by Alex Brooks
Much of the Petersburgh Town Board meeting on September 21 concerned the Town’s progress toward making their buildings ADA compliant. The Board received a letter from a citizen criticizing them for failing to sign a mediation agreement that was sent to them by a firm whose identity was not disclosed. [private]
At public comment time, Tom Berry also criticized the Board for failing to sign the mediation agreement. Supervisor Krahforst said he was advised not to sign that agreement because it would acknowledge that the Town is in violation of the ADA. Krahforst said, “Right now, we are in compliance with the ADA.”
Tom Berry disputed that. He said, “You are in violation.”
Referring to such confrontational tactics, Town Board member Alan Webster made a short speech objecting to the tone of the conversation around ADA compliance. He said he thought it is unfortunate that those trying to expedite compliance are quick to resort to “bluster,” and seem to prefer conflict to cooperation. The letter to the Town Board about the mediation agreement talked about a lawsuit against the Town, and suggested that the Town might be required to pay the plaintiff’s legal expenses as well as its own. Krahforst, in return, said if the Town is sued, it may have to close the Veterans Hall to all public activities. Webster urged that all concerned be patient, as gathering funds and getting work done on the buildings takes time.
Supervisor Krahforst said the sidewalk leading to the front entrance to the Town Hall is going to be rebuilt before winter, and so is the library access ramp. According to Krahforst, the only matter that remains unresolved is the front entrance to the Veterans Hall. A number of people are working on plans to correct that situation, but the plan is not fully formulated yet. Krahforst said he would have a plan ready for next month’s meeting.
Petersburgh Library
Library Director Sharon Hodges said the Library is in compliance with the ADA because they provide library services to people outside the library. But even so, the library has hired a contractor to bring its access ramp up to the current requirements of the ADA.
The library has a handicapped access ramp which was built in 1978. At that time it was fully up to code, but the specifications for handicapped access ramps have been changed since then, and now it has to be rebuilt to bring it into compliance with current requirements. The Library has hired a contractor to do the job for about $11,000.
Dog Control
Constable Jerry Russell said he has prepared one of the rooms in the basement of the Town Hall to be a temporary holding facility for dogs that he picks up. An official from NYS Agriculture and Markets came out this week and inspected it, and it has been approved. The Town is allowed to keep dogs in that facility for 24 hours before transporting them to a kennel.
Russell said the kennel agreement has been signed with the Safe Haven kennel in Greenwich, and will be in full effect by the end of the week. Russell also reported that he has spent about $500 so far for dog control equipment, so everything is now in place to handle dog issues safely and legally.
Russell also had a larger project that he is ready to pursue, building a small kennel facility at the back of the Town Hall. He proposed purchasing a prefabricated shed and outfitting it as a dog holding facility which will serve as Petersburgh’s municipal kennel. He requested authorization to spend $3,000 from the dog control budget to buy and install such a facility, although he thought he could do it for a bit less than that. The dog control budget for this year has enough remaining in it to cover this expense.
The Board approved going ahead with the project by a 4-1 vote. Councilman Jack Barnhill voted against because he had concerns about noise from barking causing trouble with the Town’s neighbors. Russell responded to that by saying if a dog is barking too much, it can always be transferred to the Town’s commercial kennel in Greenwich. That agreement would be kept in place as a backup.
Councilwoman Denise Church said she thought a facility behind the Town Hall is better than one in the basement of the Town Hall, and was favorable to the proposal for that reason. At public comment time, resident Jane Wesley said she could foresee problems with having a kennel at the back of the Town Hall, and said she did not think it is a good idea.
It was approved, though, and Russell will go forward with it.
New Trucks
Supervisor Krahforst said he met with County Legislator Stan Brownell and Brownell assured him that the two County trucks which are to be replaced will be available for Petersburgh to purchase when the new trucks arrive. Krahforst said he expects them to be ready for sale by November, and the price of the County trucks is expected to be $15,000 each.
Charter Contract
The Board approved a renewal of the franchise agreement with Charter Communications to provide cable TV and internet services to some of the residents in Petersburgh. The company’s lines only extend to the village area, so only people in that area have access to the services. Krahforst said he believes the company has about 46 customers in Petersburgh. The prior contract was for ten years, but this one is for a five year period. Krahforst noted that Charter has recently announced a small increase in their fees for such services. [/private]