BY WILL ROSS
PITTSFORD—The Pittsford Select Board gathered last Wednesday to reorganize and discuss town business. The meeting opened with a vote to determine which members would fill the roles of chair and vice chair for the board. It was decided that Alicia Malay will continue as chair of the board and David Mills will continue as vice chair.
Town Manager David Atherton delivered an informative town manager’s report. Atherton is hoping to submit a Class 2 highway-structures grant to replace a culvert at the intersection of Oxbow and Ager Road. The police department has submitted a survey to see if the town will be eligible to apply for a grant through the Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant program. The program provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. Additionally, the current sander needs to be replaced, and the new one will cost the town $5,000.
There is some good news regarding the town’s property values: the Common Level of Appraisal (CLA) for the town of Pittsford has been recalculated to 84% as opposed to the previous 77%. This means that the town’s assessed property values are much more in line with current market values than previously thought. This is a substantial change and has beneficial implications for lowering the education tax rate.
The main discussion of the evening was led by Rick Conway. Conway brought the board up to speed on the Act 250 plans regarding the intersection adjacent to the Mobile station. There are plans to restructure the intersection, remove the southbound slip lane onto Route 3, and add an additional lane to the roadway. Some residents have raised concerns about this project and feel that this restructuring will make the intersection less safe.
“It is really unfortunate that our representative, Butch Shaw, does not support the Planning Commission, Selectboard, Fire Department, and 400-plus signatures that don’t support this project,” said Conway. “I don’t see how the whole process of Act 250 was properly administered because it is supposed to be open for public opinion, and in my opinion, that did not occur.”
The deadline to file an appeal for this decision is April 4, so it was decided that Selectboard members would attend the Planning Commission meeting on March 23 to gain further insights before moving forward with a decision later in the week.
Other News:
- Judi Tompkins was appointed to the Maclure Library Board of Trustees.
- The annual finance plan was approved.
- VTRANS road and bridge standards were adopted.
