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Town sets hearings on pets, cable service

by jmaloni
Thu, Jul 1st 2010 01:00 pm

by Susan Mikula Campbell

How many dogs and cats should a homeowner be allowed to keep on his property?

That's what the Wheatfield Town Board will be asking at a public hearing set for its July 26 meeting. The 7:15 p.m. hearing will look at a proposed amendment to the town code to limit the number of dogs to four and the number of cats to 10 (over the age of 6 months) in residential zoning districts (R-1, 2 and 3).

Town Attorney Robert O'Toole said the town currently has no restrictions, but there have been problems with people having too many animals on their property and not caring for them properly. "We want to discuss whether or not there should be a limit," he said, adding, "We don't know how much is too much."

At its meeting Monday, the Town Board also set a public hearing for 7 p.m. July 26 on the proposed franchise agreement with Time Warner. The board is requesting that representatives of the cable company be present at the hearing so residents can voice any questions or concerns they have about the cable service.

In other matters:

  • The board decided to set a meeting for 7 p.m. July 15 to give residents an opportunity to look over the new Federal Emergency Management Agency floodplain maps and provide flood insurance options to those whose properties have been added to the maps. The meeting will be held at either the Community Center or the Town Hall, depending on space availability. The new maps also can be seen at the building inspector's office at Town Hall.

The next Town Board meeting on July 12 will be preceded by a public hearing at 7 p.m. on the adoption of the FEMA flood maps.

The board also is expecting to hear within the next few weeks if the revised model for the Bergholz area has won final approval, taking some residents who have been on the FEMA maps for years off the maps and eliminating their need for flood insurance.

  • The board approved a buyout of its cell tower lease with Global Tower Partners for $115,000. This cell tower is located on Town Hall property. The board already has approved the buyout of the cell tower at the town's highway garage on Ward Road. The buyout allows the town to receive a lump sum, one-time payment for the lease of the land on which the cell tower is located.

Board members concerned about the aesthetics of the towers asked the town attorney to negotiate wording in the contract that would prevent physical changes to the tower.

  • The board approved the renewal of the town's insurance through United Agency. Supervisor Robert Cliffe said the new agreement includes an approximately $11,000 savings for the town, half coming this year and the other half next year.
•The board approved a motion to request that National Grid install a streetlight at the corner of Gregory Lane and Parkside Drive in Parkside Estates.

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