Will Pay For New Village Garage
by Alex Brooks
At the Village Board meeting on March 15, Mayor Borge announced that he had received word that the Village had been awarded two large grants by the Dormitory Authority of State of New York.
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The Village will get $1.1 million to build a new Highway Garage, and $350,000 to rebuild Snow Street to fix a situation that has need attention for many years. Borge said these grants were secured thanks to the efforts of State Senator Kathy Marchione and her staff.
Borge said a year or so ago the Village hired a local engineer to take a look at the Village Highway Garage and make recommendations. His conclusion was that it would cost about the same to repair and refurbish the building as it would to replace it with a new building, so the Board thought it would make more sense to build a new building. But with the large price tag and the PFOA crisis, the project has been on the back burner. But now that State funding is on the way, The Village can move forward with the project.
Borge warned that the Dormitory Authority is notoriously slow about processing grants and releasing finds, so it could be years before the money arrives and construction can begin. He said Marchione’s office has assured him that they will push to “fast-track” these grants, he said that might mean it takes two years instead of five years.
Borrowing Large Sums
When the Village Board tabled the agreement with Saint-Gobain and Honeywell, Mayor Borge then was authorized to start the process of borrowing money to pay the Village’s legal, engineering and public relations bills, which are substantial. Borge has been consulting with Bond Counsel Garrett DeGraff of the firm Barclay Damon. DeGraff was at the Village Board meeting, and summarized some of the options open to the Village. One option is called a “Deficiency Note” and its purpose is to replace sums of money that were budgeted as revenue but did not arrive. This would make up for reduced water revenue cause by the PFOA situation, but it is limited to actual revenue shortfalls, so the Deficiency Note would be only for $80,000, and it is short term, typically paid back after one year.
Another option is called a “Budget Note” and its purpose is to authorize borrowing based on an emergency situation. It would cover “expenditures made or committed to” as a result of a sudden public emergency, in this case dealing with the PFOA crisis. This borrowing could pay the Village’s obligations for legal and engineering services. The limit set for this borrowing was $1.15 million, and it is also fairly short term, usually one to two years.
The final option for borrowing was something called “Home Rule,” which requires an act of the State Legislature. Borge said Senator Marchione had agreed to introduce such a measure in the Senate, and Assemblyman McLaughlin had agreed to introduce it in the Assembly. The borrowing limit on this was set at $1.5 million. The additional money was added to give the new administration the ability to work with lawyers and engineers as needed. It was estimated that it would take at least until July to get a home rule measure through the legislature.
The Board passed three resolutions – one authorizing a “Deficiency Note,” one authorizing a “Budget Note.” and one authorizing a Home Rule petition.” The first two passed with one dissenting vote, as Robert Downing voted against them, and the Home Rule resolution passed unanimously. The Board also passed a resolution to retain Barclay Damon so that Mr DeGraff can bill his time to the Village.
Mayor Borge said he had spoken with DEC about getting them to advance money which would later be recovered from Saint-Gobain and Honeywell under the Consent agreement. He was told that DEC could give the Village up to $220,000 through the Consent Order.
The Mayor said if this can be arranged, it would reduce the amount of borrowing to be done under the other authorizations.
Trustee Ben Patton said he needs to know when these sums will have to be paid back and when they may necessitate tax increases, because he needs to tell his constituents what to expect. There were no answers for him for the time being, as so many aspects of the situation are not settled yet.
Farewell
This was the final regular meeting for Mayor Borge and for Deputy Mayor Rick DiDonato, and they were thanked numerous times for their service to the Village – by Deb Alter from the audience, by fellow board members, and by Chief Ashe. They in turn thanked each other, their fellow Board members, and the Village staff for helping them through the difficult times the Village has encountered in the last few years.
In other business:
The Board accepted a refund from ERCSWMA of $9,983 and also a credit of $1,300. This was the result of an audit of ERCSWMA which found that member municipalities were overcharged in 2013, 2014, and 2015.
The Board approved a request from Karin Doyle for a liquor license for her business called “Sip and Swirl,” which will be located at 7 John Street, which is the former location of the Bagel & Brew. Doyle said she is shooting for a mid-April opening.
The Board adopted a policy for disposition of abandoned property found in the Village of Hoosick Falls. The impetus for this is a bundle of cash, $117,400, found in a car stopped by the Hoosick Falls police, which was not claimed by the driver of the vehicle. If it is not claimed in six months, it would become the property of the Village of Hoosick Falls.
Accepted a letter of resignation from Dan Merrills, Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator, effective March 31. Mayor Borge and Deputy Mayor DiDonato praised the work of Dan Merrills, saying they hated to lose him, but they wish him well in his new job.
The Board approved an expenditure of $325 for technical training for Water Treatment Plant Operator Jim Hurlburt, which will happen May 22 to 25.
The Board announced that the transfer station will open on Tuesdays from 8 am to noon starting in April, and a Household Hazardous Waste Collection event will be held at the Village transfer station on Saturday, April 29, 8 am to noon. To bring waste, residents must register by calling 518-687-1018 or online at www.ercswma.org [/private]