By John Addyman
waynecountylife.com
ARCADIA (Sep 16 10) – The Town of Arcadia voted Tuesday night to spend $4,000 on a study and grant application to clean up an abandoned building site that could be used as a train station, and okayed the construction of a pet cemetery and crematorium.
Supervisor Dick Colacino told his board about two properties, which he labeled “major eyesores,” on the east side of Rt. 88, just north of the railroad tracks. “They are both delinquent in their property tax obligations…they are both located in areas that would be attractive to developers and entrepreneurs...”
One of the properties has rail access and could serve as a future train station, Colacino said. “Both of these run-down properties contribute nothing in the form of taxes or other quality-of-life issues for any of us. That needs to change, because without a proactive stance on someone’s part, it is clear that nothing will change.”
“I am challenging you,” he told the board, “as well as officials from the Village of Newark and county government to show a little vision and to make something happen.”
The problem with the first site, a one-acre parcel with a two-story building, is that is was once a storage facility for paint and was also used by the village as a place to dump debris from the 1970s urban renewal.
In fact, the property is in the Village of Newark.
Colacino’s plan was to contract Lu Engineers, a company that has worked on other projects in town, to investigate the level of contamination on the site, and prepare an application for Brownfield funding to clean it up. Engineer Steve Campbell stressed that the site clean-up could be done by the town highway department. Colacino added the town doesn’t have to own the property to apply for the grant.
The county, which is holding the bag for the tax liability on the properties, has pulled them off the auction block because of the possibility they’re contaminated, Colacino said.
“I’ve had a lot of complaints from the public about these properties,” Colacino said. “They don’t make the area very enticing.” The board approved the $4,000 expenditure unanimously.
Pet Cemetery
The Wayne County Human Society has applied for a special authorization permit to construct and operate a pet cemetery and crematorium at 7194 Old Lyons Rd. The decision on the society’s application was delayed a month to give neighbors a chance to review and comment on the plan. Two of those neighbors, Steve Shirley and Chris Ganz, were at the meeting Tuesday and said they were comfortable with the plans.
Although the society got unanimous approval to go ahead, the board imposed conditions – the crematory furnace must be smokeless and odorless; the facility cannot be enlarged without approval of the town board; the board reserves the right to limit business hours; wetlands areas are to be noted on the site plans; all requirements for storm water and erosion control must be met and certified; the society must conform with current and future state crematory and cemetery regulations.
Water District 11
Most of the customers in the new water district are receiving service, with about 10 homes on Blue Cut Road waiting to be connected by early next week.
New Trucks
The town will buy two 2011 Chevy heavy-duty, one-ton, diesel-powered pickup trucks (with plows) for the highway department, on state bid terms -- $75,989 for the pair.
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Gil Burgess Said,
Yes! The possibility of having an Amtrak station in Newark should be explored as a viable alternative to the Lyons option which continues to be blocked by CSX because of its proximity to the line coming up from Geneva. Dick Colacino is the proactive type of supervisor we need!
Posted on Sat Sep 18, 02:40:00 PM EDT