by David Flint
With Beacon Power in bankruptcy proceedings and required to sell off their frequency regulation plant on Grange Hall Road, Stephentown residents are wondering how the situation will affect the Town. It was a topic of some discussion at Monday’s Town Board meeting. Town Supervisor Larry Eckhardt said he had attended a meeting about the bankruptcy recently with Beacon and NYSERDA officials. He expressed some bewilderment about the pressure being placed on the company by the federal Department of Energy (DOE). Normally, he said, companies filing for Chapter 11 protection are given some time to reorganize, get their affairs in order and come up with a plan to pay their debts. With Beacon, however, it seems the DOE, probably under pressure of their own from higher up, immediately in October called in their $39 million loan and subsequently forced the sale of assets by auction, to include the functioning Stephentown plant, by mid-January. Eckhardt feared some foreign company could come in and dismantle the plant. The Town holds $75,000 in an escrow fund to clean up any mess left over, but he felt it would be a loss for the Town. He recalled that Code Enforcement Officer Dean Herrick and the Planning Board had invested a lot of people power and time in seeing to it that the plant was built and operated safely.
Sam Sowycz, who lives across the road from the plant, asked how the Town is protected should a new owner come in and take over. Herrick explained that all the stipulations of the agreement on maintenance and upkeep of the plant go with the plant and any new owner would be bound by them. Sowycz also noted that Beacon had said the two flywheels that had disintegrated were in a group of eight that were somehow different from the rest of the 200 flywheels. Beacon said that as a precaution they have reduced the operating speed of the remaining six in that group. Would a new owner now speed those flywheels back up? Would they have the expertise to operate the plant safely? Councilman Bill Jennings said that the switch connecting the plant to the grid is controlled by the grid operator and any company operating the plant would have to satisfy the grid operator as to their expertise.
Eckhardt said a lot is up in the air at this point but the Board should have more information on the situation at the next regular meeting since the auction is scheduled for January 16.
Road Materials Bids Accepted
The Board opened bids that had been received from three companies to provide roadwork materials. The Richard G. Senter Trust, located on Staples Road, wanted $8 per yard for bank run gravel at the pit, $13 for #4 material, $10 for winter sand and $15 for ¾ stone screened. William Hammersmith on Watson Road in Cherry Plain asked $5.25 for bank run, $7 for #4 material, $7.50 for winter sand and $8.50 for screened ¾ gravel. D&M Sand & Gravel, operating from a pit also on Watson Road, specified $5.15 for bank run, $6.90 for #4 material, $7.15 for winter sand and $7.15 for ¾ screened gravel. Hammersmith and D&M also offered discount prices if the Stephentown loader is used.
The Board decided, as they have in the past, to accept all three bids and leave it up to the discretion of Highway Superintendent Aldie Goodermote. Councilman PJ Roder said this gives the Town maximum flexibility in purchasing the right materials for the job. Goodermote will also have the option of purchasing on State contract from several other contractors if that should be deemed more appropriate.
Cleaning The Town Hall
The Board also opened bids for cleaning the Town Hall. Stephanie DiCarlo, who currently does the job at $18 per hour, submitted a bid asking for $20 per hour. The only other bid was from Therese Sykes who specified $16 per hour. Sykes stated in her bid that she had been employed in cleaning the Post Office for over 14 years. Joan MacVeigh, a former Postal Service employee who was present at the meeting, said that in her opinion Sykes had done a very good job there. The Board voted to award the cleaning job to Therese Sykes.
Selling A Used Truck
The Board discussed last month selling the old 1989 International plow truck that was replaced by a model year 2000 truck from DeLurey Sales. They considered having Goodermote just place it on his property with a for sale sign. Eckhardt said, however, that he had consulted the Association for Towns and they recommended that the Board put it out to bid. Accordingly, the Board passed a resolution to accept bids to be due by January 13 and to authorize the Town Clerk to advertise the bidding.
The Board passed a resolution to transfer money from an unexpended emergency use fund in the General Account to the Highway Account in the amount of $33,895. This is to offset the amount the Highway Department had to spend to buy the replacement plow truck
In The CHIPS
Eckhardt had in hand a piece of mail that looked like it might contain a check. Sure enough, it was the CHIPS (Consolidated Highway Improvement Program) money from the State in the amount of $100,006.63, a welcome influx of revenue just before Christmas. This State funding to municipalities is intended to support the construction and repair of highways, bridges and other facilities that are not on the State highway system.
Deposits And Spending
The Town Clerk reported she had turned over the sum of $887.40 to the Supervisor for the month of November. The distribution from the Office of the State Comptroller, Justice Court Fund to the Town was $905. The Transfer Station deposited a total of $6,569.
The Board audited and approved claims in the amount of $15,480.87 from the General Account and $54,230.59 from the Highway Account.
The Board set their end-of-year Reconciliation meeting for Wednesday, December 28, the Organizational meeting for Wednesday, January 4, and their next regular meeting for Monday, January 16, all meetings to begin at 7 pm.