New York Gov. David Paterson plans to visit Skaneateles Monday and is expected to address the long-standing regional concern over what many consider excessive truck traffic on rural roadways.

The Skaneateles Area Chamber of Commerce on Friday notified its membership via e-mail that Paterson would be holding a press conference at 11 a.m. Monday at the Sherwood Inn “to possibly discuss truck traffic” through central New York.

Chamber executive director Sue Dove said that her office had been asked to spread the word to encourage people to come to the event.

Last month, Skaneateles Mayor Robert Green, Police Chief Lloyd Perkins and members of the Upstate New York Safety Coalition Task Force went to Albany to meet with state representatives concerning the truck traffic issue, mainly that garbage trucks traveling from New York City to the Seneca Meadows landfill in Seneca Falls avoid major highways by taking rural routes, causing unnecessary traffic in small communities.

Residents have complained that the trucks are loud, dangerous and pose potential environmental hazards.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, who brokered a deal last fall to encourage New York City waste haulers to stay off local roads, has argued that the ultimate fix to keeping trucks off rural roads is to have state environmental and traffic agencies establish standard truck routes. A truck routing system would force non-local garbage-hauling trucks to use the state's highways and would not affect local trucking.

The governor's office on Friday declined to say why Paterson was planning to visit. Paterson's public schedule for Monday says he will make an “announcement with senator Schumer” at 11 a.m. in Skaneateles before scheduled meetings later in the day in Batavia and Buffalo.

Last month, on the same day that a citizen's group met with elected officials in Ithaca to press for legislation to regulate truck traffic, Schumer issued a statement saying that he had spoken to Paterson about having the state implement its own truck routing system and that Paterson's response assured him that the governor was “committed to ensuring that these trucks stick to the interstates

In an April news release, Schumer said, “The silver bullet solution is to have state agencies establish standard truck routes to keep non-local, garbage-hauling trucks on the interstate highways and out of our local communities. The Governor was extremely supportive and pledged to explore all options to protect the region's quality of life. It was a breath of fresh air.”