A town meeting has good news and a spot of humor

CORNWALL ­­— It was a rather short town  meeting, lasting only  about 30 minutes — but it was a particularly fruitful  one. About two dozen residents gathered at Cornwall Consolidated School on Oct. 23 to hear the good news that the town has weathered the economic woes of the past year, and that things are looking up.

The town is finding itself on the receiving end of an influx of money, from grants and a bequest (see story, this page).

More funds for roadwork

The meeting agenda included voter authorization to allocate $110,000 from the town’s capital projects account for repairs to Great Hollow and Great Hill roads, with the assurance that grant funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will be available to reimburse the account.

No sooner was a motion made and seconded on the question, than it was amended, and the amount was raised to $150,000.

First Selectman Gordon Ridgway explained that, just a few days prior, he received a phone call informing him that there was unclaimed funding, and that Cornwall would get a portion of it totaling about $36,000.

That led to the obvious question by residents of why the project should cost more, just because more money is available.

Ridgway said the original funds would not have covered the cost of doing the entire lengths of the two roads. The additional $36,000 will allow for repaving and guardrail upgrades possibly as far as College Hill Road.

Cornwall resident Roger Kane has been hired as a consultant on the project.

Ridgway went on to tell a rather amusing story of bureaucratic logic, with the ultimate answer being he is not really sure why these particular roads were targeted under the program.

“There are two possible scenarios,� he said. “The project was based originally on improving roads that connect state roads. These two roads actually connect Route 4 and Route 202 in Milton.�

The funny part is that these roads do not generally see through traffic — and improvements are not likely to change that. Milton is a historic village between Cornwall and Litchfield that is hardly a destination and is too far off the beaten path for people to even pass through at random.

“There is not a huge gridlock situation in Milton,� Ridgway said, “and we don’t intend to create one with this project.�

The second theory is that the roads connect two state parks:Mohawk Ski Area and Mohawk Pond. Ridgway noted that Great Hollow Road is actually State Route 480. (Roads from which a state park is entered, including connector roads to parks and airports, are designated as state service roads.)

“We’re not sure which theory tipped the balance in our favor, and we don’t care.�

Town report, other items

Also approved at the meeting was the town report, which features a photo of the highly successful West Cornwall Farmers’ Market on its cover.

A five-year plan for capital spending, totaling more than $2 million dollars, was approved with little discussion. It includes allocations for road work, fire and highway trucks, town building improvements and an annual $40,000 set aside for the school.

Fees for building permits will rise, to allow that town office to continue to be self-sustaining. Zoning permit fees will also rise, from $25 to $75. The votes approving these motions were unanimous.

An ordinance was put into place to help protect town recreational areas (the Village Green, Foote Fields and Hammond Beach). In recent years, there have been several cases of vandalism — mostly grass torn up by vehicles. In those cases, state police have been involved.

But for minor infractions, such as littering, the town had no way to take action without calling the police. The ordinance allows town officials to enforce rules at those sites, and to levy fines of up to $250 per violation.

The meeting was also a chance for Ridgway to publicly thank two long-term volunteers who are taking a break. Barbara Gold will not seek another term on the Board of Education. Annie Kosciusko will step down from the Planning and Zoning Commission after years of work, including the recently completed draft of a revised Town Plan of Conservation and Development that will be the subject of public comment in November.