By David Yarger
Tribune Editor
Last Tuesday, the Town of Niagara Town Board held its regular monthly meeting. Despite a light agenda, public comments brought out a discussion about the town's drafting of a comprehensive plan.
Town of Niagara resident Ron Brown, who is a member of the Concerned Citizens of the Town of Niagara Facebook page, raised a few concerns he felt needed to be addressed in the town's comprehensive plan draft.
Brown first asked if there is a timetable for the plan, which Town of Niagara Supervisor Lee Wallace said is going back to the reviewing committee to be further discussed and currently has no timetable.
A public hearing was held on the plan last month and Wallace said the committee is "Taking into consideration some of the comments that were made, and there were some other comments that were made to me that weren't addressed at the meeting last month, and so it's going back to committee. Then we'll decide from there how many more meetings we're going to have and if we're going to change anything or what's going to be addressed."
Wallace, as he has at previous meetings, reminded the public that the comprehensive plan is "a guide. It has no legal binding ramifications whatsoever. It is used to address the code and it is used as a guide to develop plans for the town to better itself over time. It is a working document."
Brown replied, "I am concerned about some of the things in there because that comprehensive plan ... is a basis that the town codes are based on. ... I don't see that document fulfilling all of that."
Wallace responded that the plan is being used as a guide and there are certain parts of the code that need to be addressed and will be looked into. He also said the plan is big for the town when it comes to applying for grants.
"There are negative things in there in that comp plan purposely to address issues that the town needs to look at moving forward. If we go for a grant on drainage ... I'm just using this as an example - if we don't put something in there that says we have drainage issues, then we go for the grant, they'll say it doesn't say any drainage issues in your comprehensive plan, so sometimes the negative stuff is in there to reinforce what we think the town needs to do moving forward," Wallace said.
The draft of the town's comprehensive plan can be viewed at http://www.townofniagara.com/media/1217/niagara-draft-plan-june-2018.pdf.
In other news:
·The Town Board approved to transfer, by quitclaim deed, the abandoned portion of Porter Road to Miranda Properties LLC. The area is located around Clancy's and the old Whistle Pig. Wallace said the area of road has been a mess for years.
"If you've ever been through there, you take your life into your own hands trying to drive through there. It really was a detriment to the property owner on both sides and all around it. In order to rectify the situation, the only thing we could do was to gain control of the property from the county, which we did, then offer it to the two businesses, which is the owner of the Clancy's site and the house also. ... So, the transfer is going to them so that they can take care of it, fix it and make it the way it needs to be," Wallace said.
·Wallace announced the town and Republic Services is entering into a new recycling plans, which would give town residents 95-gallon recycling containers. Wallace said the town will recycle on a bi-weekly basis starting in late January. He also expected town residents to receive a letter in the mall regarding the matter come late December.
·The next Town Board meeting is at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 18.
