VOORHEESVILLE — On the east side last month and in the south end this month, village residents have been bringing questions about development before the board of trustees.

Last month, Locust Drive resident Michael Canfora suggested that the village use water as a bargaining chip to keep the proposed Colonie Country Club development at least 50 feet away from houses on his road in Scotch Pine, the decades-old development that abuts the country club. Amedore Homes development company has proposed building 37 houses on the golf course at the country club; the houses will start at $400,000. Canfora presented the board with a petition signed by his neighbors supporting his position.

Canfora presented another petition, also signed by his neighbors, asking the board to preserve the cul-de-sac at the end of Locust Drive. David Moreau, a developer, owns land on the other side of the cul-de-sac and has a variance that allows him to drive from his property through the cul-de-sac and onto Locust Drive.

At September’s meeting on Tuesday night, residents of Moss Road, at the other end of the village, were concerned about their access to a sewer line that would come through their area if Eric King builds on six plots of land as he has proposed.
The planning board has not yet granted approval for King’s subdivision, but the village board has granted "conceptual verbal approval," said Trustee David Cardona, for King to connect those six properties to sewer district one, which is the Salem Hills sewer district.

Michael Fluster, Eileen Draves, and Thomas O’Connor wanted to know if, as residents of Moss Road, they would be able to connect their homes to the sewer system when it comes through for the new houses.
"Somewhere someone’s going to have to do a study," said Deputy Mayor William Hotaling, referring to the capacity of the sewer system. "Somewhere someone’s going to have to pay for a study."

Trustee John Stevens estimated that the cost of such a study would be $7,500.

King may not get approval for his major subdivision, though. Long-time Conservation Advisory Commission member Robert Mudge said that the commission is recommending the planning board not approve the six-lot subdivision. Four of the lots are suitable for building, he said, but the two situated near Swift Road and Route 85A shouldn’t be developed.
"You really can’t do anything there without filling in the whole darn gully," said Mudge.
About eight years ago, King tried to develop the same area but didn’t get approval, Mudge said, because, if enough fill is brought in to build a house in the ravine, then there isn’t enough space for water to move properly and get absorbed into the soil. "You get a lot of dry [land] and one wet ditch," he said.

Other business

In other business at recent meetings, the board:

— Heard from Trustee Richard Berger that the bid for the firehouse renovation will go out on Oct. 26;
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— Heard from the village’s attorney, Anne-Jo McTague, that there will be a public hearing regarding the zoning law on Oct. 24 at 6:30 p.m., before the village board meeting;
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— Heard from Will Smith that the bids for a new truck for the Public Works Department were opened on Sept. 20; the village received three bids. The lowest was $34,425 from Sun Chevrolet in Chittenango, which he recommended the board accept.
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The board voted unanimously to accept the bid, which includes the cost of delivery;

— Voted unanimously to enter into an agreement with Verizon to let the company put an antenna on the preexisting Nextel/Sprint tower, which is owned by Global Signal; and

—Heard from Deputy Mayor William Hotaling that the Planning Commission approved Jason Rogers’s sign for South Main Street and approved the subdivision of a lot at 24 Pine St.