Bids For GAC Addition To Water Treatment Plant Opened
Four Prime Contracts Awarded As Per Engineers’ Recommendations
by Deb Alter
Bids for the full-capacity Granulated Activated Carbon filter system that will be added to the existing water filtration plant were opened in public on Wednesday, May 4, and were reviewed by the Village’s engineering firm, C.T. Male Associates. There were a total of 23 bids. [private]After making sure that they met all the specifications necessary, C.T. Male recommended one for each of the four prime contracts. Kingsley Arms, Inc. received the general construction contract for $1,298,500, Eckert Mechanical Services Corp received the plumbing contract for $21,000, Tri-Valley Plumbing and Heating, Inc. was awarded the mechanical contract for $109,750 and the electrical contract went to CKM Electrical Services, Inc. for $116,285, for a total cost of $1,545,535. This amount is for the construction only – the filters themselves are purchased separately. The Board voted to authorize the Mayor to sign the contracts. All of the companies have been vetted by C.T. Male, who said that they checked references, and the contractors are all bonded and insured. The contracts include penalties of $1500 per day if they don’t meet deadlines. The October 2016 finish date is still expected.
Mayor Borge, responding to an article in last weekend’s Times Union, said that cooperation with Saint-Gobain has led to faster temporary and permanent solutions; it has been only 15 months and things are getting fixed. He said that he had shared just one document with Saint-Gobain since it was relevant to the company’s work in testing for the PFOAs. He defended his and the Board’s actions, saying they had all been working hard towards a fix. “We’ve made a great deal of progress. We all would have liked the process to go faster, but we have accomplished a lot,” he said.
The DEC and DOH has provided the Village with a fact sheet about swimming pool water, which said that, “Based on anticipated levels of PFOA in swimming pools and hot tubs in the Hoosick Falls area, the amount of exposure to PFOA from swimming in a pool or using a hot tub is so small that it is not expected to present a health concern. You can open and use your pool or hot tub for the season as you normally would.” It is available on the Village website at www.villageofhoosickfalls.com.
Representatives from DEC and DOH attended the meeting, and they said that toxicologists had studied the risks of exposure from swimming in pools and decided that there was no health danger. They said that any PFOA levels that may remain in your pool or hot tub are insignificantly small compared to the levels of the numerous chemicals (chlorine, bromine, algaecides, shock treatments, pH control chemicals) that are routinely used to treat pools and hot tubs. In fact, any PFOA that may be present will be many thousands of times lower than chlorine levels. Many in the crowded room were not convinced. When asked why water from the pools had to be emptied into the wastewater sewer, not the storm drain, but it was okay to swim in it, the DEC rep explained that the other chemicals in the pool (mentioned on page 1) were the reason for that.
Trustee Kevin O’Malley said that some people will want to change their pool water. Anyone who is concerned and wants to drain and refill their pools should call the DEC at 518-357-2045 for further guidance. Ask for Derek Thorsland. Deputy Mayor Ric DiDonato voiced his frustration and exasperation that the state agencies had asked for so much information about the pools in the Village and Town, and then just sent a one page Frequently Asked Questions sheet saying it was all good. He felt that the Village had been let down.
The Village is still waiting to get the promised money from the Governor’s office for six months worth of water rebates. When they get the funds, it will take approximately 30 days for the Village to get checks out to residents. Mayor Dave Borge said that there would probably be some wrinkles in the process, but “things will be worked out.” The refunds will be based on one-half of the August-November and the December-March bills. He reminded everyone that of the total amount on the water bills, only about half are for water use; sewer, trash collection and the bond repayment make up the other half. He also pointed out that there has been a loss of revenue for the Village because people had been using less Village water, when they were drinking and washing with the bottled water instead. This is also a part of the negotiations with Saint-Gobain, as are all PFOA-related costs, such as experts, attorney and engineering fees, communications, and the filters and installation, and more.
Other Water Updates:
There has been constant sampling of drinking water throughout the Village, with consistent results of non-detectable levels of PFOAs.
The EPA has started testing of soil and groundwater in the vicinity of Saint-Gobain’s McCaffrey St. plant. They have said that they will share information from this testing with the Village, and they will also be providing opportunities for public input during the process.
The NYS DEC is still searching for alternate water sources, but there is no specific information so far.
Past, current and future costs related to the PFOA situation will be paid by Saint-Gobain and Honeywell, not Village taxpayers.
Blood sampling results are expected very soon. The DOH representative said that one of the reasons that the process has been slow is because of confidentiality. They are still taking requests for blood testing.
Extending the Water
And Sewer Lines
The same proposal for seeking funding for extension of Village water and sewer lines south on Route 22 was made to the Village Board as was made to the Town Board the evening before by Richard DeGuida from MRB Engineering. DeGuida said that the Governor’s office supports the project, but there are no guarantees that the project would be approved for funding, either by grants or by low or no interest loans. The Mayor and the Board agreed that it would be wise to take some time to study the proposal and debate the pros and cons before making a decision, since it involved a considerable amount of money. They also want to communicate with residents to get some feedback from them, and explore the impact it could have on the taxpayers.
Police Report
Police Chief Robert Ashe said The Hoosick Falls Police Department is now hooked in with the Albany Crime Lab, which then ties in to all NYS police departments. All arrest warrants, etc. are now available to Hoosick Falls through the program. This came at no cost to the Village, as the State paid for all the equipment, software and installation necessary.
Ashe also said the Hoosick Falls Police Department website is up: www.hoosickfallspolice.org, although it appeared to still be under construction at press time this week.
Chief Ashe warned that there is a blacktop scam going around. Residents should be aware and not hire someone just because they arrive in a truck and offer a good price.
Other Business
The Board recognized Bernard R. Davock for achieving the rank of Eagle Scout, and Phil Leonard on celebrating his 90th birthday.
Greg Fox requested to use the Rensselaer Street water tower for a repeater for use by amateur ham radio operators. The Board agreed that it sounded like a good idea, but thought it would be important to look into some of the details, like insurance, liability, and maintenance, before proceeding.
The Zoning revision discussion was tabled because the Village attorney was not present.
The Board approved a request from HAYC3 to use Wood Park on Saturday, September 24 for the Hoosick Hullabaloo, and one from CiviCure to run the Fourth Annual Rolf M. Sternberg 5k on Saturday, September 10.
There was a short discussion about making exceptions to the standard 5K route, and the Board decided that if a group wanted to change it for a particular race, they would consider it with input from the Police and Highway Departments.
A motion was passed to advertise for sealed bids for fire hydrant repairs. There are 11 hydrants that need repair.
A motion was passed to refinance the BAN for the repairs on the Rogers Street water tank, since the Village had received a grant that considerably lowered the amount owed.
The 2016 Hoosic River Ride will be held on August 13, and once again will begin and end at the Hoosac School in Hoosick, New York. Part of the route is on the Greenway and through the Village.
The next Village Board meeting has been changed to Wednesday, June 15 because Flag Day falls on the originally scheduled meeting day.[/private]