By WILL ROSS
PITTSFORD—The Pittsford Selectboard gathered in the town offices last Wednesday. In attendance were members of the Planning Commission who hoped to air out their grievances with the way the appeal process was handled regarding the bridge 108 redesign.
The Selectboard and Planning Commission had been working together to appeal the plan by the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) to redesign the intersection between Oxbow Road and Route 3 on the south side of Pittsford. The Planning Commission was under the impression that the Selectboard had every intention of going through with the appeal; however, in their May 3rd meeting, the Selectboard opted not to file the appeal.
Chuck Charbonneau of the Planning Commission asked how the board arrived at that decision despite previous conversations. Board Chair Alicia Malay informed the Planning Commission that the decision was based on the foreseen expense in tax dollars for legal fees.
Board member Mark Winslow pointed out that the time constraint involved in the appeal process heavily influenced the previous decision to vote in favor of the appeal. However, after further evaluation of the expenses involved in the process, the board decided it would not be in the best interest of the town and decided not to appeal.
Rick Conway, proprietor of the Mobil station at the intersection, brought up differences between the Planning Commission’s allocated budget and the amount that was actually spent over the previous fiscal years. Conway noted that this discrepancy could have been used to offset the legal fees involved in the appeal process.
Ann Rademacher voiced her concerns with the process from the perspective of a taxpayer: “[M]aybe the townspeople would have liked a little more input as to whether we think it is worth our tax dollars to get this intersection the way we all feel it would be safer? But it wasn’t on the agenda.” Rademacher continued, “It seems the citizens should have a little bit of say in where our money goes. [I] think a lot of people in town would have been willing to pay that and more to have a safe intersection. I have just been kind of disappointed that this major decision was made in executive session with no public input.”
After the discussion on the bridge wrapped up, Steve Belcher, Pittsford representative to the BLSG Mosquito District, led a brief discussion on the possibility of adding Proctor to the mosquito district. Proctor has been paying for the service on a contractual basis and to be fully integrated into the district, four out of the five surrounding towns must vote them in. The Selectboard approved Proctor‘s request to join the insect district.
There was a brief discussion on a tax exemption for the Pittsford Village Farm. The discussion was led by Lisa Wright, president of the Vermont Assessors and Listers Association. Wright informed the board that Pittsford Village Farm has applied for tax exemption and that there are some pros and cons involved. The current status of the building is that it is in disrepair and in need of renovation. “It is a little bit uncertain what exactly the building will be used for, and that is a big question for this application,” said Wright. David Mills stated, “We have been assured time and time again that this would not cost the town any money,” and made it known that he was opposed to the exemption. Malay was inclined to agree, stating, “It would be different if it was up and running.” The board made the recommendation to Wright that the application for tax exemption be denied.
