by Kieron Kramer
A signed memorandum of agreement between the Town of Berlin Highway Department and the United Public Service Employees Union (UPSEU) was circulated to the Berlin Town Board and read to the public by Town Supervisor Rob Jaeger at the Berlin Town Board meeting on Thursday, June 12. The memorandum modifies a collective bargaining agreement that was in effect from January 1, 2010, through December 31, 2012, and which will still remain in effect. The collective bargaining agreement was not made public by the Town of Berlin.
[private]The memorandum seems modest enough concerning the increases in compensation up to December 31, 2015. There is no increase for 2013, a .75% increase in 2014 and a .75% increase in 2015. But it is access to the UPSEU dental insurance plan that will add to the Town’s expenditures. The Town will contribute a maximum of $44 per month for family coverage and $25 per month for individual coverage with the employees paying the difference between the cost of their plans and the Town’s contribution. The dental insurance took effect this month and will sunset in December 31, 2015.
It’s not just teeth that are the subject of the memorandum, feet are too. Effective this year the Town will reimburse highway employees up to $150 for safety boots. Up until 2014 the Town was reimbursing $125 for safety boots.
The Board voted in its April meeting to accept the terms of the memorandum. The agreement was just recently returned, signed by all the parties. Supervisor Jaeger signed for the Town. One of the signatories for the UPSEU was Michael Winn.
Roaming Rottweilers
Dog Control Officer Doug Goodermote reported “a mess on Adams Road” in Cherry Plain that he will continue working on. Some Rottweilers have been roaming around and scaring the neighbors so Goodermote had arranged for the dogs to be put inside their owner’s house when no one is there to supervise them. But, according to the owners, the kids let the dogs out when the parents are gone. This is not a satisfactory solution. The dogs are supposed to be in the house, but Goodermote said he got a call from the Stephentown Dog Control Officer who “had one of them.” “They don’t care about nothing, not even their dogs,” Goodermote said.
Goodermote is also investigating an animal neglect complaint in Berlin. He will have to take a law enforcement officer with him who would charge the individual with animal neglect, if it is true. “This is a back yard farmer,” Goodermote said, “it’s not just dogs [that have been neglected].”
The Town’s kennel contract with Goodermote is up for renewal, and the Board indicated that they would like to renew it.
Portable Sawmill
Code Enforcement Officer Allan Yerton reported that he is trying to get an opinion from NYS about the State Building Code regarding the placement of a temporary sawmill near the intersection of Bly Hollow Road and Route 22. Neighbors have been disturbed by the noise. The Town of Berlin has no noise ordinance so State Code may be the only controlling law. The sawmill has been placed on a concrete slab that had been the base of a mobile home and produces much less linear footage than necessary to meet the State definition of a sawmill, according to Yerton, so the State regulations regarding sawmills may not apply. Another issue is that the product is made from lumber and so the operation may be eligible for an agricultural exception, in which case, Yerton said, there is nothing that can be done about it. The neighbors attended the Board meeting Thursday.
Yerton said that two new permits had been issued this month. A hole for a structure on a big parcel has been dug, but no one knows the details about the project, according to Yerton. He said he would keep an eye on it.
Yerton announced that all subdivisions, major and minor, must be applied for through the Planning Board. “A lot of subdivisions are being put through and recorded by the County,” he said and added that he doesn’t know why. This puzzled Planning Board Chair Pam Gerstel who pointed out that the County is not supposed to record any subdivision maps in Berlin unless stamped by the Berlin Planning Board.
Summer Recreation And Swim Programs
Supervisor Jaeger read a report from Youth Commission Director Tammy Osterhout which announced that the Summer Arts and Recreation Program will be held from July 7 to July 25, with the theme of the last week being Christmas in July, ending with an ice cream social and water balloon and shaving cream extravaganza on Friday the 25th. Enrollment forms for the program need to be submitted by July 4. The forms are available around town and on the Town website, http://berlin-ny.us/.
The swim program is still unsettled due to the closing of the Town of Hoosick pool. Osterhout has contacted the Troy YMCA, the Bennington Recreation Center, the New Lebanon High School and the Darrow School in New Lebanon to see if their facilities are available. Instructors would be needed to use the Cherry Plain State Park or the Grafton Lakes State Park swimming areas, and there may not be enough money in the budget unless she can find instructors who will work “within the budget.” According to Osterhout’s report, Stephentown indicated it would be willing to pay $40 per student to piggyback on the Berlin program. This would help defray the cost of instructors.
The Workshop
Jaeger reported on the workshop held on May 22. Several water mysteries were cleared up in his report in which he said a letter had been received from the Berlin Fire Commissioners regarding the fire hydrant in front of the Fire House on Community Avenue. Berlin Water District #2 Supervisor Jim Winn had informed Sandi Slattery, President of the Fire District Commissioners, that the flushing of hydrants should be done only by the Town. Winn is worried about damage to the valves of the hydrants, which are owned by the Town. Jaeger also said that the Fire Company has been drawing water to fill pools and getting a donation for it. “Since the Town is chlorinating the water and pumping it, this is not an acceptable situation,” Jaeger said. And finally, water-wise, the Town has “put a stop” to the overuse of water by the Gallivan Corp. which operates Green Renewables at the former W.J. Cowee facility.
At the workshop the Town’s insurance representative gave an overview of the Town’s policy. The replacement cost of the Town’s buildings was set at $2.8 million. The representative also suggested that the Town post signs at the Municipal Center announcing that security cameras are in use.
