Stamford Preparing for the New Year

By Liz Page

HOBART – The town of Stamford is seeking a new member of the planning board and a new town attorney, following their acceptance of two letters of resignation on Dec. 13. Town Attorney Andrew VanBuren is resigning due to a conflict of interest as his wife, Ruthanne VanBuren, was recently elected town clerk and will assume her duties on Jan. 1. Art Turner, a longtime member of the town planning board and its chairman, is also resigning. The town will have to name a new chairman and appoint a new member in the new year.

Town Clerk Diane Grant took the minutes of her final meeting as clerk and Supervisor John Kosier said there is something in the works in order to acknowledge her many years of service to the town. She said she is not going anywhere, however, reminding everyone she will serve as the deputy town clerk and will be available to help the new town clerk whenever needed.

George Haynes presented a site plan to the board for a registered vehicle repair service. It will be located in the former Bloomville slaughterhouse building, which he owns and is located in the town of Stamford. He said the intent is to make repairs to the garbage trucks that are now owned by Waste Recovery Enterprises. Haynes sold his garbage hauling business to the company earlier this year. He said they will mainly be working on large truck repairs. He also said there would be little change to the appearance of the facility, which has served as a repair shop for his own vehicles.

Board members approved the site plan as it was presented.

Stamford Town Board members discussed the number of accidents that occur on Roxbury Mountain Road. Highway Superintendent Jon Ballard said people who don't know how to drive are traveling down over the hill. He would like to build a soil berm at the gates to privately owned property in order to prevent vehicles from going over the embankment. The main reason for those going off the roadway is speed not reasonable for conditions, according to Ballard. Installing guardrails would further narrow the roadway and Ballard is reluctant to narrow it further. The town of Roxbury also has issues with its side of the mountain, which is steeper in some places and has tighter curves in some places. There is increased traffic using the roadway which has led to an increased number of calls of vehicles off the roadway, particularly during winter conditions.

Discussion for possible solutions will continue and Ballard invited any suggestions anyone might have as to how to solve the problem..

Mary VanValkenburg was present for the Hobart Rotary Club, seeking permission to have the town serve as the agency receiving grant money for the club, in order to host the annual Sausage and Brew Festival. She said the club intends to apply to the Roxbury Arts Group to book the music this year and the venue could change from the town hall parking lot. VanValkenburg said the event served more than 800 people last year and may have outgrown that venue. However, when she mentioned Rexmere Park as a possible venue, she was reminded that it would need approval from the town of Harpersfield and not Stamford. Someone in the audience suggested utilizing the Methodist Church as a registered kitchen to do the preps, with the kitchen at the Hobart Community Center needing upgrades to serve as a certified kitchen. Someone also suggested the park at the Hobart Activities Center might be another possible venue and that some would like the event to remain in the Hobart community. VanValkenburg said she would pass that along and said the conversations and planning for next Aug. 24 are in the very early stages.

In his monthly report to the board, Mike Cairns, of LVDV, manager of operations for the South Kortright sewer system, said there are problems with the valves in the hamlet of South Kortright. He said the old units had filled up with water in the conduits and shorted out the automated system. He said the conduits are leaking and he is currently looking for an operations manual in order to update the old valves. In the meantime, he is able to open and close them manually. It requires working in a confined space, which does require a second person to be present, but he said he does not have a problem doing it. He said the next step is to replace the old valves and the valve actuators. He is working to provide a quote to order two new valves and several upgrade kits in order to eventually replace all of the old valves. In the meantime he will continue to operate them manually.