Town Information
Supervisor’s update - March 30, 2020
I previously announced that Town facilities would be temporarily closed through April 3. Since then, Governor Cuomo has extended New York State’s "New York on PAUSE" policy through April 15, meaning non-essential businesses and schools will continue to stay closed. Gatherings of any size for any reason will remain cancelled and all New Yorkers continue to be directed to practice social distancing by staying home and keeping six feet of space from others when in public.
The Town of Penfield is supporting this directive in the following ways:
- Town offices and facilities remain temporarily closed through April 15; we will continue to revisit this as the course of COVID-19 evolves.
- We are maintaining essential staff and services. As always, we will respond to emergencies like fallen trees, highway and sewer issues, and wind, snow, and ice management.
- Playgrounds and basketball courts are off-limits. Despite signs and caution tape, some people continue to use these facilities. Effective social distancing includes no gathering and sharing of playground equipment and no close contact sports like basketball.
- Near term meetings have been cancelled through April 15. Future meetings are being decided week to week, but expect them to be cancelled through the next several weeks. When we do resume, remember you can watch and participate remotely through our Penfield TV resources.
- Town employees are still working remotely, monitoring email and voicemail. They are helping residents manage as best they can over the phone and online; please be patient, we are handling the most urgent matters first.
- We are providing fact-based updates specific to the Town of Penfield at www.penfield.org and through social media. We are also sharing fact-based information from Monroe County https://www2.monroecounty.gov/health-coronavirus and NYS. See our COVID-19 information page.
Hunting/Fishing License Transactions
Due to our temporary closure, the Town Clerk’s office is unavailable to complete Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) transactions. However, you can still order or renew hunting/fishing licenses through the DEC call center or website.
By Phone - The DEC call center is available at 1-866-933-2257, Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. You will be given a transaction number to carry with you to use as a license registration when fishing.
Online - You can also purchase your license online at https://www.dec.ny.gov/63.html and receive your permit by mail. You can also print fishing and trapping licenses yourself on your home printer. Website customers also have the option to record and carry their fishing license transaction number with them.
The Town Clerk's Office will provide updates from the DEC if there are any changes to these options.
Community Volunteering
We have received inquiries from residents and organizations wishing to volunteer to help our region during this crisis. Please note, the United Way is the lead agency for coordinating needs and volunteers. Learn more at https://uwrochester.org/ .
Reminders
- The due date for 3rd and 4th property tax installments has been extended to April 30 with no penalty. In-person payment of real property taxes at all county and town facilities is prohibited during this State of Emergency. See details at https://www.monroecounty.gov/?q=node/9360
- Non-urgent matters. Please email departments (contact info at www.penfield.org) with specific questions and be patient as we triage customer service from our homes.
- Use our parks and trails but observe social distancing. Walk apart and don't cluster, keep dogs on leashes and clean up after them (and dispose of properly) for the good of all.
- Report emergencies to 911. If you see any hazards or threats to public safety (like fallen trees or other unsafe conditions) do not call our DPW. Call 911 and they will contact the Town DPW. If you call DPW directly you will get voicemail and the response may not be timely because staff could be deployed to another task.
On behalf of the Penfield community, thank you to all the front line workers of this crisis: healthcare professionals, doctors, nurses, EMTs, firefighters, police officers, food industry workers, delivery services, manufacturing operations, and countless others. They are showing up to work every day to help others.
Let’s all do our part to support them by committing to follow all social distancing and hygiene guidelines. Our cooperation is the single most important thing we can do to help them, keep our community strong, and protect our most vulnerable. The success of our healthcare system is directly related to how successfully we commit to these principals. When we slow the flow of COVID-19 patients to hospitals we help our healthcare system manage resources. We don't want the healthcare system to have to implement surge plans to cope with the number of patients in our community.
I want to thank you all for your patience and support as we adapt to new practices and priorities for the greater good.
Be well and be safe,
Tony
supervisor@penfield.org
Penfield Supervisor R. Anthony (Tony) LaFountain
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