Landfill Agreement With Honeywell Is Reached
By Doug La Rocque
By unanimous consent, the Hoosick Falls Village Board Tuesday night, March 10, accepted a deal worked out with Honeywell International, to pay for a Village Landfill Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study. This was the final piece of the puzzle to be worked out, allowing Mayor Rob Allen to sign a consent order with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The landfill is contaminated with PFOA, which is present in the leachate and nearby Thayer’s Pond. Last year, DEC labeled the landfill a superfund site, meaning if the Village and Honeywell could not come to an agreement to clean it up, the state would, and charge the cost back. That is typically much more expensive then the village and Honeywell handling it on their own. Honeywell and its predecessors have been determined by DEC to be the agents of the contamination.
The agreement is a major weight off the Village’s shoulders. Mayor Allen characterizing it as “one of the biggest things we have been working on over the past year.” The agreement also reserves the Village’s rights to re-open negotiations with Honeywell, should these costs go beyond what is anticipated.
The remedial investigation and its conclusions are just the first step in the cleanup process. Look for more talks with Honeywell and DEC before the actual cleanup begins.
Can You Hear Me Now
The long anticipated upgrade to the Municipal Building’s phone system is underway, with the wiring completed. The next step is installing the phones. The board picked Nextiva as its provider, at a rate of $214 month, plus installation. This is far below what the Village is currently paying for its phone service.
You Need Not Hire Lawyers
That was the message village resident Dr. Edward Scott brought to the board. He claimed all the money spent on legal costs concerning PFOA was a waste of money, stating lawyers know nothing about the environmental aspects and they lack the ability to quantity the costs the village attempts to recover during negotiations with the alleged polluters. Dr. Scott also said there was no need to prove who the polluters were – it was obvious. He felt the Village would have been better off to hire someone with an economic and business background, like himself.
Deputy Mayor Bob Ryan explained, to no avail, that the attorneys working for the Village were indeed experts in environmental law and negotiations.
Dr. Scott also wanted to know why the Village does not send everyone a copy of its annual budget.
Parking
Dr. Janet Spitz said she felt there were parking problems along John Street and the Church Street lot. She felt there needs to be better signage, and hopefully more space one day. The trustees also expressed their concern about residents from some apartment buildings using these lots instead of their own parking places. Dr. Spitz expressed a concern as well about sanitation in the area, and people sometimes relieving themselves in public.
Refunds Are Due
The Trustees decided to refund a Village resident $1,517 in water bill overpayments, primarily because the resident had paid a $1,500 fine for not installing a water meter, when in fact it was installed. The resident had proof of the installation, but apparently never notified the Village it had been installed. The $17 is the result of combining overpayments with unpaid bills.
The Board also agreed to return $300 to the Sand Bar Restaurant, after the business proved its water usage nearly doubled, following problems associated with the John Street Sewer project.
An ongoing claim against the Village for a hot water tank, that Village officials now admit may have been destroyed by a water pressure surge when the new Rensselaer Street pump station came on line, will become a subject of negotiation between the resident and Village. The person the board charged with working out a compromise – Mayor Allen, of course.
Other Business
The annual St. Patrick’s Day parade is Saturday, March 14. The trustees noted those, particularly the elderly, who might like to watch the parade from the vehicles in light of the coronavirus, could use the spots along Main Street by the Post Office as well as along Church Street, as long as they are lined up properly.
Many people are complaining about a political television commercial sponsored by an environmental group that portrays Hoosick Falls in a very dark light in regards to the PFOA crisis. The commercial supports the re-election of Congressman Antonio Delgado, but does not come from the Congressman himself. His office said he is not even allowed, by law, to speak to the sponsors of the ad.
The bid for an 80 KW generator for the new highway garage was awarded to J. Bradley and Sons from Hoosick Falls, for $39,000.
This was also the final meeting for Trustee Ben Patten, who has served on the board since 2013, and is not seeking re-election because of conflicts with employment scheduling. Mayor Allen and the rest of the board expressed their thanks for Mr. Patten’s years of service and dedication to the village.
Village elections are set for Wednesday, March 18 from noon to 9 pm at the Municipal Building. There are three Village board seats open, with trustees Craig Pine and Vanessa Lewis seeking re-election. The third person on the ballot is local businesswomen Deb Alter.