Notes from the July Hamilton Town Council meeting
By Chris Rossi
The July Hamilton Town Council meeting opened with the introduction of Bruce Moseley as the new president of the Partnership for Community Development. Moseley replaces Jim Leach, whose term had expired.
The PCD has added five new people to their board – Sean Fadale, Jody Palmer, Peter Rodosta, Mike Scilla and Clay Skinner. PCD launch grants for new or small businesses adding jobs have awarded $120,000 in grants thus far. Housing grants applications are being submitted and two have been awarded – one in Hamilton and one in Poolville. The first time home-buyer program is still open and looking for applicants. For more information, visit thisishamiltonny.com/work/pcd.
At 6:45 p.m., the Town held a public hearing of Proposed Local Law #2 of 2017 “A Local Law Establishing a Moratorium on Certain Solar Energy Installations in the Town of Hamilton.”
The resolution passed, creating a 12-month moratorium on ground-mounted solar arrays for offsite usage while the town updates the zoning law to allow for development with minimal negative impacts. Details can be found on the town website.
Highway Superintendent Jason Florenz reported that the road crew has been busy ditching and cutting shoulders in preparation for paving. New tires were installed on the mower and backhoe, and our new 2017 Kubota mowing tractor was delivered. The town’s mower and dump truck made an appearance at the Father’s Day Fly-In pancake breakfast. Florenz said that Hamilton has been lucky in terms of avoiding recent flood damage. Hamilton and other towns in Madison County have been upgrading culverts to handle increased rainfall that has become the new norm.
David Holcomb, the town’s liaison to SOMAC, reports that their new ambulance is now on the
road.
Bids are being submitted by Aug. 9 on construction of the new Town Office at 38 Milford. Visit the Town website for details. The Town is working with local historians to salvage key elements of the existing building before it is replaced.
The Town Council passed a resolution to approve hiring Nan Stolzenburg to assist the Zoning Update Committee as it considers and implements actions identified in the comprehensive plan. Stolzenburg is the planner who worked with the town in creating the new comprehensive plan.
The Town continues working to meet the requirements of the Clean Energy Community Challenge and Climate Smart Communities Program. Colgate, the county, the village and other stakeholders have been meeting to discuss these programs as a Community Task Force.
I am serving as the town’s coordinator for these projects, and members of the town offices and garage are providing support as a “green team.”
Supervisor Eve Ann Shwartz provided an update on the Countywide Shared Services Plan. Madison County is looking into programs such as court consolidation, countywide employee health insurance and sharing municipal highway garages as a way to create efficiencies and lower costs.
The County is expanding its green initiatives at our landfill’s Agriculture and Renewable Energy Park. In addition to the recycling, solar energy generation, gas to energy plant, and a lumber-drying kiln, the county is exploring a biosolids-to-fertilizer project. This initiative would take material out of the waste stream, extend the useful life of the landfill and convert the waste into a safe product for use by local farmers. Madison County has earned EPA and DEC awards for our smart energy initiatives. For more information, visit madisoncounty.ny.gov.
The Hamilton Town Council meets on the second Thursday of the month at the Hamilton Village Court Hosue at 6:30 p.m. Our next meeting is Aug. 10. We invite and encourage you to join us. For more information, visit townofhamiltonny.org.
Chris Rossi is a member of the Hamilton Town Council.