Edward Cottrell Bridge Red-Flagged
By Alex Brooks
At the Hoosick Town Board meeting on June 11, Highway Superintendent Bill Shiland said the Edward Cottrell Bridge at the far end of Cottrell Road has been red-flagged for structural deficiencies and will probably have to be posted for a reduced weight limit. Shiland said he expects it will be posted for a 20 ton maximum weight. The Town has 6 weeks to respond stating its plan of action to deal with the problem.
This bridge was yellow-flagged last year and because of that the Town has sought funding under the Bridge-NY Program to have it repaired or replaced. Shiland said that program will announce at the end of summer what projects will be funded this year.
Phase 2 of Pool Rehab
The bathhouse renovation is nearly complete, with the exception of a few “punch list” items which include a door that needs to be special-ordered, a light post base that needs work and an entry light switch. However, the Rensselaer County Department of Health is requiring some additional concrete work to be done before they will sign off on the project and allow the pool to open. These items include concrete work in the shower drain area where water was running in against the building instead of into the shower drain, and also repair of some tripping hazards from uneven concrete slabs. The Board approved a contract with Taber Concrete to get this work done for a contract price of $3,800.
A decision was made to move the shower drain farther away from the doorway, and a plumber’s estimate to move the drain and repair holes in the wall came to $1,000, but Councilman Bill Hanselman, who is a contractor by trade, volunteered to do that work, and he has completed it at no cost to the Town.
Supervisor Surdam also said two of the pumps at the pool have seized up, one of them on the very day of the meeting, and he is working to replace them and get the pool ready to be opened.
The Board approved the fourth payment for $41,372 to the contractor who did the bathhouse renovation. Surdam said there are still adequate holdbacks until the final items on the project are completed.
Farmland Conservation
Chris Krahling, a project manager for the Agricultural Stewardship Association, based in Greenwich, NY, spoke to the Board asking for a letter of support for two farmland protection projects they are working on in the Town of Hoosick. Krahling said his agency is submitting applications for the purchase of development rights on Hoacre Farm, owned by Terry Hoag and the Mark Cottrell Farm. He said under this program the land is still owned by the farmer and remains on the tax rolls.
Supervisor Surdam said, “I don’t see a down side to this,” and asked the Board if they were agreeable to supporting the projects. The Board agreed and Surdam said he would send the letters of support.
Mountain View Way
A number of residents of Mountain View Way came to the Hoosick Town Board meeting and asked the Town to accept their road as a Town road and take over the maintenance. Resident Stacy Parker said delivery trucks are refusing to deliver to some of the upper sections of the road in winter because it is in poor condition and there could be a problem with getting emergency vehicles to some parts of the road, raising safety concerns.
The road was created in the early 1980s and has been maintained until now by a homeowners association. There are 15 homes on the road.
Parker said if the Town will not take over the road, the homeowners request that some of their property tax be dedicated to road maintenance under a particular law that she cited.
Supervisor Surdam said the Town is willing to take over the road if it is brought up to Town specifications, but he suspected it might be very costly to bring it up to Town standards. He said most likely an engineer will be needed to look at the road and provide a cost estimate for bringing the road up to the Town standard. He said the Town will take a look at the situation and get back to the homeowners about it.
Grievance Day
Town Assessor Tony Rice said the Town had 140 grievances filed this year, which is about 4% of the properties in the Town. He said that is fairly low, as many towns doing revaluations have seen 10% of the properties file grievances. He said rulings by the Board of Assessment Review will be going out soon. He is preparing the final roll now.
In other news:
• The Board approved use of the athletic field and skating rink building by Saint Mary’s Academy for the annual Cow Plop and Car Show fundraiser, and approved the Berlin Youth Commission’s request for Session 2 swimming lessons from July 23 to August 3.
• The Town Board declared June 2 Carolyn Bachorz Day in honor of her 100th birthday and Supervisor Surdam presented her with a plaque on that occasion.
• The Board called attention to the upcoming North Hoosick Fire Department Chicken Barbecue which will be held on Friday July 6 at 5 pm at the firehouse (tickets $12), followed by music by the West Side Drive Band at 7 pm (tickets $5).
• Fox Hollow Road residents once again asked when the ditching and drainage repairs will be done on their road and Highway Superintendent Bill Shiland said that work will be completed before the fall.