Code Violations In Water Treatment Building
by Alex Brooks
At the Petersburgh Town Board meeting on Monday, November 19, Water District Committee member Joe Dunlop asked when code violations in the “GAC Building” would be corrected. This is a small building put up by Taconic to house the carbon (GAC) filter that removes PFOA from the water.
Dunlop visited the building sometime last spring and then spoke to the Board about the multiple code violations he saw there. Petersburgh’s Code Enforcement Officer, Fran Rogers, visited the building on July 18 and wrote a letter addressed to “To Whom It May Concern” listing six code violations he found there. These included a lack of clearance around the electrical panel, a non-functioning floor drain, lack of an eyewash station, and wood fiberboard interior board which is likely to swell, decay or deteriorate, or collect mold from the humid conditions in the building. It also mentions two backflow preventers that leak and have no drain, which need to be checked and tested annually by DOH, and there was no record of such a check and test having been done.
This letter was given to the Town Supervisor in July, and Dunlop said that none of these violations have been addressed in the three months since then. Dunlop said there is now mold on the interior boards and by law it must be removed by a licensed remediator.
Dunlop asked if an architect had signed the plans and whether the design for the building had been approved by the NYS Dept. of Health (DOH) or by the local building inspector. He said DOH should have asked for an architect’s stamp on the plans before approving the building. Town Clerk Deidra Michaels said, “We are trying to find documents about the building of the GAC building.”
Supervisor Alan Webster said major work is going to be done on that building as part of the water system renovation grant, but since that work is not going to happen right away, he would look into what can be done more immediately.
Dunlop said, “Nothing is up to code up there. That building is a disgrace.” He felt that Taconic should fix the code violations in the building immediately, because they are the ones that put up the building. Others said similar things, noting that the mold and the lack of an eyewash station are OSHA violations, and the Town should not allow such violations to persist when they have an employee working in the building.
New Library Director
The Board approved hiring a new Library Director, following the Library Board’s recommendation. She is Kathryn Hilfinger, who lives on Weaver Dam Road. Current Library Director Melissa Lockett said the Library received quite a few applications for the Library Director job and was pleased to select Kate Hilfinger.
The Board approved an application for an “Emerging Contaminants Project Planning Grant.” The purpose of the grant would be to try to find a clean water supply close enough to the Water District’s water tank to make it feasible to drill a new well and connect to the existing tank. The grant application is for a $30,000 project. $25,000 would be provided by the grant, and the Town would be required to contribute $5,000 to the project.
Supervisor’s Report
Supervisor Alan Webster said Petersburgh’s Dog Control Officer is resigning, so the Town is now looking for a new DCO. He said the new F550 truck is expected to be in service by early to mid December. He said negotiations with the Highway Department workers union are continuing, and “we are making good progress there.”
Webster said he is talking with NYSEG about changing over the street lights to LEDs. He said he does not have a detailed proposal from them yet, but he expects it will cost about $5,000, and will produce significant savings over time for the Lighting Districts. He said there are a total of 77 street lights in town – 63 in the hamlet, and 14 in North Petersburgh.
Town Clerk
Town Clerk Deidra Michaels said the Town’s Christmas Toy and Coat drive has begun, and the Town Christmas Party is scheduled for Saturday December 15 from 5 to 8 pm. She said, “We could use some elves.” Those interested in volunteering to be elves at the Christmas party are asked to call the Clerk.
Upcoming Meetings
The Board schedule its End of Year meeting for Friday December 28, and its Organizational Meeting for Thursday January 3 at 7 pm.