by David Flint
Beverly McClave, speaking for the Stephentown Historical Society, announced at the Stephentown Town Board meeting on Monday that the Town would be celebrating its 225th anniversary in 2009. The Society has started planning to observe it. It is expected that there will be some sort of event in March possibly involving school children putting on a skit depicting the signing of the original charter. Food will be served based upon old time recipes. The Society hopes that all Town organizations will join in a celebration of some kind to be held in midsummer. And in the fall there may be an historic house tour.
McClave asked for the support of the Town Board, financial and otherwise. She asked for Town Board representation on the anniversary planning committee. Councilman Larry Eckhardt volunteered.
Plans For The SES Building
With Stephentown Elementary School expected to be closed at the end of this school year, Town officials and others have been exploring the feasibility of turning it into a community center. Town Supervisor Tom Sherman reported on the progress of a committee that has been gathering facts and cost data and looking into what uses might be made of the school.
Sherman said the committee, which includes himself and representatives from the Berlin Central School District and the Stephentown Memorial Library as well as a number of individual Town citizens, envisions a “Quality of Life Center” that would be a single distribution point for social, cultural, medical and educational services. Cultural services would include information and exhibits on history, arts and sciences, farming and rural life and area attractions and activities. Social services could encompass a meeting hall, a meals on wheels distribution center and activities for youth groups and seniors. The facility could also serve as a health care site for a visiting doctor, dentist and County mental health services. It might also be a drop-off point for prescriptions for the convenience of seniors and others. The school might also continue as an educational center, offering after school programs, summer programs and post-secondary and continuing education courses for a variety of groups and individuals in the community. Sherman said he believed that there would be grant money available from organizations such as Cisco Systems for an educational community center.
Sherman provided some rough figures that projected the Town budgeting $62,000 or 24% of the operating cost in the first year, rising to 35% ten years out. Other moneys would come from donations and fund raising and from County and State support. He emphasized that this is still in the talking stages but he wanted to get the public thinking about it so that the extent of public support can later be assessed.
Councilman Eckhardt asked Cyril Grant, who is the Buildings & Grounds Superintendent for the School District, whether the District might not have other plans for the building. Grant said there had been discussion about possibly using it for administrative offices, for BOCES programs or for a shared alternative learning program with other school districts but that nothing had been decided yet.
The GPS Said╔
Supervisor Sherman reported that the Board has been notified that a person who crashed his car last February trying to cross the non-existent Pease Road bridge is attempting to reopen a claim against the Town. He had filed a claim earlier, but it was denied by the Town’s insurance company. The claim is that there was no sign indicating the bridge was out, but Sherman said there was indeed a sign. The driver contended at the time that he was following the directions of his GPS. Councilman Prescott noted that he was going fast enough so that he “jumped” a sand pile in front of the stream. Prescott suggested that the Town should file a counter claim demanding money to repair the guard rail that the driver destroyed.
Martin Luther King Day Observance
Sherman said the Board had received a letter urging them to observe Martin Luther King Day by not holding a Town Board meeting as usual on the third Monday of January. Sherman regretted that the letter was not signed, but he agreed with the sentiment and so had drafted a resolution that the January meeting be moved to the fourth Monday. This generated discussion about disrupting townspeople’s schedules and about other holidays that might also be observed in the same way, such as Presidents Day in February and Veterans Day in November. The Board decided to table the resolution and consider it again at the Organizational meeting at the beginning of January when the holidays for the Highway Department and Transfer Station are set.
Bids Requested
The Board passed two resolution regarding cleaning services for the Town Hall. The first authorized the Supervisor to pay Barbara Burdick for November and December an amount of $25 per hour for four hours per week of cleaning. The second provided for advertising for sealed bids for cleaning services. The bids are due at the Town Clerk’s Office by noon, December 31.
Councilman PJ Roder reported that after considerable researching of fuel pump key systems, the Board was now ready to ask for bids for such a system at the Town Garage. The Board passed a resolution authorizing the advertising of a request for sealed bids for the system. Specifications are available at the Town Clerk’s Office. Bids are due at her office by noon on December 31.
Another resolution was passed authorizing the Town Clerk to advertise for bids for snowplowing at the Transfer Station for the year 2009. Specifications are available at her office, and bids are due by noon on December 31.
Shared Municipal Services
Sherman notified the Board that he had received a proposal from the Berlin Central School District asking the Town to join them along with the County and other towns in applying for a Shared Municipal Services grant from the NYS Department of State. The project to be funded is entitled the Eastern Rensselaer and Columbia County Shared Vehicle Maintenance Facility Feasibility Study. The study is designed, among other things, to “identify opportunities to reduce public agency spending and provide superior service in vehicle maintenance operations by sharing facilities.” The cost to Stephentown for participating in the grant application would be no more than $700. Sherman thought it would be beneficial to all of the participants, and he asked the Board to consider it for the next meeting.
Water’s OK
Councilman Eckhardt reported that both the monthly water test at the Town Hall and the annual nitrate test were both well within acceptable limits.
Rags & Uniforms
Cyril Grant questioned a claim in the amount of $136 from Rus Uniforms since the contract with that company had been cancelled. Sherman replied that although the contract for uniforms had been cancelled the Town still had a two year contract with Rus to provide rags.
He added that he was still involved in negotiations regarding a situation with the company (the Unifirst Corporation) that replaced Rus for a short time before the Board decided in August to cease contracting with a uniform company and instead provide Highway staff an annual stipend for uniforms. He said he was working on getting it solved. PJ Roder asked what the situation was. Sherman said that an agreement had been signed “that shouldn’t have been.”
Power’s Back
Councilman Eckhardt asked Highway Superintendent Aldy Goodermote whether any townspeople were still without power due to the ice storm. Goodermote replied that to his knowledge there were not.
What’s With Beacon Power?
Sherman asked Brian Baker if he had any knowledge as to when Beacon Power intends to start construction of their frequency regulation plant on Grange Hall Road. Baker said he understood they had made a presentation at the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce where they talked about possibly installing the first two pods in January or February but he had no first hand knowledge. He said he believed the company was still waiting on the awarding of a loan guarantee from the US Department of Energy that would provide funds for 75% of the $50 million cost of the Stephentown installation.
Deposits & Spending
The Town Clerk reported she had turned over to the Supervisor the sum of $613.63 for the month of November. The Town Court reported $3,080 in fines to the State Comptroller, but the amount to be distributed to the Town from the Justice Court Fund has not been determined yet. The Transfer Station deposited a total of $4,578.
The Board audited and approved claims in the amount of $21,498.90 from the General Account and $12,522.20 from the Highway Account.
The Board set the Organizational Meeting for the year 2009 for Wednesday, January 7, at 7:30 pm, and their next regular meeting tentatively for Monday, January 19, at 7:30 pm, unless the date is changed to observe Martin Luther King Day.