Supervisor Surdam Gives Update On Water Situation
by Deb Alter
At the Town Board meeting on Monday, March 14, the water was once again the major topic of discussion.
[private]Town Supervisor Mark Surdam said that there have been some issues with the Point of Entry Treatment (POET) systems on private wells in town and urged people who are having problems to let the Town know right away so that they can be taken care of. Certified inspectors will be going to homes to check out the issues, including bad valves that were installed on some of them. Surdam said the Town Attorney has written a letter to the State agencies requesting that these issues be resolved quickly.
AS of March 14, there had been 671 requests for POETs, with 72 people canceling their requests because their water tests came back clean, leaving a total of 599 requests to that point. There are somewhere between 1500 and 1900 wells in the Town, and Supervisor Surdam encouraged people who haven’t yet requested a filter to do so.
Referring to Governor Cuomo’s visit to Hoosick the day before, Supervisor Surdam said “I’m thankful that the Governor is trying to help us. Whether you think that he should have come sooner or not, it’s important to know that there’s a lot going on between the Village, the Town and the Governor’s office.”
Town Historian Phil Leonard said that he had done some research and that as far as he can figure out, the last time a governor came to Hoosick Falls was Al Smith in 1927 when the Bennington Battlefield was dedicated.
Engineers and scientists continue to map out the plume. Much of this is based on reported dumping sites and well tests.
About 2500 people have signed up for biomonitoring so far. The process takes between 15 minutes and a half-hour. The bulk of the time is taken up with filling out the questionnaire; the blood draw is quick.
The Town Board interviewed several law firms and unanimously chose to retain Young / Sommer LLC to represent and advise the Town Board regarding groundwater contamination and related environmental issues associated with the discovery of PFOA.
Regular Business
The Highway Department received quotes from several companies to cut down and trim the trees around the pool. Highway Superintendent Bill Shiland recommended Steve’s Supreme Tree Service. The Board decided to hold off on a vote until they determine where in the budget the funds will come from, as it is an unexpected expense.
There were two bids for fuel oil and diesel and the contract was awarded to Doug’s Oil. There was only one bid for sand, which was accepted, based on the rate, not the quantity since the Town has leftover sand from this past mild winter.
Town Historian Phil Leonard shared a collection of “Remember?” columns from the Standard Press, which was published from 1957 until 1980. Many of the items and photos dated back to the 1880’s, including photos of the Blizzard of 1888
Recreation Director Kaila Matatt recommended increasing the Summer Camp fee by $10 to $85 for residents and $95 for non-residents. Considering the quality of the program and the higher cost of other municipalities’ programs, the Board agreed and voted for the increase. Town of Hoosick Summer Camp will run from July 11 to August 19.
Rebates for skating lessons will be mailed out this week.
Deputy Supervisor Jeff Wysocki said the Solar Committee had been working diligently on solar zoning, including things like defining size, setback requirements, and decommissioning, among other things. They are waiting for the State guidelines/template for zoning solar projects to come out, which should be this week.
Councilman Eric Sheffer said that he has taken over Bruce Patire’s role in overseeing Town insurance and has met with the company and been familiarizing himself with the policies.
Revaluation To Be Postponed
The Board is considering postponing the revaluation project due to the decreased property values because of the water. All Board members agreed that it would be prudent to do this and they said they will make sure that the money that has been budgeted for the project this year doesn’t get used for something else.
LaBerge Engineering has begun the planning process to update the Pump House and the Bath House. Shiland has met with them; more information will be forthcoming soon.
Financial Support For HAYC3
The Board passed a resolution to enter into an agreement with the Hoosick Armory Youth Center & Community Coalition (HAYC3) to provide financial support in the amount of $14,000 as budgeted for a legitimate municipal program for the benefit of the Town by providing and supporting youth activities, opportunities and evidence-based programs that foster engaged minds, healthy bodies, strong families and caring relationships.
The Board agreed to spend $750 to have Bob Phelps of RBP Web Designs update the Town’s web site in stages to be more mobile friendly.
The Board has been informed by Code Enforcement Officer Fran Rogers that he is having trouble getting a response from the owner of a multi-family unit on Route 22 (across from the school). In the Executive Session that followed the public meeting, they passed a motion to allow code enforcement to start working with Town Attorney Schopf in an effort to force owners to bring their properties into compliance.
The Board entered into executive session to discuss Cipperly Road litigation, Blanchfield litigation, legal assistance in reference to PFOA Contamination and the above mentioned Route 22 code issue.
The next regular Town Board Meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 11 at 7 pm in the HAYC3 Armory.[/private]