by David Flint
Looking for community support and more community awareness, three young students from the Youth 2 Youth group made a compelling presentation Monday evening before the Stephentown Town Board. [private]Rachel Cahill explained that Youth 2 Youth is the youth sector of the TRACS organization (Together Reducing Alcohol and drugs in our CommunitieS), a community coalition formed in 2009 to reduce the use of alcohol and drugs among Berlin’s teens. Their mission is to “Encourage a drug-free lifestyle for youth, support families and provide community based pro-social alternatives.” What this means essentially is that they are trying – and with some success – to build, on a peer to peer basis, more awareness among kids that life can be fun without drugs and alcohol.
Annie Cass told about the beginning of TRACS in 2002 after a nationwide survey revealed the “extremely upsetting” news that the Berlin School District teens had “the highest alcohol and marijuana use in Rensselaer County,” along with high risk factors and low protective factors in the community.
Juliena D’Alessio listed some of the events and accomplishments of Youth 2 Youth and TRACS. With grant funding they were able in 2011 and 2012 to send 15 youths and two adults to the Eastern States conference in Rhode Island. Although grant money and County funding ended last year, they were still able to send eight young people to the 2013 conference, thanks to sponsorships from local businesses. Kids have also attended the annual Youth Summit in Rensselaer County along with other workshops and events. These gatherings have been fun, D’Alessio said, with inspiring guest speakers but no lecturing. TRACS has also arranged for billboards, a BMX bike event, teen nights, workshops, adult training and has made presentations at Berlin High School’s annual Code of Conduct night. In response to a question from Town Supervisor Larry Eckhardt as to whether their efforts are producing any change in attitudes or behavior, D’Alessio said that things are definitely headed in the right direction. The 2012 survey, for example, showed that Berlin students now had one of the lowest rates in the County for marijuana and alcohol use.
Now TRACS is joining forces with the New Lebanon community. Annie Cass read from a report that, “We have always believed that the strength of our impact relies strongly on the support of community members, organizations, groups and businesses and believe that a partnership and/or the support of a New Lebanon Coalition would bind these ties together.”
Rachel Cahill said that with drug and heroin issues growing, TRACS, together with New Lebanon, hopes to apply for another grant that would fund activities to the tune of $125,000 a year for five years and be renewable for another five years, “But we need community support and participation to do this.” TRACS President Biffy Cahill, who accompanied the students, added that it is necessary to “prove that the community supports us and will continue to support us after the money comes.” More sponsors are needed to send more kids to regional conferences, she said, but beyond that TRACS wants to change misconceptions and raise awareness that there is a whole community of kids out there who are not using drugs or alcohol. The survey says that something like 85% of Berlin youth have never used alcohol. Youth 2 Youth is making a change, she said, and kids can have fun without alcohol.
Eckhardt said the Board would put information about TRACS and a link to their Facebook page on the Town website.
Last Membership Fee For ERCSWMA
Among the Town bills that the Board authorized to be paid was one for membership in the Eastern Rensselaer County Solid Waste Management Authority (ERCSWMA) in the amount of $9,461.90. The membership fee was actually close to $15,000 but was offset by recycling credits of about $5,250. Eckhardt said he believes this is the last year the Town will be paying this bill. The Town hopes to cut expenses by dropping out of ERCSWMA when the current contract expires. Eckhardt noted that among the other municipalities that are members of ERCSWMA, Stephentown is the only one with a transfer station; the others have curbside pickup. ERCSWMA, he said, was started to coordinate the Eastern Rensselaer towns into a co-composting facility but that never happened.
Electricity
Electricity rates are on the way up. The Town’s bill for the past month was $2,228.71, close to double the month before, which was about double the month before that. Eckhardt said that the rate from the energy supplier Ambit has increased considerably, largely due to the cold weather and increased usage.
Eckhardt said he was to meet with NYSEG soon regarding charges for street lights. One of the anomalies to be explained is why one street light, at the intersection of Garfield and Presbyterian Hill Roads, costs three times as much as all the other 28 street lights in town. That one costs the Town $19.46 a month. Each of the others costs $6.42 a month.
