by Bea Peterson
This is the conclusion of the report that began in last week’s paper.
Snow Street
Mary Jane Scott of Snow Street brought samples of dirty water to the meeting and complained that she received no notification that there was a problem with the water that went on for days. She asked for a return to having a Police cruiser drive on the street and announce such a problem. She does not read the Village’s legal paper and does not follow the television public announcements.
[private]Mayor Borge said there was an issue with the Rensselaer Street water tank that caused the problem. He said they would look into other ways to notify people of such problems.
Scott was disappointed to hear that Snow Street water line improvements were not budgeted for this year. The mayor assured her the Village recognizes the need to improve the line and they are looking toward finding other funding sources and/or putting it together with other projects as a way to get funding.
Richmond Avenue
Bob Nichols of Richmond Avenue presented the Board with a petition signed by Richmond Ave. residents requesting the speed on that street be reduced to 20 miles per hour. Between the delivery trucks, diners and golfers traversing the Street to get to the Country Club, he said, there is a real issue. The Mayor said they would work with the Police Department, the Highway Department and the Village attorney to see what could be done.
Water Filters
The Mayor said the Village is currently midway through a pilot project to see how effective a new secondary carbon filter system is in keeping perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) out of the water supply. They are testing water samples and if the system is effective, then they will review the overall cost of bringing in a secondary system and setting it up.
Ribbon Cutting
There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony at 4 pm on Friday, June 12, on the former Skorupski property, which is now part of the Southern portion of the Greenway. “This is close to six acres,” said Mayor Borge. “And it makes a trail right to the water.”
Deputy Mayor Ric DiDonato said motorized vehicles have recently been traversing the Greenway and also tearing up the new football field at the Village Sports Complex on Waterworks Road as well. Chief Ashe said more patrols are underway. No motorized vehicles are allowed on the Greenway.
Street Cleaning
It was pointed out that the street sweeper is not built to clean up large piles of debris or leaves. Cleaning the main areas in the Village will begin when there is a little rain to keep down the dust.
Trustee Bob Ryan said residential street cleaning will begin in the First Ward on June 8. It is hoped it will work the same way the snow removal program did with odd/even parking. On June 8 there should be no cars on the even house numbered side of the street, on June 9 cars should be parked on the even numbered side. The entire schedule is available on the Village website.
In other business the Board accepted with much regret the resignation of Hoosick Falls police officer Crystal Quell and her dog Mickey. She and the dog have been a great asset to the Department said Chief Ashe. Quell has accepted a full time position with the Saratoga Sheriff’s Department. The Board approved the appointment of John Hudson, Jr. and Quell as part time police officers and Janet DeLuca as Police Matron.
Motions
• The Board approved a motion to pay the Highway Superintendent for 10 days vacation he was unable to take last year.
• A motion was approved appointing a Code Enforcement prosecutor at $165 an hour.
• The Mayor thanked HAYC3 and everyone involved in the Village cleanup day. It was very successful and over 300 people participated.
• Mayor Borge added that the recent program organized by Voice of a Vet recognizing veterans buried in local cemeteries with the flying of the traveling Liberty flag was very well done.
• The Mayor also noted that a draft of the new Zoning Laws is available on line.
Building Signs
The Board approved a sign to be installed outside the Municipal Building similar in style to the new Village welcome signs. Cost for the sign, posts and installation is $1,000. The Board also approved lettering for above the door of the building, similar to what was above the door on the old building stating it is the Municipal Building. The sign and lettering will be paid for from Economic Development Funds.
Hoosick Falls Police Chief Robert Ashe reported the Department responded to 107 calls during April.
Building Inspector Mark Surdam reported that he has a new building permit application available and is working on an udate to the rental application. He is still making updates to the computer system. He noted that single family rentals need to be registered with the Village as well as apartment rentals.
The mayor reported that construction on the addition to the Saint Gobain building on Mechanic Street is underway.
There were several power outages in the Village recently and the Board urged residents to remember to turn off computers, televisions and appliances so that when the power is restored, there is not power surge that could destroy many of the items.
The next Hoosick Rising meeting will be at 6 pm on Wednesday, June 3 at Brown’s Brewery.
The meeting began with a moment of silence for John Skorupski and Tom Vassello.
The July meeting of the Village Board will be on July 14.[/private]