Town Board Meeting
Town Board Meeting
Public Hearing for North Park zoning amendment draws concern from local resident; lawncare bids awarded
The Ellicottville Town Board’s May meeting was called to order by Supervisor Matt McAndrew. The evening’s agenda was filled with updates concerning the area, including old and new business.
The first business to be addressed at the meeting was the public hearing for the zoning map amendment, which was requested by North Park Innovations, located at 6442 Route 242 E. This action would address the 10.9-acre parcel and would change the property from High Density Residential District to General Commercial.
North Park Innovations is a locally based company that specializes in high-tech training equipment and curriculum for HVAC/R and electrical trades. With their headquarters based in Ellicottville, NY they provide their services to clients around the world. The Ellicottville base is home to all manufacturing, shipping, customer service, design, financial, technical, and administrative services involved. Several employees of North Park Innovations were present for the public hearing to show their support for the company and its expansion. Many of the employees commented to the Town Board that North Park is not only a great place to work but that it also provides jobs for local residents.
During the public hearing, one resident voiced that while he does not have any objection to the expansion, he is worried that a large-scale rezoning of the parcel may lead to future consequences for development. He continued by asking the Town Board if they would look into alternatives beyond rezoning the entirety of the property. Moving on in the decision making, the zoning map amendment will be referred to the County and on May 30th a review will take place.
The Town Board continued discussions by addressing an update by the Short-term Rental Committee. Progress is being made with the drafting of a local law, which will regulate the short-term rental process. Greg Keyser, Town Planner, has been working on the drafted law and is hopeful that it will be ready to be presented to the Town Board at the next meeting. A goal has been set that aims for completion by January 2025. During this timeline, Board Members and residents alike will have the opportunity for public comments and hearings.
The Town had multiple bid requests placed recently for ongoing projects throughout Ellicottville. Starting off with the accepted bids, the Town agreed to the bid from West Side Handyman and Lawncare for lawn maintenance for the Nannen Arboretum for the Spring to Fall seasons.
Another accepted bid is that of D&J’s Lawn Service which includes the lawn maintenance for the Jefferson Street, Niles and Bryant Hill Cemeteries. This care will also take place for the Spring to Fall seasons.
The Town is still open for bids on the Town Hall Front Door Project and have extended the proposals until June 5, 2024. Experienced applicants can find further information on requesting a bid at the official Town website under Notices at www.ellicottvillegov.com.
Keeping up with the maintenance of the Town, Western New York Lawn Service will be hired to repair 8 headstones at the Jefferson Street Cemetery, along with 2 headstones at the Bryant Hill Cemetery. The Town of Ellicottville wanted to move forward with the process and fortunately Western New York Lawn Service made themselves immediately available to tend to the restorations.
The Town Board was happy to agree to the permanent appointment of a new employee. They welcome Rich Rinko, who will now act as the Civil Service Building Inspector.
In new business of the Town, the Ellicottville Championship Rodeo sent in their yearly plan for the upcoming Rodeo, which they have scheduled for July 4th-7th. Within this request they have included a noise permit to extend to 1:00am each night. Organizers have also requested the Town Board’s support in their request for a temporary beer and wine permit to use for the intended weekend. This decision will ultimately be made by the State Liquor Authority but with the Town of Ellicottville’s support it could make all the difference for the event.
In wrapping up another point of new business, a joint effort between the Town and Village of Ellicottville will be made to work together to obtain funding for upgrading the Sanitary Sewer System. While the Town and Village are known to work together, Supervisor McAndrew wanted to make note for the sag on Deer Crossing Road to be addressed in the project. The inter-municipal project is expected to reduce costs on the project, improve government efficiency, and better attract grant funding.
The Ellicottville Town Board will reconvene on the third Wednesday of each month. For more information on meeting dates and agendas, go to ellicottvillegov.com.