by Alex Brooks
Petersburgh Supervisor Siegfried Krahforst said there is $36,152 left in the Town accounts. He said money is due to come in from Federal Highway funds to reimburse the Town for money it has laid out on the Broken Wheel Bridge project. He is hoping that that money, and maybe also this year’s CHIPS money, will come in before the end of the year.
[private]Krahforst said he has been meeting with people and trying to complete the transfer of the LaPosta property to Town ownership. He hopes to get it finished in the near future. This is a strip of land along the west side of the Veterans Memorial Hall which has been in the process of being given to the Town for many years.
Veteran Exemptions
The Board passed two resolutions concerning Veterans exemptions. One made the Town exemptions the same as those used by Rensselaer County, and the other allows Veterans of the “Cold War” to claim exemptions.
Assessor
Petersburgh Assessor Craig Surprise said he received a list from New York State showing that 72 people who have previously had Basic STAR exemptions have not yet signed up on the State web site to register their exemptions. He said the deadline is December 31 for these Basic STAR exemptions and urged those eligible to sign up for their exemptions. He said anyone who is having trouble getting signed up for their exemption can call his office for help.
Water District
Water District Superintendent Ben Krahforst said things are going smoothly in the Water District. He said about 11,000 gallons per day are being used, which is normal. He has started the circulator pump to prevent freeze-ups in the tank.
PVMCC
The PVMCC’s third quarter report was read. During that quarter the PVMCC gave $250 to Boy Scout Troop 222 and $238.35 to the Petersburgh Summer Youth Program. These funds came from the Stewart’s Holiday Match Program. The money is raised when Stewart’s customers make donations during the Holidays, and Stewart’s matches those donations with its own contribution. The funds are dedicated to helping kids programs and are given out through a grant program. The PVMCC applies every year on behalf of Petersburgh youth. For the last few years, the PVMCC has received $1,000 each year from this program. Although their fourth quarter report has not been written yet, in this quarter PVMCC gave money from this program to the youth basketball program that operates in the Veterans Hall.
Other News
The Board established a fee of $75 to do a search of Town records on a particular property. Petersburgh has been doing this kind of search without charge, but most other towns charge for a search.
Supervisor Krahforst said he sent a letter to the County alerting them to the dangers of the derelict property in the Mill Yard known as the Shirt Factory, asking them to secure the property.
The Board accepted the resignation of Richard Snyder from the Town Board effective December 31 after six years of service on that Board. He resigned to take his position as Town Justice on January 1 after having been elected to that post in November.
The Board passed a resolution making Snyder a signatory for the Justice Court accounts.
Richard Snyder told the Board that the Petersburgh ambulance is back in service. The vehicle was out of service for almost a month because they were waiting for a part to repair the engine. It needed an oil seal, which has been installed, and the ambulance is now in good working order.[/private]