by Bea Peterson
The Hoosick Falls Village Board meeting on Tuesday, October 8, began with the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence for a quick recovery for Norma Brenenstuhl who fell and broke her hip in the Village earlier that day.
[private]Tree
The Board agreed to remove the giant tree in front of the Municipal Building. The request for the removal came from Monolith, which was told by NYSERDA that the tree had to be removed for the solar panels on the building’s roof to be most effective. The Board agreed that something would be put in the tree’s place and, perhaps, even a sign put up announcing the building as the Village Courthouse, Police Station and Clerk’s Office.
The Mayor noted that electricity costs for the Village are about $250,000 a year and that any kind of dent that can be made in that cost, especially through solar power, is a good idea.
Hoosac School Adopts Greenway
Mayor David Borge and Deputy Mayor Ric DiDonato were pleased to announce that Hoosac School Headmaster Dean Foster and the students at Hoosac School have adopted the southern portion of the Greenway. They have already started on cleanup and will be working on building a kiosk on the trail. “The more people involved, the better,” said the Mayor. He reminded the public that no four wheel vehicles are allowed on the Greenway. “The only vehicles with wheels should be carriages and bicycles,” he said.
Ninth Grade Volunteers
Amy Ferullo, HFCS ninth grade coordinator, contacted the Mayor about the class doing five hours of community service in the Village on Friday, November 1. The Mayor said the group will be working with HAYC3 on various projects. He added that it was nice of the school to offer to do this.
Lock Boxes
Hoosick Falls Fire Chief Carlton Coon addressed the Board about installing lock boxes on Village buildings. Lock boxes allow the Fire Department to access buildings in case of a fire alarm or fire when no one is available to open a door. Being able to get into the building without breaking a door or window is advantageous to both the building owner and the Department. The Board approved putting a lock box on the Municipal Building at a cost of $265.
Water In Cellar
Rita Blais of 26 Abbott Street complained to the Board that in 2011 she was requested by the Village to spend $3,000 to have old water pipes diverted from the back of her home to the front. She hired a contractor for the job and spent the night moving items in the cellar out of his way. Without her knowledge or permission the contractor cut down a tree, ruined her perennial flower beds and her slate sidewalk so the slate now dips and rainwater runs down toward her foundation. As a result of the water, items in her cellar have been ruined by mold, her foundation is damaged and not repaired. In addition, her freezer was left unplugged while the work was done and all the food was ruined. “And now you want me to pay back the $3,000 you loaned me,” she said. She said she has tried to reach the contractor several times and he has not returned her calls. “I am totally disenchanted with the job I had to have done,” she said. The Mayor said he was very familiar with her situation. He said he will follow up on it and they will talk about it again when he has more information.
Costs Of Development
Debbie Tudor and her brother own a piece of property on Griffin Avenue that was purchased by her father at a tax sale 40 years ago. They have an opportunity to sell the property to someone who wants to put five to seven homes on the property. She said they were shocked to learn that the full extent of the costs of water and sewer lines and the extension of the road would fall on the buyer. She noted they have owned the property for all these years and paid taxes on it, never asking the Village for any services. She noted that her father gave property to the Village to build the water tower nearby. She said she would like to see the Village grow and prosper by adding these homes. They had engineer Bill Cottrell look over the property, and he suggested that the houses have septic systems as running sewer lines would be difficult in that area. She wondered what local and County laws have to say about septic systems. She said she would hope that the Village would extend the road and the water lines. The Mayor said he is more than willing to look into it and see what the costs and regulations are. He assured her at some point the Board clearly will make a decision.
Committee Reports
Trustee Bob Downing reported that he has information on the environmental qualities of latex paint that will be placed on the Village website.
Recycled Clothing
Downing reported there is now a shed at the Village Landfill for recycled clothing – only clothing – which will be sold by the pound. The Landfill is open on Tuesdays from 8 am to noon until December 1 and on Saturdays, from 8 am to 2 pm year round. Old electronics are also accepted at the Landfill at no charge.
Trustee Jeremy Driscoll is doing the Court audit for the Village.
Revitalization Report
The Revitalization Committee suggested ways to market Hoosick Falls and ways to improve the visual appearance of the Village. They noted that the owner of the burned out pizza shop on Church Street is working to clean up the property.
In other business the Board:
• approved a request from Relay for Life Team “Healers from Here,” to hold a Run/Walk on April 19, 2014. The Mayor suggested they talk with the Police Department as the Department was most happy with the route of the most recent run, which did not include Route 22;
• approved a motion to advertise for sealed bids for replacing the roof on the Municipal Building and approved a motion to advertise again for sealed bids for miscellaneous renovations for the Municipal Building. The bids are due by 12 noon on October 21;
• awarded the bid for work on the Highway Department roof to Fox Hollow Construction in the amount of $1,200;
• awarded the bid for work on the northern end of the Greenway to Hoosic Sand and Gravel in the amount of $32,925 with funds from the Greenway grant;
• approved payment #2 to Jersen Construction for work on River Road in the amount of $67,320.80;
• approved a motion for additional hours for data entry for the office staff, invoicing the water, sewer and solid waste bills up to $1,500 a year;
• approved a motion for Village Treasurer Denise McMahon to attend QuickBooks® training and for Village Clerk Ann Bornt and Deputy Clerk Judy Van Der Kar to attend training on Excel® on November 1 at a cost of $229 each;
• selected Niel Stowell, Ed Holland, Jim Hurlburt and Ben Patten to serve on the Emergency Plan Committee for the Water Department and Stowell, Holland, Dan Merrills, Jr. and Kevin O’Malley to serve on the Waste Water Emergency Plan Committee.
Leaf Pickup
Highway Superintendent Niel Stowell said Village leaf pickup will take place from October 21 to November 15.
The Town Halloween parade will begin from Wood Park at 6 pm on Wednesday, October 30.[/private]