VILLAGE OF CHAMPLAIN
BOARD MEETING MINUTES
SEPTEMBER 12, 2011
A regular meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Village of Champlain was held on Monday, September 12, 2011, 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, Superintendent Sorrell, Kevin Triller, Mark Maddy, Cheryl Nadrowski, Keith and Laurie Ketterer. Deputy Clerk Barcomb and Codes Officer Tetreault are excused tonight.
Mayor Martin called the meeting to order at 6:35 p.m. A motion was made by Trustee Thomas Trombley and seconded by Trustee Kim Trombley to approve the minutes from the August 8, 2011, Board Meeting as presented. All Board Members present voted aye, motion carried.
Public Comment
Kevin Triller asked Mayor Martin if the people attending the monthly meeting could get a copy of the minutes before the meeting, as the Village website is not up to date. Kevin Triller also commented that the taped minutes are not the same as the written minutes. Mayor Martin explained the minutes are available two weeks after the Board meeting. Mr. Triller asked who has ownership of the stone that was removed from Phil Payette’s property. Mayor Martin said that he did not know who really owned it. Mr. Triller next asked about the bench the Village provided in place of the stone that was removed, and if it was placed on private property. Mayor Martin said he would have to look into this. Mr. Triller asked if the damage to the bench that was replaced in the Village Park was due to weather or vandalism. Mayor Martin said he believes it was a little of both. Mr. Triller wondered why it was replaced if it was caused by vandalism. Mr. Triller asked what is being done to prevent trucks from blocking Elm Street by the loading docks at the Kimpex Building. He said that he has been in the Village since 1989 and this has always been a problem. He thought possibly a concrete barrier should be installed to prohibit this. Mayor Martin has asked the public to report incidents like this to the Village Office. Mayor Martin said that he has been in contact with the people at the loading dock area, and they have assured him that things would be done differently in the future. Trustee Gurzenda asked about the possibility of repositioning the dock or using a different loading dock. Mr. Triller asked about the placement of signs on the east end of Elm Street. Superintendent Sorrell said that these signs have to be at the Village limits, and he suggested ordering new signs to replace the old ones. Mr. Triller asked about the issue of GPS tracking devises being installed on Village vehicles that was tabled at a previous meeting. Mayor Martin said the Board decided not to install the GPS devises as this could void the vehicle warranties. Mayor Martin said that he would look at the signs and update the minutes on the Village website. Regarding the minutes, Superintendent Sorrell said that about a month ago, the Village website was hacked into and Erin Sorrell needed to clean up the website and passwords needed to be changed.
Mark Maddy was curious why the semi-trucks are using Main Street instead of the expressway. Trustee Thomas Trombley said that a large number of trucks that take
Route 11 from Vermont use this as a short cut. Mr. Maddy said that they are also using Elm Street.
Report From Mayor Martin
1. Mayor Martin thanked everyone who contributed and participated in the very successful Village Fest. The Community Park re-dedication was a special event with new flags being raised, and the placement of the 1938 stone and plaque with the time capsule, which is to remain unopened and in the Village Office until 2038. The list of donations is very long and letters of appreciation have been sent thanking each for helping to make this a great day for the Village of Champlain.
2. He acknowledged Superintendent Sorrell and the DPW crew for their efforts behind the scene to make the day happen, installing a new bench and seats in the Community Park and a new bench at the corner of Church and Main Street for people to enjoy. He especially thanked Deputy Clerk Barcomb and Clerk/Treasurer Munoz for all they did to make the day so successful. Thanks to you all.
3. Reading water meters will begin next week.
4. Large trucks are not to be parked so that they block traffic on Elm Street. Traffic and emergency vehicles must be able to use Elm Street in a safe, orderly manner. He asked residents to please report any illegal parking so it may be addressed.
5. Rabies clinics are scheduled throughout the County, with the closest being held at the Rouses Point Fire Station on September 22nd and the Mooers Fire Station on October 16th.
6. The Village will continue to pick up debris left by Tropical Storm Irene. Bags and small branches will be removed to the Elm Street composting site as time allows.
7. Hydrant flushing will be done from October 17-21, 2011. Residents can expect some discoloration for a couple of days after hydrants have been cleaned.
