$1.5 Million Approved For Wastewater Treatment
by Doug La Rocque
Robert Flores of Delaware Engineering gave the Hoosick Falls Board of Trustees an update on their timeline and an expense breakdown for the installation of ultra-violet disinfection equipment at the Waste Water Treatment Plant during the Tuesday, June 9 meeting, held via a teleconferencing platform. This is a requirement placed on the village by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and needs to be up and running by April of 2022. Mr. Flores told the Trustees, to meet this timeline, they must authorize a design plan no later than the end of this month. The board in turn, authorized Mayor Rob Allen to sign a $150,000 contract with Delaware Engineering to get the project underway.
The entire cost of the installation is estimated to be $1.5 million, of which $1 million will be covered by a Water Infrastructure Improvement Act (WIIA) grant, obtained by the village last December. Mr. Flores indicated that as part of the contract, they will also help the village apply for a second WIIA grant to cover 25% of the remaining $500,000 not paid for by the original grant. Yet another grant for 25% might be possible, but Mr. Flores feels it is not likely, given COVID-19’s impact on filing timelines and the state’s dire fiscal situation.
Mr. Flores believes construction could begin next spring, with competition in time to meet the state’s deadline.
Black Lives Matter
Mayor Allen says the Village has received a request from a group of citizens to hold a peaceful Black Lives Matter candlelight vigil on June 25 in Wood Park. He told the trustees, they hope to see something positive come out of the death of George Floyd last month, while in the custody of the Minneapolis, MN Police Department. Mayor Allen said they indicated the expected attendance would be 50 to 100 people, although he feels the number could be much higher.
The applicants promised there would be social distancing and would require all participants to wear a mask. The Mayor indicated he and Police Chief Bob Ashe were in favor and felt all the required logistics could be worked out. Prior to a board vote on the matter, Trustee Kevin O’Malley asked if it was ok for potentially several hundred people to come to the park for this vigil, why could they not hold band concerts this summer. Mayor Allen’s answer was it was probably impossible for several musicians to gather in the gazebo and still be 6 feet from each other. Also, it would be nearly impossible for musicians to perform while wearing a mask.
The board did give its unanimous blessing to the event.
DeFunding The Police
During the public comment section of the meeting, Hoosick Street resident Spencer Dawson urged the board to consider defunding the Police Department, a move that has become a part of the Black Lives Matter platform. Mr. Dawson also urged, that in light of defunding, the board consider not hiring a part-time officer, which was on the night’s agenda. He felt the money for this officer could be better used for other community programs, or even donated to the Black Lives Matter movement. He found no support among the board, who did indeed approve the hiring of Michael Burgess later in the evening. Chief Ashe told the Trustees during his monthly report, the calls continue to go up and he needs the additional officer to maintain 24/7 coverage. He also stated that Officer Burgess has been working for the Mechanicville Police Department and comes fully trained.
We All Scream for Ice Cream
Last spring the application for a peddlers permit for the Mr. Ding-a-ling Ice Cream truck ran into problems, particularly over the volume of the music the truck plays, when the music should be shut off especially while it is parked, where it is parked, and service dates. The prior year the truck was around on Halloween, something many trustees were not comfortable with.
The details were eventually ironed out, and that paved the way for a much smoother application process this year. Owner Brian Collis also had a detailed COVID-19 cleaning plan that met with the trustees approval, and his permit was given given the thumbs up.
Other Matters
As usual, the agenda for the trustees monthly meeting was full. Mayor Allen announced work continues on the new boat launch at the southern end of the Greenway Trail. The project is funded through a grant and the work is in conjunction with the Village, the Greenway Committee and the engineering firm of Barton and Loguidice.
There are still some bugs to be worked out with the installation of the new phone system, something Mayor Allen hopes to have resolved shortly. There were three new cases of COVID-19 identified in the village last week and the Mayor took a few minutes to remind everyone, that as the Capital Region begins to re-open, to continue to wear masks whenever they cannot socially distance to help prevent a spike of COVID-19 cases.
The new Highway Department Garage is nearly complete with only some minor work left to be finished. There is some paving, hot patching of pot holes and sidewalk work on the agenda for the coming weeks. The department is also looking to hire two to three people for summer help. Please contact the department if interested.
Speaking of complete, the same goes for the Lyman Street and River Street Pump Stations, part of the Sewer project. Mayor Allen showed a power point presentation of the newly constructed buildings. Change orders for J Squared Construction as to its work with the Sewer improvements were also approved.
Price changes for household garbage and added costs for recycling were again tabled, as was a discussion about a restaurant’s request for a food truck.
A request by a resident to adjust a water bill because of a leak was rejected, as per the village’s local law governing the matter.
The final note for the evening was about the proposed “Chicken Law” and rules that would govern the possession of chickens within the village limits. Mayor Allen said it would be on the July agenda. No chicken dancing will be allowed.