September 13, 2011

September 13, 2011 @ 6:00pm at the Public Library Memorial Room

Elected Officers:  Mayor Frohne, Trustees O’Connor, Kurkowski, Patrick, and Pierson
Appointed Officers:     Clerk – Diane Blackwell- absent      Treasurer – Donna Wells
Roll Call: Mayor Frohne, Trustee O’Connor, Trustee Kurkowski, Trustee Pierson and Trustee Patrick present.

Motion made to waive the reading and to approve the August 31st, 2011 Board Meeting minutes made by  Trustee Pierson, 2nd by Trustee Patrick, , Trustee’s O’Connor, Pierson, Kurkowski and Mayor Frohne all voted yes. Motion carried.

Property Maintenance:  Doug Bordinger, Zoning Enforcement Officer- Nothing to report. Due to the persistent rains property owners are not able to keep up with mowing so no violations were given.

Privilege of the Floor:

Church of Christ Uniting Reverend Deborah Waldron spoke of the annual Spring Craft Fair and the multiple charities it benefits. President of the Women’s Guild, Carol Simpson, respectfully requested the $83.00 withheld from the Craft Fair deposit be returned as they felt the application process currently in place is rather vague. Discussion followed and the Board agreed to return the $83.00 and further made the point that the Spring Park User Application checklist and process will be streamlined to include specifics for the walk through times to avoid any future misconceptions. In the near future a water meter is to be installed, as well. Resolution to return the $83 Spring Craft Fair park use deposit to the Church of Christ Uniting made by Trustee Patrick, 2nd by Trustee O’Connor, Mayor Frohne and Trustees Patrick, O’Connor & Pierson voted yes, Trustee Kurkowski abstained.

Jackie Hinckley from the Richfield Springs Youth Ministry was present inquiring about the Pride Days Spring Park $300.00 deposit status. There was no prevalent damage from event, although the electric usage doubled from previous month. Resolution to refund the Pride Days park use deposit of $300.00 was made by Trustee Pierson, 2nd by Trustee Patrick. Mayor Frohne, Trustees Pierson, Patrick and O’Connor all voted yes. Trustee Kurkowski abstained.

Lenny Pickens spoke on behalf of the American Legion who leases the ball field on Linden Avenue requesting to dismantle small dilapidated shed that poses a threat to the youth who play regularly at the ballpark. They have proper insurance in place to do so under their own liability.  Motion to tear down said shed made by Trustee Pierson, 2nd by Trustee Patrick – all elected officials voted yes.

Ed Bello was present and had concerns about the old bank building on Main Street currently undergoing reconstruction. Sewage has seeped into the basement on two separate occasions and requests the Board talk to the Health Department to find out whether there are any options to remedy this issue. The Board agreed to look into this. He also has sump pump concerns for his Lake Street property since March that he discussed with Glen from Lamont Engineers. This was the first time the Board heard of this issue. After some discussion, it was decided the Board would get EFC involved to see what options are available to perhaps extend the storm drain further to the waste water treatment plant or perhaps to the lake.

Ron Crist spoke about his ongoing problem with rain flow despite the berm that was put in at the end of his driveway to deflect the flow from entering his driveway. Previous to the waste water project the flow was divided by the crown in the blacktop and went down both sides of the road. Now it all goes down the south side of the road only. The Board will continue to try to find a way to rectify this without having to ultimately go to the taxpayers.

Lastly, Bethann Hammer spoke to the Board about the possibility of the village sponsoring the Pride Days Parade in the future due to the State DOT permit changes with liability issues and cost. It was suggested they write to our congressmen, senators and any and all government officials first hand in order to address the issue they are having so that all municipalities who face this specific community sponsored challenge can get some resolve.

Clerk
Abstract #07 – General fund $8772.92 Water fund $8939.74, Sewer fund - $5444.93, Cemetery fund $197.50. Capitol Projects 60495.24. Total: $83850.33. Motion to approve Abstract #07 made by Trustee Pierson, 2nd by Trustee Patrick, all voted yes. Motion carried.
Fire Department Monthly Report for August distributed to all elected officials.
Clerks Report $76.75  /  Property Taxes collected to date $535,845.98.
Motion to approve Spring Park use by Jack Clark for rescheduled Car Show on 10/2/2011 made by Trustee O’Connor, 2nd by Trustee Pierson, all elected officials voted yes.
Motion to change Village Office hours to 9am-4pm effective 9/19/2011 made by Trustee O’Connor, 2nd by Trustee Pierson – all elected officials voted yes.

Treasurer – Donna Wells
August Profit & Loss and Balance Sheet given to officials.
Resolution to transfer $5000.00 from General Fund A9901.03 to L5031 made by Trustee O’Connor, 2nd by Trustee Pierson – all yes.
Resolution to transfer $3614.00 from Contingent Account A1990.4 to General Fund A9050.8 (unemployment) made by Trustee Pierson, 2nd by Trustee Patrick – all votes yes.
Water/Sewer account adjustment of $23.50 for August. Inactive status on Crist account was not updated due to a clerical error.
Submitted bids for the 2000 Ford work truck were opened and read as follows: Dennis Brooker $13017.31, Carmen Newtown $8790.00, Lazlo Vajtay $8501.00. Resolution to award sale of truck to Dennis Brooker for highest bid of $13017.31 made by Trustee Pierson, 2nd by Trustee O’Connor – all voted yes.
Resolution to change name on the clerk/village property tax bank accounts to Dayle Barra and to remove Diane Blackwell’s name was made by Trustee Kurkowski, 2nd by Trustee Pierson – all voted yes.

