VILLAGE OF CHAMPLAIN
BOARD MEETING MINUTES
JANUARY 23, 2012
A budget meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Village of Champlain was held on Monday, January 23, 2012, at the Village Office, 1104 Route 9, Champlain, New York. Present were Mayor Martin, Trustees Gehrig, Gurzenda, Kim Trombley, and Thomas Trombley, Clerk/Treasurer Munoz, and Deputy Clerk Barcomb. Superintendent Sorrell and Codes Officer Tetreault were excused this evening.
Mayor Martin called the meeting to order at 6:10 p.m. He said the reason he asked for this meeting was to get the Board’s input relative to the 2012-13 budget. He said any additions or subtractions that the Board would like to include in this budget will be used when it is developed.
He reminded everyone they had been copied with the 2% tax cap information, and this will be an important consideration. However, he does not think this will be an issue, as his goal is to keep the tax rate the same as last year, which was $4.44/$1000. He also wants to keep water and wastewater rates the same as current levels. He said things are going quite well, but there are a few items he would like to address, which include:
1. Replacing the four blowers at the wastewater treatment plant with two turbines. He said Omar Hammoud from Neuros did a plant evaluation recently to find out if turbines would work instead of the blowers we currently have. He informed us that two smaller turbines would be much more energy efficient. He will put some information together for the Village and they will do the engineering. He also mentioned helping us find funding for this project.
2. A representative from Small Business Energy Efficiency Program inspected the Village Office/Garage complex and gave us a quote for new lighting. NYSEG will pay 53% of the cost, with the Village share being $2,150. The current fluorescent bulbs and hardware will be replaced with LED lights, which are much brighter then what we have. The new bulbs will pay for themselves in five years.
3. Dan Nephew from Ambit Energy stopped a few weeks ago and gave a short presentation on using them as our electric supplier. He explained who they are and how much money the Village could potentially save using them instead of NYSEG Solutions.
4. He would like to install pressure tanks for the 12 homes on Prospect Street who do not have enough water pressure. He mentioned possibly waiving the service fees for these residents, as they are not getting the amount of water pressure required by the Health Department, and haven’t for many years. Trustee Trombley said the right way to correct the problem is to put in a booster pump at the bottom of the street, and Mayor Martin said this would cost approximately $400,000. He also said Bernier/Carr has researched putting in a new water tank, with the cost of that being approximately $1.5 million dollars. Some discussion followed.
He then asked for input from the Board. Trustee Thomas Trombley said he would like to keep the water/wastewater rates the same; however, we must be sure we have enough reserve for emergencies.
Trustee Gehrig mentioned looking for grants for some of these projects. Mayor Martin said Neuros will help us find funding for the turbines and will do the engineering. He said he was very impressed by Mr. Hammoud. He also said the payback on the turbines will be relatively short. He said Superintendent Sorrell mentioned using our plant as an example for future customers.
There was some discussion about making an extra payment toward the principle on the water plant bond to USDA, which will help pay this off faster.
Mayor Martin mentioned purchasing equipment from this year’s budget if there is a surplus. The Board was copied with a request from Superintendent Sorrell to purchase two tires and rims for the plow truck for approximately $2,500. This is smart purchasing, as it would be very expensive if we had an emergency and had to have someone else put them on the truck.
Mayor Martin brought up the possibility of having a dissolution study done. He suggested adding $2,500 to the new budget to cover the Village’s portion of the cost. He talked about following this process, which the Village of Keeseville is currently going through. He said it is quite time consuming and we will need professional help to do it.
Mayor Martin said Church Street is going to be paved this year for approximately
$60,000 to $75,000. The Village also has to put a turnaround in at the end of Racine Way for school buses to use. Trustee Kim Trombley felt it would cost $150,000 to pave Church Street, and Mayor Martin said we would get an estimate for the entire street. Some discussion followed.
Mayor Martin said he would still like to put a 40’ x 60’ blacktopped area downtown for a multi-use recreation area. The prep work for this will be done before Church Street is paved. He said this year’s ice rink can be constructed downtown with leveled off sand so the boards would not have to be put up, as many of them are broke.
Mayor Martin said he is still working with Clerk/Treasurer Munoz and Deputy Clerk Barcomb on the playground. There are grants for it, and volunteers would help to construct it. Some discussion followed.
Mayor Martin said he will develop an invoice to Jason O’Connell for the cost of the demolition of his building at 93 Church Street. We just received the confirmation card for the second registered letter that was sent, and we will go through the process of sending the invoice by registered mail, email, and regular mail.
The Board then had further discussion regarding pressure tanks on Prospect Street and how to pay for them. Trustee Kim Trombley said this issue should have been taken care of long ago. Trustee Thomas Trombley said the pumps cost about $300 each. Mayor Martin said the total cost would be $6,000, and there is enough money in the water fund to pay for them. Trustee Trombley suggested waiving the service fee for the residents who already have pumps, and Mayor Martin thought that was a good idea. He said Superintendent Sorrell and the crew will start investigating the pressure at each residence, if they have pumps, and when they were installed.
There was some discussion about GSA and the Town of Champlain forming a water district on the West Service Road. They also discussed putting in a new meter and pit.
New Business
A motion was made by Trustee Thomas Trombley and seconded by Trustee Kim Trombley to approve the Workplace Violence Prevention Policy and Workplace Violence Policy Statement as presented. All Board Members present voted aye, motion carried.
Adjournment
There being no further business to come before the Board this evening, a motion was made by Trustee Kim Trombley and seconded by Trustee Gehrig to adjourn the meeting at 7:21 p.m. All Board Members present voted aye, motion carried.
Donna Barcomb
Deputy Clerk