1. PUBLIC HEARING – PROPOSED COMPREHENSIVE PLAN (CP)
  1. Old Business – None


 
 
 
 
April 8, 2005
 
Greetings from Wayne Central. Below are a few items of interest.
 
BOARD LETTER
 

1. Building Dress Codes Response: A question was raised at our March 24 Board meeting regarding dress codes. Enclosed are each building’s dress guidelines which are based on current Board policy.

 

2. Board Meeting Agenda: I will be preparing the board agenda for the April 27 meeting next week (one week early) as Lori, and many district office staff, will be on vacation over the spring recess.

  

3. Clock Tower: I am looking for input regarding our new Clock Tower at the high school. It was designed to face south, but now that it is up it is apparent that it should face the road (East). The road side was slated to get a medallion. Do you believe we should a. switch the clock to the East side and place the medallion on the South side at a $3,000 cost b. replace the medallion with a clock, thus having two clocks at a $3500 cost c. purchase a new clock and move the medallion to the East side at $11,000 or d. Do nothing at $0 cost. Remember what ever we do you will see the results for the next 50 years so we want to be right. Let me know your thoughts.

 

4. Staff Recognition: I wanted to share with you that two of our staff members were recently awarded recognitions. Bob Taylor, stores clerk and girls’ varsity softball and JV soccer coach was just awarded the EMT of the year award for Marion. Tanya Lucieer, Aide at OE, was just awarded the Williamson Fire(Wo)man of the Year Award. Congratulations to these two for their outstanding community service.

 

5. Grade Four Teacher Coach: At our last Board meeting you saw the effectiveness of having Jim Adamo showing our teachers how best to teach. The ELA scores were, of course, phenomenal. I have been struggling with how to continue this program with Jim’s retirement and with no money slated for the position. I have come to believe it needs to continue a bit longer because, while the teachers understand what to do it has not yet become a habit of how they teach. Aristotle said, “Excellence is not an act, it is a habit”. We do not want these scores to be a one-time event. We want them to truly become the “Wayne Way.”

 
I have figured out a way to continue this program next year. We are scheduled to have one reading teacher come down to Ontario Elementary. If I move the teacher into the reading position now being taught by Gary Cooley and bring Gary into fourth or fifth grade (which he desires), then I can free up our strongest fourth grade leader/teacher Nicki Welsh to coach our teachers next year. I have convinced Mr. Adamo to provide support and training next year also. We will pay for him through our staff development funds.
 
I haven’t figured out all the details, but am confident we can. For those of you who don’t know Nicki Welsh, you may know her as Nicki Miller. Many Wayne Central people consider her father, Ron Miller, to be the finest high school principal Wayne Central has had. I never knew Ron but I can tell you his daughter is one of our finest teachers.
  

6. Board Retreat: Based on the feedback, it looks as if the best evening for our retreat is Thursday, July 7th from 5-9. If this does not work for any of you please let me know.

 

7. High School Talent Show - At the end of the show, one of our students, Dietrich Patterson, went into convulsions. An ambulance was called and the student was taken to the hospital. His parents were with him when it occurred. It happened just at the end of the show, so many people observed the situation. Dietrich is home and resting. The doctors determined that he was severely dehydrated causing his muscles convulsions and a high fever. He is expected to return to school on Tuesday. On the upside, the talent show raised $3,000 for the National Honor Society which they use to support various charities. The talent show was a huge success, the students were extremely well behaved, and the performers did a wonderful job.

