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Town of Ripley prepares for Dollar General store

RIPLEY — Ripley Town Council members cleared the way for a proposed Dollar General store by passing several resolutions at their regular February meeting.

After reviewing the site development plan for the store, which will be located at 50 E. Main Street in Ripley, council members passed a resolution granting permission for the construction according to the stipulations set forth in the plan.

Town Supervisor Doug Bowen said that the board sent certain comments and revisions to the plan to the developer with additional stipulations. These include the condition that the developer is responsible for landscaping to enhance the area. Also, the developer is responsible to design and construct storm-water retention areas on the north and east side of the property, he said.

Bowen stated that the developer said construction on the project is expected to begin in May with completion in July.

The board also granted a special-use permit for the project allowing the construction of a six-foot high fence on the west and south sides of the property. This fence, which could be wooden lattice fence; a “green fence” made of living shrubs or trees; or a combination of both, will be used to protect the privacy of residential neighbors, according to the resolution.

The board also approved the SEQR review which stated that the environmental impact on the area would be minimal, Bowen said.

In other business, the board approved the purchase of highway superintendent start-up software at the cost of $3,797.50. Bowen said the cost of the software is included in the 2017 budget.

The program will be purchased from Williamson Law Book Co., whose website states: Highway Superintendent Software is designed to improve the efficiency and time management of Highway administrators. The software allows highway Superintendents to monitor employee timesheets and manage vacation and sick time, as well as track vehicle maintenance, materials usage and road maintenance.

Bowen emphasized that the software will be worth the money as long as it is used consistently.“I think it’s a great program – I think it will be well worth it as long as the data is input and we use it,” he said.

The board also approved the purchase of a replacement furnace for the highway garage. Bowen said the new furnace would be 200,222 BTUs and would cost $1,896.

The board also discussed the proposal of going out to bid for a dump truck to replace the 550 highway dump truck. Bowen said the specs given by the highway department need to be more generic before going out to bid. Board members decided to wait for more updated specs for the purchase of a new dump truck.

Bowen told the board that the town received letters from Sherman Central School’s SADD Chapter and Chautauqua Lake Central School requesting donations for their after-prom events. Board members voted to make a $300 after-prom donation to each district.

Board members discussed the purchase of a flag pole for the front of the town building. Councilman Bob McIntosh told the board that Carrot-Top Industries sells residential, commercial, and architectural grade flag pole sets.

“My recommendation is for a standard commercial 20′ flag pole kit for $570, plus freight,” McIntosh said. He also recommended adding a $120 solar disc light with 32 LEDs for the top of the pole. McIntosh said 4′ x 6′ flags cost $49 each. The board approved the purchase per McIntosh’s recommendations.

The town board also approved the zoning amendment, which was brought to the table at the January meeting. Board members voted that a negative declaration of environmental impact could be signed by Supervisor Bowen and filed with all required agencies by Town Clerk Rowe.

Bowen explained that most projects proposed by a municipal government must undergo an environmental impact assessment. SEQR, or the State Environmental Quality Review, requires the local government to identify any significant environmental impact of a proposed undertaking, Bowen said. Environmental nonsignificance with regard to a project results in a negative declaration, he added.

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