Repurposed Pool And Recreation Area Project Moving Forward
by Alex Brooks
The Town of Hoosick is moving forward with its grant from the State And Municipal Facilities programs (SAM grant). After making a decision in December to leave ice rink refrigeration out of this project, the Town is now filling in details as quickly as possible on the repurposed grant project, now dubbed “Phase 3 of the Pool and Town Recreation Center Improvements.”
The Board accepted a proposal from Clough Harbor Associates (CHA) at its special meeting on February 6 to do the engineering on the project for $57,000 plus reimbursable expenses. An engineer from CHA is coming out to Hoosick on Friday February 15 to spend the afternoon learning the details of the project and getting information to do a more detailed project scope and cost estimates for submission to the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY), which administers the grant.
At its February 11 regular meeting, the Town Board passed a resolution declaring the project a Type II action for SEQR purposes.
The project is still under development, so the plans may change as more information comes in. Current plans will update pumps and filtration equipment in the pool house; install a pool slide and a splash pad for kids at the pool, a pool pavilion and a playground pavilion for shade; replace all sewer pipes not done in earlier phases and repair concrete around the pool house; resurface and reline the tennis courts and basketball courts and replace nets and backboards as needed; add new security cameras around the recreation area; and make improvements to the rink, including upgrades to the lighting and sound system, and addition of a three-season turf field in the rink so that it can be used throughout the year.
The meeting began with a presentation by Bernard Bandman, the Executive Director of an organization called Speak Sooner, which is dedicated to improving communications between patients, their families, and their health care providers. The organization is planning an event at the Hoosick Falls Central School on Saturday April 13 at 6 pm to illuminate some of these issues. There will be a screening of the film The Doctor, starring William Hurt, followed by a panel discussion led by local doctors focusing on their experiences as patients. Dr. Marcus Martinez and Dr. Jim Carroll will be part of this panel. The organization has also produced a booklet that Bandman called its “toolkit,” and it has found a sponsor, Jerome Construction in Bennington, who will underwrite free copies of the toolkit to be handed out at the April 13 event.
Fox Hollow Road Again
There was discussion of the deplorable state of Fox Hollow Road again, which began with Peggy Cottrell speaking to the Board about the “hazardous conditions” there. The Town highway crew did significant work on the road last season, improving the ditches and replacing some culverts, but water is still getting onto the road and freezing and thawing and making a mess of it. Highway Superintendent Bill Shiland said part of the problem is that there are driveways sloping down onto the road which do not have adequate crowns on them, and they are funneling water onto the Town Road through ruts in the driveways. Cottrell said he should send letters to homeowners asking them to repair their driveways.
Supervisor Mark Surdam said the Town is setting up a program with Cornell to have someone from their roads program help the Town survey its roads and create a five year maintenance plan, and it is his intention to make sure this effort focuses on a plan to improve Fox Hollow Road.
Motorbike Racing
Two guys from the State Line Riders were present who wanted to know what they have to do to get permission to run a race next summer in Hoosick. They said they are planning just one race, to be in Breese Hollow over Labor Day weekend. Surdam said they will need to apply for a mass gathering permit and appear before either the Planning Board or the ZBA to discuss some of the details of their event, but the Town is still discussing the procedures to be followed.
Unsafe Houses
Surdam discussed three houses that are in extreme disrepair. One, on Route 22 just south of the Central School, is being bought by a neighbor and will be demolished. Another on Scott Street, he said there is an active buyer who will take charge of it, but the sale is being delayed because the house is in probate and some things have to be worked out before the sale. The third, on Route 22 near the 50 year line of the High School football field, was sold by the county, but the buyer backed out when he or she actually visited the house. Surdam said he is trying to work something out with the County, to either find a new buyer some time soon, or have the building taken down.
In other news:
• The Board approved applying for a Planning Grant from the Hudson River Greenway program to update the Town of Hoosick Comprehensive Plan.
• The Board passed a resolution to transfer management of the North Hoosick Fire Department’s Length of Service Awards Program from Morgan Stanley, which no longer wants to service this type of program, to UBS Financial Services.
• Surdam reported that the company reviewing the town’s utility bills, Troy & Banks, has found an overpayment of $950.95. Troy & Banks gets 30% of this under its agreement with the town. but it brings the Town a windfall of $665.
• The Town got no bids to supply it with fuel oil and diesel fuel. Nobody knew why its usual supplier, Doug’s Oil, did not bid. The Town will seek bids a second time. The Town did get a bid from Peckham Materials for winter sand, which was slightly higher than the previous year’s price, and it accepted the bid.
• Jerry McAuliffe said the American Legion has been holding regular gatherings of veterans for coffee on Wednesdays. He also said the Legion property is available for rent for a reasonable fee for gatherings of up to 60 people.
• Surdam said Councilman Sheffer has picked up the new sign for the Route 22/Route 7 intersection, and he said it looks great. When Councilman Hanselman gets back from Florida and a day of decent weather arrives, they will put it up.
• Surdam reported that the very expensive GASB 75 report has been completed, and it will be used to plan for the Town’s future obligations to its retirees.
• Surdam noted that the well-equipped commercial kitchen in the basement of the Armory is available for rent, and anyone who is interested may write an e-mail to hoosickrising@gmail.com
• The Board approved moving the Planning Board meeting this month to Monday, February 25 at 7 pm, because its usual time fell on Presidents Day.