Pine Plains organizes for 2010

PINE PLAINS — It was a time of change for the Town Board at the reorganization meeting Thursday, Jan. 7, yet some things remain the same. Town Supervisor Gregg Pulver was sworn in by town Justice Louis Imperato, along with newly elected council members Rosemary Lyons-Chase and Sandra David, as the meeting began. Pulver welcomed Lyons-Chase and David to their posts and noted they had already received state training, which they both described as very beneficial and helpful to their understanding of their roles on the Town Board.

The business of the meeting included the presentation, discussion and eventual acceptance of the town’s annual appointments, the town’s employee salaries and the members and chairman positions of the town’s Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals. With the approval of the annual appointments came the official hiring of a new police officer, Alec Pandaleon III, who was sworn in toward the end of the meeting in executive session.

In response to budgetary constraints, the salaries of town employees remained the same as 2009 with one exception, that of Water Company Superintendent Gary Keeler, who received a raise of $3,000, from $21,000 to $24,000 annually. Pulver noted that this increase had been prearranged between Keeler and the town.

The annual appointments engendered somewhat more discussion, with questions raised from the public on the choice of Richard Butler as chairman of the Planning Board. Butler was defeated last November in his bid for another term as councilman after 10 years in that position.

One audience member wondered why Butler should have that position when he wasn’t voted in again, implying that there was some lack of confidence in him that was expressed by the electorate in voting for his opponent.

Pulver said that Butler knows the zoning laws very well, and his having that knowledge about the laws would be to the benefit of the board and the town. Several audience members and board members came to Butler’s defense, but Lyons-Chase said she felt conflicted about Butler being the chairman, saying she just “felt uncomfortable because of personalities.� In the end, all voted to accept Butler as chairman except Lyons-Chase, who abstained.

Scott Chase was accepted as chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA), and his term is set to last until Dec. 31, 2014. David suggested Kathleen Augustine as an alternate, which Pulver said he would take under advisement, saying he was not sure that they needed alternates for the ZBA. He said he would check into it and report back.

David then asked about any performance standards that are set for the ZBA, including attendance and taking part in training sessions. There was a general discussion, and an audience member from Millbrook said they have a three-meetings rule, so that if a board member misses three meetings without mutually accepted reasons he or she is terminated. Pulver said he would look into the actual mandated standards and report back to the board. The slate of the ZBA was accepted unanimously.

Pulver announced that his choice for deputy supervisor is Dorean Gardner, who had been defeated in the November election after 20 years as a council member for the town. Gardner had been deputy supervisor for 10 years of her term in office.

Since town law allows anyone  who is of voting age and a current town resident to be appointed to the position, Pulver chose Gardner, he said, hoping it would give the two new members time to get to know the process better before being given an additional responsibility. The position is unpaid and has no vote on the board. Gardner was present and agreed to serving as deputy supervisor, and the board accepted her appointment without further discussion.