By PETE KLEIN

For the Express

INLET — For over a year the Inlet Planning Board has been working to resolve discrepancies between the existing Inlet Zoning Map and the Inlet Real Property System database.

When the town board met on Tuesday, July 10, a public hearing was held on a new Zoning Map. With few concerns and no objections from the public, the board closed the public hearing toward the end of the meeting and approved the new map.

No date has been set but Supervisor John Frey did say he would like to schedule a public hearing on an update to zoning law sometime in August.

Police Chief Andrew Kalil had two requests before the board. The first was to purchase a second stun gun at a cost of about $800 and the second was to replace an old computer at a cost not to exceed $700. The board approved both requests.

Highway Superintendent Shawn Hansen told the board his department has been replacing some of the sidewalks in town and has done some work in the Moose River Plains removing rocks from the roads and smoothing out the roads.

If money permits, Hansen said he would like to do some blacktopping of the Gilbert Road sometime after Labor Day. The current cost estimate to do the work, Hansen said, is about $18,500.

Hansen said the department has been helping at the transfer station when needed and everything seems to be going well there.

Recently, scrap metal was removed from the transfer station and taken to Utica where it netted about $5,300 for the town, Hansen said.

Frey reported a pre-construction meeting on the Clean Waters Sewer Project was recently held.

“Rural Development has given us the green light to proceed,” said Frey, “and some construction on the project is expected to start soon.”

No one yet knows when there will be a cell phone tower up and running to serve Inlet but according to Frey the likely location for the tower is now known.

Frey said, Independent Towers, Latham, recently told him the preferred location is on Fern Mountain.

OTHER BUSINESS

Frey provided the board with draft copies of an Invasive Species Law for it to review.

Frey also reported the SS Minnow bus service is again operating and is available through August to patrons of local establishments from Daiker’s Inn to the Seventh Lake House on Friday and Saturday nights, 8 p.m. to 2 p.m.

Frey said, “We would like to thank Penny and the late Scott Stuart for making this service available again this year.”

On a related note, Frey also mentioned the Community Transportation Services, of Old Forge will be celebrating 25 years of service, providing many seniors and elderly without transportation who rely on the CTS van to drive them to doctor’s appointments in Utica, Syracuse, and even the Albany area.

There are forty volunteers who drive the fleet consisting of a 2008 wheelchair accessible van, a 2005 van, and an additional van in Indian Lake.

The next regular meeting of the Inlet Town Board will be Tuesday, Aug. 14, starting at 7:30 p.m. in the Town Hall.