VILLAGE OF HOBART BOARD MEETING MINUTES SEPTEMBER 19, 2016
The regular meeting of the Village of Hobart Board of Trustees was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by Mayor Aaron Kaufman. Those present were Mayor Kaufman, Trustees David Hotaling, Jim Quarino, Gordy Key and Charlie Reinshagen, Village Attorney John Hubbard, Clerk-Treasurer, Kellee Estus, Superintendent of DPW Lucas McMullen, Waste Water Chief Operator Richi Horne, Hobart Fire Chief Josh Mason, Andrew Flach, Don Dales and Judy Vidal. The Treasurer’s Report was viewed by the Board. A motion to accept the report with the following changes was made by Trustee Hotaling, second by Trustee Reinshagen, with all in favor, carried. In the General Fund, transfer $1822.29 from 1910-D to 1910-F; transfer $785.64 from 3410.2 to 3410.4. In the Water Fund, transfer $349.62 from 1990 to 1910.1. In the Sewer Fund, transfer $469.47 from 1990 to 1910-3. In the NYC Fund, transfer $1078.83 from 1990 to 1910-3. A motion to approve the minutes of last month’s meeting was made by Trustee Hotaling, with a second from Trustee Key, with all in favor, carried.
Superintendent of DPW Lucas McMullen gave the water report to the Board stating Layne Christensen Company cleaned the pumps and we are making 120 gallons per minute. McMullen stated Jake and Tim had cleaned the contact tank at the water plant last Thursday. For his report, Superintendent McMullen stated the crew completed sweeping the curb gutters. The broom worked well during this and he would like to replace the broom bristles which would cost approximately $500-$600 to replace. He stated they applied guardrail protectant on the guardrails on Maple Avenue and serviced the leaf blower. Superintendent McMullen stated Trash Days will be held on the second and third Tuesday of October.
Mayor Kaufman gave the floor to Andrew Flach, who then gave the floor to Don Dales. Don stated there was finally a decision on which design to use for the gateway signs so requests for proposals can go out. He also stated that the 4th annual Festival of Women’s Writer’s, held last weekend, had over 100 people attend and generated a lot of revenue. During that time, the Bull & Garland had guests stay there. The Pub is projected to hopefully be ready by the end of this month.
Waste Water Chief Operator Richi Horne reported to the Board that there have been a lot of things going on at the plant. She has made check lists for daily and monthly duties so everyone is on the same page. The blower that had been leaking has been replaced with a brand new one and is working nicely. Chief Operator Horne informed the Board to be aware that additional testing for the SPDES permit cannot just be done by USGS, some of the tests will have to be subbed out. She has been speaking with Phil Ghiorse of Mallinckrodt and will have an official meeting with him in the middle of October which will include an inspection and tour. Horne also stated one piece of equipment, a drive, has died and needs to be replaced. It will be $4396 to replace it and will be a 50/50 split between the Village and NYC. The Board agreed to order it since there really was no other option. Chief Operator Horne also stated a DEP inspection had taken place at the plant. She also stated Lamont’s received quotes for the storm water work they will have done at the old sewer plant. They awarded the work to Evergreen. This is additional work to remove storm water away from the old sewer plant building. The Board as a whole was not fully aware of any of this and agreed that they would like to see plans of the project. In the meantime, Richi will forward emails regarding this project to the Board as they have not seen them. Chief Operator Horne also asked the Board for a few minutes later on in the meeting to clarify employee scheduling and training.
Hobart Fire Chief Josh Mason stated the fire hydrants have all been marked with the new reflectors. Mallinckrodt has a hydrant system of approximately 8 that will need to be marked as well. Chief Mason stated both of the small fire trucks do fit in the old shop bay. He asked about getting overhead garage door openers. Mayor Kaufman asked Superintendent McMullen to look into pricing for them. Chief Mason also stated he is looking into getting additional fobs for the remaining fire house doors to make the fire house more secure. Chief Mason asked the Board what the plan was for the generator that sits out by the brown barn. Discussion followed with who may or may not want it. Mason also stated the air packs are outdated. He spoke with Mallinckrodt and will give them a list of how many are needed. These are split between the Village and the Rural District. There was a brief discussion about getting paint for the walls and new ceiling tiles for the new construction at the fire house.
