Getting Something For Nothing
By Thaddeus Flint
A State program to assist families in making sure their homes are safe and healthy has been expanded to include Stephentown, it was heard at the April 15 Town Board meeting.
Rensselaer County’s Environmental Health Director, Rich Elder and the County’s Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, Eric Gaunay, told the Board that the Healthy Neighborhood Program would now be available to Town residents. Previously, in Rensselaer County, the program was only available to residents of the City of Troy, and those living in the villages of Castleton, Hoosick Falls and Nassau.
“The sad part is a tragedy triggered it,” said Town Supervisor Larry Eckhardt. A fire in Stephentown last winter, which claimed the life of a resident, convinced local officials that some homes in the area were probably still without adequate fire safety devices. Code Enforcement Officer Dean Herrick took the matter in hand and asked the County what could be done. Apparently, quite a bit can be done, and it’s all free.
“The State wants healthy homes,” said Elder. The State also seems to understand that plenty of people can’t really afford some of the basic necessities for such homes. While the State can’t provide everything – “we aren’t going to put a roof on your house,” said Elder – it will give residents enough equipment and training to help keep that roof from catching fire. From safety products, like smoke and carbon dioxide detectors and fire extinguishers, to child locks, cleaning supplies, flashlights, pest control, and even asthma control, New York is actually making a real effort when it comes to health and safety in the home.
And interestingly enough, the State seems to understand that not everybody trusts the government, and especially so when letting them into those homes. The State’s feelings are unhurt. Instead, New York has designated Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) as being the ones who would come to your home, see what you need, help you get it, and then train you to use it correctly. “It’s not the government coming into your house,” stressed Elder. The only time CCE would report anything back to County would be in the case of an “imminent life threat.” So if you have nuclear waste piled up, or pet tigers lounging about, you might want to hide that stuff first; pretty much everyone else will be fine.
For Stephentown, the program will only last for the next three months, although it could be extended depending on how popular it is. Residents who feel they could benefit should sign up now. To do so either call CCE at 518-765-2490 or by emailing DFP46@cornell.edu. Elder also pointed out that all the zip codes in Stephentown are covered. So even if someone has a zip code from someplace like Averill Park or Nassau, as long as they are a resident of Stephentown they are eligible.
Some Stephentown residents aren’t being particularly careful when it comes to recycling, it was reported. Tim Dormady, who was a past Executive Director of ERCSWMA, and who lives in Stephentown, says he is down at the Transfer Station every weekend and enjoys it very much. However, Dormady said he noticed that a lot of stuff thrown in the recycling bins isn’t actually recyclable. A sofa, for instance, doesn’t recycle well. If a bin becomes too contaminated, ERCSWMA will get charged extra.
Unfortunately, according to Councilman Bill Jennings, “most of it isn’t being recycled” anyway. After China stopped taking our junk, it’s become prohibitively expensive to recycle much of what everyone was told needed to be recycled. However, Jennings still has some faith that recycling will one day take off again. He doesn’t want residents to get out of the recycling habit, especially since the Town spent years trying to get people into the recycling habit. “People need to follow the rules,
said Jennings.
“You know you live in Stephentown,” laughed Supervisor Eckhardt, “if your excitement for the week is going out to the Transfer Station.”
Such excitement will only grow, as the Town is now formally going out to bid to replace the shack there with a spiffy new wooden shed. The old building served the Town well, pointed out Councilman Jennings, but “it’s getting a little humble.” Anyone interested in bidding to put in the new shed should visit the Town Clerk for the specs. Bids are due by May 20. Anyone who wants a humble shack and is willing to take it away, should contact Councilman Jennings to see if that’s a possibility, otherwise, he said, “it’s going in the C&D dumpster.”
Residents who are already planning to see if they can get some money off their taxes at Grievance Day should note that Grievance Day isn’t the day you think it is, it’s the day you used to think it was. While that sounds convoluted, it’s plenty less convoluted than Local Law #1 “rescinding Local Law No. 2 of the year 2018 amending Local Law No. 1 of the year 2010 changing Grievance Day,” which is “perfectly normal for government,” noted Councilman PJ Roder. Simplified, Grievance Day is back to the fourth Tuesday in May. The Tax Assessor, Jennifer Van Deusen, had tried to move it to the fourth Wednesday because of the Town’s court schedule, but “the County said no you’re not,” reported Van Deusen. A Town can only do that if the Assessor handles more than one Town, which Van Deusen does not. So, anyway, if you want to complain, put May 28 on your calendar.
As Councilman Roder stated, such convolution is normal for government. If government were somehow magically simplified, there would be millions of bureaucrats and lawyers out looking for jobs, and a limited number of positions calling for such skills as being able to confuse and obfuscate simple issues for no purposeful reason whatsoever. At the moment, these paper-shuffling positions exist from top to bottom in government and Councilman Gerald Robinson recently found he had run into another pack of them. Robinson has been working tirelessly to get residents cable television for years, and now that you pretty much don’t need cable television anymore with the internet he’s almost done. Actually, he would be done, but some pencil-pushers at the Public Service Commission are making him do it again because that’s what they exist to do, it seems. So, the Board passed a resolution appointing a Cable Television Advisory Committee consisting of Councilmen Jennings and Robinson, and Alexander Haley. They will be tasked with doing exactly what a similar committee already did three years ago and then writing a comprehensive report, which also was done, which basically says that the Town would like cable. As all this is already finished, Jennings expects things should move along smoothly, although who knows. “We are dumbfounded by these requests,” said the Councilman.
Announcement:
The Stephentown Memorial Library’s 2019 Annual Meeting is Sunday, April 28, from 4 to 6 pm.