Last night at the Planning Board meeting, during a public hearing, I asked a question that was, apparently, not within the purview of the Planning Board. Shultis held up the planning board handbook and told me that I should know that my question was not within the board's purview because it said so in this book.
Hmm. Dara Trahan reeled him in. An audience member told him he was obnoxious.
There are three public hearings on the Comeau parking lot expansion. How am I supposed to know which questions are appropriate for which public hearings? How can the public be encouraged to participate when we are met with this kind of attitude on the boards? When I attended the Zoning Board of Appeals public hearing on this parking lot expansion, Howard Harris singled me out twice. Why? All I did was ask a question of two. My questions were innocent.
The issue is the parking lot expansion- why is it happening? I did not live in the town when the previous town board decided this was necessary, probably when there was more money to spend. I was granted the knowledge that the parking lot was going to be expanded for safety reasons. This means that the parents of soccer kids who run around the parking lot need more ordered in and out lanes to avoid accidents.
How many accidents have occurred in the upper Comeau parking lot, I asked.
Zero.
Well, I was told, it would be awful if one happened before the parking lot expansion.
I brought up the fact that the intersection of Playhouse Lane and Route 212 has experienced SIX accidents in the last year and a half, and the town is entirely idle with regard to parking lot safety at Playhouse Plaza.
Shultis interrupted me to tell me that this comment was off topic. I tried to say that this comment was exactly ON topic, because by comparison, the money on the upper Comeau parking lot is being spent wrongly. It should rightly go to a place where there HAVE been accidents.
Because I was shut down, I was not able to add the relevant fact that Playhouse Plaza is within a quarter mile of Woodstock Elementary School, which operates five days a week, about 9-10 months per year, versus the soccer league for kids which operates maybe 20 Saturdays and about as many weekday afternoons for practice.
It is clear to me that safety for the soccer kids, many of whom do not even live in Woodstock, is more important than safety for the elementary school children who walk to school, or who would walk to school if the route was safer.
Bad decision, town of Woodstock.
RUPCO is the entity that pointed out that the Playhouse Plaza parking lot is within the State's right of way. Thanks RUPCO! It's all about safety, safety is number one. So, actually, it would probably not even cost the town a cent to make that parking lot safer. The State probably would handle it. So, why no phone call to the State DOT? I think that the town has been thinking that this parking lot is private property with no right of way controlled by the state, and is afraid to limit its use for fear of a lawsuit.
Don't worry, town, you have immunity when you make decisions over things like this. Your liability is limited to ministerial acts, such as, oh, fixing potholes, or, um, maintaining the minimum standard of water pressure to your water district.
I'm sure the Planning Board is glad to learn from you that "safety is number one." See Woodstock Commons DEIS Exhibit 20A. June 29, 2007 Town of Woodstock Supervisor Jeremy Wilber sent a letter to NYSDOT concerning sight distances and safety concerns at the Route 212/Playhouse intersection. The state studied the intersection, proposed and made improvements within the right of way. Good thing you are on the job. Watch out for number two!
ReplyDeleteThat comment was from a Guy down at RUPCO. He is a lot more relaxed with his manners when he thinks he is posting anonymously.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, the NY DOT was not told about all of the accidents at the intersection because they were all "nonreportable" accidents, and therefore not reported.
I would like to say also that only a total moron salesman would point the Woodstock Planning Board to a WIKIPEDIA article on low income housing tax credits. Wikipedia is not any kind of authority on anything. If Guy wanted to, he could construct a Wikipedia entry, point the planning board to it, and then cite the wikipedia entry as "the" definition of something.
From now on, all anonymous posts will be attributed to Guy Thomas K. If Guy Thomas K doesn't like that, he can go ahead and sign his name. Come on, Guy Thomas K, you don't want to get caught like Jim Dougherty and resign your position in shame.