The Pompey Town Board held their regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, July 11, 2023 at 6:30pm. A video of the full meeting can be viewed on the Town of Pompey Facebook Page.
Highlights of the meeting are as follows:
Pompey Rod and Gun Club Fundraiser for Clear Path for Veterans
The Board reported that the Pompey Rod and Gun Club presented a check for $30,000 to the not-for-profit organization Clear Path for Veterans. The money was raised from the Club’s April 22nd annual trap shoot to benefit the non-profit. The Board congratulated the Club, as well as the event sponsors and participants, for their remarkable efforts.
Moratorium on Home Occupations
A public hearing was opened to discuss the Board’s proposed moratorium on home occupation applications. Town resident Deb Grenier requested the Board provide a full explanation of the proposed legislation and the necessity of it. The Board responded with a summary of their ad hoc committee’s discussions on the topic, explaining that existing code is inconsistent and confusing, thus creating a barrier to a fair and equitable application process.
The Board unanimously approved a six-month moratorium on home occupation applications in order to give the committee time to resolve inconsistencies in the code and to improve the application process so it will be clear, reasonable, fair, and minimally burdensome for applicants.
In response to a question from Town resident Nancy Furdock, the Board confirmed that anyone currently wishing to establish a home business in the Town of Pompey must wait until the moratorium is lifted and the code is ratified in order to proceed.
Frank Long Road Solar Array
Seaboard Solar President Shawn Brazo again spoke to the Board at length about the steps the company has taken to address public concerns about the proposed project, reiterating that they have reduced the overall size and impact of the array and assuring the Board and the public that they are a small, family-owned company with no intention of “abandoning” the project and leaving the Town to deal with dismantling the panels in the future. Brazo reminded the Board that the Town Planning Board had previously unanimously approved the original, larger plan, and the Town Engineer has preliminarily endorsed — with conditions — Seaboard’s stormwater management plan.
Seaboard then requested that the Town Board set a Public Hearing as the next step in the process towards approval of their application.
Somewhat to the surprise of the public audience, the Town Board declined to make a motion for a public hearing, effectively bringing to an end the solar company’s application process.
Town Historian Report
Town historian Ruth Hotaling shared a lively report on local lore, touching on topics from local authors to digital archives of the works of local artists, old barns, and more. The complete report will be available to the public on the Town of Pompey website.
Town Swim Program Update
Supervisor Renee Rotondo reported that she received discouraging feedback from the Village of Cazenovia Mayor, stating he is not optimistic that the pool at the former college will reopen. The Town Board will continue to explore alternatives for swimming classes for next year and beyond.
Town Hall Water Treatment System
The Board reported that iron and sulphur are damaging the plumbing and fixtures in the Town Hall building. They unanimously approved a new water treatment system that will reduce corrosion and staining. The system will not, however, make the water potable.
Cyber Liability Insurance
The Board voted unanimously to approve a $1m cyber liability insurance policy for the town. The policy will cost approximately $3,000 per year.
Town Cemetery Maintenance Program
In response to a recent request for funding a project for the upkeep of the Pompey Hill Cemetery and subsequent questions about fair allocation to all the cemeteries in the Town, the Board discussed developing an application process for requesting Town funds for cemetery maintenance. During the Public Comment segment, Town resident Nancy Furdock suggested that the Town consider a competitive Grant application process through which the Town could properly assess the merit of individual requests. Furdock suggested that the Town may wish to allocate some of the Town’s remaining ARPA funds to the program.
Public Comment
Town resident Ivan Fuller expressed concerns over County and Town dumping of debris on Frank Long Road. He believes the debris is exacerbating the ongoing stormwater runoff problems. Supervisor Rotondo said that County and Town engineers have stated that the dumping is not affecting the situation, but she has agreed to investigate Mr. Fuller’s concerns about an apparent trench that has been dug to direct the debris and runoff down the hill towards neighboring residences.
Although the issues surrounding the Frank Long Solar project were rendered moot in the general meeting, a number of Town residents spoke up during public comment to both thank the Board for rejecting the project and, conversely, to encourage Town residents to reconsider their opposition to Tier 3 Solar projects. Citing climate change and State and Federal government intentions to convert to an all-electric society within the next decade, solar proponents urged the Town of Pompey to “do their part” to contribute to the cause.
As an interesting side note, Town resident Tom Byrne commented — and other residents present expressed confirmation — that Frank Long Road is the second steepest road in all of Onondaga County.
