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Garage hearing draws a crowd
By Jamie Larson
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
ANCRAM - The Ancram Town Hall was overflowing with people and opinions Saturday afternoon as the board held a public hearing to get community input on the future of the towns crumbling town garage - a debate that has raged for years and is now coming to a head. The plan with the most traction at the moment is for the town to purchase the Matthews Hornets Nest Paint Ball building on Roche Lane, and convert it into a new highway facility. There is also a very vocal faction of town residents who say moving garage activities to that area would have a negative effect on their community.
Ancram Town Supervisor Thomas Dias said the public hearing Saturday was an important step toward fixing the garage issue. There were many dissenting opinions at the hearing, which saw people sitting on the floor and in chairs out in the hall due to the massive turn out, but Deputy Supervisor Donna Hoyt said one thing that everyone agrees on is that something has to be done about the state of the garage.
Dias and Hoyt both said it was their hope that the meeting made it clear for residents that this is an ongoing process and no final decisions have been made. There will be another public meeting at 6 p.m. March 5 and Dias said he is prepared to schedule a third.
"I'm really ashamed of that structure," Dias said of the existing garage. "I wouldn't want anyone working in these conditions but they are."
The garage in use is undersized for the need, requiring the town to store supplies like rock at satellite sites around the town. It is in dire need of repair and walks a fine line in regards to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations when it comes to safety and environmental impact, according to town officials. The water coming into the garage currently isn't safe to drink or even shower in, the heating units are unreliable at best, dangerous at worst, and when town employees slide under a truck to do repairs they do so on what is essentially a dirt floor, according to accounts.
The plan to purchase and convert the Matthews building was created by the Town Highway Garage Replacement Committee, which was formed last summer to address the issue. Between buying the land and retrofitting the existing structure the project would cost the town well over a million dollars, but committee chairman Terry Boyles said it is still the most cost effective plan on the table and doesn't see where they are going wrong. This issue began long before the economic recession hit and ever since cost has become a major factor in any proposal.
A counter plan was formed in response to the committee by Michael Citrin, who owns land abutting Matthews. Citrin proposed the town could have a new garage for $645,000. His garage would be smaller - 110 feet by 80 feet - but within Highway Superintendent James MacArthur's specifications.
The structure, to be built by Sprung Instant Structures, would have walls consisting of a layer of tedlar on top, under that a PVC layer for fire retardance, under which is a polyester base fiber, a blackout opaque layer and a white interior PVC layer, as well as eight inches of insulation.
Boyles and others see a number of holes in Citrin's plan, however, and said the patches will make the cost of the project much higher. There are concerns that the lighter Sprung construction materials could not withstand the daily wear and tear of a town garage. Boyles said this would result in a higher maintenance cost for the town. Dias said at the hearing that he also believed that Citrin may have unintentionally underestimated the value of the acreage in Ancram when considering buying new land, and may be too optimistic in expecting that unskilled construction workers would put the building together for $10 or less an hour.
Another plan would see improvements and a building addition, perhaps Sprung, at the current garage site. This proposal runs into issues as well. The substandard conditions of the current garage make the structure beyond saving, in the opinion of some, including Hoyt. There is also limited room for territorial expansion at the garage because of its proximity to protected wetlands.
The town committee's plan is not without its own opposition.
Residents who live close to the Matthews building, on Roche and near by, are vocally concerned about the impact the constant work and truck traffic would have on their quality of life. At the hearing, Roche Lane resident Mike Barton said he is concerned about all the noise and activity so close to his home and neighbors and property damage caused to homes close to the narrow road, but more importantly, for the safety of the 12 children that live on the street.
Highway officials said there was no reason to think town vehicles would drive recklessly on a residential road.
"I've been superintendent 13 years," MacArthur said, "and we haven't hit a kid yet."
"I don't want mine to be the first," Barton responded.
Supervisor Dias said he understands that Ancram residents have concerns, and that it's nearly impossible to find one plan that everyone in the town is 100 percent happy with, but said he was emboldened by the community interest in the dialogue. "I think the board was thrilled with the turn out," Dias said,
The supervisor, who is in his first term, said he is leaning toward the Matthews plan but wants citizens to know his opinion is not set in stone. "I'm going to remain open minded because we're doing the people's work," he said, adding, "In the time that's elapsed since the garage issue started the economy nose dived. Honestly I'm getting cold feet on spending money in this environment. The fly in the ointment for all of this is cost."
Hoyt echoed the supervisor's concerns and openness to new ideas. "I think people came in [to the hearing] with the thought that we had our minds made up," she said. "It's the opposite that's true. I sympathize with issues like small roads but it's going to come down to dollars and cents. I welcome all help. It would be fantastic if somebody came up with a better idea."
Supervisor Dias is asking anyone with suggestions, concerns, complaints or questions to send messages directly to his personal e-mail at prevail@taconic.net.
To reach reporter Jamie Larson, call 518-828-1616, ext. 2269, or e-mail jlarson@registerstar.com.
