NEW SCOTLAND – The town board has not yet decided to update its comprehensive land-use plan, but it decided at its October meeting, to seek funds to review the plan.

The town board established a preliminary committee in January to make suggestions to the board about revising the 1997 comprehensive plan. At that Jan. 11 meeting, board member Douglas LaGrange said that most municipalities update their comprehensive plans every five years.

The committee consists of town board members Richard Reilly and Douglas LaGrange, planning board Chairman Robert Stapf, planning board member Charles Voss, zoning board members William Hennessey, Adam Greenberg, and Robert Parmenter, and the town’s building inspector, Paul Cantlin.

The group met once a month until it had come up with a list of preliminary findings, which were brought to the town board at September’s meeting.

The committee found that the maps could use updates and upgrades and estimated the cost at $2,500 to $3,500.

It also suggested that the transportation section be updated with system-wide mapping, estimated to cost $2,000 to $3,000.

The committee also suggested some specific types of planning analysis methods to be done by hired consultants, which would help indicate direction for the town.

Build-out analysis, fiscal impact and market analysis, and physical analysis were all suggested. Cost estimates were $2,500 for build-out analysis; $3,000 to $5,000 for fiscal impact and market analysis; and $50,000 to $75,000 for a town-wide physical analysis.
LaGrange said that the analyses would help the town to become "proactive at avoiding problems down the road." He said the town generally tends to be reactive.

The committee’s consensus was that some updating, in some capacity, should be done on the comprehensive plan, LaGrange said.
The plan, he said, has a lot of "little things that could warrant attention just to clean it up."

The fact that the town recently adopted a six-month moratorium on areas of the northeast quadrant falling in medium-density residential (MDR) and residential conservation (R2) zones, indicates the need for a new plan, LaGrange told The Enterprise.

LaGrange, at the Oct. 11 board meeting, asked for the board’s approval to apply for the 2006 Quality Communities Grant, with funds to be allocated for use in updating the comprehensive plan.

Councilwoman Peg Neri said that she didn’t believe the town had yet made the decision to update its comprehensive plan.

She asked why, then, the board would apply for a grant to be used to update a plan that it hasn’t decided to change.

LaGrange argued that the grant application must be received by 5 p.m. on Nov. 17, and to wait until Nov. 8, when the board meets next, would give the writers very little time to draft the application.

The board ultimately decided to allow the application to be drafted, and, at the next meeting, it will decide whether or not to file the application, and, in effect, whether to go forward and update the nearly 10-year-old plan.

Other business

In other business, at the October meeting, the town board:
– Was presented with the "Excellence in Equity" award by Dave Williams with the New York State Office of Real Property Services. The award was given to Supervisor Ed Clark and Assessor Julie Nooney, who oversees town-wide property revaluation last year. The town will receive approximately $20,000 in aid sometime around Christmas, Williams said;

– Heard from Engineer Keith Menia, of Vollmer Associates, on the Clarksville Water District. Menia said that the plans should be sent to the Albany County Department of Health, where it typically takes about a month for approval, but everything is on track for the spring;

– Extended the Swift Road Water District for two additional lots. The application received no public objection at the public hearing held before the meeting;

– Scheduled two public hearings for the Nov. 8 board meeting. The first hearing, at 6 p.m., is on the proposed 2007 budget. The second, at 6:45 p.m., is on a local law to list election costs on a separate line on the 2007 tax bills;

– Made an agreement with James Duncan Jr. for his services cleaning Town Hall and the community center. The agreement is for the remainder of this year and next year. His salary was set at $7,156.40;

– Announced the resignation of two town employees – Michael Vink from the Parks Department and Larry Conrad from the Highway Department. Highway Superintendent Darrell Duncan decided to hold off hiring someone to fill Vink’s position until April;

– Announced the American Association of Retired Persons driver-review class will be held on Nov. 2 and 3 from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Wyman Osterhout Community Center; and

– Announced that flu shots will be given on Oct. 31 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the community center.