by Bea Peterson
At the January 14 Village Board meeting Trustee Bob Ryan brought up the issue of street snow removal. He pointed out that there has been a law on the books since 1989 regarding odd/even street parking in emergency snow conditions. However, it hasn’t been enforced in recent years. He said it isn’t fair to residents, particularly in the fourth and second wards, that they have only one lane of traffic open on their streets because of snow packed around parked cars. And, he added, it would be very difficult for emergency vehicles to make it through many of the streets should they be needed. [private]The Board agreed that signs should be posted immediately indicating snow emergency regulations. The Board also agreed that this year offenders would be given warning tickets for the first offense. A second offense could mean towing. Parking space may be made available in designated areas of the municipal parking lot for cars during snow emergencies. Mayor David Borge said he had spoken with Barber and Fricke and they have agreed to tow offending cars to their locked lot and store them there until the owner pays the towing fee to them to reclaim the vehicle, taking the Village right out of the loop. “We need to make the public aware of this problem,” said the Mayor.
The Mayor also reminded residents that clearing snow from sidewalks in front of their properties is the responsibility of business owners and residents.
Settling With Furon
Mayor Borge said a suit brought by Furon/Saint Gobain over taxes to be paid to the Town, Village and School has been ongoing for over five years. Recently the Town and the School have agreed to settle individually. The Company believes it has overpaid the Village by $42,000. Borge has been advised that the Village could possibly win the case, but it could get very tricky and could cost the Village anywhere from $7,000 to $15,000 to pursue. Village Attorney John Patterson believes the Village should settle.
The Board agreed that the Company would receive a tax credit from the Village each year for the next five years until the amount is made up. However, the stipulation is that the Company cannot grieve its tax bill for the next five years. It was noted that any additions to the buildings will be taxed accordingly. Village Assessor Dick Whalen said that previously the Town and Village had assessed the properties differently. Now the assessments are the same in both municipalities.
Thank Yous
The Mayor thanked the many fire companies and emergency personnel that responded to the fire at Farrara’s on January 3. “It was a phenomenal response under difficult circumstances, and it was quite gratifying to see such support,” he said. He noted the abundance of impressive community events throughout the holiday season and how amazing they were to attend.
The Mayor also thanked the Highway crew for the fine job they have done during the recent snowstorms.
Code Blue
The Mayor said there has to be a plan in place for finding shelter for people who find themselves without a place to sleep on zero degree, and below, nights. He said the churches have offered temporary shelter and the Rescue Squad can put someone up for a couple of days. But, the Mayor added, we need to have a plan in case of an emergency. Police Chief Robert Ashe said his Department does have a plan and phone numbers of places to call.
Police Report
In giving his Police report the Chief noted, “This is a good community.” There are several investigations underway at the moment. Considerable discussion followed regarding drugs coming into the area and the Village being used as a way station. Deputy Mayor Ric DiDonato pointed out that landlords should remain diligent when renting apartments.
The issue was also brought up of the point system, when tenants cause a problem or more people live in an apartment than allowed. DiDonato noted that there is a “nuisance” form on the Village website and if people notice something, they should turn in that form as early as possible. The Mayor said it is important that if people see something, they say something.
The Chief noted that lock boxes work. In one incident last week the Department was able to enter a building with the key, while at another location they had to break a door to enter the building.
Woods Brook
The Mayor said he had spoken at the Town Board meeting regarding the Woods Brook problems. He said U.S. Congressman Chris Gibson’s office is working to set up a meeting with DEC and the Army Corps of Engineers sometime this month to look into the problems and find funding for an engineering study to give the Town and Village a plan to resolve the issue. He said NYS Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin is putting together a bill that would make Woods Brook and other brooks inland waterways eligible for funding. He noted that NYS Senator Kathy Marchione supports this bill as well. The Mayor noted that what was high tech work done on the Brook 100 years ago just won’t fly today. The Board approved having Woods Brook made an inland waterway as part of McLaughlin’s bill.
