School Resource Officer
School Resource Officer
Town patrol officer chosen; contract in the works
Some staffing and financing issues were fielded by the Ellicottville Town Board during its monthly meeting held Tuesday, July 20th.
The Board is preparing a contract to provide Ellicottville Central School District with a School Resource Officer (SRO) for the 2022-2023 year.
An agreement on the arrangement was reached recently after what Councilman Greg Fitzpatrick termed "breakthrough discussions." The contract is drafted but awaits approval by the Great Valley Town Board. Attorney Seth Pullen advised the Board that the Town will invoice the school district for costs in providing the officer.
Police Officer-In-Charge Don Auge said one of his department's officers has been selected as the SRO and he is looking for candidates with training to backfill the slot.
The final contract is expected to be on the Ellicottville Town Board's agenda at the August 17th meeting and the SRO will begin around September 3rd. Details of the employment contract and SRO duties were not made public at this time.
In another personnel-related matter, the Board agreed to hire two part-time temporary Highway Department laborers, Wyatt Taylor and Nathaniel Ploetz. The two are currently in training for CDL certification but will begin on a part-time basis to become familiar with the work. Their education costs may be reimbursed by the Town in the future.
The Board also authorized eliminating residency requirements as the search continues for a replacement for former Highway Superintendent Kevin Woodin. The policy change means candidates for the job must live within a 15-mile radius of the Town barn.
The Board approved an increase in the estimated maximum financing needed for the water improvement project, from $5,277,096 to $7 million, due to higher-than-anticipated bids and costs and revisions in the project scope.
There were no comments during a preceding public hearing, so the Board voted to amend its Sept. 6, 2019 bond resolution and expand the bond debt to pay for the project. The Town has been counting on loans and grants from the state of New York and is seeking additional funding sources to make up the additional costs.
The capital project will enlarge the town's water district, 17,000 linear feet of water main, wells and booster infrastructure, and new equipment, installed with web-based controls. Early on, engineers can begin by preparing the water storage tank portion of the project, once the access easements are obtained.
More discussion will be needed in the matter of a property owner's attorney's demand that the Town remove a gate across a Town right-of-way leading to the East Tank, in the vicinity of a wooded area west of Tim Horton's. In a recent letter the attorney stated that if the Town doesn't remove the gate the property owner will remove it.
According to Town Engineer Ben Slotman, a one-lane access road was built with taxpayer funds some time ago by the Town on its right-of-way leading to the fenced-in tank on Town property. The Town maintains the road, which now includes a second lane - without a base - that is also used by the property owners to reach the area beyond the gate.
The gate, he said, was installed, at the neighboring property owners' request - but the right-of-way agreement doesn't mention the gate. The property owners are now demanding the Town remove the gate to allow open access. A second property owner may also be affected who is using the right-of-way and gate.
"The point of the gate was to keep people from going there," Slotman said, noting the Town maintains and uses the road and the current configuration is on a set of approved plans. Property owners beyond the gate have been provided keys.
Slotman said he is concerned that the Town must maintain the road to reach the tank, but open access to vehicles could cause damage beyond the Town's responsibility.
It was decided that officials will research the property owners to set up a meeting with them. Officials want to find out their wishes, and if they will be responsible for any damage.
In another matter, Slotman reported that the Poverty Hill culvert has been successfully completed and he praised the method of bidding out culvert work to private contractors who are able to quickly and professionally in tandem with Town crews.
Supervisor Matt McAndrew announced that Councilman Ken Hinman is retiring as EVGV Trail Board President after serving in that capacity for 10 years. He invited attendees to a celebration of Hinman at the Gin Mill at 5:00pm on Aug. 1st.
Also, it was noted that GoBike Buffalo has donated 12 two-bike racks to the Town and Village and asked the municipalities to nominate locations where they will be installed. McAndrew said two bikes could be placed at each location and proposed several, including the Town Center, the Ellicottville Library, and the Village Park.
The Board will next meet at 6:00pm on August 17, 2022. For information on attending, visit ellicottvillegov.com.