 

8. Events:

April 8 - Donkey Basketball Game – HS Gym – 7:00 p.m.
April 12 – Friends of Music Meeting @ MS – 7 p.m.
April 12 – MS PTA Meeting @ MS Media Center – 7 p.m.
April 12-15 – Senior Trip to NYC
April 15 – Tax Returns Due
April 18-22 – Spring Recess – Schools Closed
 
Athletics:
4/9 – V. Softball vs. Victor – 11:00
4/9 – V. Baseball vs. Victor – 11:00
4/11 – J.V. Softball vs. Newark – 4:15
4/11 – J.V. Baseball vs. Newark – 4:15
4/11 – Boys’ J.V. Tennis vs. Bloomfield – 4:15
4/13 – V. Softball vs. Geneva – 4:15
4/13 – V. Baseball vs. Geneva – 4:15
4/13 – Boys’ V. Tennis vs. Midlakes – 4:15
 

9. Attachments:
a) Dress codes
b) Ontario Town Board Meeting Minutes – 3/28

Att. b

MARCH 28, 2005
ONTARIO TOWN BOARD MEETING & PUBLIC HEARING
 

A regular meeting of the Ontario Town Board was called to order by Supervisor Joseph Molino at 7:00 PM in the Ontario Town Hall. Present were Supervisor Joseph Molino, Councilmen: Mark Brewer, Donald Camp, Donald Shears, Ronald Fillmore, Director of Parks and Recreation William Riddell, Town Attorney Patricia Crippen, Deputy Town Clerk Diane Nichols and Town Clerk Cathy Herzog.
 
Sixty residents and visitors were present at portions of the meeting.
 
Mr. Brewer led the Pledge of Allegiance.
 



PUBLIC HEARING – PROPOSED COMPREHENSIVE PLAN (CP)
 
Mr. Molino opened a public hearing at 7:03 PM to consider the proposed Ontario Comprehensive Plan. He stated the legal notice of public hearing was posted on the Town Clerk’s bulletin board and published in the Wayne County Mail on 3/10 & 3/17/05.
 
Mr. Shears welcomed the residents. He introduced the Comprehensive Plan Committee (CPC) Chairman, Tom McCune, Vice Chairman, Dick Clark, consultant William Reemtsen from Stuart Brown Associates and the committee members. He stated Mr. Reemtsen assisted the committee through the development of the proposed document. The CPC has conducted a public hearing and the Town Board has reviewed the proposed Comprehensive Plan in a workshop, the State Environmental Quality Review Full Environmental Assessment Form (SEQR) has been prepared and distributed to all of the interested parties. The Ontario Town Board is designated as Lead Agent for the SEQR and will be reviewing and making a determination on the environmental impact. The Wayne County Planning Board and the surrounding towns have been informed of the SEQR and public hearing on the proposed plan.
 
Mr. McCune, Mr. Clark and Mr. Reemtsen presented a power point presentation on the proposed document. Mr. McCune reviewed the steps followed by the committee. He stated the volunteer committee members spent 20 months with careful consideration and lengthy discussions preparing the proposed document. Focus groups and many individuals from different areas of expertise assisted them. The plan contains 9 chapters, 42 town goals and 123 recommended actions. He briefly reviewed each chapter, the goals and actions. He talked briefly on implementation. In summary, Mr. McCune stated the committee believes this is a sound plan for the future of Ontario, it is a doable and hopefully acceptable plan. This process has taken the committee a long time to develop and it will take the Town Board time to determine the final form that they adopt.
 
Mr. Shears stated the Town Board would be carefully reviewing all of the CPC recommendations. He opened the floor for comments on the proposed Comprehensive Plan.
 
Mr. Richard Beal, 1819 Kenyon Road, asked how would the Town Board attack this plan? Would you just take the 143 recommendations and go yes/no, yes/no? What kind of a plan do you have to review the CP?
 
Mr. Molino stated different committees, like the Planning Board and Zoning Board, will review their areas and make recommendations, 100% of the proposed plan may not stay in but he doesn’t expect a lot of changes. The CPC has done a lot of work and there is still work ahead, the proposed CP is excellent and covers important areas of growth to the town.
 
Mr. Beal asked if these reviews would be done in public or at closed meetings?
 
Mr. Molino stated all meetings would be open to the public. The topic is not executive session material.
 
Mrs. Joan Stark, 2128 Bailey Road, asked, on the Economic Development sections involving encouraging businesses, what tax incentives will be offered to businesses to locate in Ontario?
Mr. Molino stated the document does not include specific tax abatements, there are tax abatements and incentives in place for Ontario and in Wayne County. He added you need businesses to create the jobs but you must be prudent in incentives.
 
