Long-time Trustee John Basile is back on the Village Board following his appointment by Mayor Frank Tatum Tuesday night.

Basile, who did not run for re-election in March 2015 after eight years in office, agreed to serve again to fill an unexpected Trustee vacancy that occurred this fall when former Mayor Rick Nelson resigned and Tatum took over the Mayor’s post. Tatum had been serving as Trustee before then. Basile’s seat won’t be up for election again until November 2018.

Basile was sworn into office at the beginning of the board’s October meeting and immediately took a seat in his familiar chair in front of the room. Basile was first elected Trustee in 2007 and served two, four-year terms and six years as Deputy Mayor before stepping down.

During his eight years in office he spent much of his time using his technical expertise to help navigate the village through a series of comprehensive water and sewer problems. He was the board’s lead liaison between the Water and Sewer Departments, and Department of Public Works. During that time, the village had undergone a massive overhaul of its aging sewer system and a shut down of the water treatment plant after PCBs were found infiltrating village drinking water.

With Basile’s appointment the village board is now at full strength with four Trustees and the Mayor serving.

In other business, the Board heard an update on a new condominium project proposed for 950 N. Hudson Ave., site of the former American Linens plant. The developers, Capital District Ventures, have been seeking a special use permit to construct 24, two-story, one- and two-bedroom condos on the now vacant lot since February. A public hearing was held back in May.

Since that time, the developer has been working to address a few technical issues proposed by the village engineer related to storm water management and other matters. While both parties agreed they are close to settling those issues, village Attorney James Peluso said, “The board will not act until it has a completed application and there are still outstanding issues.”

The board may still have to hold a public hearing to address the environmental impact of the project, Peluso added, and there was indecision Tuesday night on whether or not there would betime to clear the paperwork and advertise the public hearing before the board’s next meeting on Nov. 14. The November meeting is being held a week earlier than normal because of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.

In the meantime, the board gave Mayor Tatum the authority to make that decision so if there was time to schedule the public hearing for the November meeting there would be no further delays.

Capital District Ventures purchased the vacant property on Hudson Avenue from long-time owner Camelot Associates after an earlier proposal from Camelot to build 40 luxury apartments there was rejected by Trustees last year. The condos would model Brunswick Meadows in Rensselaer County.

In other business October 17

• The Stillwater Newland-Wood Fire Co. announced it is partnering with the Stillwater Public Library to run the local Toys for Tots campaign in the village. They will also be participating in the Convoy for Tots sponsored each year by Saratoga County law enforcement, traveling with the toys from Ballston Spa High School, up Route 50, to the Saratoga County Performing Arts Center (SPAC). Sponsored for more than 60 years by the U.S. Marine Corps, Toys for Tots collects new, unwrapped toys for less fortunate children during the holidays. This year’s county goal is 13,000 toys. Stillwater residents are asked to come fill the box with toys in the village on Nov. 26.
• The Village Board decided to postpone the scheduled paving of Carpenter Place and Lansing Road until the spring to have more time to better plan the project and save on costs by having DPW personnel perform some of the work.
• The Village Board passed a resolution adding Clinton Court North and Yorktown Road to the New York State Department of Transportation’s local highway inventory. The roads were inadvertently left off the list, even though the village owns the roads and is responsible for their care and maintenance. Adding the two streets to the list may make the village eligible for additional state funding for road repair work under the NYS CHIPS program.
• The Village Board voted to waved the tapping fees for the Town of Stillwater to hook up to the village water supply for the new bathrooms planned for the Stillwater Blockhouse.