A Raucous Public Comment Session At Town Board Meeting
by Miranda Sehl
Efforts to establish a three town paid ambulance during daytime hours led to some questions about a recent meeting. The meeting in question about the ambulance took place on Thursday, August 6, with representatives of Berlin, Petersburgh and Grafton present. Grafton in fact had three board members there, Supervisor Ingrid Gundrum, Councilman Frank Lewandusky and Councilman Jeff Wager. At the Grafton board meeting on Monday, August 10, it was mentioned whether three board members being present meant they actually had a quorum to act but was never really answered.
Besides the town officials, an attorney, Patrick Fitzgerald from the law Firm of Girvin and Ferlazzo, was also in attendance. Supervisor Grundrum said he has knowledge of what needs to be done legally to form a three town consortium. Also there were two representatives from other Emergency Services organizations, that raised the question, who invited them? Grafton’s Donna Baldwin says she asked them directly, and says they answered: Mr. Lewandusky. Ms. Baldwin asked Mr. Lewandusky during public comment, if he did indeed extend the invitation, to which Mr. Lewandusky replied your five minutes (allowed speaking time) are up.
Councilman Steve Beaudry also got into a heated exchange with resident Beth Wagar, over a facebook posting that Mr. Beaudry says alleges some Grafton town members are against any participation in the ambulance accord. He explained that the rumor is simply not true and asked the public to speak directly with them instead of spreading rumors on Facebook. Ms. Wagar said she will continue to post what she believes to be the truth.
As to the Thursday meeting, both Supervisor Gundrum and Councilman Lewandusky admitted it should have been a public meeting and it was a mistake not to invite the public. Councilman Lewandusky also said “we are trying to work toward a mutual agreement between all the towns, looking for accountability, who is responsible for what and contracts so we can make sure it is best for all the towns.” Berlin Town Supervisor Rob Jaeger, who was in attendance at the Grafton meeting as well, explained the shared services process established several years ago by Governor Cuomo, that could save each town up to 75 percent of the total savings determined by what each town would have to actually pay, should it create a paid service on its own. At this point, there is no other meeting of the three towns set.
Ambulance Grant Update
The town was awarded a $150,000 grant from New York State toward the purchase of a new ambulance several years ago, but to date still has not received the money. The discussion as to why continued at the Monday night meeting, Supervisor Gundrum indicating she had spoken with the Dormitory Association of the State of New York (DASNY) and they are simply looking for a copy of the paid bill. That totaled $160,213, but only $150,000 is reimbursable.
Councilman Lewandusky countered he spoke to a Josh Powers at DASNY who said they had not received the required packet containing the title, registration, proof of payment and the invoice.
Fly Car
According the Grafton Rescue Squad Report, the Fly Car (a first response vehicle) they recently purchased to help cover the Town of Berlin and increase response time to the patient, has actually answered four calls in the first week that it was certified. As to the Squad itself, they responded to 25 calls in July, and were unable to respond to 4.
At the July meeting, the board voted 3 to 2 to establish a Facebook page for the town, and appointed Town Clerk Vicky Burdick its administrator. She reported she is having some problems getting the account established but is positive it will soon be up and running. The board discussed turning comments off to reduce time and money required to manage the account.
Recycling Isn’t As Bad Off As Was Thought
At last month’s workshop meeting, the projected deficit in the recycling budget was a topic of discussion. At previous board meetings, it appeared the recycling center was running deeply in the red, and board members were discussing changes or price hikes might be needed. At the workshop it was discovered that after all revenue updates were totaled, it was only $501 short of breaking even, meaning things were not as dire as previously thought, and maybe drastic changes really aren’t needed.
Other Topics
The website building company Civic Plus is offering to create a town website as well as offering live streaming of town board meetings and an online archive. The price is pegged at $6,000 to $12,000 to set it up and $2,000 per year to manage it. The board discussed the possibility of simply using YouTube links on the town’s website or Facebook instead.
The Post Office, Senior Center and Gazebo in the Town Park all need some maintenance work, as does the door on the Assessor’s office. There are now four applicants for appointments to an Ethics Board. They are Mike Smith, Nancy LaRocque, John Oliver and David Buckley.
The town has received a check from National Grid for $2,690 for street light reimbursement following the recent upgrading, and the board passed the same Hazard Mitigation Plan that has been or will be before all municipalities in the county. It was received from the county just hours before the meeting, and Councilman Lewandusky wanted action on it delayed until the August 24 workshop meeting to give board members time to review it. The measure needs to be approved by August 28, and Mr. Lewandusky was opposed to passage at this time.