FULTON – The following is a report of items discussed by community members during public comment, councilors, and Mayor Deana Michaels at last night’s Common Council, Tuesday, May 4.
Public Comment:
Carol Reed: Expressed concern with the new yard waste policy in that the Department of Public Works will not be picking up yard waste in the months of July and August. During those two months, residents must bring their yard waste to the DPW drop site. Reed said this is not practical for residents who do not have a vehicle or for senior citizens, and that she predicts the yard waste will pile up on the edge of lawns, create a home for unwanted critters, and end up in the storm drains.
“I don’t see how not picking up yard waste for months is going to make the city look any better,” Reed said. “I think it needs to be revisited.”
An article on the new yard waste policy can be read here.
Carolyn Holland: Agreed with Carol Reed in her thoughts on the yard waste policy. She said she for one would not want to put yard waste in her car. In regards to the recent implementation of weight limit signs and repair of speed limit signs on Hannibal Street, she said she is still seeing the same trucks ignoring them and people are still ignoring the speed limit. She said there needs to be a police presence on both ends of the street to issue warnings.
“Why put signs up if they’re not going to be enforced?” Holland said.
Mayor Deana Michaels said she would bring it up to the police chief.
Jeanie H.: Also expressed concern regarding the yard waste policy. She said she often needs to maintain her yard year-round.
“If they aren’t going to come in July and August, there’s going to be a problem,” she said.
Mayor Michaels said the council can discuss the matter in their next legislative meeting and she can bring it up to the DPW commissioner.
Frank of Smokin’ Embers BBQ: Discussed drug activity near his place of business. He said he counted 42 drug transactions take place outside his business within one day.
“Drug activity is killing my business,” he said. “I know the police – they’re hands are tied.”
Steve Ward: Discussed a variety of topics. Firstly, he disagreed with Carolyn Holland on the matter of Hannibal Street, in that instead of warnings, police should be issuing tickets that will need to be paid. He also asked about the yard waste pickup schedule and how codes enforcement happens.
Mayor Michaels said the codes department has been complaint-based, which she hopes to change. She said she wants to transition to councilors, herself, and residents to have the ability to submit a form with a codes violation and to have the codes department drive around in search of violations, and then write up documentation, which is needed for court proceedings.
Ward also asked about what the DPW will be doing during July and August, and inquired about sidewalks. Michaels said they have a list of projects, including paving. She also said the city is expecting additional funding that can be used for sidewalks. He requested to have a separate meeting with the mayor to further discuss his complaints.
Following Ward, Holland came back up to suggest the city look into what the City of Syracuse is doing for their sidewalks. Michaels said she would look into it.
Amy: Expressed concern regarding an incident she heard about a city employee’s discussion of renting out the baseball field at Foster Park. She said she knows of two people who wanted to use the field and spoke directly to a city employee.
Michaels said she just found out about it this week and began addressing it.
“They have baseball fields for these young children, they have baseball teams, travel teams for these young children and they wanted to know if they could have a home field, otherwise they were going to have to go to Oswego,” Michaels said. “We can work out some arrangement where they can have a home field here. I want our kids playing here locally. I don’t want them going somewhere else… An arrangement was that they can use the field for their games and their practices. Not once did we discuss rentals. Not once did we discuss fees. Not once did we discuss anything other than ‘I want these kids to have a home field.’ There was no contract, no lease, nothing like that.”
Amy also discussed an employee of North Bay Campgrounds who had been fired and campers being asked to leave. She asked if that employee had received the rest of her pay for the rest of the summer and if the campers got reimbursed for the rest of the season.
Michaels said yes, that employee did get the rest of her pay because how she was fired was not done so according to Human Resources regulations, and yes, there were campers who were reimbursed last summer. She said she would be glad to further discuss it with her.
She later came back with a few more issues, the first being animal control in the city. She said there was an incident where there was a loose dog and the person trying to catch it had called the police station, but no one showed up. She was able to find the owner.
Another issue she has is speed bumps at North Bay. She requested to revisit the idea and get nice looking ones put in.
Lastly, she inquired about the $200 fee to have an extra registered guest at the campgrounds.
Frank Castiglia Jr.: Said he wants the three-minute time limit for public comment to be lifted.
“As far as I’m concerned, the time limit is suppressing our First Amendment right to public speaking and I don’t agree with it,” Castiglia said.
He said the county legislature gives five minutes before and after the meetings. He asked for the council to vote during last night’s meeting to change the limit to five minutes.
Michaels said the council did decide to make the county legislator’s comment period to three minutes so the public would have the same opportunity to speak for the same amount of time. She said while the council could not vote on it that day, she would add it to the agenda at the next meeting.
He also discussed the numerous code violations he sees as he drives around the city as a bus driver. He said one issue he sees often is cars parking on the curb or on the sidewalk, which is a police enforcement issue as it is a traffic violation, but they are not issued tickets. He recommended to give the homeowners permission to remove the curb and pave up to the sidewalk as a compromise.
