Improvements To Pool And Playground Continue
Pool Ready To Open; Bid Request Going Out For
Renovation of Bath House and Filter House
The Town has received from LaBerge Engineering completed plans for renovation of the Bath House and Filter House at the Town Pool. [private]Town Board members had reviewed them by the time of the meeting on Monday June 12, and voted unanimously to approve them. LaBerge can now move forward with soliciting bids from contractors for construction work.
Hoosick Town Supervisor Mark Surdam said the Highway Department has removed some of the old fencing and towers from the playground area near the pool. There is one tower left to be removed, the one right next to the pool pavilion. He said the structures between the basketball court and the playground will remain, to keep a bit of a buffer between the kids and the basketball players.
The Hoosick Falls Kiwanis Club is working on plans for further improvement of the playground area, including picnic tables and possibly a pavilion to provide some shade. The Kiwanis Club will be holding a Golf Fundraiser at Dutch Haven Golf Course on July 15, and some of the money raised will be used for improvements to the pool and playground. Information about the golfing event and applications can be found at the Town of Hoosick web site.
Supervisor Surdam said the current security system at the pool is not working. He has sought an estimate to replace it with a new system with six cameras instead of the four used previously. The cost for the new system was estimated at $1,500 to $1,800. The Board approved purchase of a new security system.
The Highway crew removed the pool cover on May 31, and installed the Life Guard Chairs, pool ladders, and diving board. Safety upgrades to the chemical storage area are nearly complete. Recreation Director Janet DeLuca held an employee orientation on Sunday, June 11, and the pool is just about ready to open. The official opening date for the pool is June 26.
Supervisor Surdam said he has been talking with Doug Pilot about providing an audio and visual recording system for the Town Meeting room at a cost of $1,000. The Board unanimously approved going forward with installation of the system.
Economic Development Update
The meeting began with Hoosick/Hoosick Falls Economic Development Coordinator Brighid Buzzell describing some of the projects she is engaged in. These include re-branding Hoosick Rising with a new logo and a new strategy, working with Bob Nesbit to re-launch the abandoned Hoosick.org site as a tourism marketing gateway, and developing social media portals to promote the area.
She plans to do some networking events and she is working with Jean Andrick to bring some business seminars to town to help local businesses sharpen their skills and their knowledge. She said she has talked with several people about creating a non-profit land bank to take zombie properties and turn them around. She said she will be working on a C.F.A grant application which is due in July. This is the Consolidated Funding Application, which is Governor Cuomo’s new streamlined process for accessing economic development funding. After hearing about all of this, Councilman David Sutton said, “It’s obvious that the Village found the right person for this job.”
Assessor News
Assesor Tony Rice noted that this year’s equalization rate has been set, and it is 27.5%. This is the same as last year. Rice noted that next year the equalization rate should be 100%, and he hopes to keep it there by keeping property values updated.
Rice said GAR Associates, the company doing the Revaluation work, has put together a flyer in response to requests from the town for an information sheet to get more information out to the residents about the revaluation. Rice said he thought it is a very well-written and informative flyer, and he asked the Board about arrangements to mail it out to residents.
Rice also said data collection for the revaluation will be starting this week, beginning in the Village.
Highway
Highway Superintendent Bill Shiland was not present, but Supervisor Surdam said Shiland had spoken with Charles Tutunjian at the engineering firm of Creighton Manning about seeking funding for renovation of the Cottrell Road Bridge.
Code Enforcement
Code Enforcement Officer Fran Rogers said progress is being made on some of the problem properties he is working on. Maintnenance work has been done on 556 Cottrell Road, and “it looks much better,” and the building at 9 Brady Lane is scheduled to be removed.
Council Members
Jeff Wysocki announced that former County Legislator and Hoosick Town Justice Lester Goodermote had passed away that day, and a moment of silence was observed in memory of Mr. Goodermote.
Wysocki also said he had a conversaton with Garry Brown about Trojan Steel’s move into the old WCW building. Wysocki said he thinks it requires action from the Rensselaer County Industrial Development Agency. He said he will look into it and see if he can expedite the process.
Dave Sutton praised The Eastwick Press and spoke of how valuable it has been to the community.
Eric Sheffer said he and Town Clerk Sue Stradinger had a meeting with a representative from BAS, which makes software for municipalities. He said the BAS products are expensive, but they may be worth it if they streamline operations and save staff time. The representative would like to make a short presentation to theBoard, and the Board was willing to listen to such a presentation.
Rich DeGuida from MRB Engineering sent a message to Supervisor Surdam to say he is working with the Village of Hoosick Falls to re-submit the application for funding for water and sewer line extensions of the Village water and sewer systems into parts of the Town.
Supervisor Mark Surdam said demolition of the Oak Mitsui plant is expected to begin this week
Town of Hoosick Summer Camp will be held July 10 through August 14. Information is available from the Town Clerk or on the Town of Hoosick web site. [/private]