On Tuesday, the Seneca County Board of Supervisors held their regularly scheduled meeting for the month of July. It was kicked off by a presentation by Joseph A. Crimi, which highlighted the benefits of an energy efficiency program. That would be started by an energy audit, which would evaluate where the biggest opportunities are to consume less energy. Crimi said that it would save taxpayers money in the long-term. While the audit would cost money in the short-term, much of that cost could be offset by an available grant.The first petitioner of the night was Dianne Potter, of Rochester, who raised concerns about the del Lago Resort & Casino project. She questioned the number of jobs that would actually benefit those residents of Seneca County, as 400 full-time jobs were promised. The second issue raised by Potter involved the purchase of the former BonaDent building. She asked questions regarding the proposed daycare facility, which County Manager John Sheppard said could benefit between 60-80 children.This issue was raised again during new business as the supervisors approved resolutions moving the process forward, which will see the sale of the old Seneca County Health Building, and move toward Seneca County taking ownership of the former BonaDent building for $3.2 million.Mark Benjamin and Kyle Black, of Seneca Meadows both addressed the board — speaking about the environmental stewardship that the company exhibits on a regular basis. Black talked about the economic impact assessment, which was subject of some scrutiny at last week’s Seneca Falls Town Board meeting. He also gave an update on the odor remediation process, which has been underway for the last several months. Black explained, “Odor complaints are down over 40 percent from the spring and winter.” He went on to point out that Seneca Meadows is converting an even larger amount of the gases released by the landfill than ever before. Black said that odor remains their main focus — as they work to make their impact on the region smaller.The item that received the most debate throughout the entire meeting, though, involved a fleet management service, which would reduce the overall cost of vehicle maintenance, according to Sheppard. Over the course of ten years, Sheppard said that the fleet management service would save the County more than $400,000. Varick Supervisor Bob Hayssen asked that the motion be tabled though, citing conversations he had with Finger Lakes Chrysler regarding a potential contract with them that would keep the contract local. He also asked whether the maintenance would be executed inside Seneca County, or if it would be executed outside the county. Sheppard pointed out that utilizing Enterprise Fleet Management would allow the County to name the terms. Entering a contract with Enterprise would allow the County to have work done at their discretion, locally or not locally, whichever the board preferred. Waterloo Supervisor Don Trout responded to the debate with concern about not accepting the Enterprise bid. He said, “[Finger Lakes Chrysler] better make the same offer as Enterprise if we’re going to table this.” The motion to table the resolution failed to pass due to an absence. The vote on the resolution also failed to pass after receiving a weighted vote count of 364-318 in both. The resolution failed, which means that it will undoubtedly come back to committee later this month, or in August. Some on the board expressed interest in allowing Finger Lakes Chrysler the opportunity to present in-person to the full-board, which would happen in August — at earliest. Check out the entire board meeting in the video window above.
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