At their first meeting of 2012, on Tuesday, January 4, the Hamden Town Council was presented with a proposal from residents of Chrystal Brook subdivision that the town take over roads in their subdivision. While some towns actually have the right-of-way deeded to them when they take over a road, it is the practice in Hamden that an easement be given to the town by each property owner.
Town Attorney Kevin Young said he will send a list of what is needed to the homeowners’ association, and once all the requirements have been met, the Town can take over the road by passing a resolution.
Supervisor Wayne Marshfield said that when the town’s policy for road takeovers was passed in 1996, it included a provision that all sections of road must be at least 1056 feet (2/10 mile). If there are road portions shorter than that, the 1996 policy would need to be amended.
License Fees
Town Clerk Linda Shepard reported that she sold more than $3,200 in hunting licenses and the town’s total share was just $178.
Last year, the New York State Department of Ag and Markets turned the dog licensing responsibilities totally over to town governments. Hamden took in $1,030 in dog licenses and bore the total expense for the program. Even at that, the state took $276 from the Town’s dog license fees.
2012 Budget Starts $31,500 Short
Supervisor Wayne Marshfield said that the 2012 town budget called for $100,000 carryover from 2011 in the Highway Dept. category, but that at the end of the year that carryover came up $31,500 short. Highway Superintendent Roger Dibble was quick to inform the supervisor that more than $25,000 is due from FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) as reimbursement for storm-related damage the town corrected, but has not been paid for.
New DEC Regulations
In highway department discussions, Town Attorney Young said the NYDEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) put in new regulations for Best Management Practices (BMP) at highway department properties a couple years ago but have just now begun enforcing them. Each town highway department will need to file a BMP with DEC and update it each year.
Wash With Water Only – No Soap
Practices they are looking for include silt fences between sand piles and streams; truck washing facilities should not use soap or detergent, just water; truck wash areas need to be contained so that solids can settle and not run off. The DEC may also require some highway departments to install oil-water separators for run-off.
Snowmobile Club Wants Fuel Tank On Town Property
Discussions regarding the highway department property moved to the request by the Hamden Ridge Riders snowmobile club to put a 350-gallon fuel tank at their building which is built on Hamden highway department property. Originally the club had intended to put the tank inside the building, but discovered that all the wiring in the building would need to be explosion-proof. They then said they would like to put the tank outside. The Town’s insurance carrier said if the installation met the building codes, the insurance company would have no issue.
The board agreed to send word to the snowmobile club that they would need to apply for a building permit before installing the fuel tank. Attorney Young said even at that, the Town would be responsible, and that he needed to research it more and thought that the tank would need containment in the event of an accidental spill.
FEMA Says Local Law Lacking
As discussions were centered on regulations, Attorney Young informed the Council that FEMA has adopted their new floodplain maps. For residents of the Town to obtain flood insurance, the town must approve the maps by June 2012. FEMA informed the town that it had reviewed the local law and found it was not in compliance with what they required. FEMA has sent a new local law to Hamden, and the agency wants the Council to adopt the new local law as written.
Three properties in Hamden were not previously in the floodway, but were added to it by the new maps. It was reported at the meeting that two of the properties withdrew challenges to the maps, because FEMA makes it cost-prohibitive to challenge their designation. The other was challenged, and FEMA has not acknowledged that it has been challenged.
Regarding future flooding, Attorney Young pointed out that when damage to a property is 50 percent or more of its appraised value, the whole property and not just the repairs must be brought up to the newest building codes.
Cell Service Lacking
The ongoing issue of cell phone service in Hamden was discussed. After many years of trying, Hamden was finally able to sign a lease in 2011 with a company, JNS Enterprises, who promised to build a cell tower on town property. As part of the agreement, the tower company was to diligently market the tower to phone companies. Since the lease was signed there has been no apparent action, so Attorney Young was instructed to contact the company and get a status update.
O'Connor Grant
Many years ago, the Hamden Improvement group obtained a grant from the O’Connor Foundation to install signage. Currently there is $2,320 that has not been spent, and the O’Connor Foundation has suggested it can be used at the Covered Bridge park to do a display on the O&W Railroad that used to run through Hamden. The money must be spent before the end of 2015 or it will revert to the Foundation.
Other Business
Most individuals were returned to their various board positions and committee assignments for 2012. The only notable changes are adding Mike Cipperly to the Planning Board for three years and hiring Deanna Stewart as a custodian for the town hall. The town councilmen were all given a small pay raise, bringing their stipends up to $1,500 per year.
Robert Bishop served on the Hamden town board from 2008 to 2011.
