by Alex Brooks
The Petersburgh Town Board held a special meeting on July 7 to consider adoption of Local Laws #1 and #2. The first is a local law to enforce building codes in the Town of Petersburgh, and the second is a law to provide for securing vacant buildings in the Town of Petersburgh.
[private]Those present were asked for comments, and Tim Church asked in what cases the plans for a building project would need to be signed by an architect or engineer. The law as written said they must be signed “where so required by the Education Law.” Church was concerned that simple building projects like decks might require an architect’s stamp, which he considered unnecessary.
Building Inspector Martin Conboy said the Education Law referred to in the local law gives him a good deal of discretion about deciding when an architect or engineer is needed, and he felt that is as it should be. The Board agreed to leave it as written. The new law, said Conboy, aligns the Town of Petersburgh with State Building Code, which is the code he must use in any case. This new law eliminates ambiguity arising from any old building rules that the Town may have used in the past and adopts the New York State Uniform Code as Petersburgh’s code. It also spells out enforcement powers and procedures to be used by the Town’s Code Enforcement Officer.
There was no comment on the Local Law #2 concerning vacant and dilapidated buildings and policies and procedures for dealing with unsafe conditions arising from them. Both laws were passed by a unanimous vote of the Board.
Mowing Bids
A second round of bids was accepted for mowing Town properties. Darel Manchester stuck with his original bid of $2,500, and David Crowley of Plank Road in Berlin submitted a bid of $1,700 for the Town Hall area, $500 for the Town Park, $250 for the Water District and $1,800 to mow the cemeteries.
Members of the Board weren’t sure how many of these areas were included in Manchester’s bid, and Crowley’s bid did not include an insurance certificate that the Board required, so both bids were deemed to some extent incomplete. But since there is some urgency at this point to settle the mowing issue, the Board authorized Town Supervisor Siegfried Krahforst to sort out these issues and make a decision after he had a chance to talk with the two bidders. Krahforst found that Manchester would do the Town Hall area, the Town Park and the Water District for his original bid of $2,500 and agreed to hire him at that price. He also accepted Crowley’s bid of $1,800 to mow the cemeteries.
Town Secretary
The Board received Callie Crisp’s resignation as Town Secretary. The Town had advertised the position and received only one application, from Brigitta Schmidt. The Board appointed Schmidt to the position.[/private]