Plans For Hoosick Ice Rink Debated
By Alex Brooks
At the Hoosick Town Board meeting on May 14, Hoosick Supervisor Mark Surdam said the feasibility study about installing refrigeration at the ice rink has been completed. Copies were not yet available for the press or the public, but Surdam said the conclusion of the report is that there would be an operating deficit of about $64,000 to $69,000 per year.
Dean Foster, the headmaster of Hoosac School, was at the meeting to talk to the Town Board about the ice rink. He said Hoosac has a very strong hockey program and would love to have home ice just four miles from the school. Hoosac has both a boys team and a girls team, and might want to ad a JV team in the future. Foster said he is confident that revenue would match cost once the rink was up and running, as there would be many opportunities to rent the ice for camps, youth hockey, figure skating clubs, and so on. He totaled the potential ice time rental revenue, 50 hours a week for 24 weeks at $180 per hour, and came up with $216,000
Foster also said the rink would bring many people to Town for games and other events at the rink and so would serve an economic development purpose as well. Surdam said the Board needs to be cautious about committing to something that may cost the taxpayers money on an annual basis, but he said “we will meet and talk with Dean (Foster) more.” He said, “We need to have a brainstorming session” to figure out how to do this so it will at least break even.
Kevin Allard asked Foster if Hoosac alumni might contribute to make the project work, and Foster said that is something he will be exploring during the upcoming reunion season. Foster even said the school might consider having the Rink Manager on its payroll.
There are clearly many avenues yet be explored before deciding to go ahead with the project, but now that the feasibility study is in hand, the Board is ready to have specific and realistic discussions with Hoosac School about how it will be managed.
Revaluation Comments
Several people spoke to the Board about what they perceived as shortcomings in the work of the Town’s revaluation contractor, GAR Associates. Jim Stacy, an attorney who has been speaking at every Town and Village meeting, and who has held informational sessions at the Polish Hall on consecutive Thursdays May 10 and 17, said he was glad the Town is doing a revaluation, as it is overdue, but he was disappointed for the third of the people whose numbers he believes are “out of whack.” in the comments that followed, he managed to antagonize both the Town Attorney and the Town Supervisor, and soon thereafter the Supervisor said, “now you are soliciting work,” and asked him to sit down.
May 22 is Grievance Day, but there may be additional days scheduled if there are too many cases to be heard during the allotted time that day. Those who would like to contest their assessments are asked to contact Town Assessor Tony Rice.
New Bookkeeper
Supervisor Mark Surdam said he and current Bookkeeper Emily Sanders had interviewed five people who had applied to succeed her as Town Bookkeeper, and his recommendation was to hire Rae Philpott, who he said was the most qualified candidate. But when other Board members asked to see her resume and qualifications, Surdam could not find that paper. He said she had a degree in accounting and many years of experience as a bookkeeper with a private company. Board members were a bit hesitant to vote to appoint someone that they knew so little about, but because the plan is to have Philpott begin training with Sanders immediately, they agreed to approve the appointment just on Surdam’s recommendation. Philpott will take over as Town Bookkeeper on or about July 1 of this year.
Pool
Surdam said the Pool Bathhouse renovation is on schedule and should be complete within the next two weeks. A meeting with the engineer was scheduled for this week to inspect the work and make sure all details are completed. The Board approved the third payment of $56,963 to the contractor on this project.
Several of the Board members had visited the pool to inspect some of the concrete slabs near the building that have been broken and kicked up out of level by frost heaves. Surdam said the slabs had become tilted toward the building so the water running off the roof was running in towards the building and causing damage. The Board had received estimates from Taber Concrete to replace these slabs. They didn’t feel they could afford to do all of them, but agreed that the worst parts were at the east and west ends of the building, and accepted bids to replace those two areas at a cost not to exceed $8,500.
Swimming lesson registration will be held at the pool June 11 to 15, from 3 pm to 5 pm. The Swimming Program Coordinator is Katherine Danforth, and the Town Pool phone # is 518-686-4083.
The Board approved hiring pool staff for this summer. Returning Certified Lifeguards are Thomas Holovach, Alyssa Houghton, Allison Perry, Taylor Ferris, Jamie Olvera, and Tyler Rondeau. New Certified Lifeguards are Ainsley Whittet, Zachary LaForest, and Amy Perry. The Board also approved the hiring of Summer Day Camp Staff, including Tyler Lindsey, Ayla Senecal, Kelly Pine, Jillian Maser, Nora Kipp, Ethan Mattison, Nathan Harwood, Hannah Lilac, Guy Milliman, Andrew Stevens, and Noreen McAuliffe. Admission/Concession staff include Diandra Tyan, Emma Kelly, and Taylor Flohr. Pool Operator Assistants and general pool help will be Leo McGuire and Leo Surdam.
IT Support & Services
In recent months Supervisor Surdam, Deputy Supervisor Sheffer and Bookkeeper Sanders have met with representatives from CIT Associates LLC, Storedtech, and BAS IT Services Inc. to discuss and obtain estimates for IT Services and Security Issues. They passed out to the rest of the Board proposals that had been submitted by these companies. They acknowledged the need for these services, but because the cost is substantial, these will be considered when the budget for next year is being formulated.
Communities Thrive Challenge
HFCS Superintendent Ken Facin has reached out to the Village Mayor & the Town Supervisor to work with the school and a local organization to submit the application for a grant from the Communities Thrive Challenge, which hopes to fund and strengthen community-driven approaches that help low-income and financially insecure people and retain well-paid and meaningful work, achieve financial security or build economically vibrant neighborhoods. This is a $10 million funding opportunity open to organizations that are working to expand economic opportunity in the United States.
In other business:
• The Board approved a merchant services account so that people can pay fees or taxes by credit card. Fees charged by the credit card company will be passed on to those paying by credit card. Councilman Hanselman asked Town Clerk Holli Cross to be sure that such fees are prominently posted, as it could be substantial if someone is paying a large bill like their taxes with a credit card.
• Councilman Sheffer said he had good news, that the St. Etienne Gallery has given permission to use some Grandma Moses images on the welcome signs at the edge of Town. He said he will continue to work on lining up some one to repaint or replace the sign at the intersection of Routes 7 and 22.
Upcoming events
• HAYC3 Village Wide Tag Sale Saturday, May 26, 9 am to 1 pm. Get free map placement or request a space at the HAYC3 Armory by visiting www.HAYC3.org/tagsale
Louis Miller Museum will hold an Open House on Saturday May 19 from 11 am to 4 pm, Celebrating Armed Forces Day.
Spring Stroll & Stained Glass Walk will be held on Saturday May 19, 9 am to noon. Come stroll along Hoosick Fall’s Main St and view the historic and beautiful works of art in the stained glass of the churches.