by Jay Lawson
The Town of Webb Board held its monthly meeting on Tuesday, December 8th, with Councilman Ross presiding as Deputy Supervisor.
As part of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s efforts to encourage winter tourism, New York State is waiving fees on snowmobiling and ice fishing this winter.
The weekend of January 16 through 18 (Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend) will be a free snowmobiling weekend to encourage out-of-state and Canadian snowmobile enthusiasts to sled in New York State.
State registration fees will be waived for properly registered and insured out-of-state snowmobiling enthusiasts wishing to explore New York’s 10,500 miles of snowmobile trails.
The Town of Webb resolved to waive its trail permit requirement starting Friday, January 15 at 4 p.m., through Monday, January 18th at midnight.
Webb Tourism Director Mike Farmer recommended the action, which it took last winter too.
He said the New York State Snowmobile Association supports Cuomo’s program.
Farmer said several other states make the same offer to out-of-state riders.
“We don’t offer a weekend permit, so this benefits New York State snowmobilers [also],” he said.
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The Board resolved to post two “no parking” signs on the lake side of South Shore Road, 100 feet from on either side of the Barry’s residential driveway.
The signs will be placed by the Herkimer County Highway Department.
The purpose is to prevent traffic hazards that could result at the driveway due to poor visibility.
The measure passed on a three-to-one vote, with Council-man J.B. Herron opposing.
He said he believes 200-feet of total clear-out to be excessive.
“There’s a business across the street that doesn’t have a lot of parking,” he said.
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The Board voted to reappoint George Hiltebrant to the Board of Assessment Review. This is a five-year term, scheduled to end on September 30, 2020.
Councilman Herron voiced strong support for the reappointment.
“He does a good job [and] knows this business,” Herron said.
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The Board resolved to authorize CAP-21 as the representative for the Town of Webb in applying for a grant that would fund 50 percent of the cost of equipment related to recycling.
A recycling compactor and two roll-off bins were paid for and installed in 2011.
This grant would return funds to the town to offset those costs.
The state of New York provides financial aid for municipal waste reduction and municipal recycling projects, according to CAP-21 Executive Director Nick Rose.
Additionally, Rose said CAP-21 needs data to finalize the application.
The state wants to have recycling numbers, so it knows the amount Webb is removing from its waste stream, he said.
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The Board resolved to enter into a contract with Town of Webb Police Chief Ron Johnston. This formalizes his hiring that took place by resolution in December of 2014.
That original resolution had Chief Johnston receiving an annual salary of $73,000, which would be increased to $75,000 upon his permanent appointment.
The resolution also gave Johnston three weeks vacation and 24 sick days.
The contract formalizes Chief Johnson’s entitlement to all the benefits provided to him as a Town of Webb employee, as stated in the Town of Webb employee handbook, as well as the benefits he was receiving from his employment as a Deputy Sheriff for the Otsego County Sheriff’s Department.
Supervisor Ted Riehle is authorized to execute Chief Johnston’s new contract.
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The Board resolved to contract with Levi Lumber Company for the Timberland Improvement Project, located on town property on Bisby Road.
The contract was prepared by Town Forester Steve Bick.
This project will continue and finish previous timber stand work that had been done on the back side of McCauley Mountain.
The contract will provide for market value revenue from chip and cord wood and sawed timber. These sales will be separated and put out to bid.
Forester Bick will oversee all operations of the project.
“This is just part of the overall timber management plan that the town has had for a number of years,” said Councilwoman Mary Brophy Moore.
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The Board resolved to adopt an agreement with a Rondaxe Lake property owner. This agreement establishes that the Town of Webb does not have a snowmobile trail located on this private property.
The trail, that is groomed by the town, is located on property the town received from the Raquette Lake Railroad Company in 1935, according to Town Attorney Richard Frye.
Frye said there is no conveyance of property by either the Town or the property owner, but to prevent the issue from being revisited later, it will be subject to a permissive referendum.
The Board voted three-to-none to adopt the agreement. Councilwoman Kate Russell recused herself, citing her husband’s association with the property owner, as caretaker and contractor.
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Councilwoman Kate Russell reported on the status of McCauley Mountain’s chalet improvement plan.
She said several aspects will be moving forward, but the plan to relocate the bar will wait until the contract with the current operator expires in two years.
“We will be moving forward in the meantime with some other projects on the chalet that do not affect his bar space or concession space,” she said.
Russell said she’s hoping for an installation of double doors. That should get done in the spring.
She is also hoping to get started on construction of a new handicap bathroom on the first floor.
It is also hoped that construction can start on a new entrance to the chalet, which will be at the end of the building, facing the parking lot.
Russell said the new entrance will allow the interior stairway to be eliminated, making the floor space greater and more open.
This will increase the chalet’s possibilities for special events, according to Russell.v