The New York State Department of Transportation is expected to begin work this Tuesday, October 22, resurfacing the village’s main traffic thoroughfare Route 4, the Village Board of Trustees reported at its October (15th) monthly meeting.

Crews will be milling and repaving Hudson Avenue from the village line on the south to Montgomery Place and no parking will be permitted on the street during that time. No parking signs will be going up soon, according to the Department of Public Works.

Trustees also set a second public hearing (pdf) date of 7 p.m., November 19, at Village Hall for the new sidewalk maintenance law that was tabled in September so the village attorney could revise language concerning residents’ responsibilities and possible fines for noncompliance.

The new law, Local Law No. 2 of 2013, was proposed by Mayor Ernest Martin several weeks ago following the completion of the new sidewalk project along Rt. 4 leading to Stillwater Central Schools. The village, he said, never had a law on the books like other municipalities regarding sidewalk maintenance and the responsibilities of residents in that matter.

Village Trustees also heard the following reports/updates on October 15:

• Trustee Ellen Vomacka reported that she had received a quote for making alterations to the old water treatment plant at the end of Ferry Lane so the fire department can store its antique steamer truck there. The truck is now stored at the DPW garage and moving it would give DPW crews more room to operate. The project would involve making alterations to one entrance bay so the truck can fit inside the storage building. Vomacka said she got a “very reasonable” quote from a local contractor to make the alterations and install a new 11-foot steel door. Deputy Mayor John Basile advised Vomacka to get two more prices for the work and report back to the Village Board in November before a decision is made. Vomacka also reported that she is working with the contractor and New York State Department of Transportation to close out the final paperwork on the Hudson Avenue sidewalk project and that should be completed by next month. She said she has also been working with the village fire department to rewrite some of the department bylaws in area where the “wording is very vague.”
• Trustee Judith Wood-Shaw asked village attorney James Peluso to investigate how to set up a foundation so she could apply for foundation money through GlobalFoundaries to purchase new playground equipment for Major Dickinson Park. She also reported that 35 people attended the September Senior Time program at The Stillwater Area Community Center and that there would be a “cash for gold” vendor at the October 24 program with a percentage of the proceeds from sales going to the Stillwater Food Pantry. She said she has written a formal letter to the Town Supervisor asking if she can host the program at Town Hall because she is “running out of space” at the community center. In the area of Emergency Management, Wood-Shaw reported that the village Emergency Management Plan is now posted on the village website. She also said she would be attending the community center open house on November 14 to distribute emergency materials to help residents prepare for ice storms and power outages this winter.
• Trustee John Basile reported that the village has received notification from the New York State Department of Healthregarding higher than acceptable levels of lead, copper and Trihalomethanes in the village’s drinking water supply from test taken over the summer. Trihalomethanes are a byproduct of drinking water disinfection, which is needed to kill harmful organisms before the water can be consumed. Since the summer the village has installed an Aeromax aeration system that is being piloted at the Dick Lynch water holding tank to hopefully correct the situation. New water samples were taken at the tank in September and the village is awaiting those results.
• Also in Water Department business, Trustees awarded a $63,685 contract to low bidder Bruce Fence Co. to install new fencing around the water tank in three locations, and a $29,100 contract to low bidder Harold R. Clune, Inc. to purchase spare parts and water instrumentation. Basile said he was “pleasantly surprised” that the bids came in lower than originally estimated.
• Trustee Timothy Campbell said the village received five quotes from dealers for a new utility truck for the Department of Public Works, with the lowest being $42,000 to $43,000. DPW also needs to purchase a new compressor, both of which would have to come out of the same budget. The board tabled the matter for further investigation.
• Department of Public Works crews were busy in September and October working at the sewer plant, painting village fire hydrants, mowing grass, reading residential water meters and working on the new water line at Barbolt Court.
• Code Enforcement Officer Lawrence Allen issued a certificate of occupancy for a new double-wide manufactured home and a building permit for garage repairs at the same property on Ferry Lane. He also issued permits for an above ground swimming pool on Hudson Avenue and a shed at the Rivewood Apartments. One stop work order was also issued in October for a property on Hudson Avenue (the work was being done without a permit).
• Village Clerk Sheristin Tedesco reported that 93 percent of village property taxes have been collected to date, with October 31 being the deadline for resident to pay before they are turned over to Saratoga County for collection.