Richmondville's efforts to combine the Town and Village Planning Boards are a little bit like who's-on-first, but Maggie Smith, who's secretary of the new Joint Planning Board, is confident they'll work out the bugs.
"It's going to be a process," said Ms. Smith, who's also town clerk and chair of the Joint Zoning Board of Appeals.
"There are a lot of details no one really thought about when we combined the Planning Boards. But we're working it out."
Those details include putting together the necessary forms and the fact that the two different municipalities have different planning regulations.
There's also the matter of finding people willing to serve on the Joint Planning Board-one of the reasons Richmondville combined the two boards in the first place.
The town's four reps on the Joint Planning Board are Harold Loder, chair; Mike Piccolo, Robert Reed, and Tighe Lory.
The town's representatives are Bill Lape, a village trustee who must resign from his post to serve on the JPB who's in Florida till April; and Gordon Delpit.
George Konta had been appointed to the village's third seat, but resigned after the first meeting, leaving a vacancy.
Ms. Smith said it will be up to Mayor Kevin Neary to appoint a replacement.
Joint ZBA members include town reps Liz Meigel, Lisa Crapser, and Alison Coons, and for the village, Ms. Smith, chair, and Peggy Gras, who's also deputy town clerk.
The town also has a new codes enforcement officer: Don Clarke, who'd been the village's CEO, has replaced Gene DeMarco.
All of this comes at a time when Richmondville is looking at a request for zoning changes at the old Kivort shop on Route 7, Ms. Smith said, where there are plans for a salvage yard, a small retail shop, a couple of apartments, and down the road, an animal rescue for cats, dogs, beavers, and goats.
Less complicated are plans to build a Dollar General, also on Route 7.