EDWARD SIM Village of Colonie DEPUTY MAYOR VILLAGE HALL PATTY SCHWARZ 2 THUNDER ROAD LOCKART COLONIE, NY 12205 TRUSTEE (518) 869-7562 FAX (518) 464-0389 ART WHITE THOMAS J. TOBIN TRUSTEE MAYOR JAMES RUBINO TRUSTEE villagehall@colonievillage.org www.colonievillage.org JAMIE BLOT CLERK MINUTES BOARD OF TRUSTEES MONDAY, AUGUST 1, 2022 The meeting of the Mayor and Board of Trustees was held on Monday, August 1st, 2022, at 2 Thunder Rd, Albany, NY 12205. Mayor Tobin opened the meeting with the pledge of allegiance at 6:30 p.m. The exit signs were also noted as the meeting began. Roll Call: Mayor Tobin Present Deputy Mayor Sim Present Trustee Lockart Present Trustee Rubino Present Trustee White Present Clerk Blot Present Administrative Asst. Curran Present The minutes of the regularly scheduled board meeting that was held on July 18th, 2022, were reviewed by the present members of the board. A motion was made by Trustee Lockart to approve the minutes. This motion was seconded by Trustee White. VOTE: Trustee Lockart Yes Trustee Rubino Yes Trustee White Yes Deputy Mayor Sim Yes Mayor Tobin Yes A motion was made by Deputy Mayor Sim to authorize to advertise a public hearing on August 15th, at 6:30pm, to vote on Resolution 2022-45 “Purchase of air packs from capital reserve – fire equipment fund”. This motion was seconded by Trustee Lockart. VOTE: Trustee Lockart Yes Trustee Rubino Yes Trustee White Yes Deputy Mayor Sim Yes Mayor Tobin Yes Motion passed. A motion was made by Trustee Rubino to approve Resolution 2022-46 “Use of recreation facility – Albany County Board of Elections – amendment to original agreement”. This motion was seconded by Trustee Lockart. VOTE: Trustee Lockart Yes Trustee Rubino Yes Trustee White Yes Deputy Mayor Sim Yes Mayor Tobin Yes Motion passed. A motion was made by Trustee White to approve Resolution 2022-47 “Refund request for facility rental”. This motion was seconded by Trustee Lockart. VOTE: Trustee Lockart Yes Trustee Rubino Yes Trustee White Yes Deputy Mayor Sim Yes Mayor Sim Yes Motion passed. Deputy Mayor Sim asked DPW Superintendent Les Decker to discuss how the meetings with Village Engineer RJ LaBerge have been going regarding issues on Tanglewood Road. Mr. Decker reported that shots have been taken and numbers have been given, and now the Village is waiting to hear about some suggestions Mr. LaBerge may have. It is believed that the main issue at 30 Tanglewood Road is that the driveway is too low, and there is a large belly. The issue at 28 Tanglewood will hopefully be fixed once the parking area is redone. Mr. Decker and Mr. LaBerge have been in close contact with the residents at 28 and 30 Tanglewood Road, and they are happy with the communication. Mayor Tobin also asked Mr. Decker to share the improvements that have been made at Bauer Park. Mr. Decker shared that 50 boards have been replaced in the park, and the bridge has been resecured. DPW employees have spent over a week cleaning the park and making these improvements. It is inevitable that these boards will rot, but employees will walk through once a week to note of any upkeeping that should be made. At this time, it is in great condition. Mayor Tobin mentioned that last week’s concert in the park, the NY Players, had a great turnout. The weather was great, and it seemed to have the most people yet this year. He also reminded the Board that the Mayor’s Cup 5k and Fun Run is coming up on August 13th, as well as the parade on September 17th, and the Centennial Dinner on October 8th. At this time, Mayor Tobin opened the meeting to the audience. Resident Maureen Lee of Hialeah Drive was present at this meeting. First, Ms. Lee thanked the Village for getting the trailer removed from the Redwood Bowling parking lot. Though the dumpsters in the Delmonico’s parking lot are not enclosed, they have been moved and are looking better. Ms. Lee then questioned the status of the bowling alley. She mentioned that she has seen employees outside doing landscaping, and she has attempted to speak with them, though communication is tough. She has seen them pulling weeds and removing stumps, but the trash around the property has not been touched. Ms. Lee asked the board if any code violations have been issued, and if a report has been filed by code enforcement about the property. Mayor Tobin replied that Code Enforcement Officer Meservey has been inside Redwood Bowling recently, as he is our fire inspector. He also added that he would check with him this week to inquire about a report. Trustee Lockart advised the audience that the front of Redwood Bowling has been cleaned up and updated, and Code Enforcement Officer Meservey is in contact with the owners of the building. They are unsure if there are any plans to sell the building, but Officer Meservey has been working hard to ensure that the building is being somewhat maintained. Ms. Lee also mentioned that there are street cones in front of a utility pole on Central Avenue and asked if anything could be done about them, as she feels they are an eyesore. Mayor Tobin let her know that they are not related to the Village, and they need to stay there until the work is completed. Trustee Lockart added that we can’t remove their cones, and Deputy Mayor Sim included that it would be a liability to move them. Resident Millie Powers of Nicholas Drive was also present to share her concerns. She stated that the Redwood Bowling Alley is her primary concern, as