Hoosick Falls Landlords Steamed Over Water

by Bea Peterson
The Hoosick Falls Village Board meeting opened Tuesday night, June 8, with a Public Hearing on metered water. Mayor Matt Monahan said there are 1,208 services on the Village’s water system. The Village has not received meter installation reports from 172 of those services. The information should have been turned in to the Village by the meter installer. Twenty percent of the services, he said, still either don’t have meters or have faulty meters. Faulty meters are under warranty, the Mayor said and will be replaced at no cost to the homeowner. The Mayor is reluctant to set a metered water rate since not all the services are on board. One person attending the meeting suggested since, roughly 85 percent of the homes are metered, the rate should be based on their usage and metering should begin as planned in August. The question of a fine for those who still, after five years, have not installed a meter was brought up. Fines from $50 to $200 were suggested for non-compliance. Once a meter is installed, the fine would be returned. A fine structure will be established at the July Board meeting.
Several landlords voiced their opinion on the water use guidelines. Businesses have had metered water from many years. The landlords were in agreement that the base rate they are currently assessed far exceeds the amount of water used in their buildings. One owner said there was no incentive to repair water leaks or conserve water since it made no difference in what he had to pay. They wondered if a one bedroom apartment is assessed the same as a house. Mayor Monahan said they were looking into changing commercial rates, separating businesses, rental properties and factories. Right now businesses are mixed in with production. Some changes are expected by the July meeting.
Water Supervisor Jim Hurlburt will be reading meters for the next 90 days. The Mayor hopes to know by then who has a meter and who doesn’t or whose meter is not working. He would like to see 95 percent compliance and then set a water rate.
Another change that will take considerable work concerns those on Village water that are outside the Village, including Green Heights. Green Heights residents have complained to the Board that they are billed by the Town once a year while Village residents are billed three times a year. They would like the same opportunity to spread out their payments. However, that change is not easily initiated. Homes and businesses outside the Village using Village water pay one and a half times the rate of Village residents. Board members explained that Village residents pay for water line upkeep and repairs in their Village taxes, while those outside do not and the extra charge defrays the cost of keeping up their lines and repairs.
One homeowner was concerned about a new water line that will be installed on Abbott St. and how it will be installed under several trees near her property. The Mayor said the final design for the line has not been laid out yet. He said, over the summer, nine lines will be installed on nine different properties. These loops will offer much better water pressure to many homes. The Mayor assured the homeowner they would have the survey in a week to 10 days. “As soon as we know, you’ll know,” he told her.
Irony
The owner of property at 29 River Road appeared before the Board again this month to say his driveway still has not been fixed since the new water main was installed last year. He complained about the problem with the driveway and that there were deep grooves in the banking where the rain had washed away the top soil and seed. In May he told the Board the bank could not be mowed because of the deep ruts. However, the problems didn’t stop the Building Inspector from issuing him a citation for not cutting the grass. He agrees his property is a mess, and he wants it fixed. He was told the bank was recently reseeded.
Other River Road residents thanked the Board for excluding large trucks on the street as very few still use it. They also suggested the sign saying no trucks be placed farther from the road entrance as some trucks don’t see the sign and have difficulty turning around.
Bill Ingwersen asked the Board when he would receive certificates of occupancy for his remaining two apartments on School St. Since all the work required has been completed, the Mayor said he should be able to pick them up on Friday. Trustee Ann Bornt said the apartments were especially nice.
Merritt and Ellie Wilson of Easy St. told the Board they were unhappy with the amount of money they were being compensated by the Village for the problems they had with the water line by their house and all the way across the street from their home. The Mayor told them the Board was polled and they thought what they offered was fair, but he would speak with their contractor again about the matter.
In regular business Deputy Mayor Paul Haynes, Jr. told the Board the fiscal year has ended and some accounts have gone over budget while others were under budget. When the accounting is completed, it appears the Village will have stayed within its budget for the year. The Board did not vote on Greg Zora’s loan application, and the Mayor told Angelo Bernardo, who is opening a Family Dollar Store on Church St., that his application for a loan would have to be reviewed by the Board before a decision could be made since it was not received beforehand.
The Board approved a motion to set a Public Hearing for NYS DOT to acquire the occupied dwelling at 38 High Street for use in a slope repair project along Route 22. The only requirement for the Village, said Mayor Monahan, was to set the Public Hearing.
Since the Village is down two Highway employees for various reasons, more summer help has been hired. Summer employees are Matt Bornt, Zach Bugbee, Josh Downing, Joe Nusca and Marcus Reynolds.
The Board approved the appointment of Ryan Hemendinger as assistant water plant operator and approved a request by Aarons Septic to haul sludge to the wastewater treatment plant. This makes four haulers and there will be no more added.
The Board approved a request by the Coffee Connection to set up a booth for band concert nights and declined a request by Bruce and Lisa Moseley to set up a popcorn booth at the concerts since St. Mary’s Academy already sells popcorn at those events.
The meeting ended with the Board going into executive session to discuss a personnel issue.