Residents from South Avenue were out in full force at the April 17 Village of Brockport board meeting, pleading with officials to remove the surplus property designation from a one acre parcel at 52 South Avenue. "It's open space that you've deemed surplus," resident John DelVecchio said. "We need the open space. I know you need to balance the budget but an overwhelming majority want to see this property remain untouched." Residents presented a petition with close to 200 signatures requesting the property be kept on the tax rolls. Arthur Schmidt said having green space is a wonderful asset to a community. "It's irreplaceable," he said. "I know you want to reduce expenses but once this land is gone, it's gone." Bob Canham doesn't want to see the property become home to any art sculptures or playground equipment; he just wants to see it remain open space. "The property is also home to a beech tree that is close to 100 years old," he said. "There is no tree more majestic than a beech and if the land is sold and development is started, that tree stands right in the middle and will be cut. It should be kept as a legacy for the future." Mayor Mort Wexler said the designation and proposed sale of the property would be discussed next week as part of the on-going budget negotiations. Trustee Maria Castaneda reminded residents that the village is facing a tight budget year. "If we don't sell the property it could result in a two to four percent increase (the estimated $20,000 that could have been realized from the property's sale would have resulted in a decrease). This property is your neighborhood but keeping it affects the whole village," she said. "Maybe the residents could get together and buy the property." Canham said the village has never had a precedent where a neighborhood would buy a piece of property and dedicate it back to the village. "The impact on taxes is minimal and why would you want to risk the tree?" Castaneda said keeping, or not keeping, the property is a concern for all taxpayers, not just the South Avenue taxpayers. Resident John Bush said he has no feeling for the area but can't see that selling the property will fix the budget woes. "It will be a temporary fix," he said. "What the village needs to do is lay people off, next year there will be no property to sell. We are at a crossroads and if this village was an industry, you'd lay people off." Trustee Carrie Maziarz said the village officials have to do the right thing for the community. "Our job is to not only keep taxes down but do what's best to preserve the community," she said. April 23, 2006 |
