Bikram Yoga opens but still not compliant in the Village of Hamburg

Barrett’s Bikram Yoga continues to be in non-compliance over its landscape design, Village of Hamburg officials learned Monday, Oct. 1.

According to Kurt Allen, supervising code enforcement officer, the property owner, William Barrett, was presented with a legal paper outlining requirements which needed to be addressed so that a certificate of occupancy could be issued.

“They have no CO as of today,” Allen said at the meeting. “They have remaining issues that are lingering. Ed Murphy (the village attorney) drew up a list of requirements that need to be met, and he refused to sign it.”

Barrett, who was in attendance at the meeting, said he only received the paper on Friday (Sept. 28) and it was not even addressed to him or list him by name.

“I am only part owner of this property (the former Blockbuster Video) and I am not in a position to sign this paper,” Barrett said.

“What we are asking for is that you issue this temporary CO and let us put everything to rights,” Barrett said. “My tenant, who is my wife Gina, actually wants to put in the landscaping and believes it will enhance the business.

“Please let her get her business up and running to get the money coming in. It is going to cost over $20,000 to dig up the 11 feet of parking lot and put in all the greenery.

“I’ve been the only business owner told to do this kind of landscaping, Lucky Dog and Edie’s did not have do this,” Barrett said.

Following an executive session, Mayor Thomas Moses told Barrett the village attorney would be contacting him with the next day or two.

“Our board believes these conditions need to be met,” Moses said. Many of the conditions were recommended to the board by the Architectural Review Committee.

“We are going before the Architectural Review Committee on Tuesday, Oct. 9 and they have not been happy with any of our plans,” Barrett said.

“We’ve been trying to since February to get this approved,” he said.

In other business, the board heard from Damon Ayer, chair of the Historic Preservation Commission, on the village’s Historic District application.

About a year ago, the village began the process to have a designated “Historic District” in the heart of the village.

Eventually the targeted area for the designation was set as Main Street, from Lake Avenue to Buffalo Street. and was submitted to the state.

According to Ayer, on Sept. 20, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation granted the designation request and the newly formed district should soon be placed on the State Register of Historic Places.

“This is really important for the village and the business owners,” said Trustee Laura Hackathorn, who has been closely involved with the process. “This will be huge for us in our grant process, especially the Main Street grants.”

Now all the documentation has been sent by the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to the National Park Service in Washington, D.C. for final review and if approved listing by the Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places.

“I feel confident we will be granted the federal designation,” Ayer said.

In addition, Ayer said they (Historic Preservation Commission) were awarded a $5,409 grant and will give it back to the village to reimburse money spent on preparing all the documentation needed for the historic district application.

“We are so thankful that the village board has been supportive of this project and budgeted $7,400 for this,” Ayer said. “It appears that once this is done, we will be coming in under budget and we are hoping to pay the village back completely.”

In other action, the board:

• Held a public hearing on the proposed animals and fowl code for the village.

John Vaccaro, of the village, spoke out against the code, saying that if people want to have the animals, then just let them have it.

“What’s next, maybe people have too many children, like in China, and they will have to have permits? I see too many of these things happening,” Vaccaro said.

No action was taken but it could be acted on at the Oct. 15 meeting.

• Heard from Public Works Superintendent Marc Shuttleworth they are looking for healthy, established trees to be transplanted into Memorial Park.

“We have the ability to transplant a tree with an 8-inch diameter and have a good chance of it surviving,” Shuttleworth said.

With the loss of one of the large hardwood trees in Memorial Park this summer, the village is looking to replace it with a larger than average planting.

“If someone has a healthy, established hardwood tree they want to donate to us, we’ll look at it and if it will work, we’ll take it,” Shuttleworth said.

For more information, email Shuttleworth at mshuttleworth@villagehamburg.com or call the village hall at 649-0200.

• Heard from Shuttleworth that they are now collecting fallen leaves.

Leaves should not be put out into the road, but left in the grassed right-of-way.

• Heard from Recreation Supervisor Josh Haeick that registration has begun for the Hamburg Little Cagers Basketball League. Registration ends Friday, Oct. 15 and is open to girls and boys from 9 to 15 years old.

For more information call the Recreation Department at 649-6170.

The village board will next meet in a public work session at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 15, followed by a regular meeting at 7 p.m.