New Town Hall parking lot gets a green light

NORTH EAST — The Town Board, following a brief discussion at its business meeting on Thursday, June 14, has paved the way for a new and improved parking lot to be constructed at Town Hall. The issue was raised by town Supervisor John Merwin during Highway Superintendent Bob Steven’s monthly report.“I know it’s not on the agenda, but Bob measured the parking lot driveway and came up with an estimate,” Merwin said. The Town Board has been talking about paving the dirt-and -stone Town Hall parking lot since well before Merwin’s tenure, but it’s something all board members, new and old alike, have rallied around. The lot is famous for its muddy surfaces during rainstorms, and it has its fair share of potholes as well.Stevens noted some material rates, running through a brief list for the board members of both prices and material options. Councilman George Kaye offered his thoughts, suggesting specific choices he thought would be more prudent and cost efficient than others. The board discussed its options, agreed on the best ways to save where it could, and restated how important it is to address the parking lot as quickly as possible.“I think it’s a good thing to do,” Merwin said, adding how bad the conditions get during a rainstorm. “We’re losing half our driveway out to Century Boulevard.”“It’s been put off for quite a while and it needs to be done,” agreed Kaye, who then made a suggestion regarding the curbing. “In front, instead of putting a curb, what about putting some type of a fence up there? It’s not awfully expensive.”The suggestion did not get approved, and there was little discussion following it.The project is being done by the town’s Highway Department with help from the village of Millerton. That intermunicipal assistance will prevent the town from having to hire a private contractor, which will help save the town money. A rough estimate of $6,950 was given as the projected cost to pave the entire parking lot. A motion was passed to approve the plan, which passed with unanimous support from the board.