by Bea Peterson
At the Village Board meeting Tuesday evening incoming Mayor Matt Monahan presented Mayor Laura Reynolds with several cards and gifts on behalf of the Board and a certificate of appreciation from Rensselaer County Executive Kathy Jimino.
Monahan expressed the Board’s appreciation to the Hoosick Falls Health Center for allowing Reynolds the time to look after Village interests and to the Mayor for her eight years of dedicated service to Hoosick Falls. “It’s been quite a ride!” said Reynolds. “I couldn’t have done the job without the support of the Village staff and the Board. They are all a great bunch of people who put in a lot of hours. The Village of Hoosick Falls is so lucky. Many Boards do nothing. This Board does plenty.”
Reynolds concluded, “I’d like to thank all my supporters, my friends, my family. They’ve been great. Now it’s time for a new person to take over.”
Two Sides
During the people to be heard portion of the meeting Chic Thurber asked the Board if the Village had local police coverage 24 hours a day. Mayor Reynolds responded that the Village has police protection 24/7 either from the Hoosick Falls Police, the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Department or the NYS Police. He then asked why a non-Village worker was seen in a Village truck and why Village employees were picking their children up from school in Village vehicles. “There are always two sides to every issue,” responded Reynolds. “There has to be some give and take. We can’t micro-manage. Some of these employees are on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They don’t get paid anywhere near what they should be paid. It would probably be more costly for them to go home with the Village vehicle, get their own car, bring the children home and then continue to work with the Village car.” Trustee DiDonato agreed. Regarding the other issue, the Mayor said, “We have volunteers who do considerable work for this Village, saving our taxpayers countless dollars. There has to be some give and take with them.” The Mayor told him he was nit-picking, and she scolded him for never coming to the meetings to suggest anything positive, but always appearing with something negative. “This Board works hard,” she told him.
Wilder Street
Residents of Wilder St. came to the meeting again regarding the new Nuisance Law. One resident expressed his appreciation to the Board, the Clerk’s office and the Police Department for their response to his requests. He gave the Board a list of previous owners of the building and wondered aloud if the Building Inspector had inspected any of the apartments as he has seen three or four moving trucks at the building in the past year. He said there was lot of foot traffic at the building, and he had recently witnessed the police escorting two young gentlemen from the building in handcuffs. He and his neighbors told the Board that Wilder Ave. is a great place to live, and they don’t want to see it deteriorate.
Building To Be Demolished
Two bids were received for the demolition of 25 Elm Street. The bid from Dan’s Hauling & Demolition was $69,450 and the bid from Champagne LLC was $59,000. The bid from Champagne was accepted. Mayor Reynolds noted the cost was so high because the building contains asbestos. The demolition materials must be taken to an asbestos disposal site. The closest one is in Buffalo. Transportation costs is one of the reasons the bids were so high. “We will probably never get our money back,” said Reynolds. She added, “This building has to come down.” The Board approved the lower bid contingent on receiving references regarding the company. A second motion was approved taking the money from the fund balance if need be.
Restore NY
Mayor Reynolds said she had finally received clarification of the Restore NY grant process. She said a request for funds must be received from a buyer with full information on the intended project. The State will review it then arrange a public hearing in the Village. If the community is happy with the project, then it can proceed. Proof of costs must be submitted to the State and then those costs will be reimbursed. It sounds like a long process. Mayor Reynolds said she thought they were making progress but it seems “we’ve taken a few steps back.”
More Money For Clough Harbour
Work on the Water Treatment Plant is nearly complete. “We’re to the ordering of furniture phase,” the Mayor said. The Board approved an additional $69,000 for Clough Harbour to oversee the work on the Clay Hill water main and the replacement of a water tower. That work will be underway until August. The money will come from the project contingency fund. Very little of that fund has been used to date. Clough Harbour has been in touch with the Mayor and is working to see if the water tower and the Clay Hill work is eligible for federal stimulus funds.
Smoke Testing
The Board was informed that some time in the near future smoke testing will be conducted in catch basins to make sure there are no breaks in the sewer lines. Properties to be affected will be notified two days prior to the testing.
Trustee Robert Downing reported that recycling was up to 16.1 percent and waste pickup was down this year. “The national average for recycling is 32 percent, so we’re half way there,” he said. He will be working with the ERC Solid Waste Management Authority on a new contract for hauling Village waste and recycling. Downing said the new water treatment plant is looking nice.
DiDonato attended a meeting with the NYS Office of Parks and Historic Preservation regarding the grant the Hoosic River Watershed Association (HooRWA) received for the Village greenway. The grant has been rewritten and extended to 2012, and funds have been shifted to cover planned projects.
Trustee Michael Hickey said he has been meeting with the Woods Brook Coalition and they seem to be making some progress. “They’re a good group of people,” he said. He thanked Rensselaer County Legislator Stan Brownell for attending the last meeting. DiDonato added that HooRWA is very interested in what is happening with Woods Brook. “There’s a lot of brain power there [to call on].”
In other business the Board:
• Approved a utility tax exemption for 8 Danforth St. for this year as the residence is unoccupied.
• Approved the use of Wood Park and the necessary roadways by the Hoosick Lions Club for its annual 5K race on Saturday, May 16, from 6 am until 1 pm.
• Congratulated Coach Bob Lang and the Hoosick Falls Central School Bowling Team for winning the Sectional title.
• Congratulated Dan Merrills on passing the test and receiving his Waste Water Treatment Plant operator certification.
• Accepted the resignation of part time police officer Craig Fifield.
• Approved removal of a dying tree in Wood Park.