LED Street Lights
The Mayor said the Village has about 450 street lights. He said more than 400 of them are owned by nationalgrid. He has been told by the company that though LED lights save energy, they wouldn’t save the Village any money as they are much more expensive and the Village would have to pay to have the company install them. “Nationalgrid is not our friend,” noted the Mayor. He went on to say that if there is a saving in kilowatt hours, funds might be available through NYSERDA. He said the cost for the bulbs is $150 to $160 and if the Village put them in 30 lamps there might be a savings in electricity of 40 to 60 percent. He suggested the Village do eight lights to see how effective they are and if there is any savings.
New Pump
The Board approved the purchase of a new pump for the Water Plant in an amount not to exceed $12,000 without further approval from the Board. The pump will take at least six weeks to construct.
Water Pressure
Trustee Kevin O’Malley said some of the Snow Street homes have been tested for water pressure and roughly half of them have low pressure. Booster pumps for the area will be looked into.
O’Malley said he has received great designs on signs for the Village from a Manchester company on flat or hand carved signs. The Board is still looking into using a Grandma Moses painting on the sign. From the Grandma Moses franchise it could cost $5,000 to use a picture for ten years. Alternatives will be considered.
Trustee Bob Ryan has looked into the cost of purchasing a backhoe. Though the bid was submitted several months ago, the company said it will still honor its price of $53,000 with trade in. The Mayor said the issue should be reviewed by the Finance Committee.
At Ryan’s request the Board approved the purchase of a new sander in stock from T&T Body King of Albany for $5,000 installed.
Trustee Ben Patten reviewed the Treasurer’s report and said the Village is in good shape for this fiscal year at this point. He noted that $114,000 had been put into the Retirement fund and the Village’s final landfill payment of $56,900 had been made.
The Mayor said he is requesting all Departments have their budget requests in to him no later than March 1.
The Board approved the following motions:
• to appoint Shane Hathaway to fill the vacancy on the Planning Board until 2015;
• to advertise for sealed bids for Diesel, Gasoline and #2 Heating Oil. Bids are due by noon on February 7;
• to appoint Thomas Finn and Brandon Galligan as part time police officers;
• to advertise Grievance Day as Tuesday, February 18, from 5 to 9 pm in the Village meeting room;
• to place a handicap sign in front of 40 Wilder Avenue, and
• to spend $3,000 from the General Fund Balance for the Town of Hoosick Youth Center. The Mayor noted that the funds are given to the Youth Center annually and were inadvertently omitted from the budget this past year.
Election March 18
The Board approved holding the Village Election on Tuesday, March 18. There will be no personal registration day for that election. All Wards, Wards 1 through 4, will vote in the Municipal Building from 12 noon until 9 pm. Appointed election inspectors are Mary Remancus, Judy Van Der Kar, Alice Shiland, Joan Rogers and Sandra Sargood.
In an effort to market the community a Facebook page has been established entitled Facebook.com/HoosickCommunity. Councilman Ben Patten said he had friends throughout the country look at it and they told him this site is way far ahead of many other towns.
Special Meeting January 21
The Board approved holding a special meeting on Tuesday, January 21, at 6 pm to meet with MRB pertaining to the Sewer System Study concerning the northwest section of the Village. This study was funded by a $30,000 grant from New York State.
Other Upcoming Dates
• Christmas tree pickup will continue until February 7. The Mayor asked that residents not place the trees on the sidewalks but nearby where they can easily be picked up.
• Work on Barn Quilts will begin with framing on Saturday, January 18, at 9 am.
• HFCS and HAYC3 are co-sponsoring a spaghetti dinner at the school cafeteria on January 17 to benefit Danny Williams and his family.
• Catholic Schools Week begins January 25. This is the 40th anniversary of the event.
• HAYC3 From Minks to Sinks Indoor Tag Sale will be held in the Armory on February 1 from 9 am to 3 pm. The cost to set up is $10.
• The Albany Devils Hockey Team will have a Hoosick Falls Community Day on Sunday, March 30. Tickets will cost $8. The Village will have a luxury box and those seats will be given as special awards that are yet to be determined.
The meeting had begun with the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence in memory of Sue McNeil, who worked for Village Attorney John Patterson for many years. [/private]