by Alex Brooks
The Petersburgh Town Board meeting began with a lengthy complaint from Dayfoot Road resident Mike Dundas about what he saw as the shortcomings of Highway Superintendent Rob Cottrell and the job he is doing of clearing the roads. Dundas’ complaint was wide-ranging, from complaints about the clearing of his own road to practices of the Highway Department that he observed and thought to be inefficient. [private]Dundas has been in to see Mr. Cottrell several times about his complaints, and has spoken to several Town Board members as well. His general point seems to be that the roads are not being cleared as well or as quickly as they have been in the past.
Supervisor Krahforst replied first, saying that the sand that had been stockpiled is frozen, and can’t be used until it thaws out. He said several other towns have had this problem – it is not particular to Petersburgh. Cottrell has been ordering granite dust to sand the roads with. He said he has been told that it gives better traction and it makes less dust in the spring time, and he is getting it delivered on county bid for less than he was paying for sand that he had to go pick up.
Cottrell said, “No one has salt. The County doesn’t have any to send us, and it is not available at the Port of Albany.” Even the State has a shortage of salt. They are spreading salt on the trail up to Petersburgh Pass, but they are not using it on Route 22, Cottrell said.
Cottrell did have one thing to say about citizen complaints. If anyone wants to complain, they should address their complaints to him. “I don’t have a problem with complaints if people come to me,” said Cottrell. But he was fierce about people harassing his crew members, and said he will call 911 and have people arrested if they are belligerent with his crew.
Cottrell’s wife Peggy Cottrell said that whatever problems people perceive with the job the Highway crew is doing, they should recognize that the men are putting in long hours, missing meals and losing sleep, and no one is working harder than Superintendent Rob Cottrell. She said, “They’re working their butts off to keep the roads safe.”
Rob Cottrell then said that he is trying to do all the maintenance and repair on the trucks and equipment in-house to keep costs down. Supervisor Krahforst thanked him for that, and said he would like to get together with Cottrell soon to work on a five year plan for upgrading the trucks and equipment.
Water District
Water Superintendent Ben Krahforst said there is a leak somewhere in the water system, and he has been searching for it, but has not found it yet. Ten thousand gallons per day is normal usage, and the Water District is currently pumping 15 to 20 thousand gallons per day. Krahforst asked all Water District patrons to report any indication of a leak they may observe.
Supervisor Krahforst said he is working on a grant application for the Water District, which he termed an “Emergency Request.” He said the District is running on one pump right now, and needs funds to repair other wells. He also said the tank needs to be cleaned, and water meters need to be replaced, and he is seeking funding for those also. The grant application is due on March 6.
Berlin Transfer Station Agreement
The agreement with Berlin about use of the transfer station was ready to be approved and signed, but questions came up about it, and Board members wanted to consult further with Town Attorney Sal Ferlazzo, so they tabled it until next month. The first matter they were concerned about was a somewhat ambiguous phrase saying that they would “help” Berlin defend claims arising from transfer station operations. Board members weren’t sure exactly what that meant. Also the language was not clear about whether the cost of capital improvements to the station are to be shared equally, and the Board wanted to be clear on what their obligations would be if major improvements to the Transfer Station were needed at some point.
Mowing Bids
Two letters were received about the mowing, but one of them was not a formal bid. These were from the same two contractors who did the mowing last year. David Crowley submitted his bid, but Darel Manchester sent a letter or e-mail saying he would do the mowing at the same price he did it for last year. Since this was not really a bid, the Town Board decided to reject all bids and ask bidders to submit bids for next month’s meeting.
Snow Emergency Plan
There was a discussion about snow emergencies. Rob Cottrell said on snowy days when his crew has to plow out early enough for the school buses, he has them come in at 5 am. If the school then calls a snow day after the crew has already come in, he feels they are being asked to come in so early for no good reason. Supervisor Krahforst said he would like to call a meeting with Berlin School administrators and the highway superintendents in the District to discuss such matters and to make plans for better communication. Cottrell also said that when there is a snow emergency, residents need to keep their cars off the roads so the plows can clear the snow. But the Board was concerned about how they would get the word out when the Highway Superintendent declares a snow emergency. They talked about making an arrangement with a towing company to make sure resdients complied, but they would first have to devise a good method of making sure that everyone knows that a snow emergency has been declared. Supervisor Krahforst said he thought it is too late to make rules and procedures this winter, but he would like to discuss these matters in the summer to prepare for next winter.
Support For Youth To Youth Conference
The Board approved an agreement between the Town and TRACS to provide support to send two Petersburgh students to the annual Youth to Youth Eastern States Conference next summer. The Town will give TRACS $850 for this purpose, but it does not come from Town funds. The Town has secured private donors who will supply these funds. Krahforst said some of the donors do not want to be identified.
Maps
Tom Berry donated several large topographic maps of Petersburgh for the use of Superintendent Cottrell in planning plow routes and road improvements. These are handsome maps perhaps three or four feet across. He also gave Cottrell a DVD about “Forest Roads and Environment.”[/private]