KINDERHOOK–During the ice storm last Wednesday night, a smaller-than-usual Village Board met, with the mayor participating via the Internet service Skype from somewhere warmer, to discuss the sewer project and work on Village Hall.
“I expect they are going to be starting pretty soon,” Project Manager Jim Dunham told the mayor and the two trustees who made it to the March 12 meeting of the sewer project. He said a pre-construction meeting with the state Department of Transportation also needs to include Casale Construction Services, Inc., the construction company awarded the $826,574 contract to add sewer lines along the business district in the village. The project will connect businesses and homes in the business district to the Valatie wastewater treatment plant.
Mr. Dunham told the board that he still needs to get four temporary easements from property owners on Broad Street and Albany Avenue.
Another issue he brought up with the board was that the way the contract is written the village has to reimburse Casale for any supplies the company buys as the project moves ahead. “We could have some early up-front costs,” Mr. Dunham told the board. He said that Casale would be buying manhole covers and pipes, among other things.
Mayor Carol Weaver said she was talking to the person helping the village with its plans to borrow money for the project and she would discuss having “money on hand” to pay for the supplies.
The project is funded by grants from the state Office of Community Renewal (OCR) and the state Department of State, plus private donations and about $200,000 in loans to the village. One condition for the grants is that the village must post a sign in the village saying that the project is funded by OCR. Mr. Dunham asked the village fire chief, who was at the meeting, if the 8-foot-wide by 4-foot-high sign could go up near the firehouse. The board discussed the placing of the sign closer to Stewart’s on Route 9.
Mr. Dunham said that it would only have to be up until October or so, “like a Your Tax Dollars at Work thing,” said Trustee Bob Puckett of the sign.
Also at the meeting, the board:
*Discussed the work on Village Hall. Mr. Puckett shared part of the request for proposals (RFP) for the work on the roof at the building. The village has set aside $142,725 to pay for the project, which Mr. Puckett said is “somewhere in the range of $200,000 to $400,000.” The RFP still needs to be completed before it goes out
*Approved extending the state’s Urban Boundaries up Route 9 through the village. Mr. Dunham said that he attended a meeting with the state DOT about current boundaries that stop at the Route 9J intersection. The new boundaries, he said, would help with federal funding for highway projects
*Heard Mr. Puckett report that the village Historic Preservation Committee has approved the sign for The Flammerie, a new restaurant planning to open on Albany Avenue.
Code Enforcement Officer Glen Smith said that he had a “good conversation” with board members and members of the committee about the approval of projects in the village after last month’s Village Board meeting. Last month the owner of the building where the new restaurant is located complained about the length of time it took to approve the sign
*Announced a public hearing April 9 at 7:15 p.m. to discuss a local law allowing alcohol to be served at events approved by the village
*Scheduled a budget meeting Thursday, March 20 at 7 p.m.
Both meetings will be at the Village Hall.
As ice pelted the street outside, Trustee Rich Phillips talked about heating costs at the village firehouse, asking that the board look at energy efficiency in the building. “It’s not like the guys abusing it,” he said, explaining that he just wanted to find ways to lower the cost and to have fuel supplier Main Care contact the board when the company makes a delivery.
The next Village Board meeting will be Wednesday, April 9 at 7:30 p.m.
