by Alex Brooks
Petersburgh Town Supervisor Siegfried Krahforst began the May Petersburgh Town Board meeting with a comprehensive reply to criticism from resident Tom Berry. He said he has been working towards a transfer station solution since September 2013 and will be ready to present his findings to the public and seek input on what direction the public would like him to take.
[private]He said his first priority when he took office was to fix the problems with the Water District that had been festering for several years. Since then the Water District’s deficit has been erased, and it is running in the black. The problems with pumps and piping are being solved little by little over time.
Krahforst said he had spent a great deal of time talking with highway superintendents from Berlin, Grafton and Stephentown as well as with Ray Harrison in Petersburgh to determine where the Town ought to be buying gravel to get the best material at the best price for Petersburgh’s roads.
Regarding fuel, gasoline and diesel, he admitted that he continued the purchasing policies of his predecessors without checking all avenues to get a better price. He thanked Berry for prodding him to research the alternatives so that he ended up finding a better price. But he added that he wished all this could have been brought to him more in a spirit of cooperation rather confrontation.
Tom Berry then replied that he finds it frustrating when it takes four or five months to get something done “that is so easy to do.” He said he doesn’t understand why some townspeople find what he is doing objectionable.
Supervisor Krahforst replied that things move slowly in government. He said he has to do research to find out what the alternatives are and what the rules are, and then decisions can only be made once a month when the Board gets together. He said he is working very hard at all of this, and he doesn’t have time to do any more. “I’m sick and tired of all these complaints.” He said he works as much as he can, but his wife is sick and he has to take care of her, which limits the time he can devote to the Town. He said he particularly resents the accusation that he is some kind of criminal. Berry replied, “Violating a purchasing policy is a criminal act.”
Krahforst heatedly told him he is wrong about that. “I have spoken to our Town attorney about this at great length. He told me I should completely ignore you, which I am not going to do,” he said.
At this point former Supervisor Dan McCumber jumped up to defend Supervisor Krahforst, saying to Berry, “We don’t want to sit here and listen to you reading all this stuff – you come in and disrupt every meeting, and we are sick and tired of it.”
Berry said he didn’t have any statement to read, and he had already said all that he wanted to say.
Transfer Station
Krahforst said he had decided to make Berlin’s offer for transfer station use public. He said they had offered to lower the monthly rent from $1,000 to $700, but they would then not share the recycling revenue as they have been doing. Since Petersburgh’s half of the recycling revenue has been around $12,000 and is rising, this is an offer which would cost Petersburgh over $8,000 more than they are paying now. Supervisor Krahforst said when he received that proposal, he felt like his intelligence was being insulted.
Councilman Alan Webster said he has been driving around town and talking to a lot of people about this issue, and what he is hearing is that people like the Berlin transfer station and would like to keep using it, but they think Petersburgh should pay a little less for the use of it. He said, “I was optimistic when we approached Berlin about re-negotiating the agreement. I thought we could work something out. But I was disappointed by the response we received. I felt insulted and perplexed by it.” Webster said he can’t understand how such a hostile attitude could serve the Berlin taxpayers. He believes that Berlin will take a big hit financially if it loses the revenue from Petersburgh. He said, “We had a good thing going. Why did Berlin react the way it did?” He encouraged the Berlin Board to reconsider its approach, and asked the Petersburgh Board not to walk away but to make a counter-offer and re-engage in the negotiation.
The rest of the Board agreed that they should make a counter-offer but did not try to formulate one on the spot.
Krahforst said he had looked up Berlin’s transfer station figures in the annual report they file with the State every year and found that over the last five years Berlin’s transfer station revenue has exceeded its costs in every one of those years, by anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000. Krahforst said Petersburgh’s transfer station costs have consistently exceeded its revenues by more than $30,000 per year. He believes the agreement with Berlin should move towards making these results a little more equal.
This reporter spoke with Supervisor Jaeger by phone the next day to ask him if the numbers Krahforst had presented were accurate. Jaeger said he didn’t have the figures in front of him, but he said, “It’s possible,” that they are accurate. Jaeger also said that Berlin is expecting a counter-proposal from Petersburgh and indicated that the offer sent to Petersburgh last month may not be Berlin’s final offer. “Let’s negotiate,” said Jaeger.
Potter Hill Road
Former Supervisor Peter Schaaphok came before the Board in his role as a resident of Potter Hill Road and said the Town ought to do something about the giant hole in Potter Hill Road. Half the roadway has slid down the bank towards the Dill Brook at the brow of the first hill, so it is a one lane road until that gets repaired. Highway Superintendent Ray Harrison was not present at the meeting, so no answer was immediately forthcoming, but Krahforst said he and Harrison are working on a solution to the collapse of that road. Schaaphok commented that he knew this is not a new problem because he has found in the Town Board minutes in 1863 notes about moving Potter Hill Road to the other side of the Dill Brook because it was washing out so frequently.
Secretarial Funds
Supervisor Krahforst said the budget for his secretary and for the Assistant Town Clerk have both been exhausted already, with less than half of the year gone by. He said the Town will be paralyzed if it cannot pay to get the office work done. He proposed transferring a total of $6,000 from the contingency fund, half for his secretary and half for the Assistant Town Clerk. The Board agreed unanimously to transfer the funds.
Oil From County Contract
Krahforst said the new County contract for heating oil, gas and diesel fuel starts on July 1, and he proposes to sign the Town up for all three. The prices are better than what the Town is paying now, and this will save the Town money, said Krahforst. The Board agreed. Bids for gravel and for mowing cemeteries and Town properties will be sought in time to award the contracts at the June meeting.
NYSERDA Audit
Krahforst said he has received an energy audit done by a NYSERDA representative, which proposed changing the lighting fixtures in the Town Garage. The total cost of the work would be $2,828, but NYSEG would pay $1,757 of that, so the cost to the Town would be $1,071. The audit predicted that the change in lighting fixtures would save $634 annually so, if they are correct, the Town would recoup its investment in less than two years. The Board agreed to go ahead with changing the lighting fixtures to newer, more efficient ones.
Gambling In East Greenbush
Krahforst said he had received a visit from a representative of the company that wants to build a casino in East Greenbush, asking the Town Board to pass a resolution of support for the casino. The primary argument was that the County would get many millions in additional tax revenue which would allow them to reduce the property taxes on properties in Petersburgh. Everybody liked that idea, and the resolution was passed unanimously.[/private]