TOWN CLERKS CORNER By: Nancy Thomas
We have all said goodbye to summer and are currently enjoying fall which is at its best and most beautiful in Western New York. I hope everyone has had a chance to take advantage of the terrific festivals and other harvest offerings in our area in between getting things buttoned down for winter! Below are some items I wanted to remind our residents and taxpayers about:
VIP REMINDER!!! NYS STAR (School Property Tax Relief) EXEMPTION
If you receive the STAR property tax exemption, then you MUST RE-REGISTER to continue receiving that exemption. If you do not re-register by December 31, 2013, YOU WILL LOSE THE EXEMPTION (the exemption takes about $30,000 off of the assessed value on your primary residence for school taxing purposes). You should have received information from the NYS Tax Department about this requirement in the mail.
FAST, EASY RE-REGISTRATION
Register on-line at www.tax.ny.gov or call (518)457-2036
SENIOR CITIZENS (65 or older) ENHANCED STAR EXEMPTION
Seniors receiving the Enhanced STAR exemption DO NOT need to re-register with the Tax Department, but must continue applying annually with their local assessor.
TOWN OF NORTH HARMONY HOSPICE “LIGHT a LIFE” TREE
In 2012 Hospice of Chautauqua County approached the Town of North Harmony about sponsoring a “Light a Life” Tree. With help from area residents like Art Sample who donated a beautiful evergreen tree; the Town Highway Department who planted the tree at the Community Building; and Frank Stow who put up the lights….we were on our way!
This year we would like to do it again! If you would like to purchase a Red Bow for $5 (cash or check made payable to Hospice Chautauqua County) to decorate our tree in Honor or Memory of a Loved One, contact the Town Clerk at the Community Building during regular business hours starting Nov. 1, 2013; or you may purchase them online at www.hospicechautco.org . You may also purchase commemorative ornaments from Hospice (see website above for information). Watch our website www.townofnorthharmony.com for a list of those honored and remembered! All proceeds go to Hospice to help continue providing care for patients and their families.
PLEASE JOIN US….
“LIGHT a LIFE” TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY WILL BE HELD AT 6:30 PM ON MONDAY DECEMBER 9, 2013, AT THE TOWN OF NORTH HARMONY COMMUNITY BUILDING IN STOW, NY
COUNTY/TOWN TAX COLLECTION 2014
County/Town tax bills are usually mailed out during the first week of January each year. If your mailing address has changed, please contact the Assessor’s Office at (716)753-2241 so that your bill can be mailed to the correct address. If you have not received your bill by mid-January, contact the Town Clerk/Collector at (716)789-3445 x2 so we can address the issue.
REMINDER: Taxable Status date is 3/1/14, all first time exemptions (i.e. Veterans, STAR, etc.) must be filed by that date at the Assessor’s office: Randall Holcomb, 2 Academy St., Mayville, NY 14757.
TOWN OF NORTH HARMONY VETERANS MEMORIAL
The Veterans Memorial Committee for the Town of North Harmony is in the process of raising funds to build a Memorial to be located in Veteran’s Park, Ashville. On Labor Day weekend the Hadley House Restaurant sponsored a Pig Roast and Wroda Auctions also held a fundraiser during their annual convention. They raised approximately $3,000.00 for the memorial fund! The committee would like to give a GREAT BIG THANKS to them and also to community members and businesses who so generously donated their time and prizes for the Chinese Auction held in conjunction with the Pig Roast. The cost to build this memorial is approximately $70,000.00; so far we have raised a total of $6,200. Donations can be made to: The Town of North Harmony, P.O.B. 167 Stow, NY 14785 or The Chautauqua Region Community Foundation (CRCF) Attn: North Harmony Veteran’s Memorial Fund, 418 Spring St., Jamestown, NY 14701. Please indicate on the memo line of the check “North Harmony Veterans Memorial Fund”.
If you have a great fundraising idea; would like to spearhead a drive; or would be interested in helping out in some way, the Veterans Committee would love to hear from you! Contact us at 716-789-3445 with your ideas! Help us honor those who sacrificed so much to keep us free!
The Memorial Committee: Ralph Whitney, Ron Saxton, Duncan McNeill, Sally P. Carlson, Frank Stow, Nancy Thomas
LOOKING FOR THAT PERFECT GIFT FOR THAT SPECIAL PERSON THAT WILL REALLY MAKE AN IMPRESSION AND HELP YOUR COMMUNITY?? HERE ARE SOME GREAT IDEAS!!!
ADOPT A VETERAN $50.00: Help support the effort to build a Veterans Memorial by adopting a Veteran at a cost of $50. You will receive an “Adoption Certificate” for the veteran you choose from the list which will be available on our website and your name or the person you gift will appear on the list as the Adopter. All Veteran’s names on the list will be engraved on the memorial. The cost to engrave each name is approximately $30.00 and currently we have over 600 names of Veterans to go on the memorial.
GIVE A COPY OF “A FERRY TALE” BY: ART THOMAS $20.00: This large print book written by local author Art Thomas chronicles the history of the Bemus Pt. to Stow Ferry and includes many photos of the ferry through the years.
LOCAL ARTIST, CATHY CHERRY “CHAUTAUQUA LAKE” & “FERRY” 11X14 PRINTS: FRAMED $20; PRINT ONLY $8: These prints show all the areas of interest on Chautauqua Lake and make a great gift!
