CWM presents insurance package to Porter Town Board

Porter Board hears more from CWM

by Terry Duffy
Lewiston Porter Sentinel, April 24, 2004

With the May 6 state Department of Environmental Conservation draft hazardous waste Siting Plan public forum at Lew-Port drawing ever closer, Porter Town Board members heard more from the company directly impacted -- Chemical Waste Management -- at its April 12 regular meeting at Porter Town Hall.

CWM's Richard Sturges updated the board on earlier discussions by the town's Citizens Advisory Committee of CWM providing supplemental financial assurance/liability insurance coverages to the towns Porter and Lewiston. Sturges then presented a certificate of insurance document to Supervisor Mert Wiepert. Now in place and valued at $50 million in liability coverage, the policy names Porter as an additional insurer from any claims by a third party in the event of environmental mishaps occurring on or from the CWM Balmer Road site. A similar package was expected to be presented to the town of Lewiston by CWM.

"This added benefit (results) in the town's receiving further protection should an unlikely event occur ..." Sturges wrote in earlier communication to both towns.

Sturges told board members that night the document, whose period runs Jan. 1, 2004 to Jan. 1, 2006, provides liability coverage to the town of $50 million for each pollution related instance and also provides liability coverage to the town in the event CWM closes down or goes bankrupt, as well as the post-closure costs of perpetual care.

$70 million package

Telling board members the whole insurance package including post closure totals some $70 million, Sturges said the additional coverage was being offered as "not a requirement on the part of CWM" but that the matter had come to surface as a result of the CAC discussions/concerns.

Sturges closed his remarks to the board by inviting area residents to attend CWM's Earth Day electronics recycling day, scheduled for today from 9 a.m. to noon at its 1550 Balmer Road facility. Open solely to residents of Porter, the village of Youngstown, Ransomville hamlet, town of Wilson and town and village of Lewiston, CWM will be accepting the following items for recycling: VCRs, radios, stereos, telephones, cell phones, TVs, computers, hard drives, monitors, printers, mouses and keyboards. For additional information, contact CWM at 754-8231.

Moving on to the meeting itself, board members addressed the following agenda items:

• Approved minutes of the March 5 work session, March 8 regular meeting, and March 15 public meeting.
• Approved payment of the audited March vouchers.
• Reviewed Town Clerk John MacArthur's report which found March 2004 water receipts of $27,365.70; March sewer receipts of $3,385.59; licenses and fees totaling $557.67 and 25 SPCA animal contacts for the month.
• Approved a resolution requested by MacArthur for the town to support a statewide Town Clerks referendum covering records management.

Agenda Items

Following Wiepert's recognition of Youngstown resident Breta Olsen on her being named Lew-Port's Community Ambassador for 2004 (Sentinel April 10) the session moved to remarks by town department heads, including the following:

• Supervisor's Assistant Norm Ault told board members the inaugural Town Newsletter, in planning since the January organizational meeting, is now nearing completion and will be distributed by the end of this month.
• Assessor Karen Wieland-Schmidt told board members her office conducted re-assessment hearings from March 5-15; 100 residents had requested re-assessments and that a final determination from her office was expected by May 1. She reported that a grievance day for residents contesting their re-assessments will be held Tuesday, May 25.

Wieland-Schmidt also told the board the on-line re-assessment notices were not going as planned. "It's taken a lot longer than we thought," she said.

She closed her remarks by stating that her office hadn't received any updates on the tax exempt status of Heritage Manor, specifically any news on any sales or potential inquiries. The Heritage Manor issue, namely the reduction of tax monies provided to the area, had raised some recent concerns in the Ransomville community, most notably by the Ransomville Fire Company.

• Wiepert commended Wieland-Schmidt's office on the re-assessment program, saying that not many Niagara County towns have been as diligent in this area as Porter.

Summer Rec. Changes

He then appraised board members on some changes to the town's summer recreation programs. Specifically, Wiepert reported that W.H. Stevenson Elementary in Ransomville would not be available for use by the town's Recreation Department this summer. As a result town rec. staggers would be scaling back summer program offerings some and utilizing the playground facilities on the grounds of the Ransomville Volunteer Fire Co. for area youths. "I think this will work fine," said Wiepert of the summer rec. program offerings.

• Next up, Highway-Water-Sewer Superintendent Scott Hillman informed the board that following on recent speeding complaints in the Youngstown Estates neighborhood, the town responded with increased speed checks provided by the Niagara County Sheriff's Department. Also ongoing is a traffic/speed sign replacement program throughout the town which involves 51 signs.

On sewer/water issues, Hillman reported the monthly meter readings had been performed, and the town's water quality report was being mailed out to area residents. He said the Phase 3 Lakeshore sewer work was moving but that the Hillview waterline construction had not yet started.

Moving on, Building/Code Enforcement officer Bill Smith informed that he had received $149,350 in building permit fees for the month of March and related license fees of $410.

Master Plan Update

The session ended with discussion by member Bill Choboy on the town's recent Comprehensive Plan public forum.

A well-attended session with 60-plus residents in attendance, the meeting provided for an exchange of ideas among attendees, town officials and representatives of the Peter J. Smith and Co. Inc. who conducted the session.

"I thought the meeting was very well attended," said Choboy as he recalled how it provided a venue for attending residents to discuss areas of concern -- ranging from land use issues, to economic concerns, community services, and transportation matters as Porter plans for the future.

Attending residents were generally in agreement on their desires to see the town maintain its primarily agricultural integrity well into the future. Discussions focused on what regions of the town residents would like to see eyed for potential development; Porter's economic/industrial picture, including the future of Chemical Waste Management in Porter -- many indicated that night they would like to see CWM close down -- and discussions on how Youngstown/Porter could benefit from a tourism related economy in coming decades.

Board members soon after approved a resolution declaring the town as the lead agency towards finalizing the Master Plan, which is expected to be adopted later on this fall.

The session concluded with an announcement that the Lake Ontario Ordnance Steering Committee will meet Tuesday, June 8 at 7 p.m. at the Lewiston Senior Center, 4361 Lower River Road, to update residents on various activities concerning progress on the LOOW areas, including the Niagara Falls Storage Site, and related environmental issues.