Published: May 08, 2008 01:05 am            

TOWN OF LOCKPORT: Pinegrove Estates expansion approved

TOWN OF LOCKPORT — The town board on Wednesday approved expansion of the Pinegrove Estates planned unit development.

The 95-acre senior housing development at Bowmiller Road, operated by the Briody family, is being enlarged by 4 acres. The additional acreage will allow for a new main entrance and some design changes.

The development is a semi-self-contained senior community currently containing 24 duplexes. Beginning next year, 40 homes and 98 apartments will be constructed, about one third apartments for seniors requiring assisted living accommodations. A community center, dining area and library also will be built. In the more distant future, a skilled nursing facility and adult day care center are in the works.

The development’s overall projected value is $37 million. Owner J. Thomas Briody is pursuing a 15-year tax-abatement deal for it.

Also this week, the board:

• Approved John E. Shoemaker’s appointment as town assessor. Shoemaker, a 15-year town employee who has been the deputy assessor for the past 10 years, will start his new post May 15. He replaces Kevin Van Dusen, who is retiring, and is to be paid an annual salary of $46,000.

• Promoted assessors’ clerk Jill Lederhouse to the post of real estate property appraisal technician. Lederhouse was the sole applicant for the job, according to Supervisor Marc Smith; she has already met Civil Service eligibility requirements. As an appraisal technician, she’ll be paid $15 an hour.

• Honored Town Clerk Nancy Brooks, who was named Town Clerk of the Year by the New York State Town Clerks Association. Brooks has been Lockport’s town clerk since 1992. She was a deputy clerk for eight years prior to winning the elected post.

• Hired Nature’s Way to perform microbial cleanup at the site of the old town hall on Ruhlmann Road. The company will treat tainted soil on site to remove petroleum contaminants and will fill in any gaps with sand. The cost of the work is $11,000.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.