Report From Trustee Kim Trombley
1. She commented on the Village Fest and thanked Mayor Martin for a nice job and that the event was well attended. She said that it was nice to have the American Legion raising the flags.
2. She commented to Superintendent Sorrell that it was a nice article and picture of him accepting his award for years of service.
Report From Trustee Gurzenda
1. He also commented on the Village Fest and thanked all the runners that attended the race.
Report From Trustee Thomas Trombley
1. He commented on the Village Fest and thanked Mayor Martin. He knows it was a lot of work and although he was unable to attend, it was a nice day.
2. He said that the K of C is doing a public service food drive at Price Chopper from October 14-17, 2011, to benefit the Mooers Wesleyan Church that serves residents from Rouses Point to Ellenburg.
Report From Trustee Gehrig
1. She said that the feedback on the Village Fest has been good.
2. She said that movie night at St. Mary’s was well attended.
3. Bingo at St. Mary’s has returned.
4. We will be having a Halloween Costume Party on October 29, 2011, at St. Mary’s from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Refreshments and prizes for costumes will be awarded.
Report From Clerk/Treasurer Munoz
1. She said the Board had been copied with the Revenue/Expenditure Report for August.
Presentation Of Warrant And Payment
A motion was made by Trustee Gehrig and seconded by Trustee Thomas Trombley to approve Warrant #4 for Voucher #87 through #112 from the General, Water, and Sewer accounts in the amount of $11,270.55. Roll call vote as follows:
Trustee Kim Trombley Aye
Trustee Gurzenda Aye
Trustee Thomas Trombley Aye
Trustee Gehrig Aye
Mayor Martin Aye
Motion carried.
Report From Superintendent Sorrell
1. He said the Board has been copied with his report.
2. The DPW Crew will be reading meters soon.
3. He said there are a few places that need to be patched.
4. The salt and sand is being readied for winter. The salt price is down this year. The Town will be hauling sand after they are done paving. He said that the Village is saving on salt because of the new salt shed.
Trustee Gurzenda asked Superintendent Sorrell about the back flow preventor letters that were sent out. Superintendent Sorrell said they are being returned and they have 45 days to do so.
Mayor Martin said that he has been getting positive feedback on the sidewalk replacements.
Mayor Martin mentioned a letter to the editor in Sunday’s paper in which a resident received a quote to remove a tree from Tropical Storm Irene. He said that NYSEG will remove downed trees for free, so he reminded people to be aware of these types of scams.
Correspondence
1. Various invoices for property maintenance
2. List of thank you letters sent to Village Fest participants/donors
3. Correspondence from Town of Mooers regarding Altona Correctional Facility
4. Correspondence from NYS Attorney General’s Office in Plattsburgh regarding contractors and insurance claims relative to Hurricane Irene
Old Business
1. GSA meter – Mayor Martin said there was nothing new to report on this issue.
New Business
1. Change date of October Board Meeting--A motion was made by Trustee Thomas Trombley and seconded by Trustee Gehrig to move the October Board Meeting from Monday, October 10th to Monday, October 17th. All Board Members present voted aye, motion carried.
2. Local Government Conference in Potsdam, October 11, 2011--Mayor Martin said this conference is a wealth of information. We need to know by October 2, 2011, who would like to attend.
3. There was discussion regarding the street lights around the Kimpex building that are not working. Superintendent Sorrell said these 13 lights were transferred to the Village, and the Village pays a delivery fee per light. He said that we only need three lights in that area. One would be at the corner of Cherry and Walnut Streets and one at each entrance to Walnut Street. He will call NYSEG for their help. Mayor Martin will explore the issue to remove the lights. Trustee Gehrig asked how we discovered this, and Clerk/Treasurer Munoz said that Computel Consultants did an inventory of the Village lights and requested a copy of the street lighting bills. They then called and spoke to Superintendent Sorrell.
Adjournment
There being no further business to come before the Board this evening, a motion was made by Trustee Gehrig and seconded by Trustee Kim Trombley to adjourn the meeting at 7:15 p.m. All Board Members present voted aye, motion carried.
Juanita Munoz
Clerk/Treasurer