Mr. Ding-A-Ling Dinged At Meeting
By Doug La Rocque
A traveling ice cream truck might not seem like a subject that would draw some serious attention at a Hoosick Falls Village Board session, but the Tuesday night, March 11 meeting saw just that happen. Brian Collis, who owns the vehicle, has again applied for a vendor license to operate between April 15 and September 30. The request met with opposition from Trustee Brian Bushner, who feels the music is too loud, the truck often parks in unsafe locations, and worries that those who drive the truck might not be subject to background checks. Deputy Mayor Bob Ryan countered with “who doesn’t love ice cream.” He admitted that the music is a bit loud when the vehicle is parked, and went along with the suggestion of some that the tunes be shut off when Mr. Ding-A-Ling is stopped and serving his confectionary treats. There were also some safety concerns raised about the truck being in the Village on Halloween night last year. Mayor Rob Allen said that happened because the previous permit did not clearly spell out the dates of operation, as this year’s does. Deputy Mayor Ryan offered to contact Mr. Collis to discuss the Board’s concerns, and the matter was tabled until a later meeting.
Floating a Bond for Demolition
The board unanimously approved a municipal bond for $90,000 to pay for the demolition of two structures, those located at 22 John Street and 6 Spring Street. Once completed, the property owners would be invoiced for the work. If they do not pay the bills, their cost would then be part of a county tax re-levy. If still not paid, the county makes the village whole and chases down the offenders themselves. What all that means is, the village should have the $90,000 back before the one-year term of the loan, and can repay it with little or no interest. The only cost the Village would not be able to recoup would be the bond attorney’s fee. This is predicated on the demolition being done by early spring, so the invoices can go out of time. Mayor Allen says all the required permits are now in place, and Codes Enforcement Officer Mark Surdam said he is hopeful the demolition can begin shortly. There was also discussion about a structure on River Street that might have to be deemed unsafe, but Village Attorney Andy Gilchrist indicated that property could not be part of this proceeding, and would have to start from scratch as a separate issue.
Battling The EPA
Back on February 14, the federal Environmental Protection Agency announced a PFAS action plan, which had as one of its main points, evaluating the need for setting Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCL) for both PFOA and PFOS. At that time, Mayor Allen issued a statement that called the plan “short on action,” and called upon the EPA and Congressional representative to set an MCL for both PFOA and PFOS immediately. At Tuesday’s meeting, Mayor Allen said that drew a rebuke from EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, which was followed by a number of twitter posts by the Mayor. He also took exception to President Donald Trump’s proposed EPA budget cut of 31 percent, and criticized Administrator Wheeler for purportedly saying it was a good budget.
The EPA however, is still on schedule to begin stack testing for chemicals being emitted at the Saint Gobain McCaffrey Street plant next week. It is expected it could take a couple of months before the findings are released.
The Village was also recently visited by officials from Merrimack, New Hampshire, who are dealing with their own PFOA problems. The Merrimack contingent was there to look at the filtering systems now in place in Hoosick Falls.
Other Developments
The Mayor indicated the Woods Brook Buyout program is progressing well, and homeowner visits may begin as early as the end of March. Residents looking for a second round of PFOA blood sampling must have it completed by the end of the month to have the results part of the second round of tabulations. Residents can still have their blood tested after that date, but the results will not be inclusive.
Once again, there were complaints raised about County Waste not picking up refuse on time, and according to Trustee Bushner, not cleaning up their spillage. The Board decided it might be time to look into hiring another contractor. The board moved to decline a request from Marianne Zwicklbauer for funding for Civicure’s proposed work at Wood Park other than labor that might be provided under the Community Service program. The Trustees noted none of the land was village owned. The Mayor was authorized to sign agreements with National Grid and Pan Am Southern Railway concerning easements and licenses as they pertain to the ongoing Sewer Project.
The Board set a special meeting for Tuesday, March 26 to discuss and perhaps award bids for the new Highway Garage, and to declare SEQRA lead agency status for the Greenway Trail Enhancement Project.
Personnel Notes
Trustee Vanessa Lewis announced she was relocating to White Creek in Washington County soon, and would have to resign as a member of the board. The trustees also voted to appoint Sean Nealon to the Village Planning Board.