Mayor Frohne:  Motion to appoint Dayle Barra as fulltime Clerk /Registrar effective 9/17/2011 made by Trustee O’Connor, 2nd by Trustee Pierson – all voted yes.

Trustee Kurkowski: One fire truck is being taken off the line due to mechanical issues.

Trustee Pierson- Steel scrap being picked up at WWTP within the next day or two. Discussed the speed limit coming into the village from the east by the reservoir.

Trustee Patrick- Offered results from his research on cat control in this area as concerned citizens have issues about the number of feral cats as a result of food being provided for them in certain areas. Several ideas were discussed but ultimately the process proves to be a very difficult thing to enforce. The discussion was tabled for the time being until a more ironed out plan could be devised.

Appliance pick-up was discussed and whether or not the need for this service is indicated. There were several obstacles with the Village offering this versus the resident disposing appliances themselves at the transfer station on Saturday mornings.


Motion to adjourn meeting at 8:15pm was made by Trustee O’Connor, 2nd by Trustee Kurkowski, Trustee’s Patrick, Pierson, and Mayor Frohne voted yes. Motion carried.

Respectfully submitted,


Dayle Barra,
Village Clerk

August 31, 2011

Date: August 31, 2011 @ 9:00 am    

Elected Officers: Mayor Frohne, Trustees O’Connor, Kurkowski, Patrick, and Pierson

Appointed Officers:    Clerk – Diane Blackwell    Treasurer – Donna Wells

Roll Call: Mayor Frohne, Trustee O’Connor, Trustee Kurkowski, Trustee Pierson and Trustee Patrick present.

Motion made to waive the reading and to approve the August 9th, 2011 board meeting minutes made by Trustee Patrick, 2nd by Trustee Pierson, Trustee’s O’Connor, Pierson, Kurkowski and Mayor Frohne voted yes. Motion carried.

Property Maintenance:  Doug Bordinger, Zoning Enforcement Officer- 6 of 17 village properties in violation of property maintenance Village Code 10-804/803 remain in violation despite Certified letters informing them of such are:       

                   9 Park Street          58 Church Street
                  76 Church Street     19 Lake Street
                 241 Main Street         20 Lake Street

Motion made to order remedy of said properties, assess accompanying fines and to bill property owners made by Trustee Kurkowski, 2nd by Trustee Pierson, all yes.

Public Comment: Mr. Rudenko was present and commented on the Notice of Violation of Village Code 10-804 which he received for his property at 177 Main Street. He wanted clarification regarding who is responsible for trimming the trees and bushes that delineate the property line between him and his neighbor’s property. He also wanted to be sure he understood what the Village Code states in relation to his particular landscape. He did remedy the overgrowth situation and was no longer in violation, however, the Zoning Enforcement Officer, Doug Bordinger, offered to meet with him at said property after the board meeting to address his queries.

Special Business:
Village Attorney David Merzig: Motion made to extend meeting into an Executive Session for possible litigation made by Trustee Patrick, 2nd by Trustee Kurkowski, all yes.

Nick Green from Lamont Engineers reports restoration work completed by DeVincentis last week, although some properties were viewed as pre-exiting conditions per preconstruction photographs (copies of photos distributed to all Board members and Mayor Frohne). The Anne House property never had very good drainage and no real damage from project was revealed from the pre-construction photographs.   The Hazelton property on River Street was rolled, top soiled, and reseeded. The property owner expressed satisfaction with the work completed but he retains a wait-and-see attitude for next spring results. Saturday evening hurricane Irene struck Richfield Springs with heavy winds and torrential rains. Nonetheless, restoration work was completed previous to the hurricane’s arrival. A berm was put on the end of the driveway at the Crist property on Canadarago Street. The home sits below surrounding terrain and receives normal water flows from multiple streams. This berm successfully redirected storm water away from the home where it pooled on a nearby lawn area. However, eyewitnesses report ten minutes after rainfall the water recessed normally with no buildup of silt, clay or sand. Properties are much improved with no remaining concentrations of water whatsoever. DeVincentis fulfilled its obligation to correct any issues and thus satisfied the Mayor and Village Board members. A written completion report will be sent to the Village Office.

A resolution to approve Contract #3-Change Order #5 submitted by Lamont Engineers made by Trustee O’Connor, 2nd by Trustee Pierson – all yes. Motion carried.

A resolution to accept amendment #6 Agreement for Additional Engineering Services of $6,786.00 for additional construction between MH 4 and MH 6 made by Trustee Kurkowski, 2nd by Trustee O’Connor – all yes. Motion Carried.