it is upsetting to see this unkept property once you first enter the Village, and her neighborhood. Ms. Powers also asked the Board if there is anything in the Village Code regarding garage doors being left open. Mayor Tobin recognized which house was being mentioned and let her know that Code Enforcement Officer Meservey has been in contact with the resident at that property. Ms. Powers responded by asking if the Village ever issues any kind of orders to remedy, and Trustee Lockart said yes, but there is nothing in the Code that pertains to garage doors. Ms. Powers then asked if the bowling alley could be issued any fines for its appearance. Clerk Blot responded that the Village does have a vacant property registry that includes a fee schedule to entice property maintenance. It is believed that Redwood Bowling Alley has been paying this vacant property fee as well. Ms. Powers was also concerned that the opposite side of Central Avenue is well maintained, while the corner of Central Avenue and Nicholas Drive is not. Mayor Tobin replied that the Village tries their best to put rules and regulations in place, but unfortunately, they can only do so much. Trustee Lockart included that the Redwood property is a concern to everyone, but they are attempting to make improvements. The exterior of the building has been scraped and painted, and the doors and eaves have been replaced. It is possible that more improvements are being made that we can’t see from the street. Trustee Lockart reiterated that Code Enforcement Officer Meservey has been working hard to improve the condition of the property, but it is easier said than done. The Village issues fines and orders to remedy, and in some cases, even goes out to do the work themselves before billing the resident. She encouraged residents to keep letting the Board know if issues persist, but to also be patient and acknowledge the work that is being done. Resident Lyndsay Jackson of Hialeah Drive was in attendance to discuss her concerns for the neighborhood. She stated that she is a newer resident, and often has family over to visit, and wants to be proud of her community. She offered that there is a lot of litter around the Redwood property, and brush that has been there for months. Ms. Jackson questioned why this brush hasn’t been picked up, and Trustee Lockart replied that is likely due to it not being bagged up. Ms. Jackson stated that the bag broke due to being out in the various weather conditions, and it is now all over the property. She also shared that the cut through from Hialeah and Nicholas Drive to Forest Park is not well maintained. She stated that it is extremely littered and there is now a fire pit with empty cans of alcohol. Mayor Tobin responded that he used to clean up the cut through when he resided on Myers Court and would have someone go over to look at it. Ms. Jackson asked the Board if they had any zoning information regarding turning single family homes into rentals. She advised the Board that there are at least two homes on the street that have been turned into rental properties. She is concerned that this adds more cars and traffic to the neighborhood. Clerk Blot offered that Village Code does not touch on renting of any sort. Ms. Jackson asked if there was any way to fight this, as she believes it decreases the value of everyone’s properties. Further, she stated that renting results in high turnover, and residents become unaware of who their neighbors are. Trustee Lockart offered that many residents have lived in the village for their whole lives, so when they pass away, the children often take the home over. They may choose to keep the home, sell the home, or rent it out, and this is not uncommon. Village Code does not address rentals, but it may be something to consider. Ms. Jackson advised the Board that multiple families may be living in these houses, and suggested adding it to the Village Code, as some houses have multiple cars parked on the street. Trustee Rubino asked Ms. Jackson if she knows if all the individuals are related to each other. She did not know. She also discussed a vacant home in the neighborhood, that she believes to have animals living inside. Trustee Lockart was under the impression that Code Enforcement Officer Meservey remedied this issue by working with the owner. Ms. Jackson questioned whether the property was even structurally sound. Mayor Tobin advised her that he would look into a number of these issues, along with Code Enforcement Officer Meservey. Ms. Lee asked if the Board would be willing to go into Redwood Bowling Alley and look at the building. She mentioned that she would be curious herself to see the condition. Mayor Tobin let her know that he would investigate these issues. The following reports were submitted: Colonie Fire Company incident report 7/1/2022-7/31/2022 Colonie Fire Company incident report 1/1/2022-7/31/2022 Senior lunch report 7/18/2022-7/22/2022 Recreation center monthly report July 2022 Abstract #4 General: 150,331.66 Water: 44,215.85 Sewer: 61,164.08 Total: 255,711.59 Deputy Mayor Sim made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:00 p.m. This motion was seconded by Trustee White. VOTE: Trustee Lockart Yes Trustee Rubino Yes Trustee White Yes Deputy Mayor Sim Yes Mayor Tobin Yes Motion passed. Meeting adjourned at 7:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Hannah Curran Administrative Assistant Village of Colonie