Millerton sets up for new year

MILLERTON — The Village Board met Monday, April 6, for its annual reorganization meeting.

Starting the municipal

year anew

Mayor John Scutieri and trustees Marty Markonic and Jay Reynolds were sworn in during the meeting. Scutieri and Markonic are returning to their positions; it was Reynolds’ first meeting on the Village Board.  All three memberes will serve until April 2011.

Under appointments, Markonic was named the deputy mayor. Gregory Lanphear will serve another five-year term on the Planning Board, and  will also be the board chair for a one-year term. DeLora Brooks was appointed the Zoning Board of Appeals chair for one year; Casey McCabe, Stephen Smrcina and Jack Thomas will all be serving as Zoning Board members.

This year Karen McLaughlin will be deputy clerk and treasurer. Amber Jordan will be the clerk. Last year McLaughlin held the clerk’s position and Jordan was deputy clerk.

Emergency interim successors to the position of village mayor were named in the following order of priority: Markonic, Trustee Yosh Schulman and Jordan.

Budget update

The board briefly discussed where it was in terms of its budget process for the 2009-10 fiscal year, which begins on June 1. A public hearing was set for Monday, April 13, which is after this paper’s deadline.

Scutieri reiterated that a public hearing does not mean that the budget process has been completed by the board, and there were clearly unresolved issues that will still be addressed by the board after the public hearing.

The board is currently working with a 4.18-percent increase. Several budget issues were discussed, including whether to allot $2,500 to the budget to offset the expenses of an added program put on by the North East Community Center in conjunction with the village’s summer recreation program.

“We felt it didn’t get utilized enough to put in additional funding again this year,� Scutieri said.

Jenn Parks, head of the Recreation Commission, acknowledged that for the number of children the program serviced last year, which was the first time that the community center worked in collaboration with the rec program, the additional funds just don’t make sense.

Jenny Hansell, executive director of the NECC, will be invited to the April 13 meeting to discuss the issue as well as alternatives. While the budget will not include the $2,500, it remains to be seen whether the NECC can still offer the program at a reduced rate. Scutieri said the board was still open to the idea of contributing to a lower rate.

“I want to pursue this to see what could be addressed,� Schulman said, “so we can keep the concept alive.�

Sidewalk project

The town is going to fix up the sidewalk on Dutchess Avenue between Main Street and Century Boulevard. The project will involve 270 feet of sidewalk. It will also bring down the height of the road and introduce a curb system.

The project went out to bid, but only received one reply from Millerton Nursery for $45,362. That figure does not include the cost to tear up the existing sidewalk and road, which will be handled by the village highway crew. The board voted to accept Millerton Nursery’s bid.

Money for the project will come out of CHIPS (Consolidated Highway Improvement Program) funds given to municipalities each year through the state Department of Transportation, and partially from the sidewalk line item in the budget. Scutieri said work should begin by the end of the month or the beginning of May. The mayor called it “a great project.�

“It’s a mess the way it is now,� Markonic acknowledged, adding it will be much improved once the work is completed.