by Alex Brooks
The Town of Petersburgh is moving forward with plans to build a salt shed for its Highway Department. Town Supervisor Peter Schaaphok and Highway Superintendent Ray Harrison have been researching the cost of salt sheds and have concluded that the approximate cost will be $30,000 for a 30’ x 60’ salt shed.
The Town Board authorized Schaaphok to have some drawings made up for contractors to use in bidding on building the concrete base. They hope to get the bid documents ready in time to have the bids submitted by the October 19 regular meeting so the Board can hire a contractor and get the project going before winter.
Schaaphok said the upper part of it, which keeps the rain and snow off, will be a metal frame with a fabric covering. Harrison said he had planned a place in the Highway yard to put the salt shed and found that there is “plenty of room” for it.
Schaaphok said the Town had recently received $53,000 from FEMA to help the Town with the cost of roads and culverts that had to be fixed after last winter’s ice storm, and this influx of funds will help to cover the cost of the salt shed.
Building Inspector’s Report
Petersburgh Building Inspector Doug Hull said he has been trying to get in touch with Curtis Main concerning removal of unlicensed vehicles stored on his property on Potter Hill Road, but he said Main hasn’t returned his calls. He said he had gone up there the day before at the invitation of Main’s neighbor Duane Nealon and viewed the situation from Nealon’s property. From there he could see that there are still about 20 vehicles visible. He said Main picked up an application for a building permit for a pole barn in which to store some of the vehicles but no application has been made yet. Hull said his plan is to issue a violation appearance ticket and have the Town Justices decide what to do about the ongoing situation there.
The Shirt Factory
Schaaphok said lab tests on the roofing material of the deteriorated building in the mill yard known as “the Shirt Factory” have found that it contains asbestos, and, therefore, demolition of the building will cost $40,000 rather than the $15,000 it would have been without the asbestos. He said the Town can’t pay that much so the problem remains. He recommended that more signs be put up, warning of the danger. Parts of the building have collapsed already, and neighbors say that kids go into the building sometimes. Schaaphok said the County will take it for unpaid taxes eventually, but that might take a year or more. In the meantime, a hazardous condition remains, and the Town is stymied.
Water District
Schaaphok reported that two pumps burned out at the same time about a month ago. They had to be immediately fixed, at a cost of about $7,000, in order to keep the water flowing. He said some kind of surge or power outage seems to have been the cause, and he is looking into whether insurance might cover it.
Susan Nelsen spoke to the Board on behalf of the Petersburgh Veterans Memorial Community Center. She said the PVMCC is setting up its fall schedule, which will include Music & Art nights, a Halloween Party (and haunted house put on by the Boy Scouts), a Veterans Day Supper on November 7 and a Holiday Craft Fair, among other events. She said her group is seeking to increase Hall usage both through advertising for rentals and creating new programming. She said she has been working on PVMCC’s budget for the upcoming year and inquired of Town officials about the procedure for submitting her proposed budget. Peter Schaaphok said the best thing would be for him to meet with her and Sue Dawes, the PVMCC Treasurer, to discuss the budget. They agreed to set a time to do that.
The Board set a Special Meeting for Wednesday, October 14, to audit the books of the Town Justice Court at 7 pm and to hold a Budget Workshop at 7:30 pm on the proposed Town Budget for 2010.