by Alex Brooks
At the Petersburgh Town Board meeting on May 18, Petersburgh Supervisor Siegried Krahforst painted a gloomy picture of the state of the Petersburgh Water District’s facilities.
[private]Although the Water District Superintendent’s report said everything was going OK, Supervisor Krahforst described many things that need work and said the funds in hand are insufficient to get all this work done.
Krahforst said a meeting of Water District patrons was held on Monday, May 11. In that meeting, he had asked patrons if they preferred to raise the semi-annual assessment on the patrons, or to borrow more money, or to seek a grant in order to raise the funds for work on the water system. Not surprisingly, they chose to seek a grant.
Krahforst mentioned a number of things that need to be done, which are becoming more urgent with the passing of time. He said 90% of the meters are not working. All of the meters are well past their expected useful life, and basically all of the meters need to be replaced. The tank, which is now 21 years old, has never been cleaned, and should be cleaned as soon as possible. The bubbler system which prevents the water from freezing in the winter, no longer works automatically and must be turned on manually. The chlorinators don’t work well and should be upgraded. The wells do not produce what they used to, and the system is being supplied now by just one well, with no real backup. The generator does not work.
Krahforst said the only agency that has responded to his requests for help is State Senator Kathy Marchione’s office. The Town is working with them to try to find grant funding that might be available for improvements to the Water District. One of the criteria for such grants is the income level of the population the Water District serves, so the Town is asking all Water District members to fill out a questionnaire about their family income.
Information Sign
Boy Scout Trevar Hall was back this month, saying he had not received an answer from the Town about acceptance of his proposal to build a sign to be used for advertising things that are going on at the Veterans Memorial Hall. The problem is finding a suitable location for it. Hall had proposed to put it inside the traffic island between the two entrances to the Town parking lot, but Board members were concerned that it might obstruct traffic if it were put there. Hall and several of the Board members went outside to look at possible locations, and came back ten or fifteen minutes later with a good location for the sign. It will be placed in the lawn in front of the Town Hall, about twenty feet in from the road, near the walkway that goes from Route 2 to the Town Hall entrance.
Cemeteries
Supervisor Krahforst asked Town Historian Peter Schaaphok about which cemeteries should be mowed. He said someone had called to say that East Hollow Cemetery used to be mowed by the Town, but was no longer being mowed, and asked why? Schaaphok said basically, less cemeteries are being mowed now because there is a shortage of money. He said, “The Town can’t take responsibility for every little cemetery in Town.” There are a lot of them, and hiring someone to mow them quickly gets expensive. Schaaphok said the Town is mowing, in addition to Pleasant Valley Meadowlawn, Stillman Village, Reynolds, and Worthington. He hopes that people will step up and take charge of the small cemeteries in thier neighborhood. Toward that end, Schaaphok offered to personally pay for two people to go to a 3-day workshop in August on caring for cemeteries and repairing the old stones. He is looking for people who would be interested in attending the Cemetery Workshop.
Dog Control
There were some complaints that the Dog Control Officer was unresponsive when called this month. In particular, Constable Gerald Russell said there were two Rottweilers running around Broken Wheel campground scaring people and possibly putting people in danger, and Russell went out to secure them when the Dog Officer did not. He then called the Dog Officer to come get the dogs. Her husband came to get the dogs but complained that it was inconvenient to come get them, and expressed his opinion that the Dog Officer is not being paid enough. The Dog Control Officer in Petersburgh is paid a salary of $3,000 per year. Part of the problem seems to be that the Dog Officer lives some distance away from Petersburgh and has a rather long drive to come deal with Dog problems in Petersburgh. Russell expressed the opinion that The Dog Officer should be a Petersburgh resident, and that he or she should be paid on a fee basis rather than by a salary.
Veterans Service Officer
Veterans Officer Gerald Russell said he had completed a flyer which contains information on what he can help Veterans with. He said he has already encountered two veterans in need. One apparently abandoned his house in Petersburgh because it was in such bad shape, and became homeless. Russell helped him to find new housing. Another could not get in and out of his house because it was not handicapped accessible. Russell is raising money and organizing volunteers to build a handicap ramp on the Veteran’s house. Russell encourages Veterans to get in touch with him and let him know what kinds of problems they are having, to see if he can help.
Other matters:
• Court Renovation – there were no bids from contractors who wanted to do the renovations to the Town Court that will be paid for by a recent grant. Several contractors made inquiries, but did not end up bidding. The work will be advertised more widely to try to find a contractor willing to take on the work.
• Supervisor Krahforst again proposed that a “split” (an air-source heat pump that runs on electricity) be installed to heat and cool the Town offices in the front corner of the building and the meeting room. He said by heating only a portion of the building this new system could save the town money on its oil heating bill, especially in the shoulder season. He said the heating equipment and supplies necessary for the new system will cost $3,600, and he and Charles Guntner will install it without charge to the Town. The board approved the purchase and installation of the “split.”[/private]