The Fuel Tank Fuels Further Debate
By Thaddeus Flint
A fuel tank, the less law enforced future, and the voids in the internet were the topics of discussion at the August meeting of the New Lebanon Town Board last Tuesday night.
The fuel tank at the Highway Garage has been the topic of many discussions over the past year and pretty much everyone would have been much happier if it wasn’t. “I just want this thing over,” said Town Supervisor Colleen Teal at the August 14th meeting. And it looks like that might just happen.
The problem with the fuel tank isn’t a problem with the fuel tank. For some, largely the people who use the fuel tank on a daily basis, the fuel tank is fine. For others, largely New York State’s Public Employee Safety and Health Bureau (PESH), who job is to enforce health and safety in the work place, the fuel tank might be fine, but it’s not fine where it sits. Fuel tanks should be outside they say. Why they didn’t say this when the fuel tank was placed inside the Highway Garage years back is unclear. Nevertheless, PESH is making up for that by saying it over and over again and threating to fine New Lebanon if they don’t do something about it by October 31st.
After exploring every option they could think of to keep the tank inside, the Town has found that when it comes to PESH you don’t get many options. So a fuel tank will now have to be installed outside. After drawing up some designs for the future fueling station, Town Engineer Paul McCreary realized he was basically re-inventing the carport. Luckily for New Lebanon, someone already invented the carport and you can get them relatively cheap. But would the fuel tank fanatics at PESH be ok with a carport?
“They are just ducky with a carport, “ said McCreary. “But no walls.”
Carports come in all sorts of ways, some even without walls, so that was no problem. The problem is when someone has to stand outside in a snowstorm freezing to death while they fuel a plow truck. A wall or two might be nice. PESH seems to feel that exposure to the elements is OK for employees, just make sure that fuel tank is safe. McCreary’s solution is to put up wind screen fences around the carport, kind of like walls aren’t really walls because they don’t touch the building. “They bought into it” McCreary said of PESH people he proposed this idea to. The construction wouldn’t be all that costly as a pre-fab carport could be purchased for around $4,000. A concrete slab would also need to be poured. John Ray & Sons would provide the fuel tank and the pump as long as the Town pumped John Ray & Sons fuel. The carport did, in fact, seem just ducky.
“Are you good with this?” Supervisor Teal asked the High Superintendent.
“Not even a little bit,” replied Jeff Winestock. Highway employees would still be out in the elements fake walls or no fake walls. And the diesel would also be out in the elements. Diesel is a rather wimpish fuel that doesn’t like to work if it gets to cold out. There are additives and comfy blankets one can buy to keep diesel warm and happy in the winter, but their effectiveness isn’t always as effective as one would hope, especially when the diesel would be needed the most. Pumps also like to go on strike when they are cold. Winestock said he would do “the best I can,” but if the pump freezes up some night when the Highway Department should be out sanding the roads of New Lebanon “someone will have to get PESH to come out and pump fuel.” Obviously, that would never happen. It would be far too dangerous for the PESH people to drive on un-sanded icy roads. And Winestock has made this point before: How come PESH is fine with the Town sending an employee out in a blizzard in the middle of the night in a multi-ton truck to sand icy roads like West Hill which time and again has proven to be real safety hazard, but they aren’t fine with an inside fuel tank that has never hurt anyone? Winestock has asked this question a few times, and if anyone knew the answer they aren’t providing it.
And then there is the fuel tank itself. John Ray & Sons say the tank is free. But, “nothing is free in this life,” pointed out the Highway Superintendent. Something is always attached and in this case it is John Ray & Sons. Which isn’t to imply that John Ray & Sons is anything but a respectable fuel company. What it does mean is that if John Ray & Sons’ bid for fuel isn’t accepted they will come take their tank back. “And next year we could be out scrambling,” to find another fuel tank, said Winestock, who recommended the Town buy their own fuel tank. Councilman Kevin Smith proposed slowing things down a bit to see options on buying a tank. “They won’t care,” Smith said of the PESH people and their deadline.
Apparently PESH might care. “It would be in our best interests to get this done,” counseled Dan Tuczinski, the Town’s Attorney. PESH might even care enough to send over some fines if it doesn’t get done by deadline.
As for costs, there is no word yet on costs. That will be studied. Supervisor Teal did note that in theory PESH has some kind of program for reimbursing towns up to 75% for things towns don’t really want like fake-walled fueling stations. The problem here—it seems that there is usually at least one problem when it comes to PESH dealings—is confirming that theory. The Supervisor said she spent a lot of time on the phone trying to find out more, or actually anything, about the reimbursement program, “but I have yet to find someone at PESH who knows anything about it.”
Anyway, if you want to build a fake-walled fueling station for the Town of New Lebanon, bids are due at the Town Hall by September 10th.
The planned closing of the State Trooper Barracks in New Lebanon has some residents concerned about a future lack of law enforcement in the area, reported Town Councilman Jesse Newton. The Troopers are slated to be moved to a new barracks in Chatham. As New Lebanon has no police force of its own, Newton said it might be in the interest of the Board to discuss a possible police force now while the Town’s code review is still under way. Supervisor Teal said that idea might be discussed later. However the general consensus of the Board now is that a police force would be cost prohibitive. Teal said she would reach out to the Columbia County Sheriff’s office to see about filling a future law enforcement void. “We need law enforcement up here. There’s no question,” said the Supervisor.
There is also no question that many residents are still finding themselves living in a void when it comes to fast internet. Everyone keeps hearing about ducky speeds coming to Town, and yet nobody is really seeing any ducky speeds coming to Town. Spectrum being kicked out of the State has created yet another void, although some other company is expected to fill it, who or what is unknown. Consolidated Communications, according to Supervisor Teal, is however expected to be up and running by September. In the meantime, though, residents who aren’t getting what they paid for, or who are being overbilled, or who are just plain irritated, are urged to file complaints with the Public Service Commission. The Supervisor also said residents were welcome to contact her office with their internet problems. “I think by the end of the year everyone is going to be seeing differences,” she said.