TOWN OF JEWETT

PLANNING BOARD MINUTES

APRIL 2, 2015

Agenda Item 1: The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m.

Roll Call:          Chair: Donna Bernard

Present:           JoAnn DeLong, Paul LaPierre, Greg Kroyer

                        Absent: Marianne Romito

Agenda Item 2: Approval of the Minutes of March 5, 2015

Mr. LaPierre motioned to accept the minutes as corrected; Mrs. DeLong seconded the motion, and it carried unanimously.

Agenda Item 3: Report by Town Board Liaison Nathan Miles

Mr. Miles was not in attendance tonight.

Agenda Item 4: Other business

            Mrs. Epstein had not heard from Mr. Vanucchi, and relegated his matter to the “Pending” list on the Agenda.

            Mr. Don Muth had learned of recent activity from the Windham Mountain Sporting Club, which had sent the Jewett Planning Board information a few years ago regarding a project along the town boundary of Jewett. Chair Bernard had dug out the old information and reviewed it currently with the Board. The group had property adjoining Jewett’s Town line, but not in Jewett. All protocols for notifying neighboring towns, as Jewett, had been followed.

            Ms. Bernard had asked Mrs. Epstein to give Chair Maureen Anshanslin a call. Ms. Anshanslin told Mrs. Epstein that the Windham Mountain Sporting group is working on their condominiums on South Street, but stated that the project does not affect the Town of Jewett. She said that if the Windham Planning Board has already approved a subdivision of at least two acres, the applicants wouldn’t need to appear before them again. Mrs. Epstein prepared a report to attach to the minutes.

            Mr. LaPierre recalled that the delay in the project had been held up by a necessary expansion of the sewage treatment facility, and that the Fire Department had concerns regarding the higher rise stories of the buildings. The Windham Fire Department only has a two-story ladder truck, and the nearest one with six-story capacity is in the Town of Catskill. He heard that Windham had suggested that Ski Windham purchase such a truck, but they declined.

            Mr. Kroyer had found an article in the Windham Journal. The Town of Hunter held a Public Hearing regarding its draft of revisions to its Site Plan Review Law. One of the concerns was the request by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to be included as an involved agency for the SEQR. Ms. Bernard said this question also has ramifications for Jewett as it pursues its own Code Review.

            Chair Bernard said that Jewett’s Code Review committee is currently stuck on its Timber Harvesting law. They made great strides reviewing the coherency of the law in accordance with the Jewett Comprehensive Plan with such issues as erosion control and storm diversion. When they began working on the ordinance, however, the efforts began to fray apart.

            Town Councilman Mike McCrary had suggested instead of making the law a Special Use Permit, which would need oversight by the Planning Board and Zoning Board, that it become a stand-alone ordinance subject to a town permit. This approach has many sound reasons, but at the last meeting Mr. McCrary had been on vacation and not present to explain this approach, so the group went around and around with discussion that Ms. Bernard and Mr. Kroyer had already visited.

            At the previous meeting of the Code Review Committee, Agroforester Ron Frisbee had presented the information sought, and suggested that Jewett look at the Timber Harvesting Law from the Town of Denning. Ms. Bernard said that she is waiting for Mr. McCrary to be able to explain his rationale to the group who had not been present for the meeting with Mr. Frisbee.

            Mr. LaPierre asked what they have in mind. Ms. Bernard answered that they are talking about a pre-application review for the property owner to prepare the information he will need to provide the town for the actual Timber Harvesting permit. The Code Enforcement Officer and the Highway Supervisor will oversee the enforcement of this permit. Mr. LaPierre wondered what it would cost the town to hire a forester, and Ms. Bernard said that was for Mr. Pellitteri to discern.

            The next meeting of the Code Review Committee will be held April 16, 2015.

Mr. LaPierre made the motion to adjourn the Planning Board meeting at 8:32 p.m. The motion was seconded by Ms. DeLong, and carried unanimously.

Respectfully,

Susan H. Epstein, Secretary

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Donna Bernard, Chair