Conesville Welcomes New Code Enforcement Officer - Hears Requests Regarding 5K, Power Outages

CONESVILLE — The Conesville Town Hall had a healthy crowd this Tuesday for the regular monthly meeting.

Resident Amy Wilson requested privilege of the floor to ask about the date of the next town of Conesville meeting. She requested to potentially increase the hours of Town of Clerk Carrie Sutton to help with changing the sign. The clerk said that the position is salaried but not hourly and said that the board could assist by increasing the position’s salary.

Resident Mary Keenan thanked multiple members of the community for their service to the community. She asked about outages along her road. While the outages were not the direct responsibility of the town board, she asked what could be done, including a petition. Supervisor Federice said that he was contacted several times and spent time speaking to someone involved with the power outage. There were several recent cases, including power lines being down due to weather or a vehicle hitting a pole.

“When you have an ice storm that knocks out power to the area,” it takes time to fix. During the outage last weekend, there were nine tickets. The power company is concerned about trees coming down, even out of the right-of-way. The power company cannot go onto other people’s property under those circumstances.

“There are programs for seniors and people with special circumstances,” he said. Federice said that in those circumstances, NYSEG would attempt to prioritize such situations. He added that he had several contacts, including at the office in Oneonta. While he was not always satisfied with such answers, he would continue such efforts. He said that he took “strong disagreement” with the idea that the town was not doing anything. While the town could not fix the lines itself, Federice said that the community would assist.

Town Assessor Marie Stuber reported in writing that the state agreed to accept the 100% valuation. In order to keep such a level, the town would have to review tax information each year. Such a proposition includes “a lot of extra work on my part” and is not a regular assignment for her position, Stuber wrote. She said that the state could disagree in the future and requested to know whether the town would like such a review for 2025 by the August meeting.

Supervisor Federice asked the board to affirm support for a valuation for 2025. He said that there is difficulty depending on the town that Conesville would be compared to. Gilboa or Broome would be more comparable, he said, especially compared to a town such as Windham. The discussion was tabled until the August meeting.

The new Code Enforcer Rob Giordano introduced himself to the board. He said that he was a Long Island transplant who had lived on Bush Road for the last eight years and had about 40 years’ experience as a general contractor. He said that he started his code enforcement classes and would complete them in the next four months or so.

“Welcome aboard,” said Federice.

Town Clerk Carrie Sutton reported two dog license renewals.

The sewer report indicated that there would be brush hogging and that there would be a video inspection of the collection system. The supervisor said that there was brush hogging last week and this week.

Town Historian Kim Young reported that there were a number of public inquiries and that there was a review of the Couchman House. There was a request for a formal structural analysis that would be paid for by the Conesville Historical Society. The hope is that the attic would hold the material needed, including filing cabinets. She also reported that the Historical Society has been prepping for the upcoming 5K on Nov. 30. There would also be the Aug. 9 historical marker at the church. The marker was funded by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation. There will be an ice cream social following the dedication.

The first official square dance will be on Aug. 10 at 7 pm at the firehouse.

The town approved the Historical Society to be able to use Route 990V from the intersection of Bear Kill Road and Robinson Road from 10:30 am to noon on Nov. 30 for the 5K. The supervisor said that he would also request access to part of Bear Kill Road with the County DPW. Councilman Bill Amend said that a turkey was added to the 5K logo, with the race being called the Turkey Trot. The next meeting regarding the race is set for Aug. 26. The group is hoping for about 50 participants. No decision has been made about a trophy or plaque for winners.

The board also approved the structural analysis.

Town Highway Superintendent Ward Apgar reported repairs after recent rainstorms. He also reported that several roads were being prepped for chip sealing, which should happen in the third week of August. The town also applied for a nuisance beaver permit to remove beavers from South Mountain and Cook Roads. Three have already been removed.

The supervisor said that things were going “well” at the county. He said that there was significant discussion regarding there was discussion regarding upgrading the physical security of the county building. He said that there are now metal detectors at the office. He said that other county offices have strict security, including Delaware County.

There were 32 knives and two handguns on the first day. The individuals were asked to place the items back in their cars.

“People tested it,” he said.

The report was duly approved.

The board approved a bond anticipation note for a Komatsu vehicle purchased three years ago. The rate is under four percent. The board approved the note for another year unanimously.

Supervisor Federice reported on a 14% increase in the town’s inland marine insurance rate. He said that he called a new person who works with NYMIR and found nearly-identical rates. 

“There’s really nothing we can do about that,” he said.

Giordano said that Allstate had a 22% increase and that 14% is good.

The supervisor requested a regular budget amendment, which he said was nothing significant other than to adjust for the increase in insurance costs. This was approved unanimously.

The Couchman House was again a point of conversation. The plumber can “see the finish line,” said the supervisor. He said that there was some remaining ARPA pandemic-era funding that could be used or encumbered for next year. He requested that there be an effort to clean up the building and secure it better. 

The meeting adjourned at 7:41.