If Tuesday's planning board meeting is a good indicator, the bed and breakfast industry in Cooperstown can look forward to becoming more highly regulated by the village.

Members of the board discussed the recently adopted moratorium on new tourist accomodations or the expansion of existing ones at the end of a long meeting.

The board has been put in charge of looking at the issue of tourist accomodations and their impact on the residential character of the village and its infrastructure by mayor Carol Waller.

Board members came with numerous suggestions for the regulation of B&Bs and were quick to point out that this was very early in what would be a long process.

"These are just talking points," said Joe Siracusa.

But the lists of comments brought to the table by the members contained some ideas that were in common and offer insight into where the review may lead.

The ability of the village's zoning enforcement officer to make on-site inspections of properties as part of the registration process was something all were in agreement on. The idea of a registration program was consistent among board members and most also believed it was important to make unscheduled or annual compliance inspections.

The inspections are important to make sure the actual use and permitted use are consistent, said zoning enforcement officer Al Keck.

The board also discussed setting certain minimum standards for tourist accomodations that could include minimum room size, ceiling height, smoke dectors and emergency lighting.

Chairman Paul Kuhn, who could not attend the meeting, sent a list of his thoughts that was topped by the comment that fines for illegal tourist accomodations should be raised to $1,000 plus $100 for each day the violation continues.

Siracusa said it was important the board not get ahead of itself and that it must remain objective about tourist accomodations. It first must establish that the recent proliferatoin of B&Bs that everyone talks about is indeed real.

The mayor readily admitted when the moratorium was adopted by the board of trustees that they really had no idea how many tourist accomodations are operating in the village.

Without that information, Siracusa said, the board won't be able to gauge the industry's growth and determine its impact.

Zoning board of appeals chairman Susan Snell, whose board issues many of the special permits for tourist accomodations and variances for their expansion, sat in on the discussion. She told the planning board that this was a wonderful opportunity to list what exists and in what condition.

"It's difficult to have any sense of the problem. There's no real sense of what exists legally, is grandfathered legally or is illegal," she said.

Designer Bruce Guyot, who acts as an advisor to the board on architural issues, commented that the planning board has to keep an open mind. There are positive aspects to tourist accomodations that also have to considered.

Karin Svahn, who chaired Tuesday's meeting said the board has to start by knowing the numbers and asked Al Keck to continue his investigation in an effort to provide a census of the B&Bs now operating in the village.

The planning board will meet again on Tuesday, Nov. 24. The moratorium is in effect for 90 days and may be renewed.