Short Term Rentals, Smoke & Vape, Sewer, Parks, Sports -- and Traffic "just deal with it"

The April 14 Town Board Meeting Meeting began with a salute to the flag and a particularly meaningful invocation by Dr. Rev.E Hunt.

On the agenda were two Public Hearings, but as one of the resolution was withdrawn because it was incorporated into the second "Purpose of Regulating Smoke and Vape Sales" there was one public hearing held... with no one from the public commenting.

There were no requests from the public to speak at the public portion of the meeting.

Three discussions were on the agenda... as the room filled with many young people dressed in red shirts - representing the Town of Wappinger Little League or the United Wappinger Soccer Club.

The first discussion involved the engineer and owner of Hudson Valley Scrap Kings - who are doing a much needed and well thought out update to the former AW Scrap Yard on Route 9D. This involves updating from a 'traditional" scrap yard -- where everything is laid out in various heaps, allowing people to pick through it all to get a spare part -- leaking and oozing and rotting away in the meantime... to a much more modern process of disassembling, sorting and trucking away to be recycled into important raw materials. The property consists of 3 parcels covering 31 acres - with a utility easement running through it and wetlands around it. The owner's vision is to relocate the scrap business to another part of the property -- and build a sports complex for teams to use for practice and competitive events (the owner is a former professional player and coach) - including the building of a large building (steel) to enable indoor play - as well as amenities for parents and visitors. This could require a zoning change - and as expressed by the Town Supervisior the vision is a welcome addition to the kind of development that the town would like to encourage, but there are concerns about some of the logisitics - including traffic on Route 9D - that will need to be addressed in the future. Showing all the gravitas of a small child eager to dive into their Easter Basket filled with jelly beans, the First Ward Council Member jumped in with "I'm all for it... this is great... and there will always be traffic -- deal with it" (a bit paraphrased, but please look at the video to fully capture the disdain dripping from his words.) We then got lectured on how the Dutchess County Stadium (it's called something else now) -- was built with no one in the state telling the Town. (Really, it just popped up like a mushroom?... and if remembered correctly, it was a Dutchess County project .... whatever). The Second Ward Council Member spoke up to say that traffic concerns were very real.

By the way, It is exactly this jump in with no thought, no request for additional view points, not thinking through the potential for unintended consequences - that has created the mess up the road in Hughsonville (it's an on-going mantra - but still in court).

The owners and engineer for the project acknowledged that there is still a lot of work to do -- and they seem very genuine in their wish to bring a very good service to the community with providing excellent facilities and additional competition to the area. Their track record of the improvements made at the site are very impressive. However - the town does have the capability to govern things like the number of events, the use of the property when lights are required, noise levels, implications of when growth occurs ..... And when, if the business is sold...what happens. Will those ethics, ideals transfer to the new owners? That is what government is about -- and what we expect from our elected officials - positive collaboration that addresses the needs of ALL the residents - current and future. So, slow down cowboy.

Then, what the young people were all waiting for -- were discussions on how to get improvements to the Little League and Soccer Fields -- especially with the recent wet weather (including snow which interrupted Opening Day, making the first ward council member's heroic efforts to be there from his incredible conference (more on that later) for naught. Wet fields - and for the soccer players - -unlined fields/goals - are straining the ability for the volunteers to keep up with the demands. So the Town Board Authorized the reseeding of fields... and additional help to line the soccer fields. (Opening Day for LL is now May 10). All is well in Mudville.

The Consent Resolutions - requiring no discussion - all approved

• Resolution declaring April as Volunteer Appreciation Month

• Resolution declaring April as Autism Acceptance Month

• Resolution Re- Appointing Coordinated Assesment Agreement for Town Assessor

  • The time of the Town Assessor is split 50-50 with the Town of Fishkill.

The Non-Consent Resolutions - discussion

• Resolution re: Short Term Rentals - the original resolution was withdrawn and it has been re-written to reflect changes that were suggested by residents and others. The resolution calling for a Public Hearing in thirty days for the updated law was approved. The purpose of the law, 2 council members reiterated was safety -- that owners and the town need to ensure the safety of visitors coming to the town and staying in short term rentals. The horror of a fire in Dutchess County taking the lives of two visitors has spurred this action, knocking back the previous laissez-faire policy. The attorney noted that there is action in NYS to have a state-wide registry, and that firms like AirBnB and VRBO would not be able collect rentals for any property that is not on a state-wide registery. This prompted the First Ward Council Member to say that anything that NY State does is just horrific and that it couldn't possibly be helpful (this is an on-going theme.. and quite frankly, there are solutions to this issue, there are 49 other states. NY State, with its well-recognized foibles, has a lot to be proud of). There was a discussion of the memo of understanding with the Village on Code enforcement personnel, how their hours are stretched, that there are plans in place to add personnel to the building department -- and that the zoning and fire officers are not affected by the agreement with the village.

• Resolution Adopting regulations for Smoke and Vape Shops. Basically shops that aren't smoke and vape shops can only devote 10% of their retail space to smoke and vape products - anything over that would be considered a smoke and vape shop -- and will be subjected to additional regulations ensuring that there is less density and proximity to schools etc. A question was asked about current shops and they would be considred "pre-existing, non-conforming" - basically they get to continue to operate, but can't be replaced. - This was approved.

• Resolution to Authorize Funding for Pest Spraying at Town Athletic Parks - in previous years - catepillers from spongy moth, mosquitos and ticks were a problem on the athletic fields, and to avoid this, the town board has authorized pest-control treatment - which will happen this month at Airport Park Fields and Rockingham Fields.

• Resolution authorizing the Supervisor to execute on a Stipulation Settlement with an employee who has chosen to resign.

• Resolution authorizing Site Improvements at Carnwath Farms HIstoric Site -building of a concrete path replacing cracked asphalt - complimenting the landscape improvements done by the Friends of Carnwath and the updates to the Chapel which will be available for events in May (public will be able to rent the space for use).

Items for Special Consideration

• The First Ward Council Member - reminded everyone that it is "National Public Safety Telecommunications Week" - honoring those that answer emergency calls.

• He noted that when he was away last week at the world largest gathering of fire fighters and emergency responders in Indiana - an emergency situation with an "unnamed" nursing home in the village had structural problems - which he addressed long-distance.

• The Second Ward Council Member - wished everyone a Happy Easter and Passover

• The Supervisor discussed the Comprehensive plan and that a public session will be held prior to moving forward to any formal actions by the Town Board.

  • Reviewed upcoming events like Easter Egg Hunts, Earth Day Clean-ups, Hydrant Flushing, Paving Projects, a mobile speed display (First Ward Council Member who isn't concerned with traffic jumped in to say that he wanted Wheeler Hill to be the first place it is placed, brushing off the idea that any one could possibly speed on Dean Avenue because it is so short)

• The Third Ward council member - reiterated the plea that people in the sewer districts stop pumping water into the sewer system, to use the storm drain system -- because the excess water is causing the sewer systems to overwork/overflow -- and that if the amount of water is reduced -- it will require less expensvie upgrade ($1M) than if the system has to accept all the current overflow ($5M upgrade) - and equipment to monitor such use wouldn't be necessary). He also asked that motorcycle drivers be more thoughtful - and thanked the buildings and grounds people for their work.

• The Fourth Ward council member thanked the team for the work at Carnwath - and reiterated the message about managing sewer overuse - and the financial impact it could have on taxpayers in the sewer districts if the flow isn't managed.