Parking an Issue on Elm Street
by Doug la Rocque
This is not the first time the Hoosick Falls Board of Trustees has dealt with parking problems on Elm Street in the vicinity of First Street and Railroad Avenue. In 2018, they passed a Local Law placing a two hour limit on parking. It has not been particularly enforced, as there are two apartment buildings on the street whose tenants have been used to parking on the street each night. Now however, the Village Pizzeria and Deli has moved into a building on the corner of Elm and Railroad, and a number of cars have been parking on the street while picking up to go orders. The owner of the apartment buildings is upset that this is preventing his tenants from parking in front of his buildings. The problem for him is, a Village Ordinance requires these apartment owners to provide one and a half parking spaces per building for tenants. Deputy Mayor Bob Ryan pointed this out and also said the Village has no authority to reserve parking spaces for any of the tenants. Conversely, the amount of property the landlord owns behind his buildings is small, and probably not large enough to accommodate off street parking.
The Board introduced a Local Law at the Tuesday, November 9 Trustees meeting to address some of these concerns. It makes 60 feet of Elm Street, from Railroad Avenue south, 15 minute parking. These spaces are directly along the Village Pizzeria and Deli building. It also eliminated the two hour parking on the remainder of the road up to First Street.
The Pizzeria and Deli just opened this past week after moving from the Main Street location, and business was brisk. Whether it stays that way and tenants continue to have parking headaches, remains to be seen.
A public hearing on the proposed law will begin 6 pm as part of the Board’s meeting on December 14.
Not Ready to Move Yet
The agenda showed the Trustees planned to consider a resolution declaring themselves lead agency on the State Environmental Quality Review of plans to construct a new water tower on Rogers Avenue replacing the current tank that has been plagued with leaks and other issues. After discussion, and on the advice of Mayor Rob Allen, the resolution was withdrawn for a couple of reasons. The Village lost out on a 2020 NYS grant to fund 75 percent of the replacement cost, and re-applied for 2021. To date, the Village has not heard if they will receive a grant. Also, there have been some line of site issues that might need to be addressed before the Board could declare a negative environmental declaration.
ARPA Monies
The Trustees asked Village Attorney Andy Gilchrist to review the allowable uses for the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) monies received this past July. In particular, they wondered if the funds could pay the Village’s 25 percent share of the Roger Water Tank replacement, if a grant does indeed come in. On the surface, it might.
Mayor Allen said he would prepare a list of the various debts the Village has incurred over the past years, to study if the ARPA monies might be able to relieve some of the debt burden.
Keeping the Fines
When the Village Police write a ticket under state traffic laws, if convicted, that person may be fined by a judge.
In this case, most of the fine money goes to New York State, with very little going in to the Village’s coffers. Chief Bob Ashe would like to see the Village update some of their ordinances concerning parking and some other more minor offices, so his officers can write a similar ticket under the ordinance as the Village is then entitled to keep the entire fine.
The Chief also spoke about problems being created by New York’s new marijuana law, particularly dealing with appropriate enforcement where use may not be legal. He indicated he has been in ongoing discussions with Rensselaer County District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly about this.
News and Notes
Leaf pickup in the Village will end on Friday, November 19. Leaves will still be accepted free of charge at the transfer station. The Village is still having some issues obtaining titles to two of the properties set to be demolished as part of the Woods Brook Buyout program. The Mayor is confident the issues will be resolved. It might however, result in some of the buildings being demolished before the two Main Street structures come down.
The Trustees also approved three agreements with the engineering firm of Barton and Loguidice, in particular as they relate to work on the Greenway. They also approved several property tax adjustments and authorized the Village Clerk to post the Trustee seats up for election in March of 2022. It will involve three trustees for a full two year term, and one more seat for a one year term.
Glad to Help
Mayor Allen also commended Village personnel who assisted the Hoosick Falls School District with their recent sewage problem that closed the school for one day and sent students back to remote learning for another. He noted Kenny Holbrook, Niel Stowell and Jim Hurlburt were especially helpful.