Castiglia also discussed the new animal control policy in the city. He said his wife was told there is a $175 fee the first time a trapper comes.
Michaels and City Clerk/Chamberlain Daniel O’Brien clarified that information was incorrect.
“We negotiated in good faith with these trappers and that is absolutely not the fee because we would have never agreed to that fee. I believe it’s $75 per trap and we have two trappers,” Michaels said. “We do not make the residents pay up front.”
Castiglia also talked about other car-related code violations. He requested to get the codes department to time and money they need to enforce the codes.
Poll the Council:
Sixth Ward Councilor Larry Macner: Discussed the 30th anniversary of Desert Storm and Memorial Day. There will not be a Memorial Day parade this year because there is a lot that goes into scheduling and setting it up, however, residents should still honor the people who served the country and did not make it back home.
Fifth Ward Councilor Audrey Avery: Thanked Macner for his service. She also touched base on the yard waste policy. She said there are so many city projects in July and August, and usually yard work has been managed by July. However, the DPW will be picking up yard waste during those months if there is a big storm that knocks down branches and other yard debris. She said they will talk to the DPW commissioner about it again and perhaps look into pick up times once a month in each ward during that time.
Fourth Ward Councilor John Kenyon: Said he personally uses the DPW drop site and thinks it is a great addition. He also thanked Macner for his service. In regards to the baseball field in discussion, he said he believes it sits there and no one uses it, and Fulton needs a field for the teams to use.
Third Ward Councilor Don Patrick Jr.: Said, as someone who has been involved with the yard waste policy, knows there is a schedule for yard waste pickup. However, it depends on how much time there is in the first month of spring. He said in the summer yard waste is minimal in his ward. He also said if there are extenuating circumstances in July and August, it will get taken care of.
He said there are bugs to be worked out, and that this is the first year it is in place, so it is an educational year to get residents to know about it.
Second Ward Councilor Douglas Chapman: Thanked everyone for expressing their thoughts and issues. He said the council will discuss what they said during the next legislature meeting.
First Ward Councilor Tom Kenyon: Said he does understand what Carol Reed had talked about, with the yard waste ending up in the catch basin after it rains, and that the policy needs to be relooked at. In regards to what the owner of Smokin’ Embers BBQ spoke of, he said drug activity is everywhere in the city, but once they are arrested, they are just let go again. In response to Steve Ward, Kenyon said he likes to see him at the meetings and learning more about the issues the city faces.
He disagreed with what Councilor John Kenyon said about the park in the first ward. He said the park is meant for everyone in the city, and he does not want to see it leased or contracted out to anybody so everyone can have an opportunity to use it.
He also said he is happy about the sale of the property next to the CYO building.
Updates with Mayor Deana Michaels:
She touched base on the parks discussion, saying she is saddened that rumors turn into perceived truth.
“What I do believe is that our children have been through one heck of a year and there’s a lot that’s been taken away from them. And to give them a sense of community, and to give them a sense of pride, and make them believe and understand their community is here for them, and that we want to support them – that I agree with,” Michaels said. “And I believe that they should have a home field. I do not think it should be managed through a team; I don’t think there should be a contract or a lease; I simply think ‘Let us know when your games [and practices] are, and we’ll schedule your games [and practices.]’”
Also in regards to Foster Park, she said a few years ago Fulton Sunrise Rotary adopted it, and they are looking to put in accessible walkways from the parking lot to the gazebo and then to the baseball fields. The Carpenter’s Union will donate to get an American flag put up at the park. Michaels said the city will be looking to host some events in the park.
She also said there was a recent cleanup at Foster Park, and that the community is investing in the “diamond in the rough,” to make it look nicer, which would be beneficial as it would bring more visitors to the city.
She clarified that she has no intention of collecting any amount of money for use of the baseball field.
Michaels then spoke about Vorhees Park, and said the Lions Club has adopted it. She said in regards to agenda item #5 to add electric service usage cost to the Vorhees Park gazebo, that is included in some of the expenses the Lions Club is going to take. She said the city wants to bring music and events to the gazebo, adding that positive attention to the park can deter unwanted activity.
The city has also installed new lights along the multi-use trail to make for a safe walking area. She said she hopes to hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony in June. That trail will connect to the next phase of trails included in the Downtown Revitalization Initiative, once the city hears back from the state on it.
In regards to the Memorial Day Parade, she said a year ago, the Memorial Day Salute Committee would have had to begin planning for a parade, and they did not know if they would even be able to hold one given the pandemic, so they did not plan for one. She also said when they did reach out to some of its participants, they said they would not be able to.
Instead, there will be a watchfire event and fireworks. More information can be found here. She hopes to make the watchfire an annual event.
Michaels said the city will also be hanging up veteran flags in the city this month.
Lastly, she recognized the recent death of a former city employee, Roderick Parsons. She said he was loved and respected by many people, the city appreciates his service to the city, and that he will be missed.
A separate article was published earlier today about items on the agenda. That article can be found here.
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