Puts Tri-Town Ambulance Participation On Hold
Board Members Vote Unanimously To Hold Referendum
by Doug La Rocque
It was a contentious Town Board meeting on Monday, December 14, with lots of differences of opinion expressed between the board members and residents in attendance, sometimes between several people all at once. The two topics that caused the most discussion, were the Tri-Town Ambulance proposal, and bottles returned to the recycling center.
First, the ambulance situation. The Grafton Rescue Squad has been proposing for more than a year to create a paid daytime staff to cover the towns of Grafton, Petersburgh and Berlin. An instrumental part of this proposal is the result of the Berlin Fire Department no longer operating a rescue squad and surrendering the Certificate of Need, which the Grafton Rescue Squad picked up. Berlin had lost all of its emergency Medical Technicians and was no longer legally able to respond to a call.
It is day times when the ambulance squads have the biggest problem assembling a crew. Grafton reported having received 22 calls in November, and was unable to respond to four of them, all during the daytime.
Throughout the town budget season this Fall, how much each town would contribute toward this paid service, was a topic of much debate in both Grafton and Petersburgh. The Berlin Town Board said it recognized the need for daytime staffing, and approved $61,000 to pay its share. Grafton approved a budget that contains $55,000 and Petersburgh’s budget contains $35,000 for shared ambulance services. A question was asked why Petersburgh’s contribution is less. Grafton Rescue Squad representative Donna Baldwin said it was because Petersburgh was counting on its own ambulance to respond during the daytime hours, and if it was not able, then the daytime paid crew would be called. The Eastwick Press spoke to Petersburgh Town Councilman Alan Webster, who said they are considering that scenario, but it is not yet “cast in stone.”
Grafton Supervisor Ingrid Gundrum told the meeting a draft contract with the Rescue Squad has been received from the town’s attorney, Girvin and Ferlazzo, but still needs to be finalized before the board could vote on it. It was then that Councilman Steve Beaudry said he was uncomfortable with the five people on the board deciding to spend $58,000, without more public input. He further stated several people have told him they are against the idea, and he thinks it should go to a public referendum first. Council members Frank Lewandusky and Jodie Deschaine agreed, and after some discussion it was put to a vote, with Supervisor Gundrum and Councilman Jeff Wagar also voting yes. As to how soon such a referendum could take place is unclear, as the draft contract would have to be finalized and there are many other procedural steps that would have to be completed first.
In a comment not aimed specifically at the Grafton Town Board, but meant to express his frustration at the time and the complexity of the entire project, Petersburgh Councilman Webster said he feels there is an urgent need for this paid service and continued delays “may be tragic.”
Now, On To Bottle Returns
When Eric Buckley was on the council, he would clean out the bottles collected at the recycling center on a regular basis, redeem them, and present the town with a check for the redeemed amount, to be placed in the Youth Commission’s budget line. Since Mr. Buckley left the board at the end of 2019, there has not been a regular collection of these bottles and they have been stacking up. Also questioned was how much money the Youth Commission has as a result of these bottle donations, and at previous meetings the question went unanswered.
At the Monday meeting, Supervisor Gundrum said she now has a spread sheet that logs each check presented for deposit. She also said she recently emptied the bottles out of the recycling center and has a check coming from 6 Center Redemption for $162. She would like it to go to the youth commission, perhaps to help build up funds for repairs to the town’s basketball court.
Earlier this year, Councilman Lewandusky also collected the bottles, which he apparently gave to the area Boy Scout Troop. At the time, that created controversy over whether he had the authority to do so without board support. Ms. Gundrum justified her actions by saying she asked Council members Beaudry and Lewandusky, if they wanted to handle the latest backup, and claims both said no.
Councilman Beaudry then made a motion that the bottle returns be given to the boy scouts on a monthly basis, but that met with opposition from Ms. Gundrum, who thought the money should continue to go to the Youth Commission, with an eye toward the basketball court. She volunteered to handle the bottle collection herself. Mr. Beaudry’s motion failed by a 2 to 3 vote, with council members Deschaine and Wagar joining Supervisor Gundrum to vote it down.
There Was Other Business
While these two items dominated most of the nearly two hour meeting, there was other business. The board voted 5 to 0 to appoint John Oliver, Mike Smith and Alex Bassey to the newly reincarnated Ethics Board and approved a 2021 contract with the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society to house stray animals picked up by the dog control officer. The cost is $100 for the first night, and $70 thereafter.
There appears to be a rodent problem in the Town Hall, and the town has received two quotes from Terminix and Absolute Pest Control to solve the problem. Terminix was the high bidder at $4,546, Absolute came in with a lower, less aggressive proposal. The prices met with some board concern, with Councilman Beaudry saying “that’s about a hundred dollars a mouse.” The full board agreed it needs some more quotes.
The heater in the town hall is apparently quite unreliable. It can work one day, and not another. The Board has a $2,795 quote from Trojan Energy Systems to replace the circulators, but again the full board balked at the price, and decided to seek at least two more estimates.
The Grafton Community Library announced it has received a $38,000 grant to create a small kitchen and media center in the basement. Town Clerk Vicky Burdick turned over a check for $7,353 for November receipts and the board set Monday, December 28 at 6:30 for its annual year end meeting. That will be held at the Senior Center. The Board will gather again on Monday, January 4 at 6:30 pm for its yearly re-organizational meeting, the site to be determined.