by Bea Peterson
The Village of Hoosick Falls Board met on Tuesday, February 14. Last week’s Eastwick Press briefly discussed the presentation by the HAYC3 Youth Impact, Jr. team encouraging the Board and those attending the meeting to shop locally and the Boards announcement to hire CGR (Center for Government Research) to do a Dissolution Study, Here is the rest of the story.
[private]Contract
The Board approved a two year union contract with CSEA. Employees will receive a two and one half percent salary increase and, where required, a $125 allowance for OSHA approved work boots. The Mayor said the contract was a win/win for the Village and the employees as the Village saved the increased salary money through paying lower insurance costs.
The Board approved a motion for advance payment of $12,600 from NYS DOT for parcels 67, 68 and 69 located on High Street and for part of the Route 22 improvements made last year.
The Board also passed a resolution transferring the Village’s Fire Low Band license KVG941 to the Hoosick Falls Joint Fire District. The Mayor said the Village is no longer using this band and the Fire Department would like to use it for backup. When the license expires, the Fire Department will pick up the cost for retaining it.
Bids
The Board approved motions to advertise for sealed bids for diesel fuel and #2 heating oil for the Highway Dept. and the Water Plant and for Waste and/or Waste and Recyclables pickup. The bids must be received by noon on March 13, 2012. The Mayor noted that with a new contract waste collection rates will undoubtedly go up.
Election
The Board approved a motion to hold voting for the March 20 Village election in the Village Hall and the Head Start building only. Voters in Wards 2, 3 and 4 will vote in the Village Hall on Main Street. Ward 1 voters will vote at the Head Start building on River Road. The Danforth Center will not be used for voting this election. Esther Baker, Sharon Davendonis, Sandy Sargood, Alice Shiland, Paulette Sukuskas and Judy VanDerKar were approved as Election Inspectors.
The Board approved a resolution the take a loan from the Village’s Community Development Fund to cover the Phase 2 Water Project. When the expected funding for the water project is received, the $237,334.12 will be returned to the Community Development Fund.
Member Reports
Trustee Bob Downing reported that from January to December the Village Transfer Station “did very well.” He also noted that waste pickup is down by 30 tons, which means recycling has gone up, which is very good.
Trustee John Hickey suggested the Village put in a flush hydrant on one side of the railroad tracks on Elm Street with a working fire hydrant on the other side of the tracks. Two weeks ago there was a break in the water line on the street. A long term fix would require an eight inch direction bore under the railroad tracks. Costs were estimated at $58,000. The fix to be undertaken by the Village crew will cost $1,500. Mayor Monahan added that the Village would like to fix the line under the tracks but it is cost prohibitive at this time. He estimates it will be two years before the project can be undertaken.
Hickey requested approval to sell the old International dump truck and the old recycling truck, with no minimums. The Board approved.
Hickey further requested approval to have Bradley Electric install exhaust fans in the Maintenance Building at a cost of $4,630. The Board approved.
Trustee Ric DiDonato said he has made many updates to the Village website, villageofhoosickfalls.com. He said there are pages for the various Village departments to put information, including complaints regarding water rates. He encourages people to get information on community events to him so they can also be on the website. The Mayor said great strides have been made on the site with a lot of information included.
Deputy Mayor Paul Haynes sought approval to reduce the rate for processing waste water from outside the Village from $75 per thousand to $50 per thousand. This is more in line with other collection sites and will, hopefully, increase revenue for the Waste Water Treatment Plant. The lower rate will be tried for six months.
Do Not Call Employees At Home
Mayor Monahan said he appreciates the hard work of all the Village employees. He said there is no need for residents to call employees at home. If there is an emergency, they can call 911 or the other emergency number, 686-7900. He said there is no need for calls to be made to employees about high water rates, in one instance cursing an employee’s wife because of a water bill. The Mayor said he would appreciate the community’s cooperation regarding this matter. The water rates are set by the Town Board not the employees.
Ongoing Issues
Dan Thompson once again requested something be done by the Board to resolve the issue on Fiske Street. He said party-goers in the house across the street from his house have backed into his car and his neighbor’s car more than once. He wants a law to prevent that. A lengthy discussion followed as to what can and can’t be done.
Another resident asked if there was any progress on the Griffin Avenue building. The Mayor said there was not much to talk about. He said the owner is still coming back to court. He believes it will be a couple more months before there is any improvement.
The Board concluded the meeting by going into executive session to discuss a personnel issue.[/private]