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Best wishes for a joyous Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year.
As we near the end of the calendar year and embrace the winter season, there is much that has to be accomplished in the village, particularly on the infrastructure side of business. While much of the talk has been about the waste water treatment plant, our water metering system needs updating. We also need to address storm drainage, streets and sidewalks.
Accurate water metering is essential to budgeting and for assuring that customers of our systems (water and sewer) are charged appropriately (neither too much nor too little). That is not happening at present. We have learned that most of our current meters are no longer being manufactured and that the replacement stock is limited. We have replaced some with newer models and are planning to replace the entire system (hopefully in the next year). The new system will also be a drive-by radio-read one, cutting down the time it takes to read the usage data from a couple weeks to a day or two. Accuracy will also be significantly improved. It is estimated that this project will cost us about $500,000. Again, this is not a luxury; we have to replace the current system. If we go with the brand of meter we now have, the cost is likely to be much less because the newer meters that have already been installed (about 30 percent) can be retrofitted with a new reader head instead of having to replace the whole thing.
Another area of concern has been our reservoir dam. The village was required to have an emergency action plan in place in 2010. That never happened. We are working with the state Department of Environmental Conservation and our engineering firm, MRB Group, to rectify this problem. MRB will also look at options as to the future of the reservoir. The impoundment facility is not needed any longer for our water supply. We pay property taxes to the town of Wayland and Wayland-Cohocton Central School District. We have the Perkinsville wells to fall back on if Little Mill Creek ever runs short or something happens to our intake. (It should be noted that during last summer’s dry spell we never had to limit water use.) However, the dam functions as a valuable tool for flood control. So, even though it has been suggested that we rid ourselves of the reservoir property, it may not be the right choice. The study will help give us direction.
Best wishes for a joyous Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year.
As we near the end of the calendar year and embrace the winter season, there is much that has to be accomplished in the village, particularly on the infrastructure side of business. While much of the talk has been about the waste water treatment plant, our water metering system needs updating. We also need to address storm drainage, streets and sidewalks.
Accurate water metering is essential to budgeting and for assuring that customers of our systems (water and sewer) are charged appropriately (neither too much nor too little). That is not happening at present. We have learned that most of our current meters are no longer being manufactured and that the replacement stock is limited. We have replaced some with newer models and are planning to replace the entire system (hopefully in the next year). The new system will also be a drive-by radio-read one, cutting down the time it takes to read the usage data from a couple weeks to a day or two. Accuracy will also be significantly improved. It is estimated that this project will cost us about $500,000. Again, this is not a luxury; we have to replace the current system. If we go with the brand of meter we now have, the cost is likely to be much less because the newer meters that have already been installed (about 30 percent) can be retrofitted with a new reader head instead of having to replace the whole thing.
Another area of concern has been our reservoir dam. The village was required to have an emergency action plan in place in 2010. That never happened. We are working with the state Department of Environmental Conservation and our engineering firm, MRB Group, to rectify this problem. MRB will also look at options as to the future of the reservoir. The impoundment facility is not needed any longer for our water supply. We pay property taxes to the town of Wayland and Wayland-Cohocton Central School District. We have the Perkinsville wells to fall back on if Little Mill Creek ever runs short or something happens to our intake. (It should be noted that during last summer’s dry spell we never had to limit water use.) However, the dam functions as a valuable tool for flood control. So, even though it has been suggested that we rid ourselves of the reservoir property, it may not be the right choice. The study will help give us direction.
Storm drainage in the village has become a major problem. Over time, most of our streets have been built up well above the bordering properties, resulting in water not flowing properly. Fixing those problems is going to take time and be costly, but with new state regulations on the horizon, doing nothing is not going to be an option. Also, Bradner Creek regularly overflows its banks. Superintendent of Public Works Scott Tracy walked the creek and assigned some of his crew to clean out brush and potential obstacles to the continuous flow of runoff. However, more needs to be done there as well. I want to remind property owners that the dumping of brush, leaves, lawn clippings, etc. into any creek running through the village is prohibited by statute. This coming growing season we will be looking at this problem more closely.
Finally, we need to have a sidewalk program again. The form it will take needs to be discussed in detail. Walk-ability is greatly impaired and safety is threatened by the condition of many sidewalks, so much so that it alarms me to see so many people walking in the streets, especially parents with strollers. We are currently looking at a grant program which is aimed at providing safe routes for school children. That is a start but will not address all sidewalks.
I could go on about the needs of the village. Some will be addressed over the winter months into early spring. Some will take years. As many of you have observed, we have contracted for tree removal, with the DPW assisting to keep the cost down. Administratively, we have put a new accounting and payroll system in place to help us better account for our money. The old program was too complex for our needs and way too expensive. We also hired Bonadio Group to audit our funds and review our accounting procedures to ensure we are using the best practices. That will coincide with the 2012-13 budget process.
In closing, I would like to congratulate Mr. Richard Bondi on his recognition as a care-giver. It was well deserved. Also, thank you to the Grace Baptist Church choral group for stopping by my house this past week to sing Christmas carols. It put my wife and me in the spirit of the season.
Till next year, God bless and have a great holiday season.
