It’s unclear whether a Town Planning Board effort to have the “Trump 2024” billboard on Route 28 removed is going anywhere.
The town Planning Board was expected to take the issue up Monday, Feb. 1, but the meeting at the town hall in Portlandville was cancelled due to the snowstorm.
Meanwhile, Town Zoning Officer Barbara Monroe drew a line in the sand, saying she has the sole authority to levy fines when zoning violations occur, not the Planning Board.
I have no intention of writing a violation on that sign,” at least for now, she said Monday.
Tuesday, Town Attorney Hyde Clarke, while saying his advice to town bodies is covered by attorney-client privilege, said Monroe’s right.
“It’s not really a planning issue,” he said. “The town has zoning regulations.”
And Town Clerk Rosemary Aborn and Zoning Board of Appeals chairman Al Bullard both said they’re not aware the issue is on this month’s agendas of the town board or ZBA.
“It sounds like a Demo-cratic plot,” said Bullard.
Events were set in motion two weeks ago, Village Mayor Brian Pokorny said, when two town Planning Board members approached him, advising him to remove the billboard or face fines; no amount was specified.
COVID TESTING – 8 – 10 a.m. Free Covid-19 testing for people with no symptoms. Call for an appointment. Bassett Medical Center, Cooperstown Clinic, 1 Atwell Dr., Cooperstown. 607-547-7973.
MAPLE SYRUP – 6 p.m. Learn how to make Maple Syrup at the micro scale with Aaron Wightman, Co-Director of the Cornell Maple Program. He will cover why sap flows, sap collection options, the basics of processing, filtering, and grading. Free, registration required by Noon. Presented by Cornell Cooperative Extension. 518-234-4303 ext. 111 or visit cceschoharie-otsego.org/events/2021/01/11/the-taste-of-the-hills-maple-syrup-for-beginners
County Judge John Lambert tells the Cooperstown Village Board to listen to their constituents, who shared concerns about changes to housing regulations within the village. Many voiced disapproval of the proposal to allow dormitories as a special use within the residential district, a use that was, true to Lambert’s suggestion, removed from the law. The Village Board voted to make several changes and open a second public hearing on the revised law at their meeting at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 25. (Libby Cudmore/AllOTSEGO.com)
COOPERSTOWN – In an effort to increase their revenue stream, Robin and Fred Schneider, owners of the Landmark Inn on Chestnut St. in Cooperstown, applied for a special use permit to hold weddings at the Inn. Fred Schneider, pictured at right, was present at the April 23 Board of Trustees meeting to discuss the couple’s newly proposed wedding venue.
“We’re here today to petition our ability to have our special permit changed to allow a limited number of weddings in the backyard of the Landmark Inn,” said Schneider.
Zoning revisions that creates a “hospital zone” in the vicinity of Bassett Healthcare but will also allow buildings up to 4,000-square-feet anywhere in the village to avoid site-development review will be presented to the public at an informational meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, June 16, at the fire hall on Chestnut Street.
COVID TESTING – 8 – 10 a.m. Free Covid-19 testing for people with no symptoms. Call for an appointment. Bassett Medical Center, Cooperstown Clinic, 1 Atwell Dr., Cooperstown. 607-547-7973.
