by Kieron Kramer
District #2 Water District Supervisor Jim Winn received a letter from Sandi Slattery, Chair of the Berlin Board of Fire Commissioners, that prompted Winn to say that he was misrepresented in the report of the June Town Board meeting that appeared in this newspaper. Slattery’s letter says, “It has come to the attention of the Berlin Volunteer Fire Department through articles published in the Eastwick Press that Water District #2 will assume responsibility for testing fire hydrants.
[private]”Chief Osterhout and his staff have asked that the following procedure be adopted and adhered to. 1) Notify Fire Department on dates of hydrant testing – in writing, so the dept. can have alternative fire fighting measures on stand by, should the need arise. One week notification prior to testing is required. 2) A written report be submitted [to] the Fire Dept. within 7 days of testing indicating which Fire Hydrants are capable of meeting Fire Dept. firefighting requirements. These requirements are available from Chief Osterhout. 3) We request also same day notification via telephone when a hydrant is out of service and a reasonable time frame when repairs will be made. Written notification of ‘out of service’ hydrants should be made within 3 days of the initial phone calls and this notification should include also the time frame for repair.
“The department also requires a signed letter of responsibility for items 1-4 mentioned above that all information is correct, all testing has be[en] completed and repairs have been made.
“We thank you for attention to this request.”
It is easy to see why this letter lit a fire under Winn and why he would like to extinguish any heat caused by friction between the Berlin Fire Department and the Water District. At Thursday’s meeting Winn said that he was asked to flush the hydrants in Water District #2 but that he never agreed to it. He said that he had been misquoted by this reporter in the June board meeting and that he had checked Town Clerk Anne Maxon’s minutes of the meeting which confirmed that he hadn’t agreed to do the hydrant flushing. At this point Billy Hammersmith suggested that a retraction was in order.
The only paragraph in the report of the June meeting that bears on this topic reads as follows:
“[Town Supervisor Rob] 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.”
So Winn is right – he didn’t agree to flushing the hydrants in the June meeting, although he has recommended it in earlier Board meetings. In fact, he said nothing at all about hydrants in that meeting. The paragraph above was attributed to Supervisor Jaeger who was reporting on the workshop. The recording of the June meeting indicates that Winn did, according to Jaeger in his report on the May workshop, talk to Slattery about flushing the hydrant near the fire house, not about the flushing of all hydrants as stated in the Eastwick report, but Jaeger also said that there was a decision in the workshop that flushing the hydrants should be done only by the Water District. The Board also discussed in the May workshop irregularities in water usage by the Fire Department.
Probably everyone would agree that the Town residents can’t afford an estrangement between the Fire Department and the Town water district.
Workshops Open To The Public
Speaking of the workshop, which is held on the fourth Thursday of each month in the Town Hall at 7 pm, Board Member Dean Maxon wanted to emphasize that the workshops are open to the public. Board Member Tara Fisher said, “We are allowed to vote at the workshop, but if so it is reported at the next regular meeting, and big decisions are delayed for the regular meeting.”
Sand Bank Road Bridge
The County will replace the Sand Bank Road Bridge over the Little Hoosic River, with work scheduled to begin in October and to finish in December of 2015. In order to do the work the County or its contractors must enter onto the property abutting the road and bridge and will also, according to Jaeger, need to establish a temporary bypass road over Berlin property while the project is underway. A release for the County to perform the work on public land was presented at Thursday’s meeting, and the Board voted unanimously to grant permission for the work. This had been discussed at an earlier Board meeting, but permission was not formalized until now.
The release that was voted on says, “This permission is granted with the understanding that such work shall be limited to:
• Clearing and grubbing as required to perform the work described below.
• Installation of a temporary detour structure and approaches to maintain traffic during construction.
• Construction and installation of new wing walls and footings of the proposed bridge.
• Installation of stone stream bank protection.
• Site grading, restoration and turf re-establishment.”
According to the release, the County will contact the Town before entering the property if these dates change. Berlin may revoke permission at anytime by contacting the Rensselaer County Engineer, Wayne Bonesteel, at 518-283-0973. Upon completion of the project, Berlin is responsible for maintaining any improvements made to the Town’s land, and the County shall not be liable for the maintenance of such improvements nor be liable for damages after the completion of the work. Also, Berlin waives any right to compensation for tree removals in consideration of the improvements on the Town’s property.
Nightmare On Elm Street
The faded blue, two story house across Elm Street from Karen and Charlie’s Gun Shop on the west side of Route 22 is an unsafe structure according to Code Enforcement Officer Alan Yerton. He said that the County had taken possession of the building in lieu of taxes and that he had asked the County Engineer to board up the building or tear it down. The building is the Rathbuns’ old place, and the most recent resident has left “lots of stuff” in the building, Yerton said. He has asked the County Engineer to “come take a look” at the building. After the meeting, Yerton said that there was no more information or inquiries about the possible demolishment of the former Bank of America building on Elm Street on the east side of Route 22, which he mentioned at the July meeting.
