Highway Superintendent Cottrell Responds To Complaints
by Alex Brooks
The Petersburgh Town Board meeting on Monday December 19 began with a discussion between Highway Superintendent Rob Cottrell and the Board about complaints about slow clearance of snow on Saturday December 17.[private]Cottrell said he waited a few hours to send the trucks out so they could do the roads just once instead of twice. He said, “I thought I made the right decision,” but he asked the Board if they had any guidance for him about this. Supervisor Alan Webster said each storm has its own characteristics and he does not think the Board can lay down a policy that would cover all storm conditions. He said Cottrell should just use his best judgment.
Cottrell said, “I don’t want people to think I’m going to go out when there’s a half inch of snow.” He urged people to call him to discuss any issues they have with plowing of roads, and he urged people not to call the Town Clerk with complaints about plowing. Apparently most of the complaints were posted on the Town’s Facebook page.
At Public Comment time Peggy Cottrell, wife of the Highway Superintendent, said it was discouraging to see negative comments when she knows how hard he works. She said Cottrell was up in the middle of the night several times this week checking on the roads. She also said the Town should provide more money for the highway department, as she thinks the pay of the Superintendent and the Highway workers is too low. Peggy Cottrell got into an exchange with Councilman Barnhart in which she was shouting and Supervisor Webster had to ask her to lower her voice.
The Board opened bids for a one-ton pickup truck to be outfitted for plowing and sanding. Two bids were received, and each one had separate prices for gasoline or diesel vehicle. Marchese Ford offered a gas powered F-350 for $32,343 and a diesel model for $40,248. Stephens Chrysler Jeep Dodge of Bennington offered a gas powered Ram 350 for $41,938 and a Diesel model for $49,919. Neither bid included information about the warranty, so the Board decided to act on the truck purchase at its End of Year Meeting December 29 after they could gather more information.
A Name For A Road
The road on which the new cell phone tower is proposed, a private road off Church Hollow Road, needed a name so that people on that road could have addresses. Until now they all have Church Hollow Road addresses, even though they are not actually on Church Hollow road. To remedy this, the Planning Board passed a resolution naming it Daniel Hill Way, because Daniel Hill was the first resident out there and the road was built to get to his house. But Brian O’Donovan asked the Town Board to name it O’Donovan Way, because he owns most of the land the road traverses, and his family cemetery is on the road. The Board seemed uncomfortable with the competing names, but they settled the matter with a 4-1 vote in favor of O’Donovan Way. Dennis Smith made the motion, and Denise Church was the only Board member to vote against the motion.
Water Update
Supervisor Webster said the plumbing for the new carbon filter on the Petersburgh water system will be completed this week, and flushing of the system will begin. Water District Superintendent Ben Krahforst was not present at the meeting, but his report said flushing of the system will take two to three days. There will be a lot of testing to make sure the filters are working properly, and once these tests verify good results, the water mains will be flushed, and once that is accomplished, residents can start flushing their own lines. Krahforst said a leaflet will be supplied by the NYS Department of Health on how to do this.
Krahforst also said when there is enough good weather to do some digging, a new line is going to be installed from the pump house to Well #1 so that it can supplement Well#5 to produce the 30 GPM flow needed by the carbon filters. Taconic will be paying for this.
He also said Well #2 is in violation of state health standards and will not be used until the violations are fixed. These are installation of a pitless adapter, raising the well casing to a minimum of two feet off the ground, and installation of a well cap. Kert’s Water Wells and Pumps has been hired to do this work.
In other matters:
• Supervisor Webster said the flooring in the Town Hall needs to be replaced in the hallway and the bathroom. He said he would seek contractors interested in doing the work.
• At the request of Highway Superintendent Cottrell, the Board passed a resolution reducing the mileage of Broken Wheel Road. Because of the new bridge, the Road eliminated a loop to the south where it went down to the old bridge, and the road is now .2 miles shorter.
• The Board approved re-appointment of Melissa Lockett to the Petersburgh Library Board of Trustees. It is a five year term from January 2017 through December 2021.
• Denise Church pointed out that someone needs to be hired to clear snow from the Town Hall and PVMCC entrances. Supervisor Webster said he would advertise to find someone for that job.[/private]