Much equipment lost in accidental fire

In other news, town offices moved temporarily due to mold problem

By Melanie Lekocevic

Capital Region Independent Media

COEYMANS — The new sewer rates for 2023 have been set and most town and village residents will pay a lower rate this year compared to 2022.

The Coeymans Town Council established the new rates following a public hearing Dec. 22 that drew no comment from the public.

Under a resolution passed unanimously by the board, the rate for town residents will be $452.47 for the year, with the January to June payment in the amount of $226.24 and the July to December payment will be $226.23. The town rate represents a decline of about $20 for the year.

Owners of vacant parcels will pay a flat rate of $100 for the year.

The village will pay $439,042 for the year for all village users. That equates to a monthly rate of $36,586.81 for the entire village, a decrease of about $484 per month, and will then bill its residents accordingly.

“That is not the rate for the village users,” Town Supervisor George McHugh said. “Whatever the village residents pay, that is set by the village board. We merely set the budget and the total amount.”

Property owners on Stone House Hill, which saw an extension of the sewer line to reach their properties, will pay $480.85 for the year, with a $240.43 payment for January through June and a $240.42 payment for the period of July through December. That is an increase of $6.33 for the year.

“Our sewer plant, which is owned and operated by the town of Coeymans, services the hamlet of Coeymans sewer district, the Route 9W corridor, and the entire village of Ravena,” McHugh said. “The budget, which is put together by this town board every year, is paid 75% by residents, basically by the village, and the other 25% by the other users, which are from the hamlet and the Route 9W corridor.”

In other town news, several town offices formerly housed at the town hall, 18 Russell Ave., Ravena, have moved to another location temporarily, at 54 Mountain Road Extension.

The police department will move from the town hall’s basement space to the first floor due to a mold issue in the building.

“We will be moving the supervisor’s office, the business office and the assessor’s office all over to this building. It is temporary office space,” McHugh said at the December meeting. “That will give the police an opportunity to move up to the supervisor’s office and the business office so there is no occupancy in the basement, where we have an airborne mold problem. That will give us time and opportunity to remediate the mold problem and do some much-needed renovations to make it safe so we don’t have employees down there breathing in airborne mold spores.”

It is not known how long the offices will be in the temporary location. The building, at 54 Mountain Road Extension, is owned by RMN Properties LLC and is the former headquarters of Nolan Energy.