by Kieron Kramer
The family of Maurice L. Maxon, known as Kipper, came to the well of the Rensselaer County Legislature to receive copies of the resolution passed last month commemorating Kipper’s passing. [private]Twelve family members, spanning generations, were in attendance. District Five Legislators Stan Brownell and Lester Goodermote, who represent the towns of Stephentown, Berlin, Petersburgh, Grafton, Hoosick and the Village of Hoosick Falls, sponsored the resolution last month.
Brownell made the presentation, and he began by reading the resolution. According to the resolution, Maxon was born in Cambridge, NY. He was the son of the late Maurice and Irma (Adams) Maxon. He was a life long resident of Cherry Plain and graduated from Berlin Central High School, Class of 1971. Kipper retired from the Rensselaer County Highway Department after 28 years of service, was a caretaker of the Berlin Community Cemetery, an employee of the Berlin Central School District and worked at the Berlin Transfer Station. Active in his community he was a member of the Berlin Volunteer Fire Department and served on its Corporate Board of Directors. He was a past Vice President of the Taconic Valley Soccer Club as well as coach, referee and fan. He volunteered with the Ryan and Courtney Motorcycle Run.
The resolution says, “Kipper will be missed by his family: his wife of 36 years, Debby; his daughter, Shannon (Dan); his sons, Daryl (Carly), Jeremy (Rena), and Billy (Sherasia); his grandchildren, Darcie, Shelby, Chase, Cale, and Easton; his brothers and sisters, Bonita (Ron), Maureen, Bill (Carol), Yolanda (Mike), Jay and Priscilla (Sean). He was pre-deceased by his daughter Darcy Mae.”
After reading the resolution Brownell made some comments. Losing a loved one is bad but when you go through the holidays the loss is even worse, Brownell said. “He was family here [at the County]. Go to any fire department event, the Maxons are always there. It took three members to replace Kipper at the drinks stand at the Berlin Fire Department Lobster Bake. When you went to his funeral and the line went down the street, it showed how much he was loved.” And to the family Brownell concluded, “Thank you for sharing him with us.”
More Enforcement On Route 7
In response to the November 19 tractor trailer rollover on the dangerous stretch of NY Route 7 between the Bennington Battlefield Motel and the intersection of Routes 7 and 22, the Legislature passed a resolution Tuesday requesting an additional safety review of the road. Vice Chairman of the Legislature Stan Brownell and Legislator Lester Goodermote introduced the resolution at the December 9 meeting as they have done numerous times in the past after other disastrous incidents on that stretch of road. The resolution was approved by a vote of 18-0.
Recent steps by the State, including most recently rumble strips, have improved safety conditions on the road, but the accident on November 19 shows that additional measures are needed, Brownell said. Goodermote was absent from this meeting due to illness, but Brownell said he believes the accidents involving the tractor trailers center around excessive speed and shifting loads. Unfamiliarity with sections of Route 7 in Hoosick may also be a factor.
Brownell was interviewed after the meeting by reporters from Channel 10 and 13 since he represents the district in which the dangerous road is located. After the TV interviews Brownell said that he had “had coffee last week” with Sam Zhou, the NYSDOT Regional Director who placed the repaving of Route 22 south of Berlin on the DOT project list, to consider new ideas. Straightening the road there is impossibly expensive and is complicated by the proximity of the Tibbetts State Forest and Shingle Hollow Brook. Zhou and Brownell agreed that the next step is to increase enforcement of the speed limit on the road. Cars can travel at 55 mph; the speed limit for trucks is 35, said Brownell. Zhou will ask the NY State Police to enforce the speed limits, and Brownell agreed to ask the Rensselaer County Sheriff to increase enforcement of the speed limits as well. The probable next step is to install flashing lights at the dangerous curves in order to get drivers’ attention.
$20.9m Bond Vote
Talk about consensus. Fifty-seven resolutions were introduced at this session and every single one except two passed unanimously. In fact, one failed to pass, and it was a pretty important one – a resolution authorizing the issuance of a $20,900,000 bond to finance the costs of highway, public safety and courthouse projects. The resolution needed 13 votes – a two thirds majority – but got only 12 as the Democrats voted in a block against it. Normally the Republicans have an ironclad majority with 13 seats, but Republican Lester Goodermote was absent due to illness.
The bond was to finance various capital projects which are:
• The purchase of machinery and apparatus to be used for constructing, reconstructing, repairing, maintaining or removing the snow and ice from any physical public betterment or improvement the cost of which is $30,000 or over, at an estimated maximum cost not to exceed $1,000,000;
• The reconstruction or replacement of bridges or culverts, whether or not including retaining walls or approaches of stone, concrete, steel or a combination of two or more of these materials, at an estimated maximum cost not to exceed $900,000;
• The reconstruction and resurfacing of various County highways, roads, streets, parkways or parking areas, including sidewalks, curbs, gutters, drainage, landscaping, grading or improvement of the rights of way with a pavement which will be more durable than the pavement of sand and gravel, water-bound macadam or penetration process with a single-surface treatment, at an estimated maximum cost not to exceed $4,500,000;
• The acquisition of communication and computer equipment directly related to the receipt of wireless 911 calls and the dispatch of emergency services in response to such calls, at an estimated maximum cost not to exceed $12,500,000, and
• The reconstruction and renovation of the County Courthouse, Second Street Courthouse Annex and Third Street Courthouse Annex and the acquisition and installation of original furnishings, machinery and apparatus required for the purposes for which the reconstructed buildings are to be used, at an estimated maximum cost not to exceed $2,000,000.
