by Alex Brooks
A Grafton Town Board meeting scheduled for Saturday morning, April 26, could not be held because Town Clerk Sue Putnam was not present and Deputy Town Clerk Allison Kirchner was not able to attend either. [private] Town Supervisor Frank Higgins said he hadn’t heard from Putnam all week. She has not been able to come in for her regular Town Clerk hours for the past week. She called Supervisor Higgins on Wednesday morning, April 30, to say she was sick in bed and would not be able to come in for her Wednesday hours that day.
The meeting last Saturday was supposed to be about assessing the Highway Department’s equipment needs and making plans to update highway equipment.
The most pressing issue is replacing a truck that was in an accident about a month ago, which the insurance company declared a total loss. Highway Superintendent Herb Hasbrouck had found a truck at Delurey’s to buy as a replacement, and the insurance on the wrecked truck was enough to buy it. He had even brought it back to Grafton’s Highway Dept. yard. But he needs a vote of the Town Board to buy it. When the meeting did not happen, he returned the truck to Delurey’s, and it is not clear if it will still be available if the Town Board were to vote in favor of the purchase at its next meeting, scheduled for Monday, May 12. Meanwhile, the Highway Department is short two trucks – the one that was in the accident and another one that has a blown motor.[/private]