Mr. Brewer stated, like in Monroe County, we have the Wayne County Economic Development Corporation working for the towns. We also have very competitive packages for businesses to locate in the town and county and we have the Empire Zone. Under the right conditions businesses can quality if they create new jobs.
 
Mr. John Graziose, 2056 Kenyon Road, spoke as a resident, business owner and developer representing Gerber Homes, Inc. He stated Gerber Homes is well established in Ontario, we are here for the long term and committed to the town and want it to do well. He commended the CPC and stated he appreciates their effort. He sees a lot of great things in the plan.
 
His primary concern, he asked, has the Town Board considered the 5 to 7 acre per dwelling unit suggestion in the plan and have they considered the ramifications of that? He wondered if the decrease in farming is from pressure to develop or are there other reasons? He believes that economic feasibility has caused the farm industry to decline. He stated he feels the CPC has spent a lot of time on preserving farming. In his opinion the best way to preserve agriculture is to make it more economical to farm. He stated he feels going to a 5 to 7 acre lot per dwelling is going to decimate the farmers land value. He stated he feels that this issue needs to be addressed.
 
Mr. Graziose’s suggestion for smart development would be to build homes in areas with utilities and sewers. He stated we are a bedroom community to Rochester and people need to work and live near Rochester. With the proposed zoning and limited density we are going to use up development land very quickly. He suggested PUD and cluster development as the way to go. He felt the CP proposal for larger lots would increase the sprawl from Rochester.
 
In his opinion sidewalks are not needed in every sub-division, they are a burden to homeowners (cost). He was also concerned about maintaining sidewalks, the liability and he noted sidewalks by the schools are not maintained
 
A smaller issue, to him, is with curb cuts – if a large piece of land is developed with road frontage, the utilities are there, the road is already there, and it makes sense to build along the road. If you buy a large farm for subdivision and only allow one road cut that would reduce the land value. He feels farmers should not be restricted and should be allowed to sell off some of their road frontage and keep the back portions for farming. He stated it is not economical or attractive to locate homes at the back of a large lot.
 
On establishing a minimum open space requirement for subdivisions of 5 or more lots, he stated he agreed preserving open space is desirable but suggested a better way would be to expand established parks, not mandate small pieces of open space in small sub-divisions.
 
Mr. Graziose summarized the items listed above and stated it is critical to provide affordable housing, as the population grows the economic growth and business growth will come. He promotes housing opportunities for all income levels not just large homes for high-income people.
 
Mr. Shears stated the Town Board has only spent one workshop on the proposed CP document and they will be looking closer after the public hearing to all of the comments. He suggested there may not be a lot of changes to the proposed plan when it is adopted but after it is adopted they will go through a long phase of exploring and implementing the CP recommendations. That will be a very lengthy process but very important to the future of our community.
 
Mr. Kenneth Gerber, 586 Boston Road, local dairy farmer (approximately 250 acres), stated his concern is on the size of building lots and the impact on the value of farmland. He stated when they go to the bank to borrow money they get looked at for the value of their land. If this plan lowers the value of their land they will have a real problem. The farmers in this town have done a lot to maintain the open space. His family has farmed for over 75 years; he has sons in college and is looking to re-locate his farm. If the town implements 5 to 7 acre lots the value of his farm will be much less.
 
He stated the people who have come here in the last fifteen years or so came because of the open space and now they want to maintain their open space at the farmer’s expense. The land is the farmer’s 401K and it isn’t fair that that value should be lowered because of a requirement for larger lots.
 
Mr. Shears stated the town board is concerned for the farmers and for maintaining open space, he is very respectful of Mr. Gerber and the other farmers who have been here for many years.
 
Mr. Lee Gorecki, 5783 Lanson Road, stated he empathizes with the plight of the farmers, but he feels the whole idea behind this plan is to encourage and keep agriculture here. For himself, if he wanted sidewalks and a Wal-Mart he would have bought a place in Webster. He left the city and feels he found a nice place to live and he likes the community the way it is.
 
