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.
A note on the link above: the town’s PDF of these minutes is no longer available on the town’s website, so the “Official PDF” link is an unaltered copy we host. For a certified copy, ask the Town Clerk.
Office of the Planning Board, Town of Schaghticoke — August 7, 2024, at the Town Hall, 290 Northline Drive, Melrose.
Public hearing — Genesis Burial Vault (7:00 PM)
Owner David Baker presented the Special Use Permit and site-plan review for Genesis Burial Vault (Tax Map #41.-1-61), a custom burial-vault painting business in an HC district in an existing steel building at 943 NYS Route 40 in Melrose, from which about 2,300 vaults are shipped throughout the Northeast annually. The well is drilled and the septic — designed by Steve Dean, P.E. — sits 50–60 feet from the nearby wetlands and creek, with RCHD approval. Two people commented: a resident asked about the sequence of RCHD and Planning Board approvals, and the adjacent neighbor to the north questioned the HC zoning and said he had not been notified of a change from an RA district. The Chairman explained the property is in an HC zoning district and that zoning-district changes are within the Town Board’s jurisdiction. The hearing closed at 7:12 p.m.
Regular meeting
Members present: Frank Alessandrini (Chairman), Kasey Casas, Dan Clow, Elizabeth Hale, and Chris Reynolds. Absent: Vince Ragone and Bob Weir. David Brennan, Town Attorney, was present. The Board approved the July 10, 2024 minutes with a name correction in the Briggs timber-harvest section (Reynolds · Casas · all).
Applications
- ASD Solar II and III. The ASD Solar II amendments were stamped and signed. ASD Solar III is under review for screening at the highway-garage site; the Chairman met with Jason Dell (Lansing Engineering) about removing mature trees and discussed the Comprehensive Plan’s preference to preserve the illusion of open space along Route 67. A follow-up meeting with Jason Dell and Paul Kruger (Active Solar Development) was to be arranged.
- Briggs timber harvest permit (Tax Map #31.-2-47). Gary Webber, for Mountain View Logging, and forester David Izzo presented an amended harvest plan for owner Paul Briggs’s 175.78-acre proposal at Neeson Lane off Sliter Road, addressing the concerns raised at the public hearing — voluntary best-management practices for water quality, a selective harvest using basal-area (prism) measurement, GPS-verified boundaries with a 15-foot buffer, loggers’ maintenance of Neeson Lane, no logging on steep slopes or in the forested wetlands (which lie outside the clear-cut area), and no crossings of the two unclassified streams. Hours were set at Monday–Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 3:30–4:00 p.m., with none on weekends. The Board issued a SEQR negative declaration (Clow · Reynolds · all) and granted approval with the noted conditions (Reynolds · Hale · all).
- Rohloff subdivision (Tax Map #32.-3-29). The proposed 5-lot subdivision on an 8.15-acre parcel on NYS Route 40 is not yet ready: the SWPP was submitted to MS4 Officer Scott Frisino but lacks the archeological studies required in Part 1B. A review will take place in September.
- Genesis Burial Vault — Special Use Permit & site-plan review (Tax Map #41.-1-61). Owner David Baker returned with the SUP application and a submitted site plan; a survey was displayed. He reported RCHD approval, the septic 20 feet from the building, a 600-foot-deep well, and plans for one toilet and two sinks. The adjacent neighbor asked to examine the survey, and the two departed to view the site.
Other — battery-storage recommendation
At the Town Board’s request, the Board considered proposed solar-power battery-storage facilities. Town Attorney David Brennan noted that home battery storage will be exempt and that New York State is researching standards for commercial use. Citing the high fire risk and the difficulty of extinguishing fires at commercial battery-storage sites, the Board concluded that eliminating such facilities in town is currently appropriate and moved to send the Town Board a letter stating that the Planning Board unanimously favors eliminating battery-storage sites.
Respectfully submitted by Elizabeth Hale, Clerk.
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