Shul agreement, seasonal inspections and Chapin Estate

By FRITZ MAYER

KAUNEONGA LAKE, NY — The Bethel Town Board has come to an agreement that will end that lawsuit over the shul on Shultz Road. At a meeting on December 9, Bethel supervisor Dan Sturm said the conditions of the agreement between the town and the United Talmudic Academy (UTA), when complied with, will allow the building to receive a certificate of occupancy.

The UTA must provide a building plan to the town, which matches the building as it exists now, and pass a final inspection to determine that the building is compliant with state and local building codes. The UTA must also submit a landscaping plan. The UTA will also be prohibited from discharging passengers on Shultz Road, which residents have said creates unsafe conditions.

In a separate agreement, the UTA has said it will make improvements to other buildings it owns, including the seasonal grocery store on Route 17B.

Council member Denise Frangipane said that most of the conditions would have been included in the plans before construction began had the project gone before the planning board.

Councilman Bob Blais said the conditions were a “wish list” and the board is going to have to be diligent to ensure that the conditions are met.

In a related matter, Sturm announced beginning in 2010 there would be a new occupancy permit for seasonal dwellings that would cost $30. There would be an inspection before the permit would be issued, which would ensure that the buildings are up to code and compliant with rules, such as those regarding smoke alarms and posted and updated 911 addresses.

The permits will apply not only to the many bungalows in the town but also to hundreds of cabins in Smallwood. Bob Barrett, who is a director of the Smallwood Civic Association, said of the seasonal homeowners, “They’re not going to be happy.”

On another matter, about a dozen residents who own weekend homes in The Chapin Estate, a gated community off Route 55, turned out to voice their concerns about gas drilling. The residents discovered in early November that gas drilling might be coming to town. Sturm explained that the town had sent a letter to the Department of Environmental Conservation regarding the new permitting guidelines that are being drafted for drilling in the Marcellus Shale.

In response to a question about whether the town would join the multi-municipal gas drilling task force, which currently includes the towns of Highland, Lumberland, Tusten, Cochecton, Delaware, Callicoon and Fremont, Sturm said there was money in the 2010 budget if the board decided to join it. But he also noted that four of the supervisors of the participating towns are newly elected, and it’s not yet clear what the future of the task force will be.

After the meeting, Wendy Robinson, one of the residents of The Chapin Estate, said of the board’s actions regarding gas drilling, “It’s good to know that the town submitted a letter to the DEC, but I think we need to push a little harder for them to make more positive steps.”

Jeffrey Kittay, another Chapin Estate resident, said, “Basically, the effect at the table was ‘this is another problem we have to try to get around quickly.’ And it’s not a problem you can get around quickly.”