Regular Town Board Meeting Minutes Halcott Grange
June 17, 2024, 6:00 pm

Present: Deputy Supervisor Alan Reynolds, Eric Fronckowiak, Innes Kasanof, Judy DiBenedetto, Town Clerk, Patricia Warfield. Public: Andy Vlahos.

Call to Order at 6:00 p.m.

Approval of the minutes of the May 20, 2024, meeting: Motion to approve by Councilwoman Innes Kasanof, 2nd by Councilman Eric Fronckowiak, Councilwoman Judy DiBenedetto: aye, Deputy Supervisor Alan Reynolds: aye.

Highway Superintendent’s Report: (A) Deputy Supervisor Alan Reynolds reports that on Tuesday they will be topping Turkey Ridge Road and Mead Road. (B) There is an old town road known as the Fazio loop which runs from Silas Lake Rd. to Turkey Ridge Rd. around what was known as the Bill Gordon farmhouse. This loop has not been in use for years and the question has been asked whether the town could or would abandon it to the property’s new owner. (C) Since being repaired, the new Ford pick-up truck has been running well, insurance covered the cost of those repairs.

Voucher vote: General Abstract #G0624 – vouchers 87 – 92 = $914.14. Highway Abstract #H0624 – vouchers 93 – 97 = $10,080.37. Motion to pay bills by Councilwoman Judy DiBenedetto, 2nd by Councilman Eric Fronckowiak, Councilwoman Innes Kasanof: aye, Deputy Town Supervisor Alan Reynolds: aye.

Finance Chair Report: Councilwoman Innes Kasanof presented the monthly finance report.

Clerk’s Report: Grange Rental: 1 @ 50.00, 1 @ 100.00, Building Permit: 1 @ 325.00, Transfer Station: March/314.00, April/236.00. The Town collected and disbursed $1,025.00 for the month of May.

Other Business: Town Clerk Pattie Warfield gave a summary of her conversation with Tara Donadio who is the Assistant Director of Sustainability Clean Energy & Climate Smart Communities Outreach Coordinator. After explaining to Tara, the Town’s need to move the Highway garage out of the flood plain and the desire to add a heated space for a firetruck, Tara’s thought was that this was the kind of project that would qualify for a Climate Smart Community Grant. The grant itself can be a minimum of $50,000 to a maximum of $2 million. This is a matching grant, which means a 50% match for towns with a median income over $65,000.00. The median income for Halcott according to the last census was $60,000.00, which would then drop us to a 20% match. The Town has an LFA already in place, which is a plus, but we would need to come up with a cost estimate to submit with the grant paperwork. The Town should also be aware that due to being a climate smart grant, our heating source for the new building would most likely exclude a fossil-fuel based system.

Public: Andy Vlahos spoke to the Board about a parcel of land which is now marked as Bear Lane, but on both the deed and tax bill the property is shown as Gail Drive. It was his hope that the property be acknowledged as Gail Drive. Councilwoman Innes Kasanof thought that the first step would be to talk to the Town Assessor.

Next Meeting: Regular Town Board Meeting, July 15, 2024, 6:00 pm.

Motion to Adjourn at 6:22 p.m. by Councilwoman Innes Kasanof, 2nd by Councilman Eric Fronckowiak, Councilwoman Judy DiBenedetto: aye, Deputy Supervisor Alan Reynolds: aye.