Among other things, the resolution says, “An annual appropriation shall be made in the budget of the County for (a) the amortization and redemption of the Bonds and bond anticipation notes to mature in such year, and (b) the payment of interest to be due and payable in such year.”
This was a roll call vote, and several Democrats explained their no votes. Legislator Mark Fleming from Troy said that considering the County’s debt already this bond would double the County’s indebtedness in just a five year period. Legislator Peter Grimm from Troy said, “This is a lot of money to put on the backs of the taxpayers. We have to do improvements, but we have to look at how we do them – think a little before spending taxpayers’ money.”
Members of the majority speaking in favor of the resolution said that the projects were “necessities.” Michael Stammell from Rensselaer said, “We don’t want to wait until someone loses their life,” referring to the project acquiring communication and computer equipment directly related to the receipt of wireless 911 calls and the dispatch of emergency services in response to such calls, at an estimated maximum cost not to exceed $12,500,000. The reconstruction or replacement of bridges or culverts and the reconstruction and resurfacing of various County highways, roads, streets and parkways also seems due.
It is surprising that no Democrats voted for the resolution especially considering that the resolution just before the bond resolution was one that says, “The County of Rensselaer (the ‘County’) is considering financing the cost of certain repair, replacement, maintenance, equipment purchases, capital improvement projects and public safety projects, and the County desires to comply with the SEQR Act and the Regulations with respect to each of the Type II Projects. Each of the Type II Projects constitutes a “Type II Action” as defined in Regulation 6 NYCRR 617.5 and no further action under the SEQR Act and the Regulations is required,” referring to projects funded by the bond. This resolution passed unanimously.
And the resolution following the Bond resolution authorized an agreement with Motorola Solutions, Inc. for the purchase, installation and maintenance of an 800 megahertz digital radio system and ten years of maintenance for a price not to exceed $8,247,485. The resolution also says, “The Rensselaer County Department of Public Safety will continue to search for alternate funding, such as grants, to help offset the cost of this project.” This resolution passed 14-4, with two Democrats voting for it.
Republican Legislator Ken Herrington of Brunswick was particularly perplexed at this turn of events and said so.
Perhaps the two Democrats, Edward Manny and Gary Pavlic, both of Troy, support the public safety projects but not, for instance, the courthouse renovations or the repaving projects. Perhaps some of the expense of these projects could come out of the County’s fund balance with little added expense to the taxpayers.
In an interview after the meeting, Deputy County Executive Chris Meyer said that the County Executive’s Office has been working on this upgrade to an 800 megahertz digital radio system for two years. The upgrade will include 12 sites in the County. Rich Crist, Majority Legislative Liaison, said that because of good fiscal management the County’s interest rate on the bond would be very low and should be taken advantage of. Brownell said that the 800 megahertz system is “a national mandate that the County will have to comply with sooner or later.” He said that since the bond resolution did not pass there is no mechanism for funding the agreement with Motorola.
The public safety projects listed in the bond resolution would take the lion’s share of the $20,900,000 bond amount.
Tinley Road Tower Lease
A resolution passed Tuesday says that the Tinley Road Tower in Stephentown is an integral part of the County Emergency Communications System. The 2014 and 2015 Rensselaer County Adopted Budget provided appropriations for the purpose of the tower lease from Florida Tower Partners, LLC. Since Florida Tower Partners, LLC has now sold its assets, including the Tinley Road tower, to American Towers, LLC this resolution allows the transition of the contract to American Towers, LLC.
Sand Bank Road Bridge
Three resolutions relating to the replacement of the Sand Bank Road Bridge over the Little Hoosic River in Berlin passed at this meeting. The first authorized a supplemental agreement with NYS DOT using 100% of the federal and State aid to cover the costs of the construction and construction inspection phases and amending the 2015 Adopted County budget. The second authorized Clark Patterson Lee to provide engineering services relating to the reconstruction of the bridge carrying CR 32 (Sand Bank Road) over the Little Hoosic River. The original amount was $248,000 but this resolution is a supplemental agreement raising the price to $346,000. The third says, “The Rensselaer County Legislature has made available the additional sum of $1,007,298 to cover the cost of participation in the construction and construction inspection phases of the Project of which an agreement with Wm. J. Keller & Sons Construction Corp. of Castleton, NY, for the project in the amount of $891,198 is included. Bids for the bridge reconstruction were received on October 30.
Resolution Establishing County Equalization Rates
The New York State Office of Real Property Services has furnished the Rensselaer County Legislature with advisory County equalization rates for 2015 for several cities and towns within said County. The following County equalization rates for municipalities in the Eastwick area for the tax year 2015 are:
Berlin – 26.60
Brunswick – 26.70
Grafton – 8.15
Hoosick – 28.20
Petersburgh – 59.25
Pittstown – 66.00
Poestenkill – 26.60
Sand Lake – 100.00
Stephentown – 31.00
Tax Roll Corrections
Speaking of taxes, a resolution was passed to authorize the Rensselaer County Chief Fiscal Officer to approve the correction of a tax roll, when the correction of the tax roll does not exceed $2,500, in order to expedite the procedure by which a tax roll is corrected and the subsequent collection of the correct tax. In a following resolution, the official is authorized to approve the refund of taxes on a tax roll correction, where the refund of taxes on the tax roll does not exceed $2,500, in order to expedite the subsequent refund of the overpayment of taxes.
HFCS Football Team Commended
A resolution commending the Hoosick Falls Central School football team on a championship season passed unanimously. It was filed late and no copy of the resolution was available by press time.[/private]