Mr. Shears noted the population in Ontario is approximately 10,000 people, the population in Webster is over 40,000. The growth that we are seeing in Webster is what has been said tonight. You bring the people and the businesses will follow. I believe this plan is a good plan for our community for at least the next five to ten years. The proposed CP addresses how we can continue to develop the land keep open spaces and hopefully how we can continue to encourage farming in Ontario.
 
Mr. Tom Briggs, 7329 Furnace Road, member of the Zoning Board, expressed this opinion; the town is facing some real difficulties. He thinks tonight’s turnout is because a lot of us are frustrated. If you look at population growth, Census data and look at the changes in the last 10 – 15 years you can see that we are in a region that has seen no real population growth, yet we have seen a lot of shift or sprawl from Monroe County. What we haven’t seen is good paying jobs that would attract a young family to come out here to live, work, play and spend their money in Ontario.
 
He sited the Greater Rochester area as being 13th in the nation as the worst area for urban sprawl, not real growth. The CPC committee looked at what they wanted for Ontario. They want real growth with quality employers to attract the young educated people and to provide good paying jobs. He stated unrestricted development of new homes is not the answer. The problem with sprawl is that it is a regional problem without any easy answers. He hopes that the proposed CP will guide the town in smart growth.
 
Mr. Shears stated the Town Board has been supportive of trying to develop farmland protection in Ontario. They were recently notified that a grant was awarded to preserve the Albright Farm for approximately 300 acres. That will preserve that land forever.
 
Mr. Daniel Patterson, 1891 Ridge Road, realtor working with a local developer, feels that there is a lack of housing in Ontario the last few years. He stated building cost have gone up making housing unaffordable. He feels the baby boomer population wants housing on smaller lots and they don’t necessarily want to be in subdivisions. The CP proposal calls for a lot of the vacant land in town to be zoned for the larger lots. He stated he would embrace a Wal-Mart and he doesn’t want to see all of the tax dollars going to Webster because we don’t want it in our back yard. He also emphasizes with the farmers; they will loose a ton of money for their land.
 
The Town Clerk read a letter from Stan and Joy Hatch, 7325 Knickerbocker Road; they read about the CP on the town’s web site. They are unable to attend and wanted to offer this opinion:

· Main concern loss of open space and agricultural land due to suburban development
· Chose to locate in Ontario primarily because of Ontario’s rural atmosphere and open space
· Believe rural quality of life is one of Ontario’s attractions; once lost, cannot be recovered
· Development is inevitable however Ontario should choose to develop open spaces wisely, with concern for natural environment and quality of life
· The orchards, woodlands, the vineyards make Ontario vital and special

 
Mr. Gerber stated these people moved out here for the open spaces and now that they have that they don’t want others to come. People like the orchards and the farmland but now it’s our turn, the farmers turn to prosper. The people who own 100 acres or more are the ones who will suffer if the larger lots, as proposed, are adopted.
 
There was a discussion on the taxes the farmers pay; the cost people are willing to pay for the farmer’s products. How to find a happy medium for the farmers and residents who live here.
There was further discussion that large lots may not be maintained well with brush and weeds in the front and houses way back from the road and land locking farmland.
 
Mr. Molino stated these are points well taken and that is why we are here to listen to the views of different people.
 
Mr. Shears stated he would like to thank Stuart Brown Associates, Inc., consultant William Reemtsen, Chairman Tom McCune and the entire Comprehensive Plan Committee for their many volunteer hours spent to prepare the proposal.
 
A motion was made by Mr. Shears, seconded by Mr. Camp, to close the public hearing at 8:04 PM. 5 Ayes 0 Nays MOTION CARRIED
 
Comments From the Public – Mr. Ora Rothfuss, Wayne County Planning Department, presented a proposal to seek Federal funding from the NRCS for the purchase of development rights for the Albright Farm on Lake Road. Mr. Rothfuss announced a State grant of $661,988.00 has been awarded to the Town of Ontario for a farmland protection easement for 302 acres owned by Johnson Albright. The Federal grant application would be for the remaining 25% or approximately $240,663.00, needed to fund this project. The cost to the town would be minimal. He reviewed the requirements for the grant, the application process, the documents he will need and the timeframe for preparing a grant. He has provided the Town Attorney a template for a standard easement. There was a discussion on working with the Genesee Land Trust in the future to monitor the easement.
 
