Hoosick Town Board Action

by Erin Hogan
Matters Of The Court
The Court Clerk went to training October 5 through the 7th. There were 11 classes taken that refreshed and trained the Clerk.
It was suggested to use elaw.com. Elaw is a free website that allows “free, easy and unlimited access to Court case information and related public records” according to elaw’s website. The use of WebDVS was also suggested. It is a website that “collects and stores all order of protection and warrant information issued by the State of New York” according to court.state.ny.us. It was suggested that people be allowed to pay for tickets using a credit card. This is a way for people to easily pay their court fees. The program is through Keybank, and the Town would have to pay for paper used, but the State of New York should refund that expense.
Dogs Gone Wild
The Dog Control Officer’s report informed the Town that a beagle found in the Town is up for adoption. It is currently at Safe Haven, and a picture will be posted on the Town website. Also in his report was that dogs have gone wild! There are dogs running loose, and they killed 33 chickens.
Town History
The Town Historian was at the Board meeting and reported that the Mapletown Inn was part of the underground railroad back in the day. There will soon be a sign put up recognizing the Inn as part of the railroad.
There are 200 members in the Hoosick Historical Society and about $5,000 per year is received from these members. A 26 page book is going to soon be circulated with short stories of historical figures in Hoosick. The book can be purchased for $5. The Historical Society publishes these books and uses the money for the Louis Miller Museum. Tonight’s was the 93rd presentation by the Town Historian. There is one per month. Tonight the spotlight was on Hoosick in 1911 and the “booming” quality of the Town at the time. The material displayed at this meeting was from the Old Homes Celebration that took place. In the souvenir booklet there were 84 advertisements including 36 dressmakers alone. Also in Hoosick at the time were five department stores, five shoe makers, three banks and three ice cream parlors. For this Old Homes Expo there was a parade, as well as  sports competitions that neighboring towns participated in.
Events
You Gotta Hear This! Is having a concert on October 24 at the Hoosac School. The cost is $15 and $7 for students and senior citizens. The information will be posted on the town website. Also October 17, the Hoosick Falls Central School PTA will be putting on a Fall Festival.
Kevin O’Malley reported that there will be a Town Halloween Parade at 7 pm on October 30. Mark Surdam reported that there will be a benefit for Kyle Jones’ kidney transplant at the Hoosick Falls Country Club.
There will be an October 28 public hearing about the budget at the Fire Department in West Hoosick at 6:45 pm and one in North Hoosick at 7:30 pm. Also, there will be a public hearing November 5 at 7 pm at the Town Office about the budget.
Caretaker’s Bridge
Frank Dine wanted to know why there was money being spent on the Caretaker’s Bridge when it doesn’t benefit the whole community. Supervisor Marilyn Douglas  explained that it does help the whole community by fixing the bridge and giving locals some work. Dine also expressed concern about its cost to taxpayers. The Supervisor heard him out but said that now was not the time and if he wished to continue the discussion she would have no problem setting up a debate.
Mark Cottrell commented on the Caretaker’s Bridge. He said that there’s going to be a dry hydrant put in which will be a great help to firefighters trying to get water this winter. Also more good news is that once the bridge is done it will once again be able to hold the weight of a fire truck.  This way firefighters will be able to shave minutes off of the time it would take to get to fires on the other side of the river. Cottrell noted that people may be asking if the bridge is worth the money and he thinks it most definitely is because it means getting to a fire faster. That is worth it. He added, “There’s no cash value on life.”
Public Comment
The dog park that’s a work in progress now has property. Now  figuring out how much fencing is going to be needed to enclose the park is next. It was also stated that some Town help might be needed.
April Stevens of West Hoosick gave an update on the case of former Dog Officer Beck and two missing dogs. The case will appear before a grand jury on October 27.
Frank Dine wanted to know why public comment was before all business was discussed. Supervisor Douglas explained this was so anyone who wanted to address the Board could do so without having to sit through the whole meeting.
Two resolutions were passed both pertaining to the cleanup of private properties by the Town. One was at 3335 NY 67 and the other 1292 Buskirk-West Hoosick Road. The first charge was to Ellen Dufty for structure removal. There will be $12,190 added to her 2010 tax bill. The second concerned Donna Pettibone, who will have $14,265 added to her 2010 tax bill.