MASSIVE REZONE PLAN and other interesting stuff!

It was revealed at the Town Board meeting on Monday (Oct. 13th) that both Tully and Preble are thinking of rezoneing all the prime ag land along 281 to light industrial. Back in August Francis Foley Jr (Kate Edinger's brother) asked Betty Pitman to rezone his land. Then Keith Hawkins (of gravel mining fame) asked for the same thing. As this 140 acres is just to the north of the Barden Homes project they thought it would be a good idea. Pitman signed and sent their requests along to the Cortland County Planning board. They rejected them because there was no plan for what would be done with the property. By the way this is prime farmland and we have been told how important prime farmland is to Preble and that we, non-farmers, should butt out. Funny how now it is just fine to turn this prime farmland into an industrial park. I guess the farmers couldn't hear their previous complaints about us what with the noise that counting all that money was making and all.

Betty also confirmed that the procedure she used for this case was not the normally used procedure. Usually a request for a rezone would come before the town board first and then sent on down to county. I asked her why she didn't do it the normal way and she could not or would not explain it. Now why not, one might ask. If it came before the town board first then we would all know about it. But that can't be the reason, can it?

Actually this makes complete sense if you look at a map of the area. Few homes along there and with Salisbury on the South and Aldi on the north it is logical that eventually it will all be industrial. Another positive aspect is that while it is almost impossible to stop farmers from nitrate pollution there are laws that pretend to stop industrial pollution. Of course now that the water is shot all along 281 anyway, it makes little difference if industry pollutes it more. Little difference except for those south of that area and that is… let's see… who would that be… hmm… Oh that's right! It's the entire hamlet of Preble. Son of a gun. Guess they never heard the old saying about not spitting into the wind huh?

But as Kate Edinger reminded me at the meeting, it has been the counties number one plan all along to have Preble put it a municipal well that would get clean water to the hamlet. The well would likely be located at the southern tip of Song Lake where it is still pure (now) and then run it down to the town. No idea who would pay for this. Maybe if the town charged a $100 per cow tax that could pay for it… naw, that will never happen. Guess they could borrow the million or two it would cost and then just tack it on our property taxes. Oh well, no rush, it'll be a few more years before the entire towns water is no good and then they can worry about it. Are you starting to wish you had gone to the caucus after all? Probably not huh?

In any case they plan to have the whole rezone, water protection and other stuff done by the end of the year so the new town board can deal with it just after they get in. Wonder why the rush? Just an aside: If you look at the Flying J site up north you will see that it is off 81 by a mile or two or just about where the Foley/Hawkins land is in relation to it. That would shift half of the traffic to the Tully exit and turn 281 from a quiet drive to something quite different. The trucks would be rumbling by Rick Shaffer's office all day and night. Just speculating about this of course. Truck Stops were prohibited in the Aquifer Protection District plan that was submitted to the town a few months ago. If they take that prohibition out of the final APD plan you will know that a truck stop is what they really want.

Oh, and another thing. At the town board meeting I promised Don Armstrong (town attorney) that I would be giving him a present soon. The present is a very extensive story about Don that I'm sure you'll all enjoy. Don likely won't but what can I do? It's his story, not mine. Expect to see that in a week or so. Along that line I have other interesting stuff that has been accumulating. I will definitely be getting it all out in the next three weeks before the election.

In other more mundane news from the town board meeting:

There will be a Halloween party at the fire hall on the 25th. - John Steger reported that the sales tax distribution has been resolved. "Back to square one after starting the whole mess." The legislators are mad at the town supervisors and mayors who complained about it. - The Planning Board will meet on the 23rd at 7:30. - The county is going to drill a deeper well near the trailer park to search for good water. - Julie Ray, assessor, gets a $500 a year raise. - There will be a budget workshop on the 22nd at 7:30 if you want to see where all your money is going. - The meeting adjourned at 8:45 making it one of the shortest in a long time. Oh Joy.