by Bea Peterson
Robert Flores of CT Male and Jeff Turbilio of MRB Group were the bearers of bad news at the Village of Hoosick Falls Board meeting on Tuesday, June 10.
[private]Flores reported that the concrete water holding tank on Rogers Avenue has “a number of cracks and is leaking.” The tank was last inspected in November and none of the cracks were wet, he said. Since winter the tank has developed numerous cracks that are wet and in some cracks the water is flowing through. Flores said these are emergency conditions, and he advised immediate repairs to this primary water supply. He said he has contacted speciality contractors who are recommending the cracks be fixed from the inside and a liner be put in. The tank will have to be drained and that means a loss of 330,000 gallons of water. He believes the project will take at least 90 days; one week to drain the tank, five to six weeks or more for repairs and another week to refill the tank. This will also put a burden on the booster system that will be required to supply water to users and will be a concern for fire protection.
Mayor David Borge said to simply repair the exterior of the tank will cost $25,000 and buy the Village one year. The interior repairs will cost $70,000 and last 10 years or more and to replace the tank will cost $500,000. The work should be done this summer or fall.
Turbilino said as a result of a sewer line break near the Dooley Street bridge on Mechanic Street in April that caused some sanitary overflow, DEC is insisting that the Village rent a bypass line and hire a company to empty the current sewer line and inspect it with TV cameras to make sure there are no other issues. The distance to be checked could be anywhere from 1,700 to 3,000 feet at a cost of between $50,000 and $85,000. “The kicker,” said Mayor Borge, “is that this doesn’t fix anything. It just lets you know if anything has to be fixed.”
Turbilino said it will take 60 days to complete the work. The Board approved a motion to put out an RFP. The problem said Turbilino is that everybody who does this type of work is busy right now so he doesn’t know when it can be done.
The Mayor explained that neither the water tank nor the sewer line inspection were budgeted. “These expenses were totally unanticipated,” he said. He added that he has talked with NYS Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin and Senator Kathy Marchione to see if any money is available for these projects and they are looking into it. “We have options,” he said, such as borrowing the money and paying it back over five years.
Emergency Plan
The Mayor announced the chain of command in the case of a catastrophic event in the Village. The Mayor would declare a state of emergency. If the Mayor is not available, it would be up to the Deputy Mayor, followed by the Police Chief, following by the Highway Superintendent.
Improved Sidewalks
Mayor Borge said a number of private individuals are interested in the Village’s 50/50 plan for sidewalk improvements. He hopes several of them will be completed this summer.
Woods Brook
The Mayor said he has learned from Assemblyman McLaughlin that Woods Brook does not meet the definition of an inland waterway. However, the Hoosic River does and, by that virtue, its tributaries do meet the criteria. He added that the bill is still on the floor.
Theft
Mayor Borge said there was a theft at the Highway Garage recently and, thanks to the vigilance of a resident, the perpetrator was arrested the same day. “I was able to thank that resident for his assistance,” the Mayor said.
Solar Panels
Monolith has four more panels to go on line at the Wastewater Treatment Plant, said Mayor Borge. Once work on those panels is completed, then the tree will come down at the side of the Municipal Building and solar panels will be installed on the roof.
ERC Warehouse Reopens
Trustee Bob Downing reported that the ERC Warehouse in Melrose on Route 40 has reopened. The hours are Thursday from 11 am to 7 pm, Friday from 9 am to 5 pm and Saturday from 9 am to 4 pm.
Downing said he had toured the Waste Management recycling plant and he was amazed at the amount of “stuff” in the system, such as plastic bags, that should not be in there. He encouraged people to read the list of what should and should not be recycled.
LED Lights
There are 12 LED sample lights in the Village that are being tried out to see if they provide sufficient lighting. Some are in the John Street parking lot across from the Library. Others are on Mechanic Street. The LEDs are 36 watts, and they are replacing 150 watt bulbs.
Greenway
Deputy Mayor Ric DiDonato reported that no motorized vehicle signs have been ordered for the newest portion of the Greenway. He said some new initiatives are coming up that will bring big news.
Police Patrols
Three ATVs have been stopped by the Hoosick Falls Police on the Greenway. When the operators appear in Court, they may have to repair the damage they have caused on the pathway.
Chief Ashe reported the Police Department responded to 107 calls from May 12 to June 5.
The Board approved:
• the hiring of part time trained Police Officers John Larrabee and Dennis Gravelle, with six months probation;
• sponsoring Derek Wilty and Nicholas Colaneri for the Police Academy;
• a two day training session in Ohio for Wastewater Treatment Plant personnel at no cost to the Village;
• hiring Christopher Marshall as part time summer help at the Wastewater Treatment Plant, and
• a motion to allow the Youth Baseball and Softball League to get gas from the DPW for mowing the ball fields, with reimbursement to the Village.
Abandoned Properties
The Board approved a resolution supporting abandoned properties legislation proposed by the NYS Legislature and the Attorney General. This legislation would required mortgage holders, such as banks, to maintain those properties they hold in foreclosure.[/private]