Town offices close April 1

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By Matthew Saari

The Town of Granville offices will be closed to the public “until further notice” as of April 1.

Town supervisor Matt Hicks notified the Sentinel Monday of the change in operations, finalizing the policy Tuesday morning.

“It will be closed to the public starting tomorrow,” Hicks said Tuesday.

The closure notice cited the “COVID-19 outbreak” as the reason.

This does not mean town business is coming to a halt, Hicks said. Although the offices will be closed, the clerk office and highway department will still be manned, continuing their duties.

Hicks did note, however, that there will be no court proceedings as a result of the closure.

“I believe the state has suspended court proceedings,” he said. “There certainly won’t be any town court.”

If a resident has a fine which needs to be paid, they are instructed to mail the sum to Town Court, PO Box 177, Granville, New York 12832.

To contact town officials, residents are instructed to use the telephone numbers and emails provided.

Perhaps the biggest change to come out of the closure is how local officials will continue to conduct town business. Because of a light agenda, the Granville Town Planning Board has canceled its April meeting.

“We’ll decide in about a month if we’ll have a May meeting,” Hicks said of the planning board.

In addition, the town board has moved its monthly meeting from April 9 to April 23 and has opted to use a teleconference system, where the board members dial in.

“There will be a very basic, bare bones agenda,” Hicks said.

Hicks added further details on this system are forthcoming but noted residents will only be able to tune in and listen, there will not be public comment capabilities. Anyone who does have a comment or concern for the board is instructed to submit it in writing prior to the meeting. The mailing address is PO Box 177, Granville, New York 12832.

Comments will be read into the meeting minutes, which will then be posted to the town website “as soon as possible after the meeting.”