by Alex Brooks
Petersburgh Building Inspector Doug Hull presented a report to the Town Board at its meeting on Monday, January 21, on the Jones Garage (on the north side of Route 2 in the middle of town). It said he inspected the building on December 18 and declared it unsafe for occupancy. He posted signs to that effect on the building at that time.
Now the Town is considering whether the building needs to be taken down because it poses a safety hazard.[private]Hull’s report said the building is “unsafe and unstable.” The foundation has failed and is completely gone in some sections. The chimney is leaning to the point where it may fall, and joists are rotting so that “they are pulling off what is left of the foundation.” There were numerous photos accompanying the report.
The Town has not been able to reach the owner of the building. Supervisor Siegfried Krahforst has said that attempts to contact the owner have received no reply.
Town Attorney Kevin Engel said if the Town is going to intervene because the building is unsecured and hazardous, it must be careful to follow proper legal procedures. He suggested as a start that a more detailed report be prepared for the Town Board for next month’s meeting and they can then deliberate on what action to take based on a detailed enumeration of the building’s structural deficiencies. The Board asked Hull to prepare such a report in time for the February meeting.
Supervisor Krahforst said he had spoken to someone at the County about the other well-known derelict property in Town, a building at the back of the Mill Yard known as the “Shirt Factory.” This building belongs to the County at this point, and Krahforst said they are trying to arrange financing to have it taken down and cleaned up in the spring.
NYS Gun Law Protest
Petersburgh Councilman Duane Goodermote put forward for the Board’s consideration a resolution condemning the recently passed gun control law known as the NY SAFE Act as unconstitutional and declaring that the people of Petersburgh are opposed to the law.
The Board thought they should have a public hearing before adopting the resolution. Bill Seel said he thought such a hearing would be divisive. He envisioned “people who have gotten along for years arguing fiercely over this one point.” For this reason Seel felt it would be better not to take up the issue, and David Alderman concurred. The Board agreed to take no action on the matter.
Water District
Supervisor Krahforst said the refinancing of the Water District debt was completed on December 28, 2012. He said the Town had to pay the interest on the old loan at the closing, instead of in January when it is usually paid. This, along with the bond counsel’s fee, put the Water District in the red at the end of the year.
Bill Seel said he would like to see a more detailed accounting of just how much was paid and for what. Supervisor Krahforst said he would provide that.
The Water District normally receives quite a bit of revenue in the first three months of year so it is expected to be back in the black by spring time, and, of course, the refinancing will reduce the District’s interest expense which will improve its budget position.
New Water District Superintendent Ben Krahforst came to the meeting and spoke briefly about his work. He said he is working on schooling to get his certification as a Water District Operator. In the meantime he is “working on Jim Winn’s license.”
He said the chlorine residual at the tap is “pretty high” and he is making adjustments to bring that down. He said wells 4 and 5 are off-line and he will be trying to “figure that out” when the weather improves.
Campaign Signs
The Board considered passing a local law requiring everyone to take down campaign signs within 7 days after the election but, after considering the matter in detail, decided against doing that. Duane Goodermote felt that signs on private property should not be regulated by the Town, and Bill Seel was concerned about how such a law would be enforced. Paying the Town’s Code Enforcement Officer to cite people for failure to remove signs and taking up the Court’s time hearing such cases seemed expensive and impractical. Town Attorney Kevin Engel suggested the Town try first a voluntary effort to call candidates after the election and ask them to remove the signs.
False Alarm
An alarm was activated at the Memorial Hall when it was rented for a function, and the Fire Department responded, but there was no fire. Supervisor Krahforst said people should be aware that those responsible for false alarms can be charged. The fire alarm company came to the Veterans Memorial Hall to check out and reset the system. The $95 fee for this was charged to the group which had rented the Hall.
Archives Grant
The Board passed a resolution supporting a State grant for archives preservation and agreeing to participate in the project and use the electronic records management system to handle the electronic records generated by the work of the grant. The grant will pay for someone to come to Petersburgh and turn paper records into digital records.
Odds & Ends
Petersburgh Assessor Craig Surprise said anyone who is turning 65 during 2013 should come into the office before March 1 to get signed up for the enhanced STAR exemption.
The Board passed a formal endorsement of the Rensselaer County Hazard Mitigation Plan. They had previously approved it but had not yet passed a formal resolution on it.[/private]