Mayor Kaufman continued the meeting with old business. He stated the Community Center /Fire House construction project has been completed. The USDA LEP compliance requirement was tabled as Clerk Estus was not able to reach a USDA Rural Development representative prior to the meeting with questions. In regard to outdoor fires in the Village, Mayor Kaufman gave the floor to Trustee Hotaling. Trustee Hotaling stated the Village does not have a local law on outdoor fires. There is a New York State law and a FASNY (Firemen’s Association of the State of New York) law but there is no accountability or repercussions. A draft local law was distributed to the Board, Village Attorney and residents present. Section 4C was reviewed and determined that the wording needed to be changed. Village Attorney Hubbard stated the word “fueled” could be interpreted differently to people. It was agreed to change the word to “ignited”. The question of who would enforce this law was brought up. Village Attorney Hubbard stated it would be Code Enforcement and/or the police. A public hearing will be scheduled for 6 p.m. prior to the October Board meeting for this drafted local law.
Mayor Kaufman continued the meeting with miscellaneous requests. Kelly Chien requested permission from the Board to have an outdoor movie night on October 15th. The Board unanimously agreed to approve this request. Barbara Hoover Stevens requested an additional light on Pearl Street between the Methodist Church and the Locust Hill Cemetery. Mayor Kaufman asked Superintendent McMullen to contact NYSEG to see how much it would cost for an additional light. A request from Jessica Jester to have a place for her cheer/dance group to practice in the cooler weather was read to the Board. The Board agreed to offer her the Activity Center gym at the normal rate of $15/hour and with the stipulation that her scheduling would have to work around the school and resident schedule for basketball.
Mayor Kaufman opened the floor to community participation. Don Dales stated Wally Rich has a piano for the Community Center. Dales asked if the Village would be willing to have it tuned. This would cost approximately $100-$150 a year. The Board agreed to do so. Dales also stated comments were made regarding the stains on the chairs in the Community Center during the Festival of Women’s Writers.
Chief Operator Horne asked for clarification on the schedules. She said what they have been doing has been working well so far. Discussion followed between Horne and the Board regarding comp and flex time. There is no flex/comp time. Duties must be designated among employees to avoid additional time. The weekend hours at the sewer plant will be between the hours of 7 a.m. and 12 p.m. Tim Rausch’s set hours are 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Jake Palmatier’s are 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Richi’s are 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Richi has made daily and monthly check lists for all of the employees. The next training in Sidney would have Richi, Tim, Jake and Lucas all attending. Horne asked if Jake could check the plant first thing in the morning on that day and again after the training. The Board agreed. He will receive overtime for hours over his regular 8 hour work day. Horne also told the Board that there will be an AWWA lab class held at the Community Center next spring which will give each employee 2 credits each which is worth $125. Holiday pay was asked to be clarified. Would the employee receive overtime? Would there be a limit for hours worked? Mayor Kaufman stated he needed time to think about that a bit more before they could reach a decision.
A motion to approve the bills on Abstract No. 4 was made by Trustee Key with a second from Trustee Hotaling, with all in favor, carried.
General Fund Voucher #s 100-129 $14,790.87
Water Fund Voucher #s 45-60 $24,173.05
Sewer Fund Voucher #s 76-98 $10,703.36
NYC Fund Voucher #s 77-98 $ 5,792.69
A motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:44 p.m. was made by Trustee Hotaling, with a second from Trustee Key, with all in favor, carried.
Respectfully Submitted,
Kellee J. Estus
Clerk-Treasurer
