Hoosick Town Board Action – Fond Farewells

by Erin Hogan
The December Town of Hoosick meeting was an emotional one as it was Supervisor Marilyn Douglas, Town Councilmen Kevin O’Malley and Mark Cottrell’s last meeting. Councilman Cottrell said, “Thank you for the 10 years in office, it was fun. It was a pleasure working with everyone and good luck to the new members coming in.”
Councilman O’Malley echoed Cottrell’s thoughts. Councilman Ryan told his departing colleagues that it was a pleasure to work with everyone and that it had been an honor to work under Supervisor Douglas. He said, “We’ve seen a lot together, and I hope we keep going in the same direction.” Councilman Surdam jumped in saying, “Thank you, it’s been interesting. I know we haven’t always agreed, but it’s still been a pleasure. I enjoyed the time with everyone. Marilyn – thank you for all your hard work. It’s been a pleasure, thank you for all you’ve done.” Town Clerk Susan Stradinger said that she was going to miss them all and it’s been wonderful. She relayed that there were many good things about this Board, and she wants everyone to remember that. Last were a few words from Supervisor Douglas. She said that she’d been in this business a long time and that it had been an honor. She’s proud of all the work accomplished and pointed out that every bridge except White Creek had been taken care of and with planning that would be done soon as well. She made clear the importance of planning and how if it is used well anything can get done. She noted that Caretakers Bridge, when completed, would create tourism. She then proceeded to wish luck to the new Board and let the old Board know that it was a pleasure working with them. Supervisor Douglas said, “I hope you leave your phone on all night and answer it like I did. I’m going to leave with my head held high, we did good work.” On that note, the Board gave Supervisor Douglas a standing ovation.
Along with the new Board members, there will also be a new Town Attorney. Town Attorney Tom Kenney put in his letter of resignation and was recognized at this meeting. He said that it had been fun and he had enjoyed serving and it was an honor. One of his reasons for leaving was that it was “hard work” and “took a lot of time.” As well, he said he suffered a lot and did the best work that he could but that it was a “real privilege to serve.” Councilman Ryan thanked him for being helpful and always being available. Also, he thanked the Attorney for his valuable opinions because without it they would “have been in trouble.” Supervisor Douglas let Kenney know how much he was appreciated.
Reports
There was only one bid received for the roller the Town wished to purchase. The bid was from Abele Tractor for $13,486.78. The purchase was recommended by Highway Superintendent Bill Shiland because he was originally quoted $20,000 by this company for the same roller. The Board agreed this was a good purchase, and a motion was passed to buy it.
Councilman O’Malley expressed concern that on the Route 7 bridge, at night, it is hard to see concrete barriers. The Highway Superintendent agreed saying that it’s hard to also see the new lines painted on the road and that the other night he was afraid there was a car in his lane coming at him! It was agreed that some lighting was needed in this area and the clerk of the works on this project will be spoken to to see if anything can be done.
The security system for the playground/pool area received two bids, and the Board took this time to look over them. There were bids from Monument Electric for $8,700 for the equipment needed and labor to install and for the same equipment and labor Bradley’s bid was $9,500. After the Board and Shiland reviewed the bids they decided on Monument Electric saying it was the same quality, just cheaper. This equipment will survey the pool playground area and is, as Supervisor Douglas put it, a “preventive measure.” The Board hopes to discourage vandals or catch them in action with this measure.
The Building Inspector reported that this month had been slow, with only one house permit. He also reported that work at Hoosick Falls Central has now moved on to the press box.
The Court Clerk’s report was also short and sweet, just reminding everyone that in January a credit card machine will be installed so people can pay court bills with credit cards. This machine is paid for by New York State.
The Dog Control Officer reported that things were quiet. One black lab was found on Fox Hollow Road.
Town Historian Phil Leonard reported that membership in the Historical Society is great. There are over a hundred members, and he is very happy. Also, the book about Hoosick Falls, Hoosick Tales, sold 120 copies so far, which is tremendous. This month’s history board took a look at cards of Christmases past. There was a variety of surprisingly bright Christmas cards dating back to World War One. He noted that some of the cards were made with thread trim.
The Supervisor said that James Kenney’s term on the Planning Board was to expire as of December 31. There was a vote, and he will serve again. Also in Planning Board news, the December meeting is cancelled due to having no agenda. As well, the January meeting is rescheduled to the 19th because of Martin Luther King Day.
Auditing
Supervisor Douglas reported that she contacted an auditing company, Bonadio Group, which is one of the top 10 auditing companies in Albany. Along with that there is a local connection of Emily Kindt, who graduated from Hoosick Falls Central and now works in this company. Since Hoosick is going to be audited for three years, Supervisor Douglas strongly suggested this company to help. There will be a three year audit (2008, 2009 and 2010). This company will generate a financial report for the Town. This has to be done so the Town can get stimulus money. The Town has to have all its fixed assets recorded and then depreciated. For example, if the Town buys a new truck, they have to report how much it cost to buy, then depreciate the value of the truck and report it. Supervisor Douglas reported that this process of recording fixed assets and depreciating them would be done before she left office. Also she reported that, as of December 31, an audit needs to be done on “Other than Pension Employee Benefits” or OPEM. The Town will have to report the value of what the Town is making available to Town employees besides pension. Luckily there’s a computer program that can do most of this work, but unfortunately the program costs $2,800. All of this seems like a lot of work, but there is a purpose besides just being part of the auditing process. This process will help the Town plan better by being able to see all their assets and how much they’re worth.
The North Hoosick Fire Dept. requested to be able to continue the Service Award Program for fire fighters. The program is already in progress, it just needed to be refined. There’s no money involved, and the Board passed this motion.
There will be an end of the year meeting on December 29 at 7  pm.