by Alex Brooks
At the February 12 meeting of the Hoosick Falls School Board, a resolution was presented to grant tax exemptions from school taxes to war veterans as enabled by a State law passed in December of 2013, and it was passed by a vote of 6-0. It granted the maximum exemptions allowed by the State legislation.
[private]A public hearing had been held on January 29 about these veterans exemptions, which was attended by about 32 people. It appeared to be an audience mostly of vets and their families, but very few spoke.
World War II veteran Harry Michie expressed some misgivings about granting the exemptions because he was concerned that it would result in “our parents and children picking up what we should be paying.” He said a lot of people are close to foreclosure and he didn’t want to contribute to the troubles of hard pressed taxpayers. But most of those present seemed to be in favor of granting the exemptions, and School Superintendent Ken Facin said he had not spoken to anyone in the community who opposed granting the exemptions.
School Board Member John Helft pointed out that those who feel as Michie does can simply decline to apply for their exemption if they so choose.
Wood Pellet Contract Approved
The Board voted to approve the Energy Performance Agreement with Bioenergy Project Partners for purchase and installation of a commercial-scale wood pellet boiler system for heating the school building.
Under the agreement, Bioenergy Project Partners makes certain guarantees about the performance of the equipment to be installed. There was very little discussion because the Board has already discussed all aspects of the project. Board President Greg Laurin said, “Trust me, this is going to save the District a lot of money.”
Girls Lacrosse Trip
The Board approved a trip for the girls lacrosse team to Syracuse to play some games and watch some games on April 12 and 13. About 25 students will go on the trip which will be paid for through fundraising.
In other action, the Board:
• accepted the resignation for retirement purposes of Christine Merrell, School Nurse, with deep regret;
• accepted bids from Time Warner Cable for internet access and Cornerstone Telephone for telephone service;
• noted that there is a budget workshop on March 6 at 6 pm in the High School Library, and the next regular meeting will be March 20 at 7 pm in the high school cafeteria, and
• scheduled the organizational meeting for the 2014-15 school year for July 10 in the high school cafeteria.[/private]