Trending
FREWSBURG – Carroll and Kiantone are on the verge of additional shared services discussions.
Tim Burkett, Carroll town supervisor, recently discussed the idea with Carroll Town Board members. Burkett, according to minutes of the board's Aug. 12 meeting, asked for a Town Board member and perhaps a new committee to be formed that will work with Kiantone officials to discuss shared services. Burkett said he attended a Kiantone Town Board meeting in July to gauge Kiantone officials' interest, with Burkett saying Kiantone board members showed interest and a few Kiantone Town Board members suggesting forming a committee.
Burkett said there are a few shared services that could be considered, and a committee is a way to move forward. Burkett said it makes sense for the two towns to share services since many Kiantone residents have children who attend Frewsburg Central School and play sports in Frewsburg. Town Board member Ken Dahlgren agreed to sit on the committee along with Burkett.
A pair of town residents asked the board about requiring the developer of an apartment house on Marvin Street in Frewsburg to put in arborvitae trees instead of a fence that was part of the Sapphire Lane apartment complex agreement. Originally the contractor and property owner were going to install a fence, according to the site plan that was approved by the Carroll Town Board. Josie Hind and Carol Anderson, Frewsburg residents and neighbors of the apartment complex, said the trees may provide more privacy from both first and second floor apartments than the fence. Alan Gustafson, Carroll code enforcement officer, said he has a signed agreement from all four homeowners along Marvin Street agreeing they prefer the trees. Tim Burkett, town supervisor, requested a detailed definition of the property line and what material would be used for a privacy berm and a scope of work so the Town Board can review the proposal.
In other news, the Carroll summer recreation program is busy enough that a new town playground may be needed.
Rachel Roushey, who is a member of the town's Park and Recreation Committee, spoke to the Carroll Town Board recently about the need for a new playground. The town's summer recreation program in the town park had between 50 and 94 children attending each day this summer, and Roushey said the park doesn't have enough playground equipment for the number of children attending the program. In particular, she spoke about the addition of monkey bars, new and bigger swings and perhaps a zip line as well as Gaga Ball Pit.
Roushey noted the village of Lakewood and the town of Ellery both recently installed new playground equipment. While conversations about new playground equipment began before the summer recreation program began, Roushey said now that the program has finished that the Park and Recreation Committee should create a proposal that could be taken to a grant writer to help find grant funding for an addition to the playground while the committee can also begin looking for funding for the project. Roushey said she would also like to see playground items for older children since the park is busy during baseball and softball games.
John Barber, town board member and chairperson of the Park and Recreation Committee, said now is a good time to think about improvements and asked Roushey to put together a list of items the children are interested in adding to the playground and to bring the list to the board.
Board members also discussed a $500 expense for a water slide at the end of the summer recreation program, paid for by one of the program counselors. Board members discussed if the town had money to help pay for the cost and if insurance was considered. Susan Rowley, town clerk, said parents had signed waivers and supplemental insurance was purchased before the program started.
Board members suggested setting money aside in the town budget in the future if the water slide is going to be part of the final days of the summer recreation program, but the town can't pay for its use this year since the spending wasn't in the 2026 budget and it hadn't been brought up to the Town Board beforehand for discussion. Burkett and Barber said any donations made to the program could be used to help pay for the water slide costs. Barber and board members thanked the counselor who booked and paid for the water slide.