Town OKs Historic Preservation Board

Story and photo by Karen Keefe
Grand Island Dispatch, April 20, 2007

Town Clerk Patricia A. Frentzel is honored with a proclamation from the Town Board on behalf of Town Clerks Week. She and the deputy town clerks received praise and words of appreciation.

Monday’s Town Board meeting was notable for its orderly progression to the moment, at 8:27 p.m., when the session ended and Sabres fans could leave Town Hall and return to the “real world” of the hockey playoffs.

As things turned out, it was a very good day for the Sabres and a great day for the Historical Preservation Committee, the latter of which graduated from a “committee” to an official town “advisory board” on a 4-0 vote. (All board motions on Monday were approved 4-0; Councilwoman Susan Argy, the fifth board member, was absent.) The new advisory board is charged with preserving and promoting “the natural beauty, rich heritage and history of Grand Island and its people.” The town’s conservation commission has long sought similar status, anxious to gain some “teeth” in its effort to guide the Town Board on environmental matters.

Rezoning Request Denied

It was not a good day for Randon Hillock, whose rezoning request for a piece of land off Baseline and Webb roads was turned down cold by Town Board before it even got to the Planning Board. The 12.6 acre parcel Hillock owns here has two different zoning classifications. Most of it, 10.74 acres, is zoned medium density residential; the remaining portion, 1.89 acres, is zoned R-1D, or low density residential, which is more in keeping with neighboring homes. But the larger portion is zoned for smaller lots because it lies close to the town center, where business and higher density residential are planned to co-exist.

Hillock requested the zoning change for the smaller portion “so that all of the property can be used for medium-density residential in conformance with the master plan,” according to paperwork he filed for the state Environmental Quality Review. That wasn’t the way the Town Board saw it. In the workshop before the Town Board’s 8 p.m. regular session, Mary Cooke and Dick Crawford pointed out that the Comprehensive Master Plan adopted in 1994 intentionally left that smaller parcel as R-1D.

Cooke said originally, a road was to be built as a buffer between the Hillock parcel and existing homes on Webb Road. But she said a pond built by the owner eliminates the possibility of running a road between Baseline and Grand Island Boulevard. “I don’t think it merits discussion in the Planning Board because of its history,” Cooke said. The consensus among Town Board members was to deny the request once they got upstairs to the regular session. And that is just what occurred.

Thruway Speed Limit Questioned

Also in the workshop, Crawford expressed concern over the recent Thruway Authority decision to increase the speed limit to 65 mph on the Grand Island portion of the Thruway. “What did the state do to determine 65 mph would be safe?” he asked. “Under what parameters did they make the decision?” He noted that the town’s Traffic Safety Advisory Board was not consulted before the Thruway Authority increased the speed limit. Crawford is the Town Board liaison to the traffic safety board.

Residents Oppose Tower

In the public comment section of the regular board meeting, resident John Kackmann expressed his objections to a proposed contract by Verizon to build and install a 120-foot microwave tower in the middle of a prime residential area off the south side of Huth Road near Sandy Beach Road.

He said more than 100 residents’ signatures have been gathered on a petition against the proposed tower. “There are potential health risks to individuals who are in close proximity to emissions from these microwave towers for long periods of time,” he told Board members. He said he and other neighbors are concerned about the potential negative impact on property values for surrounding homes, the disruption to a wetland area, the proposed tower’s proximity to Huth Road Elementary School and the availability of what they deem to be more appropriate sites for the tower.

“I’m asking the Town Council to look into our concerns,” Kackmann said. He requested that, at a minimum, before any permits are approved, a public hearing be scheduled for all the impacted parties to discuss the issues.

Frentzel, Miller Honored

In other action, the Town Board:

•Issued a proclamation in honor of Town Clerks Week, April 29 through May 5, and extended its appreciation to Town Clerk Patricia A. Frentzel and her deputies.

•Issued a proclamation honoring longtime Island physician Robert Miller and declaring April 27 “Dr. Robert Miller Day” in recognition of his 80th birthday. The proclamation noted that Miller is a charter member of both the Grand Island Rotary and Neighbors Foundation and has positively influenced the community through his professional leadership.

•Approved a request to reconfigure the common property line between existing residential parcels at 1911 and 1899 Webb Road as requested by homeowners David Perri and Robert Saj, subject to a new deed being filed with the Erie County clerk.

•Set a public hearing for Monday, May 7, at 8 p.m. to consider final plat approval of Island Landings, Phase 1, which consists of four lots near Ferry, Baseline and Bush roads.

•Accepted with regret and a certificate of appreciation the resignation of Lewis D. Rich from the Economic Development Advisory Board.

•Appointed Robert Ratajczak Jr. to a one-year term, expiring on Dec. 31, 2007, on the Economic Development Advisory Board.

•Cooke reminded residents about Arbor Day planting of 25 trees, planned for Friday, April 27, at 7:30 a.m. in Veterans Park. Also, she noted that Opening Day of the Little League Baseball season is Saturday, May 5 in Veterans Park.