Renters denied resident ferry rates

Two “credible younger renters” on the Island have been told they don’t quality for resident commuter tickets on North Ferry because they don’t own property here, Supervisor Jim Dougherty reported at Tuesday’s Town Board work session.

“It’s not so” that renters don’t qualify as residents “and if it is we’ll change it,” the supervisor said at the first Town Board work session since he won re-election to a third two-year term.

He said that County Legislator Ed Romaine, who votes on ferry fares as a member of the legislature, was discussing the issue with the county’s Budget Review Office, which reviews fares before they go to the legislature for approval.

“It would be nice to get them reimbursed” for the non-resident fares they’ve had to pay, Mr. Dougherty said of the residents, whom he declined to identify.

Otherwise the work session covered familiar topics that have been in the works — the senior kitchen renovations, a winter covering for the Recycling Center’s new paper baler, the long overdue 2010 municipal audit —  and was brief and low key until after an executive session that was held on contract negotiations and personnel matters. But in a rare move, the board reconvened in public session at the request of businessman John Sieni, who wanted the board to hear his complaint about the handling of a zoning application for his La Maison Blanche inn and restaurant (see separate story on page 3).

Also on Tuesday, Councilman Glenn Waddington announced that at the request of resident Theresa Andrew he and other town officials would hold a public meeting with a company called Waste2Energy to hear a presentation about converting the landfill to a “waste to energy site.” Mr. Waddington said if the company’s pitch “seems viable,” he’d recommend that the company send a representative to a future Town Board work session.

LEGION HALL PUSH

American Legion Commander Mike Loriz renewed his call for the board to reach a decision on the future use of the town-owned Legion Hall so plans could be developed for the building’s restoration and possible expansion. “It’s really imperative that we really address a 20- to 30-year framework for what the town’s plans are,” he said.

He said he was glad to hear the town would be receiving bids on Friday, December 2 for a new roof and he supported the idea of installing rooftop solar panels, which he said could provide more than enough electricity to run the building, which doubles as the town’s Youth Center. He submitted an updated report dated November 9 by consulting engineer John C. Cronin, who wrote that a bulge in wood-framed interior gypsum wall was the result of the deflection of a cracked foundation wall, which has been recognized as a concern for many months. He wrote that “loads emanating from deflection of the cracked foundation wall are being applied to the interior wall system. Although this was not and should not be the design intent of the interior wall, it nonetheless is now serving a purpose beyond merely aesthetic.” He added that “under no circumstances should it be viewed as a ‘permanent’ or ‘long-term’ fix.”

Mr. Cronin urged the town to “immediately begin planning the future of the building, including repairs or modifications to the foundation area in question,” because “without a finalized plan for the building’s future, needed repairs and work may languish.”

Mr. Loriz said the Legion didn’t want to be a burden on the town and would take back the building if the town couldn’t take care of it.

“We can take care of it,” Supervisor Dougherty said, repeating what he has said before: Mr. Cronin has told town officials the foundation is not at a critical stage and “is not a threat at all” to the integrity of the building, Mr. Dougherty said. He insisted the town has been “keeping a very good eye on it.”

In other business Tuesday, Supervisor Dougherty reported that the town had received a list of names of people recommended by the Red Cross Ambulance Corps to serve on an Emergency Medical Service advisory board to help the town manage the squad when it becomes a town department.