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| TOWN SUPERVISOR James D. Hoffman Telephone: (office) 589-2038 Fax Number: 589-9326 Office Hours: 8:00 am - 4:30 pm e-mail:wmsonsupv@rochester.rr.com | SECRETARY TO SUPERVISOR Valarie J. Fowler Telephone: (office) 589-2038 Fax Number: 589-9326 |
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Supervisor’s
Column |
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Williamson
is the home to one of the stars in auto racing - Amy Catalano.
Last month she was awarded the Driver or the Year Award (asphalt
driver) at the Friends of Auto Racing (F.O.A.R.S.C.O.R.E.) Fan Club
Annual Awards dinner in Lancaster, New York. This was her second
FOARSCORE award in three years. Amy also earned a first Holland
Motorsports Complex Pro Modified title for two victories and not a
single finish outside of the top three, the NASCAR Whelen All-American
Series New York State Championship and placed 24th in the national
rankings for the Whelen All-American Series. Congratulations Amy!
This year we have three newly elected officials in town government. Kurt Allman, Superintendent of Highways replaced, Jerry Hubright who retired after 40 years of service. We have two new Town Justices – Barry Vanostrand and Deb Stritzel - replacing Jim Peters and Chuck Monsees, who both retired last year. Town Justice Stritzel is the first female Town Justice in the history of our town. Congratulations Judge Stritzel! On January 11th, along with numerous fruit growers and some elected officials, I attended a countywide tour of Wayne County farms with Congresswoman Ann Marie Buerkle. The tour started and ended in Williamson. The most discussed issue of the day was the need for an available labor force to pick fruit in the fall as well as year-round for dairy, vegetable and crop farms. On January 12th, I facilitated a listening session at the Williamson High School conducted by Congresswoman Buerkle regarding a proposal by the International Joint Commission (IJC) to increase the fluctuation in the level of Lake Ontario. The IJC was created by treaty in 1909 between the U.S. and Canada to oversee the Great Lakes. The Commission has six members - three from the United States and three from Canada. This proposal allows for even higher lake levels than a plan proposed in 2007 which was subsequently withdrawn. If implemented, the higher lake levels will be devastating to lakeshore properties, property values, tourism and quality of life. The IJC has scheduled public hearings regarding this proposal in March, none of which are in Wayne County. I have sent a letter to the IJC asking that at least one public hearing be conducted in Wayne County after June, at which time more residents from Williamson and lakeshore towns are available to attend a hearing. Thanks to the efforts of the Williamson Marketing Plan Committee, Director of Technology for the Williamson Central School District, Jamie Sonneville, and Webmaster, Don Cox, you will be seeing some changes to the Town’s website. For now, access to the Town of Williamson website (http://town.williamson.ny.us) is a little easier with a shorter address - http://williamsonny.org. On Monday, February 6th, at 7:00 p.m. at the Williamson American Legion there will be a presentation on the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) New Construction Program, a state program providing funding for energy improvements for new or substantially renovated public and private non-residential buildings. Mr. James Bittker, a NYSERDA Outreach Specialist, is making the presentation. Prior to becoming an Outreach Specialist, Mr. Bittker spent six years participating in California’s “Golden State energy efficiency revolution” as an energy management contractor. Mr. Bittker will also explain the New York State Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) process, the new process in which all grant applications must go through for state funding. The presentation is jointly sponsored by the Williamson Chamber of Commerce, Williamson Business Improvement District and the Williamson Rotary. It is free and open to the public. James D. Hoffman |