Unofficial summary. This is a community summary of the town's official minutes, provided so the record is searchable and readable. It condenses the meeting and may omit detail. Some private individuals’ personal details have been left out. The official signed PDF is the complete record of authority.
Office of the Zoning Board of Appeals, Town of Schaghticoke — January 7, 2021. The Board met via Zoom videoconference under Governor’s Executive Order 202.1. Deputy Town Attorney Kristin Pratt explained the Zoom procedure and noted the meeting was being recorded (to be posted to the town website and transcribed later) and that minutes were being taken.
Public hearing
There were no public hearings scheduled.
Regular meeting
Chairman Ed McDonough opened the meeting at 7:30 PM with roll call. Present: Ed McDonough (Chairman), Rich Geddis, Kristin Griswold, Lettie Saheim, and Jason Shover. Absent: none. Deputy Town Attorney Kristin Pratt and Clerk Elizabeth Hale were also present.
- Minutes of the prior December meeting approved as submitted (Saheim · Shover — Ayes: McDonough, Geddis, Griswold, Saheim, Shover; Nays: none). (The record lists the reviewed minutes as “December 3, 2021,” evidently a typo for the December 2020 meeting.)
Keeping of livestock — Akin Road
Chairman McDonough relayed an inquiry from a resident on Akin Road, Johnsonville, who keeps an 18-month-old cow on an approximately 2-acre parcel in an RA (Residential/Agricultural) district. The Zoning Code requires a 10-acre lot for the keeping of a cow; the resident has a fenced area behind the residence, though it was unclear whether there is shelter for a farm animal. Because the parcel does not meet the minimum acreage, an area variance would be required. The resident indicated the application fee posed a financial hardship. Chairman McDonough asked Attorney Pratt whether any steps could allow the matter to proceed; Attorney Pratt said she would explore alternatives to determine whether the Town could waive the fee based on financial hardship.
Ragone Foundation — Route 40
Chairman McDonough reported following a large, slow-moving truck owned by the Ragone Foundation business on NYS Route 40. A Board member noted that crusher run had been distributed on the access driveway to the Ragone property where it intersects Route 40, covering the width of the drive and measuring roughly 15–20 feet long. The Board discussed that Mr. Ragone needs a permit from the NYS Department of Transportation for the driveway, and that any additional construction of the property for the business would require Planning Board review; to date the Planning Board has received no applications.
Adjourned at 7:46 PM (McDonough · Saheim — Ayes: McDonough, Geddis, Griswold, Shover; Nays: none). Submitted by Elizabeth Hale, ZBA Clerk (dated February 7, 2021).
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