Board Hears Water Tank Update
by Doug La Rocque
Following the resolution of the recent boil water order for Water District # 2 caused by a loose mouse in the house (pump house, that is) the Berlin Town Board heard more about water at its Thursday, August 13 meeting. Engineer Tom Suozzo of the firm Cedarwood Engineering was in attendance to update the Board on the construction of a water tank for District 2. Site work is underway, and will include the draining of a pond near the current reservoir. He said the tank’s dimensions will be 56 by 14 feet when completed. He indicated he would have the preliminary design ready for the Board’s review at the September meeting. This design may include two booster stations to help with water pressure, particularly uphill from the tank. Town Supervisor Rob Jaeger said the Town has currently received $66,000 from the Environmental Facilities Corporation as part of the grant the town received to construct the water tank. The construction was ordered by the NYS Department of Health because of unpotable water in the reservoir, which they feared could leak back down into the distribution system, resulting in a permanent boil water order.
Ambulance Update
Captain Joe Allain and member Donna Baldwin from the Grafton Rescue Squad were also at the meeting to update the Board on their efforts to establish a paid daytime ambulance service for the towns of Berlin, Petersburgh and Grafton. Issues such as a tentative budget and contracts between the Squad and the towns still remain to be worked out. The Berlin board stands in full support of the idea, particularly after the Berlin Fire Department ceased its ambulance service because of a lack of qualified volunteers and transferred its certificate of need to the Grafton Rescue Squad.
Supervisor Jaeger asked Captain Allain to give them an estimate of how much the squad has spent covering calls in Berlin so far, so they may be reimbursed. He also said he was now looking to have a paid service start January 1 of 2021, so they all three towns could qualify for an up to 75% reimbursement for their share of the cost from New York State for using shared services. For his part, Mr. Allain said all monies spent by his squad to cover Berlin have come out of its fund raising monies, not from any tax dollars given the squad by the Town of Grafton. The captain also asked the Board if they knew of any land someone may donate in Petersburgh to station the daytime ambulance in the middle of the coverage area. He indicated the Petersburgh Volunteers Ambulance building just isn’t big enough to house another ambulance.
Summer Roadwork
Highway Superintendent Jim Winn said typical summer work is keeping them busy, but they also managed to lay some cold mix on Bly Hollow Road and pave Hilltop Road and some of the area in the Transfer Station. Mr. Winn said he is still waiting on the CHIPs money from New York State. He is confident the Town will receive at least 80% of what they were promised before the onset of COVID-19, but is not sure of anything over that 80% mark.
Town Clerk Anne Maxon reported local, county and state revenues of $5,076 and non-local revenues of $1,203.