Mr. Brewer asked if Mr. Rothfuss felt it was prudent to go forward with the grant application without the Genesee Land Trust?
 
Mr. Rothfuss stated you could go ahead with Mr. Albright in the application for Federal funds then negotiate later to include the Genesee Land Trust in managing the project.
 
After further discussion, a motion was made by Mr. Brewer, seconded by Mr. Shears, to adopt a RESOLUTION to authorize the Supervisor to apply for and execute any contracts and an application for a NRCS FRPP rfp Federal Grant for an amount not to exceed $240,663.00 for the Albright Farm, Ontario, NY, contingent upon Attorney approval, and
 
BE IT RESOLVED, to authorize the Town Attorney to prepare any and all necessary documents needed for the project, including an offer to buy an agricultural easement and authorize the Supervisor to execute said documents, and
 
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Town Attorney and Supervisor are authorized to prepare and execute documentation to enter into an agreement with the Genesee Land Trust to manage the conservation easement from the Albright Farm. 5 Ayes 0 Nays RESOLUTION ADOPTED
 
Approval of Minutes – A motion was made by Mr. Camp, seconded by Mr. Shears, to approve the March 14, 2005 minutes as presented. 5 Ayes 0 Nays MOTION CARRIED
 
Correspondence – The Town Clerk received the following correspondence: Notification from the New York State Department of Transportation that the request for lower speed limits on Ridge Road and on Arbor Road were denied
 
Wayne Central School District has requested the use of three of the town’s voting machines for the annual school election in May
 
A motion was made by Mr. Brewer, seconded by Mr. Camp, to accept and file the correspondence and to ask the Town Clerk to notify the petitioners for the lower speed limit of the negative determination. 5 Ayes 0 Nays MOTION CARRIED
 

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Old Business – None
 
New Business - A motion was made by Mr. Camp, seconded by Mr. Shears, to accept the Supervisor’s fiscal report for the month of February 2005 as presented. 5 Ayes 0 Nays MOTION CARRIED
 
A motion was made by Mr. Brewer, seconded by Mr. Camp, to accept the Town Clerk’s summary of taxes collected in the month of February as presented. 5 Ayes 0 Nays MOTION CARRIED
 
There was a brief discussion on the Ginna tax settlement.
 
A motion was made by Mr. Camp, seconded by Mr. Shears, to authorize the Town Clerk to attend the 2005 Tax Collectors Conference on June 12-15 at the Lodge at Woodcliff in Fairport, NY with registration and all necessary and actual expenses to be a town charge, as requested by the Town Clerk in a memo dated 3/22/05. 5 Ayes 0 Nays MOTION CARRIED
 
Reports by Town Board Members – Mr. Shears announced that there will be a three board (Town of Ontario, Town of Walworth and Wayne Central School) meeting on Monday April 4th at 7:30 PM in the recreation office building on Knickerbocker Road. The walk through of the new Library addition to the Town hall will be conducted at the next workshop in April.
 
Approval of Claims – A motion was made by Mr. Brewer, seconded by Mr. Camp, to approve the abstract of claims for the month of March 2005, including vouchers #621 through # 733 with a grand total of $124,183.82 and to authorize the Supervisor to issue payments for same. 5 Ayes 0 Nays MOTION CARRIED
 
Comments from the Pubic –None
 
Adjourn – A motion was made by Mr. Brewer, seconded by Mr. Camp, to adjourn at 8:27 PM for a workshop. 5 Ayes 0 Nays MOTION CARRIED
 
Respectfully submitted,
 
 
Cathy Herzog
Ontario Town Clerk
 
The above minutes will become official upon approval of the town board.

 

 

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