by Alex Brooks
The major bone of contention at this month’s Petersburgh Town Board meeting was the question of whether the Seniors and the Summer Youth programs should pay rent for the use of the Veterans Memorial Hall. The Town has budgeted money for many years for the youth and senior programs and one of the expenses in these budgets was a sum paid by the Town to the Civic Council and more recently to its successor organization, the Petersburgh Veterans Memorial Community Center, for the use of the Hall. The Town has paid $400 for the seniors and $1,000 for the youth program.
In recent budget meetings, Bill Seel has expressed the opinion that payment of these sums amounts to the Town paying rent on a building it already owns and should therefore be discontinued. Petersburgh Supervisor Mason Hubbard brought the matter up for discussion by the Town Board, saying that he would like to resolve the matter at this meeting if possible.
Hubbard feels that cutting this from the budget would put the use of the building by the seniors and the youth in jeopardy. Seel replied that the Town, as the owner of the building, can allow those groups to use it without charge. The problem there, Hubbard said, is that the organization which manages the building has to pay for heat, electricity, maintenance and cleaning, and they would suddenly be missing revenue that they have counted on year after year to pay their bills.
Seel said he thought that when the Town agreed to pay for extensive renovations to the building, the idea was that the Town would own the building and take care of repairs, and the PVMCC would do the rest.
It seems that some of the details of the partnership between the Town and the PVMCC on the development of the building and the programs that use it remain in contention.
Sue Nelsen, President of the PVMCC, said if this means the Town is cutting $1,400 of the revenue that has normally been received by her group, she doesn’t know where they are going to find other money to replace it.
Town Attorney Kevin Engel said that since the Town owns the building, it is ultimately responsible for the expenses of the building, even if they are being paid by the PVMCC. He recommended that the Board not get hung up on the idea of “rent” but think more broadly about how the Town would like to support the building, the PVMCC and the Town groups that use it. He asked that the Board not try to settle the question in one sitting but step back and develop a conceptual framework for how things should work between the Town, the PVMCC and the groups that use the hall.
Supervisor Hubbard still wanted to resolve the question at this meeting, and made a motion to continue paying the $1,400 to the PVMCC on behalf of the Youth and Senior programs, but no one would second it, so it was withdrawn.
The matter will be taken up again at a Town budget meeting this week on Thursday, October 23, at 6:30.
Highway
Highway Superintendent Ray Harrison said he used this year’s CHIPS money to repave sections of Stillman Village Road and Potter Hill Road and to pave an area at the intersection of East Hollow Road and Phillips Road.
He also asked for the Town Board’s approval to buy a new truck to plow the smaller roads in Town. It’s a Ford F-450 with a plow and sander and a V-10 engine. The whole rig will cost about $50,000 buying it on State contract. The Board approved the purchase.
The Board also gave its approval for Harrison to hire a fourth highway worker. The Town has usually had four, but there were only three when the organizational meeting was held this year, so the Board only authorized three at that time.
Ambulance Agreement
Town Attorney Kevin Engel said he had done some research on Town service agreements with ambulance operators and found a series of comptroller opinions on them. He said the Ambulance Squad would have to put its fee schedule into the enabling resolution, and he suggested he get together with representatives of the ambulance squad to discuss the matter.
PVMCC Report
Sue Nelsen reported that the PVMCC has found a treasurer – Mrs. Susan Dawes has volunteered, and Nelsen says she has some professional experience in this area.
Nelsen said the renovations to the Veterans Memorial Hall are just about complete. The public is invited to a Pot Luck Supper at the Hall on Saturday, November 8. There will be ceremonies rededicating the refurbished Hall and a dedication of the newly refurbished aircraft observation post, before supper, and the Hill Hollow Band will play after supper.
Nelsen said the Board is preparing a new brochure to advertise the Hall for rental. She also mentioned two new programs using the hall – the Eastwick Choir practices on Tuesday evenings and is accepting new members and a morning cafe program for Veterans has been held 7-10 am at the Hall offering walking, talking and coffee.
The annual agreement with the County to have the Town plow some of the county roads in Town was up for Board approval. The County supplies sand and salt and pays the Town to plow about 5 miles of roads, including East Hollow, Hill Hollow, Dayfoot Road and Dill Brook Road. Bill Seel suggested that a stipulation be added to the agreement, saying that the County must sweep the roads by April 1. Town Attorney Kevin Engel said the County would have to agree to that for it to have any force. Highway Superintendent Ray Harrison said the County had promised him that they would sweep those roads next spring. The Board approved the agreement, on the usual terms.
The Board authorized Ed Jones to spend another 40-50 hours clearing brush in some of the old cemeteries which have become overgrown, at a rate of $10 per hour. The Board also hired Jones to shovel the sidewalks around the Town buildings, as he did last winter.