KINDERHOOK–The village is ordering more salt to deal with the winter storms. Department of Public Works Superintendent David Booth told the board at the February 11 Village Board that the department has already gone through its budgeted amount of salt for the roads.
When Mayor Carol Weaver, who was attending the meeting by video conference from Florida, asked how the salt supply was holding up, Mr. Booth said “Not well. We’re going through quite a bit. We’re over budget now and it’s hard to get a hold of it.”
Mr. Booth said that he has ordered more and warned the board that it is still early in the snow season. “We’re going from plowing to hauling to plowing to hauling,” he said.
A resident attending the meeting asked about sidewalks being cleared, especially at crosswalks. Deputy Mayor Dale Leiser he would talk to the crew member in charge of clearing the sidewalks.
The board also discussed the Hudson River Valley Greenway grant of $8,460 the village received to update their comprehensive plan. The comprehensive plan was first adopted in 1999 and updated in 2006. According to the project description, “At present, as per the 2006 plan, the Village Board has tasked the Planning Board to undertake another review of the vision, policies and recommendations contained within the original and the first update to the plan, assess progress and perform the requisite analyses to support further implementation activity.”
Planning Board member Mark Browne, who was at last week’s Village Board meeting to discuss the grant, gave village trustees copies of the timetable the comprehensive plan committee has created for the updates. The committee is proposing the board implement any changes to the plan by January 2016.
In other business Renee Shur, the village director of economic development, discussed plans for events in the village for the spring, including an April 18 Spring Home and Garden Day. “If they weather cooperates it might be a major event in the village,” she told the board. The day will include tours of historic homes and gardens as well as other events.
She also mentioned setting aside money for lighting grants. She said that a major issue for the business district of the village is lighting and she wants the board to set aside some money so that business owners could apply for grants to add lighting around their buildings. “This could be a very small program with a small budget,” she said of the grant. She suggested to the board, “Maybe it’s $500 per project.”
Ms. Shur also said she has contacted Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy about having graduate students design lighting for the municipal parking lot on Hudson Street.
The next Village Board meeting is March 11 at 7 p.m. in the Village Hall.
To contact reporter Emilia Teasdale email eteasdale@columbiapaper.com.
