller gave an update on the village of Hamilton news with gas line construction just waiting for PSC approval to begin. The Hamilton farmers market starts in May, and the village is looking for a market monitor. Please contact the Hamilton Village Office if you are interested.
Spring is in the air and the snow is melting, leaving some messy roads in its wake. Our town highway crew is back on summer hours and has been repairing culverts, sweeping and cleaning roads in town and providing assistance to other municipalities. Superintendent Bert Glazer continues with our vehicle sale and rotation schedule, selling and replacing vehicles with a significant cost savings for the town.
The town of Hamilton continues to discuss shared service opportunities with our villages and local institutions. Options such as a shared garage facility with Birnie Bus, Colgate University, the Village and Town of Hamilton and the potential for the village and town to share office space are being explored.
Comprehensive plan focus groups were held March 29 with close to 40 invited community members sharing their thoughts on agriculture, recreation, economic development, housing and energy development in the town of Hamilton. The results from the focus groups are being analyzed by our consultants, Community Planning and Environmental Associates, and combined with data from the survey and visioning workshop for use in the new comprehensive plan.
Councilman Peter Darby reported that the Partnership for Community Development awarded its micro-assistance grants to local small businesses. These grants are intended to encourage small businesses to expand current enterprises and invest in new opportunities. The group is continuing its work on senior housing possibilities for Hamilton, as well.
On a county level, Supervisor Eve Ann Shwartz gave an update on the Oneida Land Claim; the county has received $11 million, with $3.5 million annual payments expected in subsequent years.
The Hamilton Town Council meets at 7 p.m. the second Thursday of the month at the Hamilton Town Office in the village of Hamilton. The next regular meeting is Thursday, May 8. For more info visit townofhamiltonny.org/.
Focus Groups Shape Comprehensive Plan
More than 40 people dedicated their time March 29 to help shape a future vision for the town of Hamilton. Community members with expertise and interest in agriculture, business development, housing, recreation and energy development were invited to participate in five focus groups led by planners Nan Stolzenburg and Don Meltz.
The focus groups were part of the process to revise the town of Hamilton’s 1999 comprehensive plan, with the plan serving as a road map that guides the town’s decisions regarding future growth and development. The Comprehensive Plan Committee, with assistance from Community Planning and Environmental Associates, has already conducted a town-wide visioning workshop and mailed and tabulated a town-wide survey. The results from these endeavors have helped the CPC to formulate vision and goal statements about the future of Hamilton.
Focus group participants discussed ideas on what strategies are possible for the town of Hamilton to take to accomplish our visions and goals for agriculture, business development, housing, recreation and energy development. These brainstorming sessions included discussions of topics ranging from growing local business to expanding recreational opportunities and innovative ways for the community to save on energy costs.
The results from the Focus Groups is being analyzed and compiled with data from the Survey and Visioning Workshop. All the material will be incorporated into the new Comprehensive Plan, which will then be reviewed by the Town Council and the entire Hamilton community. For more information, visit townofhamiltonny.org/comprehensive-plan-committee/.
Chris Rossi is a member of the Hamilton Town Council.