Contact the Town Clerk at 716-789-3445 if you are interested in purchasing one of these unique gifts. All proceeds go the Veteran’s Memorial Fund.
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From Sally Carlson, Town Supervisor
The Transfer Station
The Town of North Harmony currently has a waste collection contract with Casella Waste Management of Westfield. We are attempting to make the operation run more smoothly with North Harmony taxpayers being the authorized users of it. I know that it has been very unsettling as each week you are faced with a new pattern, but I would emphasize that this is the only town that doesn’t do a per bag charge to its residents. NEW STICKERS ARE REQUIRED AND MAY BE OBTAINED AT THE TOWN CLERK’S OFFICE OR APPLICATIONS ARE AVAILABLE AT OUR WEBSITE.
Each is an Ambassador
In August a friend of my daughter came for my late husband’s life celebration. She had gone to high school at Chautauqua, had gone to college, moved to Florida and after 20 plus years drove down to see her old home. She was abruptly turned away when she asked to view the lake from that site and told that she had no business being on private property. It is sad that we have reached such a point of suspiciousness. People leave our area with impressions based on the people that they meet here.
Special Districts
A letter was sent to residents who have property in special districts, Light, Sewer, and Water. These districts pay tax on assessment for that special district. Because they are based on assessments which can be protested annually we are not required to send out special notices. I apologize for any confusion; I sent those letters based on a misinterpretation. Only “Benefit Districts” must be sent notice and we don’t have those.
Naming of the Bridge
In September the bridge on 394 that goes over I-86 was dedicated to the memory of John Stow and Vietnam Veterans. John lived near Stow. His family was the founding- family of Stow. He died In Vietnam shortly after he was deployed there. It is an honor well deserved and long overdue.
Buy a Block
There is still space for Tribute blocks on the wall at the pavilion at the Ferry. They are $135 for individuals or $260 for a business logo. Forms are available on the town’s website: www.townofnorthharmony.com
Bulbs for Veterans’ Park
When you do your gardening in the Spring, would you donate extra bulbs to the town when you divide them? We would like to create a flower garden along the northern perimeter. With tulips, daffodils, etc. They could be brought to the town office building. If you are an enthusiastic gardener and would like to help with the planting, please contact us at 789-3445 x4.
Donations Received –
We are very grateful to Harmony Auto Parts and Guy Peacock for their contributions to improving the canons at Veterans’ Park. We are grateful too to Rex Tolman for the drawings of the proposed layout of the new park.
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Ashville Days
Hello, Ashville Friends! Did you hear the bad news? No Ashville Days in 2014? Could it be true? NO!
There WILL be Ashville Days – We WILL have fun the third Weekend of July, 2014!
Martha Gleason and Miss Judy (Wroda) will be putting together some new events for the 2014
Celebration! Please watch the newsletter for updates and opportunities for you to sign up for the new events that are being planned!
The first new event is for the kids-a homemade sailboat racing contest! So, kids of Ashville, start drawing up
Your plans for your sailboat! We will have more information about this coming soon-so get your creative thinking caps on and start dreaming of you own little yacht floating down Goose Creek!
Another new event will be “the parents VS their children kickball game”! This will be a three inning game sure to bring lots of laughs and loads of fun!
We would like to invite new artisans and food vendors to the events of the weekend-so spread the word and start making your plans!
Another idea we would like for all of you to start thinking about is…families and groups making up a float for the parade! We would love to see Ashville residents get more involved with the parade, and making your own float and showing off your talents is a great way to do this! Wouldn’t it be fun to have so many floats that we would have to make two trips around the block just so we can see everything and everybody?!!
You may contact Martha at 763-9252 and Miss Judy at 489-1520 if you would like to get in on the fun and mayhem! We will be posting more events as we get them developed in our little brains, so please keep checking in to get in on the fun!
Thank you and have a smiles and giggles day!
Martha and Miss Judy
FROM THE OFFICE OF ZONING AND BUILDING CODES:
Greetings! As winter approaches the furnaces come on; wood stoves light up and we get into the season of chimney fires and Carbon Monoxide (CO) issues. I can’t stress enough that each and every home should have a CO detector in it. This is not a suggestion this is a NYS Building Code Law. The law came into effect in 2008 but has been revised in the 2010 NYS Building codes. These detectors are not things that will break the bank, and usually cost around $30.00.
As anyone receives a building permit I try and make sure that installation of a CO detector is part of the final inspection. This applies to any building permit, as it is a state law and we all need to adhere to it. This may rub some folks the wrong way, but all you have to do is ask someone that has had a Carbon Monoxide issue in their home and you will find out that it is a small price to pay to save someone’s life or the lives of the whole family.
When new homes are built they are required to install these hard wired along with the smoke detectors and to be interconnected. So think about your life and the lives of your loved ones and get to the building materials store or your electrical supplier and save a life.
On another note, I will be holding another Town Hall meeting for local contractors on Codes and Zoning questions that they may have. I have held this before and had a very good turn out so I will be sending out cards to contractors soon with the date and time.
If there are any home owners that do their own projects and want to know more about the codes; Zoning and any changes that have come up lately, please feel free to call me and we can set up a time to discuss them. If I receive a lot of requests, I would be glad to have homeowner meeting on the same material.
Have a great winter! Be safe! Get the chimneys clean and inspected regularly and get the smoke and CO detectors installed soon!
Regards
Bradley N Lawson
CEO North Harmony