ANCRAM - The Ancram Town Hall was overflowing with people and opinions Saturday afternoon as the board held a public hearing to get community input on the future of the towns crumbling town garage - a debate that has raged for years and is now coming to a head. The plan with the most traction at the moment is for the town to purchase the Matthews Hornets Nest Paint Ball building on Roche Lane, and convert it into a new highway facility. There is also a very vocal faction of town residents who say moving garage activities to that area would have a negative effect on their community.
Ancram Town Supervisor Thomas Dias said the public hearing Saturday was an important step toward fixing the garage issue. There were many dissenting opinions at the hearing, which saw people sitting on the floor and in chairs out in the hall due to the massive turn out, but Deputy Supervisor Donna Hoyt said one thing that everyone agrees on is that something has to be done about the state of the garage.
Dias and Hoyt both said it was their hope that the meeting made it clear for residents that this is an ongoing process and no final decisions have been made. There will be another public meeting at 6 p.m. March 5 and Dias said he is prepared to schedule a third.
"I'm really ashamed of that structure," Dias said of the existing garage. "I wouldn't want anyone working in these conditions but they are."
The garage in use is undersized for the need, requiring the town to store supplies like rock at satellite sites around the town. It is in dire need of repair and walks a fine line in regards to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations when it comes to safety and environmental impact, according to town officials. The water coming into the garage currently isn't safe to drink or even shower in, the heating units are unreliable at best, dangerous at worst, and when town employees slide under a truck to do repairs they do so on what is essentially a dirt floor, according to accounts.
The plan to purchase and convert the Matthews building was created by the Town Highway Garage Replacement Committee, which was formed last summer to address the issue. Between buying the land and retrofitting the existing structure the project would cost the town well over a million dollars, but committee chairman Terry Boyles said it is still the most cost effective plan on the table and doesn't see where they are going wrong. This issue began long before the economic recession hit and ever since cost has become a major factor in any proposal.
A counter plan was formed in response to the committee by Michael Citrin, who owns land abutting Matthews. Citrin proposed the town could have a new garage for $645,000. His garage would be smaller - 110 feet by 80 feet - but within Highway Superintendent James MacArthur's specifications.
The structure, to be built by Sprung Instant Structures, would have walls consisting of a layer of tedlar on top, under that a PVC layer for fire retardance, under which is a polyester base fiber, a blackout opaque layer and a white interior PVC layer, as well as eight inches of insulation.
Boyles and others see a number of holes in Citrin's plan, however, and said the patches will make the cost of the project much higher. There are concerns that the lighter Sprung construction materials could not withstand the daily wear and tear of a town garage. Boyles said this would result in a higher maintenance cost for the town. Dias said at the hearing that he also believed that Citrin may have unintentionally underestimated the value of the acreage in Ancram when considering buying new land, and may be too optimistic in expecting that unskilled construction workers would put the building together for $10 or less an hour.
Another plan would see improvements and a building addition, perhaps Sprung, at the current garage site. This proposal runs into issues as well. The substandard conditions of the current garage make the structure beyond saving, in the opinion of some, including Hoyt. There is also limited room for territorial expansion at the garage because of its proximity to protected wetlands.
The town committee's plan is not without its own opposition.
Residents who live close to the Matthews building, on Roche and near by, are vocally concerned about the impact the constant work and truck traffic would have on their quality of life. At the hearing, Roche Lane resident Mike Barton said he is concerned about all the noise and activity so close to his home and neighbors and property damage caused to homes close to the narrow road, but more importantly, for the safety of the 12 children that live on the street.
Highway officials said there was no reason to think town vehicles would drive recklessly on a residential road.
"I've been superintendent 13 years," MacArthur said, "and we haven't hit a kid yet."
"I don't want mine to be the first," Barton responded.
Supervisor Dias said he understands that Ancram residents have concerns, and that it's nearly impossible to find one plan that everyone in the town is 100 percent happy with, but said he was emboldened by the community interest in the dialogue. "I think the board was thrilled with the turn out," Dias said,
The supervisor, who is in his first term, said he is leaning toward the Matthews plan but wants citizens to know his opinion is not set in stone. "I'm going to remain open minded because we're doing the people's work," he said, adding, "In the time that's elapsed since the garage issue started the economy nose dived. Honestly I'm getting cold feet on spending money in this environment. The fly in the ointment for all of this is cost."
Hoyt echoed the supervisor's concerns and openness to new ideas. "I think people came in [to the hearing] with the thought that we had our minds made up," she said. "It's the opposite that's true. I sympathize with issues like small roads but it's going to come down to dollars and cents. I welcome all help. It would be fantastic if somebody came up with a better idea."
Supervisor Dias is asking anyone with suggestions, concerns, complaints or questions to send messages directly to his personal e-mail at prevail@taconic.net.
To reach reporter Jamie Larson, call 518-828-1616, ext. 2269, or e-mail jlarson@registerstar.com.
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