Petersburgh Town Board Action – Town Needs New Gas Tank

by Alex Brooks
Petersburgh Town Highway Superintendent Ray Harrison said representatives from the State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) have been visiting town highway garages all around the area and inspecting them for compliance with environmental regulations. Their inspection of Petersburgh’s facilities and operations found no violations, but Harrison said, “They want us to remove the in-ground gas tank and put in an above-ground tank.”
Harrison says the Town’s current tank is not leaking, but it is 22 years old. He said the Town could opt to continue using the old tank but would have to put in a leak monitoring system at a cost of $7,000 or more, so replacing the tank seemed like a better option.
The Town Board agreed to seek bids for installation of a new tank and removal of the old. Supervisor Peter Schaaphok asked Harrison  to see if he could get specifications from his DEC contact to use in the request for bids. The Board put the job out to bid because they expect it will be more than $10,000.
No Shared Youth Services
Councilman Bill Seel reported on talks with people in Berlin about combining the summer youth programs of the two towns. He said after looking at the proposal in detail, they found that combining the programs wouldn’t save money for either Town, as the staffing needs would be about the same. They thought for a while about the advantages of using the Berlin Elementary School as a venue, but found that for some of the families this creates a transportation problem. He said the conclusion is probably going to be that the best thing is to leave the program in Petersburgh, as it has been in previous years.
Water District Meeting
Schaaphok reported that the pump on Well #2, the one right next to the reservoir, burned out during a power outage last week. This is the second time in a year that that pump has done this. Schaaphok said he would like to have a meeting of the residents of the Water District to discuss issues facing the Water District, and the Board scheduled one for Monday, May 10, at 7 pm.
Town Clerk Callie Crisp announced that she received a letter of resignation from Petersburgh Dog Officer  Steven Harrison. The Town is looking for a new Dog Officer.
Reval Suggested
Town Assessor Craig Surprise said real estate prices have stabilized recently, and he feels it is time for the Town to do a Revaluation. He said it will be for 2012, but he will begin looking at properties this summer so as to get them all done in time. He said he doesn’t think the Town will have to hire data collectors this time, and he will be helped greatly by software from satellite photography that helps him to collect basic data on the size of structures. He did say the Assessors’ budget will need to be temporarily beefed up next year because of the Reval, but the Town will get $5 per parcel from the State, which will help with the cost. He also said , “If we maintain it, we get $2 per parcel every year.”
PVMCC President Susan Nelsen gave a very enthusiastic report about all of the great activities going on at the Veterans Memorial Hall and the people from the community that are getting involved in organizing and leading activities. She was very pleased with the way Kasson Sauer has been handling the Teen Nights. She said the PVMCC is still looking for new members for their Board.
Claudia Kavenagh and Tim Allen spoke to the Board on behalf of the Little Hoosic Watershed Association. They are getting ready to do another volunteer day and are seeking input from local residents about where there are problem spots along the river that need attention. They already have a map with some spots marked on it. Bill Seel suggested they put it on the Town’s new web site so everyone can have a look and send in suggestions by email. Peter Schaaphok said he would see if he can arrange that.