by Alex Brooks
Petersburgh Supervisor Alan Webster said he met with the Town’s environmental attorney Kevin Young recently. He said Young is spending most of his time currently on the landfill issue, and Webster said somewhat cryptically, “He is making good progress.”[private] Webster said he couldn’t elaborate because Petersburgh is potentially a responsible party in the landfill matter and there may be litigation over who will pay for the cleanup.
The landfill was closed in the 1990s and the Town hired a contractor to do the work of closing it. If there were deficiencies in the closure design and implementation which led to the toxic material currently being released, it’s possible that the contractor could bear some of the responsibility for the current problem.
Town Clerk Deidra Michaels has gathered all of the Town’s records about the closure of the landfill and organized them and handed them over to Kevin Young, who is reviewing them. Supervisor Webster thanked her for what was apparently a big project – Webster said the records filled six binders, each about six inches thick.
Webster said regional DEC Chief Keith Goertz told him that negotiations with Taconic toward a consent agreement are “not going well.” The Town is not currently a party to these negotiations, but is seeking to have some input into the terms of the consent agreement.
Webster said he has been in touch with the NYS Department of Health which is working on dates for another round of blood testing. Information will be released when a schedule has been set up.
Property Tax Abatement Webster said Kathy Marchione is writing a piece of legislation to give Petersburgh and Hoosick property owners a break on their property taxes because of the loss of value caused by the PFOA contamination. He said it would be 18% exemption the first year, and less each year over a five year period – 14% the second year, 10% the third, etc. The idea is that the State would make up the difference, so that the Town’s revenue would not be diminished. Since the legislation is still being written, and won’t be introduced until the next session of the State Legislature, the details remain subject to change.
Revaluation Supervisor Webster asked the Board what they would like to do about a property revaluation. The Town Board had planned to start a revaluation this year, but because much of the Town may have been revalued because of the PFOA situation, Webster asked if they would like to reconsider. Councilman Dennis Smith said he has been in favor of moving forward with a Reval for several years – he considers the Town to be overdue for a Reval – but since properties are not selling currently it would be very hard to determine valuations. He thought it better to wait until we can get a better perspective on what effect the PFOA situation is going to have on long-term property values.
O’Donovan Wash Plant Town Attorney Dave Gruenberg mentioned an e-mail he received about a permit sought by Petersburgh Sand And Gravel, and asked for more information. Planning Board Vice-Chairman Tim Church said Petersburgh Sand And Gravel is applying to DEC for a permit to put in a wash plant to wash gravel. The e-mail that Gruenberg referred to was sent by DEC to notify the Town that a permit application had been received. Church said DEC does not hold public hearings – it just solicits comments online. He said although the gravel business was established before the site Plan review law was passed, and therefore the original gravel mining operation itself is grandfathered, the wash plant is a significant expansion and change of use, and he thinks it should go through site plan review before the Planning Board. He would like to notify neighbors and hold a public hearing. His concern specifically is that if the wash plant uses a lot of water, it might have an effect on the wells of neighboring homes. The Town Board did not take any action on the matter. Highway Highway Superintendent Rob Cottrell said the grader is down for a week or two for repairs, so he will not be grading roads until it is fixed. He then said more generally that the Town should consider upgrading trucks and equipment over the next few years. He is concerned particularly about the Town’s loader. Since it is budget time, it is time to discuss what plans the Town has for truck and equipment upgrades. Supervisor Webster agreed to meet with Cottrell this week to discuss these matters.
Other Matters:
Broken Wheel Bridge – Webster said the project is moving along well. The company has asked for a ten day extension of their completion date, and it was granted.
Mill Yard Building – Webster said County Engineer Wayne Bonesteel said he will come out soon and clean up the site of the old Shirt factory in the Mill Yard, but Webster did not know exactly when that would happen.
Gravel on Old Road – A request was made for the Town to put a load of gravel on a section of Stagecoach Road that the Town abandoned in 1971, and the Board decided they could not do that.
Library Board Appointment – The Town Board approved the appointment of Sharon Cole (at the request of the Library Trustees) to take the place of Margaret Weinland, who has resigned from the Board. Cole will finish Weinland’s term, which ends December 31, 2017.[/private]