Tina Chorvas Park on Bridge Street will be a concert venue on October 12, with a concert on a barge in the water off the park. The audience will be on the shore in the park. The village board approved an application from Shout Out Saugerties for the concert at its regular meeting on Monday, May 6. On the same day, Shout Out Saugerties is also proposing strolling musicians who would perform on the streets or in stores from noon to 4 p.m.
The board approved both applications, subject to Shout Out Saugerties providing proof of insurance.
Mayor William Murphy said he has no problem with the proposal, as long as the sponsors notified local businesses about the street musicians. He also noted that the organization would have to comply with the village noise ordinances regarding loudness and ending time.
The park is also a venue for the regular summer concert series, which will feature performances once a month.
Teetsel Street will remain B2
The village board has voted to leave the zoning on Teetsel Street unchanged. Richard Rothe had requested a zoning change on a parcel he owns from B2, business, to R2, residential in order to include one- and two-family homes.
The property had been subdivided into six lots, with a proposal to build single-family houses. Rothe had argued that the zone allows for duplexes, meaning that he could build six two-family houses, or the same twelve units total that he proposed for a town-house configuration, which is not allowed in the B-2 zone.
Trustee Terry Parisian said Rothe “had purchased the property with conditions and an approved survey. Ben [village attorney Benjamin Neidl], our attorney, is concerned that if we change the zoning those criteria from the previous site plan go away. The planning board was adamant that they remain.”
One of those conditions is that development be restricted to single-family houses, not duplexes. The planning board is adamant that the conditions remain in place, Parisian said.
Another concern was that “the rights of way that are now there are not wide enough to put in a street or fire access,” he added.
Could Rothe appeal the board’s decision? “That would be unlikely,” Parisian reaponded. “He bought the property knowing those restrictions were in place.”
The board voted to leave the current zoning in place. Mayor William Murphy abstained, citing a possible conflict because a relative is a neighbor of the site.
Board approves bluestone bid
The only bidder on a project to repair the bluestone sidewalks on Main Street was J. Mullen and Sons. Its bid would cost more than the village had budgeted for the repair.
Special projects administrator Alex Wade reported at the regular board meeting on May 6 that Mullen’s bid was $312,669, some $45,000 more than the village had allocated for its share of the job. A state grant was expected to cover 80 percent of the cost,
Once the board approves the bid, said Wade, it will be forwarded to the state and the engineers, who generally take about three months to give final approval. “That’s what it took the last time, and even though this is relatively simple, I can’t imagine them taking any less time.”
The board voted to approve the bid, which will cover less bluestone sidewalk replacement than the original plan. A section of Partition Street had been dropped from the program in order to reduce its cost.
Funding sought for plan update
The village board has voted to apply for a Hudson River Valley Greenway grant to help pay for an update to the village and town comprehensive plan. Towns and villages are supposed to update their plans every five years.
The comprehensive plan sets out the vision of what the village and town governments see as the future development of the municipalities, and planning and zoning decisions must be based on the goals set forth in the plan. The Hudson Valley Greenway offers matching funds for a variety of municipal projects. According to the Greenway website, grants are generally in the $5000 to $10,000 range.
The town and village are working on an update of the plan, reported trustee Jeannine Mayer. The finished product will probably not be very different from the existing plan, but some changes have been made, she said.
The town and village received $15,000 in 2011 to fund a plan update.
Village information booth
The Saugerties Chamber of Commerce will be placing an information shed in front of the former Cue Restaurant on Partition Street, Jeanne Mayer reported. The shed is just eight by ten feet in size. It will provide information for visitors about the village and its amenities.
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