Smorgasbord-February 18th

The Presho United Methodist Church is sponsoring its annual Smorgasbord
Saturday, Feb. 18 at 4 to 7 p.m.

Come and enjoy a variety of meats, hot and cold sides, desserts and beverages.

Thank You,
Violet Benjamin

Chimney Fire at Green Shingles

Looked like the boys were getting it under control. Firemen were dumping something down the chimney. Lots of smoke coming out of the stack, but I couldn't see any flames. Lawrenceville Fire Department responded also. I'll keep track, but I think they got it out. Geez Louise, what a scare. Hopefully the chimney was nice and tight to keep the flames from getting to the rafters.

Fireside Chat

Fireside Chat
Originally uploaded by Sally Ann.

1.) County Route 106 (Church Creek Road)- I’ve been working with the County in support of the 90 residents who live on County Route 106 (Church Creek Road) who are actively seeking temporary repairs this winter to reduce the adverse impact on their vehicles and safety issues that arose from a failed paving process last fall. I’ve asked several residents on Church Creek to keep me updated at all times on the condition of the road which they have been doing.

2.) Kuhl Road Detour and the Route 15 Improvement Project- I’ve been working with NYSDOT, NYS Senator George Winner, NYS Assemblyman Jim Bacalles and US Congressman Randy Kuhl in an effort to keep updated and affect pending funding/project issues related to the completion of Route 15 and doing my best to keep interested citizens knowledgeable about the funding process. (A January 18th meeting was held at the Town Hall with NYSDOT officials and representatives from George Winner and Randy Kuhl offices). A shift away from the construction of the Kuhl Road Detour was revealed during that meeting. NYSDOT is considering another detour if certain conditions are met.

3.) Updating Bookkeeping system—Kathy Biggio and I have been actively working to update the bookkeeping system in order to change the system from its current software program to another program designed to produce more detailed financial reports. When this is done the community as well as the councilmen will have a detailed account of department expenditures which will effectively enable the council to develop a yearly budget with more information at their fingertips.

4.) Working closely with Town Clerk—The Town Clerk and I have been reorganizing data and filing systems to accommodate the public when specific inquiries are made of the Town Supervisor and Town Clerk. It is our goal to return the Supervisor’s office and the Town Clerk’s office cooperative functionality as required by Town Law.

5.) Working closely with Councilmen on issues important to them—Currently researched “Bulk Mail Rates” to determine if cost effective for the Town in case the council chooses to send notices of various kinds to the public. I have discovered that some printing businesses in the Corning area have a Bulk Mail Rate service available to customers, which means the Town would not have to stand the cost of a Bulk Mail Permit.
6.) Fortuna—Am currently working with Head Assessor Guy Hill to research a taxing structure on the Fortuna natural gas infrastructure located on Ryers Creek. After an assessment procedure is determined, some monies although unknown at this time will be flowing into the Lindley tax base.

While I’ve been working on the issues listed above, my detractors, as usual, have been hyper-focused on the “minutia and politics of personal destruction” so favored by the previous leadership. It is a new day and sooner or later my detractors will catch on that I will stand firm against them when they play “Gotcha politics”. I prefer honest debate over issues of merit. Ultimately, the citizens of Lindley will determine which way they want their local government to work: Either working on issues that really matter to them or a continued wallowing in the mud of “minutia and politics of personal destruction”. And if my detractors want to keep track of how much money my council saves or brings to the Town, let’s start now. I think the letter (click on the headline "Fireside Chat" to read the letter) that I and others received speaks volumes. The floor is yours.

Lindley Planning Board Minutes- January

LINDLEY TOWN PLANNING BOARD January 16, 2006

The regular meeting of the Lindley Town Planning Board was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Chairperson, Mary Lentzen. Members present included Gerry Gross, Jim White, Earl Titus, Mark Swan and Pat Simcoe. The CEO, Dave Fuller, and 3 visitors were also present.Minutes of the December 19 meeting were read; a Motion to accept the minutes as read was made by Earl, seconded by Jim and passed unanimously.

Mary introduced Pat Simcoe as the new member of the Board and noted that a visitor, Frances Tempel, was observing the Board meeting and may consider applying for a seat on the Board. Mary also stated the Town Board has reappointed her as Chairperson of the Planning Board for 2006.