Regarding reducing energy costs, Eckhardt and Councilman Bill Jennings met last summer with Monolith Solar to discuss the feasibility of installing solar panels on Town buildings. These would be photovoltaic panels under a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) whereby a company like Monolith would own, install and maintain them and in turn provide electricity to the Town at a rate typically reduced about 25% from the current rate. Eckhardt said, however, that Monolith never got back to them with a proposal. Eckhardt has now contacted another company called Jordan Energy. This company has expressed particular interest about the possibility of installing solar panels at the sealed landfill area adjacent to the Stephentown Transfer Station. Eckhardt said they have promised to get back to him with some numbers.
Speed Limits
Back in May of 2012 the Board applied to the NYS Department of Transportation (DOT) to post speeds on certain Town roads. Unless permission is granted, the legal limit on Town roads is the prevailing 55 mph State limit. Councilman PJ Roder reported that the DOT has finally responded to the request and is permitting a 45 mph limit on Gentile Road and a 40 mph limit on Valley View, Cemetery Hill and Madden Roads. Newton Road can have a 35 mph limit.
The DOT seemed to be more concerned about posting “Stop Ahead” signs on certain roads that intersect with a State highway, such as Valley View Road. They will take care of that themselves. For the lower speed limits on Town roads, the Town Highway Department will order the signs and post them in the proper places.
NIMS Training
Eckhardt reported that Joseph Rechen will be conducting three levels of training for the National Incident Management System (NIMS) on Thursday, February 20, at 7 pm at the Berlin Fire House. Most Town officials have had this training but Eckhardt believed that Councilman John Meekins, who was not present at this meeting, would need to attend.
BAR Appointments
Two applications were received to fill vacancies on the Board of Assessment Review. One was from Joan MacVeigh, recently retired from the post of Clerk to the Assessor. The other was from Councilman PJ Roder. But since there were only three Board Members present at this meeting, John Meekins and Bill Jennings being absent, the Board could not vote on appointing Roder as he would have to abstain. So the matter was tabled until next month. Town Assessor Tom MacVeigh noted that whoever is appointed would have to complete a training course scheduled in April. He noted, too, that it is permissible for an elected Town official to hold an appointed position.
Bert Hager Bridge
The Board passed a resolution to seek bids to replace a bridge on Bert Hager Road that spans a tributary of the Kinderhook Creek. Sealed bids are due in the Town Clerk’s office by March 17 at 6:30 pm at which time they will be opened. Specifications and bid forms will be available at the Clerk’s office beginning February 21.
Eckhardt said FEMA funding is available for this bridge replacement. The existing bridge, the second one on Bert Hager Road, was weakened by flooding and the Town Highway Department proposed to replace it with a box culvert, which would be at least one third less expensive. FEMA, however, has insisted on a “bridge” if the Town expects to get funding for it from them. So the troubled water will have a bridge across it. Eckhardt said the expectation is that the cost to the Town will be no more than between $25,000 and $40,000.
Bert Hager is a dead end road so ingress and egress for residents during construction will be a problem. Councilman Roder said that construction will be scheduled for a time when school is not in session. Roder said, too, that some preliminary work would have to be done on the first bridge on Bert Hager Road, the one that spans the Kinderhook Creek itself. This will be necessary to allow for construction traffic. This work may cost another $20,000 to $30,000. The money has been allocated in the Town’s bridge fund for this year.
Town Won’t Take Hemlock Ridge Road
The Board received a petition last month from residents of Hemlock Ridge Way and Lower Hemlock Way in North Stephentown to have the Town take over ownership and maintenance of those roads. Since then Highway Superintendent Aldie Goodermote inspected those roads and determined that they do not meet the specifications or minimum requirements for a Town road. In a letter to the Town Board he recommended that the petition not be approved. The Board accordingly passed a resolution to accept Goodermote’s recommendation and reject the petition.
Eckhardt said that doesn’t mean the Town would never take over those roads. If the residents hire an engineer and have the roads brought up to specifications he said they could re-petition the Board to accept them.
Deposits & Spending
The Town Clerk turned over the sum of $545 to the Supervisor for the month of January. The distribution from the Office of the State Comptroller, Justice Court Fund to the Town was $730. The Transfer Station deposited a total of $4,442.
The Board audited and approved claims in the amount of $24,601.51 from the General Fund and $26,408.53 from the Highway Account.
The Board set its next workshop meeting for Monday, March 10, and its next regular meeting for Monday, March 17, both to start at 7 pm.[/private]