After initially thinking that he likely did not want to sign up for the wastewater study discussed at the August 2nd meeting, the Spencer Village Board of Trustees will likely vote to participate in the study after all. At his August 30 meeting, Mayor Gilbert Knapp announced that Hunt Engineers’ Sean Muldoon had told him that the village’s share of the $ 36,000 cost would be $ 6,000.
The US $ 6,000 can be paid entirely in kind, not from the village budget. According to Muldoon, his company had never run into a village that was unable to provide the full $ 6,000 in kind, so he assured them Spencer could too. Knapp also believes the village should have no problem raising $ 6,000 in benefits.
With this new understanding, Knapp argued that with the recent passage of the Infrastructure Financing Act in Congress, the federal government would at some point spend money on construction projects.
“We are ready when we have the study on the shelf. I was against it last month; Now I recommend doing the study, ”said the mayor.
The board understands that it is only a study if they sign up for that study and do not oblige the village to build anything or advance a project. It just means the village is ready for a project when federal funding is available. It is an engineering study evaluating wastewater treatment plants in the village. Many are not sufficient according to the current health standards.
Some septic systems, which may otherwise meet current standards, still cannot do this because they are not far enough from the well. If a fire or flood decimated the house, the property would be too small to build on again and lose important tax revenues for the village.
Knapp also warned not to be too confident that the village’s application would even be accepted. Apparently, only 11 out of 100 applications were accepted in a previous application cycle, so Spencers may not be accepted this cycle.
During reports, village trustee Sean Rice, who heads special projects, said he had asked two tree removal companies for a bid to remove the dead or near-dead trees in the village. He went around with representatives from both of them and was annoyed with the Elmira company for marking 22 trees; only seven are very bad, and he actually missed one completely dead and without bark – all for a bid of $ 60,000 – a price the village cannot afford.
Tony Barnhart, who previously worked for the village, said he could build seven trees for $ 4,250, which would include removing the stumps, chopping and cutting wood.
Village trustee Timothy Goodrich, the head of Trees, Park and Pond, reported that the bathrooms at Nichols Park have not yet been painted. He expressed concern that the board of directors is meeting with the board of directors of the Spencer Chamber of Commerce to reach an agreement on expectations for each side to improve communications about Spencer Picnic.
This year the carnival in the park has left large holes in the grass that must be filled and sown, otherwise the baseball teams will not be able to play there next spring. The carnival also left wood, clothing and rubbish on the grass and in the bushes of the hedge in the outfield.
Another problem related to poor communication arose when Cooperative Extension advertised some nature activities for children but did not reserve the park. The board is asking for reservations so there will be no overlap or inappropriate conflict if more than one group wishes to use them.
In other areas, Spencer Village Fire Chief Nick Lango reported that despite some inquiries about the fire truck they are planning to sell, there was no solid interest. The next step is advertising. As for the mast with the fire siren, which has not worked for months, Dale Weston has offered his shovel cart to move the siren mechanism from the mast to the ground where it can be repaired.
Doris Barber asked what the board was planning to do with the geese at the pond so that the problems would not be so bad for the next year. Oiling the eggs is still the primary solution, although this year new nests have emerged not only on the island in the pond, but in nearby streams and other places, causing the pond’s largest population of geese for years. Someone remembered Joan Weston looking for solutions. At the time, the board thought it was too expensive.
During the roadside report, Knapp told the board that the Department of Transportation said it couldn’t pave Main Street, which it desperately needed, because the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) ramps were not compliant. Knapp said that was ridiculous because it was the DOT that she installed, and it did so recently. He said he would call her to clear up this misinformation.
The Spencer Village Board of Directors welcomed its newest member, Tyler Koski, who took his oath of office at the beginning of its meeting. The September session has been postponed due to Labor Day holidays. Koski now occupies Knapp’s board of trustees, as Knapp is now mayor.
Halloween is celebrated in the village on October 31st from 6pm to 8pm. The village has not yet received the promised money from New York State to repay it for conducting the dissolution study in 2020 on Monday, October 4th.
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