Stockpiling Stone
At the very end of the meeting, while the Board was waiting for Town Attorney Don Tate to show up so they could go into executive session, Berlin Highway Superintendent Jim Winn said that the NYSDOT was going to begin paving Route 22 from the Columbia County line north, 9.4 miles, to Cherry Plain on Monday, August 18, and that the DOT is looking for a place to stockpile #2 stone. The stone is milled in the front of the paving machine and incorporated into the blacktop that is laid down, Winn explained. There is already a stockpile in Stephentown, Winn said, and Berlin can expect ten thousand tons. “This will give people a glimmer of hope for 22,” said Winn, to which Jaeger replied, “At the southern end.” At an earlier meeting Jaeger had said that the repaving will go to the Cherry Plain southern boundary, not past BCS or up to Bly Hollow Road.
In his Highway report Winn said that the Department has been busy cutting brush, patching and doing “quite a lot of ditching.” School Bus Lane, Johnson Lane and Brookside Park Road have been milled and paved, he said. And he brought to the Board’s attention that the price of road salt will increase $14 per ton on September 1. Winn contracted for 200 tons of salt in April. Last year the Town used a little over 200 tons, he said in response to a question from Dean Maxon. Winn was happy to announce that by contracting in April the Town saved $2,800.
Winn said that John McBride from NYSEG has not returned his call yet regarding which kind of electric meter will be used in the building that the Town rents to the County for garage space.
Don’t Miss The Clinic
Dog Control Officer Doug Goodermote asked the Board and received authorization from it to hold a rabies clinic this fall. He wants the public to know that if someone wants a dog or cat vaccinated at the modest price the veterinarian usually charges that person must attend the clinic. In the past, people who have missed the clinic sometimes arranged with Goodermote to have shots for their pet at a later time. This was done purely as a courtesy by Goodermote and because the veterinarian came through town frequently. This is no longer the case. People should shoot it or lose it.
Goodermote reported that there was “nothing too serious” in the dog world this month. He also asked Yerton if there was code controlling the number of animals that can exist in a confined space. Yerton said there wasn’t. Apparently, Goodermote had been getting calls on the issue.
Exploding Paint
Youth Commission Head Tammy Osterhout said that 25 to 30 kids attended the three week Art and Recreation program and that the four counselors “worked out really well and worked well together.” However, not so good are the paints that were donated that she reported last month. Some of the paints were quite old and had solidified. Others exploded when opened. So Osterhout will have to order paints for next year’s program after all.
Worried that the Hoosick pool will not be ready for next summer, Osterhout said she will check with Grafton Lakes State Park about having swimming lessons there next summer. Also, Halloween is coming up, she said, and there will be something in place. Osterhout might have to have surgery and, if so, will be looking for volunteers to supervise the Halloween party in October.
Finally, Osterhout said that there had been some towels and clothes left at the Town Hall on the last day of the Arts and Recreation program. If you are missing these items, call Tammy at 658-2924 to arrange for pick up.
Ghostly Voters
Jaeger announced that the voting for the upcoming primary, and the voting in general elections, will now be held in the Town Hall. Everyone should have been notified by the Board of Elections, he said. Then he commented that he has seen six people on the voting roll who “have passed.” Osterhout said, “There are more than that.”
Odds And Ends
Water Supervisor Len Clapp reported that everything is running smoothly in Water District #1. “That’s what we like to hear; quiet on the mountain,” said Jaeger.
Nicholas Adams reported that it has been “very quiet” at the ZBA, which is “still looking for a new member.”
Planning Board Chair Pam Gerstel said that a public hearing will be scheduled for a “boundary line adjustment” once the survey is completed.
Jaeger reported for Ivan Wager that “the transfer station is moving smoothly.”
The assessors have new hours. They are 6 to 8 pm on the first Monday of the month, 9 to 11 am on the second Monday and 6 to 8 pm on the fourth Monday.
Jaeger announced that the Association of Towns, a valuable resource for Town officials, had raised its dues from $600 to $699 per year.
Jaeger announced that the Historical Center on Main Street is not yet open because the Town Historian is still “collecting things.”
The bills were read, and the Board voted to pay them.
Serious Generosity
At this point, 8:04, the meeting indulged in a collective twiddling of thumbs, waiting for Attorney Tate to arrive.
The Berlin July Fourth Parade Committee had written the Board thanking it for the $1,600 financial support for next year. Jaeger said after the meeting that this is “seed money” to allow the Committee to pay for the primary band in the parade. “A parade must have a band,” he said.
Town Clerk Anne Maxon, who is also on the Parade Committee, wanted special recognition given to Ed Pelz for his donation to the Parade. “There are lots of donations from people in town and even out of town,” she said. “Ed Pelz sent $1,000 this year!”
Applause Line
Tate arrived at 8:11 to a round of applause. Tate and the Board went into executive session immediately to discuss an “attorney client” issue. Twenty-four minutes later they came out, and Jaeger asked for public comments. In response the impish Doug Goodermote asked, “How are you making out with Petersburgh?” He was referring to the transfer station negotiations. This was met with loud laughter – some derisive and some good natured. “Next question,” was Supervisor Jaeger’s only comment. Referring to the letter written by Petersburgh resident Barton McLean which appeared in the August 8 issue of The Eastwick Press, Goodermote said, “That guy had more common sense than the whole town.”
“Yeah, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it,” someone else added.
On that note the meeting adjourned.[/private]