Lastly, but not least, Jaeger said that he had received an email from the Petersburgh Town Board regarding the ongoing issue of the transfer station contract between the two towns. “More discussion and review is in order,” he said. He added, “I was chagrined to hear in the paper that the Petersburgh Board felt ill-used; it’s a perception issue as far as I’m concerned.”
Reports
Len Clapp, Supervisor of Water District #1 which serves the seasonal community on Taborton Mountain, said, “Things on the mountain are wet.” Residents started moving in last week, he said. Clapp has received his water supervisor certification, good for the next three years. He added that a major repair will be necessary this fall because the galvanized nipples in the holding tank are rotted.
Jim Winn said that the work on the Elm Street Bridge, which will carry a new 10″ water main across the Little Hoosic River when completed, has begun. “It’s an education,” he said, “we have stuff there that is not on the maps.” The mains leading up to the bridge on both sides have been deadheaded and water will be supplied to the residents on the east side of the Little Hoosic from the main that crosses the river on the Park Avenue bridge. There was an issue at the pump house Winn said, but he did not elaborate, and he reported that the leak at Stewart’s was fixed.
Highway Superintendent Jim Winn said that highway materials, stone and gravel, have been stockpiled but not much has been put down yet because it’s been too wet. Some patching has been done. The Department has been helping the Stephentown Highway Department, Winn said. At the end of the meeting Board Member Dean Maxon asked Winn about the absence of a road sign on Wood Road off of Dingman Road. Winn said, “There was one,” and he said that a sign was also missing from Lodge Road.
July Fourth
The approaching July 4 holiday and Berlin July 4 Parade prompted some questions at the meeting. In the past, barrels of flowers had been placed along Main Street for the parade. Jim Winn said he had the barrels but he didn’t know how many are still good. He will look into it. “I will set them out,” he said, “but someone will have to figure out where to put them.” Sylvia Thompson used to do this, but she has moved away. Pam Gerstel volunteered to buy the flowers and plant them in the barrels. Kathy Jaeger said she would help.
Now Jim Winn, who asked if the Board wanted him to place mulch around the shrubs at the Municipal Center, was in turn asked about when the flag pole would be installed at the Center. “No mulch until the flag pole is up,” Board Member John Winn joked. The weather has not cooperated for this project. “I have a plan,” Winn said, at which point the usual discussion about how to set the flag pole ensued. “It would be nice if it was up for the Fourth of July,” Jaeger said, and added, “thanks for putting up the flags for Memorial Day.” “Mulch, barrels and a flag pole,” Jim Winn sighed.
The Rogers Block Dish
A tenant in the large rental property called the Rogers Block, which is behind the Civil War Monument at the intersection of Plank Road and North Main Street, has put up a satellite TV dish within two feet of the monument. Questions abounded. Who owns the Monument? Len Clapp said it is Town property. We’ve been fixing it, Town Clerk Anne Maxon said. Jaeger said that the sides of the lot might be on the County road. Jaeger will do the research to answer the questions. Presumably, the Board will ask the dish owner to move it, if it is on Town property, since it is so close to the Monument, but that was not stated.
Odds And Ends
The Board went into an executive session for 12 minutes to discuss, guess what, a personnel issue.
Chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals Nicholas Adams said that they had lost a ZBA member and the ZBA needs a replacement. Jaeger asked for volunteers from the audience. “It just got very quiet,” he said.
Chair of the Planning Board Pam Gerstel said it had “been very quiet” and that four members went for training at HVCC.
The need for a new sign for the Historical Center on Main Street, the former Town Hall, was discussed, and Jaeger suggested that the same company that did the sign at the Municipal Center, Stripes from Watervliet, be asked to do the sign at the Historical Center. He thought it would cost less than $250. The Board voted unanimously to proceed on getting the sign. The Historical Center has been cleaned out of Town documents and a table there has been painted. “Sharon [the Town Historian] is ready to rock and roll,” Jaeger said.
A report submitted by Ivan Wager said that everything is quiet at the transfer station.
The Head of the Town Assessors, Patty Baretsky, said that a few grievances had been taken care of and that the final assessment roll would be available the week after this meeting.
A request by an AFLAC sales person to approach Town employees about their personal insurance was discussed at length. Since anyone on the Town payroll could participate and since the Town would collect the money, ie. Anne Maxon would, and send it on, Jaeger wanted the Board’s opinion. Supposedly, the sales pitch would not be done during the employees’ working hours. Most Board members saw no harm in it, but Board Member Steve Riccardi wondered if it would set a precedent for other vendors to approach Town employees. Since the AFLAC request was really a courtesy, and the Board approved, Jaeger said he would send a letter agreeing to the AFLAC sales person approaching Town employees.
The bills were voted to be paid with the exception of voucher 146 which was a request by a Highway Department employee for reimbursement for a DOT physical.
Drum Beat
Billy Hammersmith said he had seen “a huge drum” at Eagle Bridge Furniture, which is now an antique store, that said on it “Town of Berlin 1922.” The drum is handmade and hand painted and also says, “Berlin Band, Berlin, NY.” People thought that the band played during the baseball games back then. Jaeger said that it was worth looking at. They want a lot of money, $950, Hammersmith said. It would make a nice artifact for the Historical Center if the funding can be figured out.
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