Mary stated the New York DOT will hold a public information meeting on Wednesday, January 18, 2006, at 7:00 P.M. to discuss the State Route 15 improvement project, First mile segment to Watson Creek Road and the Khul Road connector and wetland site construction.

The CEO Permit summary Report for Dec, 2005 consisted of construction of a metal car port for Neal Hill.

The Town received a letter dated Dec. 26, 2005 from John Adams of Hamburg, NY inquiring about zoning requirements should he move to Lindley and purchase a ranch style home with 5-10 acres of land and then add a small Mother-in-Law/Guest house/cottage. The Board agreed it would be best if the home and guest house were all one unit rather than two separate buildings.

Mark will respond to Mr. Adams.The new Zoning Law went into effect December 5, 2005. Dee will have about 50 copies printed and copies will be available for about $6.00 to cover printing costs.

Gerry suggested to Dave that lots be measured not just paced off. Dave said he will purchase the tape and send the bill to the Town.

Mary stated Jennifer Fais was unavailable for tonight’s meeting as it was a Holiday. She will let Mary know how many hours she can spend on Lindley projects.

Mary asked the Board for ideas for projects and noted the land sub-division Law needs updating. The most recent Law became effective June 20, 1966.Gerry would like to see a place for a local lending library or book exchange for the Town residents. Pat suggested an awareness campaign to notify residents of the zoning laws. Earl stated signs are posted on every road into Town. Gerry stated enforcement is still the biggest problem; no recourse for those who continue to do things their way. Dave is supposed to ride all Town roads once per quarter.

Mary noted that January 1 the new Sub-Division Law became effective. NYS has amended the Real Property Law that should help the Town enforce its Subdivision Law. It states that subdivision maps must be filed with the county AND the town, otherwise a non-filing penalty can be assessed. The updating of this Law allows the Town to take action in their court and get l/3 of the penalty fees that used to go entirely to the State. The penalties collected are split l/3 to the state, 1/3 to the county and 1/3 to the town. Fines can range from $25 to $300 for each lot sold before filing the map. The previous penalty was a flat $25 to the state (same penalty since 1910).

At 7:40 P.M. Earl moved to adjourn; Jim seconded and the Motion carried unanimously.

Respectfully Submitted
Janice Oberlander
Recording Clerk

NYSDOT Informational Meeting at Town Hall

NYSDOT Informational Meeting Wednesday, January 18th

At Town Hall -- 7 p.m. start

Dan Farrand from NYS Senator George Winner's office will be attending meeting also.

Note from Sallyann: Am looking for questions from those who will not be attending the meeting. If you have one for Dan Farrand or NYSDOT, leave it in the comments section and I'll make sure to ask the questions at the meeting. Will get back to you with answers.

Spirit of Schuyler Gathering

County Route 106 (Church Creek) Open Thread

County Route 106
Originally uploaded by Sally Ann.

I've opened this post for the residents on Church Creek Road to keep me updated on the "repair work" resulting from the January 10th meeting with County Commissioner of Public Works, Vincent Spagnolitti. I will also update the residents from my end on this site. Any other comments from the general public are welcome.

Lost Labradors-Please Help

Sally:
I know you have contact with a lot of people, or I don't know if this fits blog material or not, but I live on Preston Rd. Last week wednesday, my two labradors were on my front porch. We left them there for a few minutes alone which we have done before, few minutes later they were both gone. One is a chocolate male and the other is a yellow female. I think they both went for a walk, but someone must have found them by now. I was wondering if you had heard of anyone that has found two wonderful dogs recently?
Thanks for any info you can give me.
Cindy Tyler
9303 Preston Rd. 523-8977

Alternative Detours

Alternative Detours
Originally uploaded by Sally Ann.

This graphic should be self-explanatory with the "legend". It illustrates the two detours NYSDOT considered before chosing the Kuhl Road Detour. If you have any questions leave a comment, and I'll answer if I can. Click on the headline "Alternative Detours" for an enlarged view.Use the toggle button at the bottom right hand side of the graphic to enlarge.

Highways 97 Years Ago

Highways 97 Years Ago
Originally uploaded by Sally Ann.

Hi Sally-
Came across this article from Leader 1959 which decribes the Highway System in 1909. Note the number of cars compared to what is being stated today. I read somewhere that they predict 20,000 cars on Rt. 15/99 in 20 years. Now
that is a lot of vehicles for our area. (click on the headline "Highways 97 Years Ago" to read)

Kitty.