Department Heads Report

Thomas Shypski WTP- Incoming water quality at correct levels despite heavy weekend rains. Appropriate precautionary measures were taken ahead of time with raising clear wells and preparing for possible shut down for two days, if necessary.  Water usage was down last month for some reason at 130 gallons/day. The water work truck is in garage and needs about $700 of repair work on the parking brake before it will pass inspection. The swans on the reservoir have been improved with new fiberglass, sealed, and repainted and, as a result, they are not taking any more water in.

Jim Malinowski DPW- The Lake Street sidewalk improvement bids all exceeded the CHIPS grant fund and contained many exclusions. In addition, further investigation of the proposed project proved the necessity for an engineering company’s input in order to comply with DOT curb specifications and possible structural impediments.  Motion to reject all bids at this point in time for sidewalk improvement made by Trustee O’Connor, 2nd by Trustee Pierson – all yes. 
The village sustained minimal damage post hurricane Irene and twenty-four loads of downed brush and debris were all cleaned up by DPW on Monday. The wind did some damage to the Village Clock hinges, one rod broke, and three decorative aluminum scroll work pieces are missing. In the meantime, the clock needs to be covered to protect from weather elements while repair work is pending. Resolution to change village resident yard debris pick up times to every Monday rather than twice a month for next season made by Trustee Pierson, 2nd by Trustee Patrick  - all yes.  Eight catch basins were raised throughout the village. DPW rebuilt 90 foot headwall culvert on Walnut Street so flow is much improved.  Motion to extend meeting into an Executive Session for personnel discussions made by Trustee O’Connor, 2nd by Trustee Pierson – all yes. Motion to conclude Executive Meeting made by Trustee O’Connor, 2nd by Trustee Pierson – all yes.

Clerk
Abstract #06 – General fund -$22,239.56 Water fund - $4,757.34, Sewer fund - $3,073.95, Cemetery fund $204.72, Trust & Agency $270.00. Total: $30,545.57. Motion to approve Abstract #06 made by Trustee Kurkowski, 2nd by Trustee O’Connor, all voted yes. Motion carried. Motion to accept correction to Abstract #05 Sewer Fund s/b $3694.42 reported as $3697.74, General Fund s/b $4938.83 reported as $53594.14 due to $6.60 rebate and the voided Vision Automotive Group yard truck voucher for $ 48655.31 made by Trustee O’Connor, 2nd by Trustee Pierson , Trustee Patrick & Trustee Kurkowski both yes. (Mayor had to step out for business temporarily.)
Fire Department Monthly Report for July distributed to all elected officials.
Motion to approve reimbursement for Notary Public exam fee and any necessary supplies for Village Clerk once she becomes commissioned made by Trustee O’Connor, 2nd by Trustee Patrick.

Motion to approve a special luncheon September 16 for Diane Blackwell from 12-1pm in Village Library Memorial Room in recognition of her last day as Richfield Springs Village Clerk made by Trustee O’Connor, 2nd by Trustee Pierson with Trustee Patrick & Trustee Kurkowski yes.

Motion to approve Tom Shypski, John Butler, and Robert Graepel to attend NYRWA annual Equipment Expo on September 15 made by Trustee Kurkowski, 2nd by Trustee Pierson, Trustee Patrick and Trustee O’Connor – yes.

Treasurer – Donna Wells
Per Vision Automotive Group the F550 work truck has not gone into production as yet.
NewCom Technologies Cemetery Management software estimate of $9,355.00 was requested for Village Office in an effort to streamline Lakeview Cemetery business and management databases and a resolution to accept NewCom Technologies’ offer was made by Trustee Kurkowski, 2nd by Trustee Patrick – all yes.
Motion to approve Integrys Energy Services of NY Power Sale Agreement made by Trustee O’Connor, 2nd by Trustee Pierson – all yes.

 Motion for approval of project contract from last audit made by Trustee O’Connor, 2nd by Trustee Pierson – all yes.
It was brought to the Board’s attention that for reasons not known to treasurer, the NYS Police Barracks has never been imposed any penalty for late water/sewer usage payments and whether this should be corrected. It was agreed penalty fees shall be imposed on all w/s late payments with no exceptions.

Mayor Frohne:  A resolution to approve increase of annual work boot allowance from $100.00 to $125.00 made by Trustee Pierson, 2nd by Trustee O’Connor – Trustee Kurkowski yes, Trustee Patrick no, Mayor yes.

Mayor Frohne read the resignation letter from Diane Blackwell officially stating September 16th as her last day as Village Clerk.
A resolution to establish 10 days of annual personal paid time off for the Village Clerk with every effort to ensure the Village Office hours are covered in her absence was made by Trustee Pierson, 2nd by Trustee O’Connor – all yes.

Trustee Kurkowski:
Motion to return Spring Park use deposit to Jack Clark for cancelled car show due to hurricane Irene was made by Trustee O’Connor, 2nd by Trustee Pierson – all yes.  Motion carried.

Motion to adjourn meeting at 12:40 pm was made by Trustee O’Connor, 2nd by Trustee Kurkowski, Trustee’s Patrick, Pierson, and Mayor Frohne voted yes. Motion carried.

Respectfully submitted,

Dayle Barra
Village Clerk