Village hopes to complete sidewalk project by Friday

Workers expect to complete the current sidewalk project by the end of this week if weather allows.

Highway Superintendent Dan Williams said the collaborative work effort between the town, the village and hired contractors has been going very well.

“We poured in 10 more yards this morning, so we’re about three-quarters of the way done,” Williams said on Friday. The section in progress will stretch 845 feet along Quaker Street from Rite Aid to Westview Drive. The complete project, which is a loop that is slated to be finished in the spring, will total just less than 2,200 feet.

So far, mild enough temperatures have allowed work to continue. However, the impending cold was a concern to Williams.

“It gets to the point where you add so much calcium chloride to prevent it from freezing, it compromises the sidewalks,” he said. The village board accepted a bid of $14,437.50 from Daigle Construction, LLC, over another bid from Bob Talhum, of Troy, which was nearly $2000 more expensive.

The board also passed a motion authorizing the highway department to purchase a new 1997 Super Duty Ford F450 bucket truck from the only company to offer a bid, for $8750, from Delurey Sales and Service of Hoosick Falls.  Village employees recently used this truck to put up Christmas decorations and were pleased with it.

“It’s a very nice truck. It will get inspected every year like it’s supposed to,” Williams said.

Water Main Project

A water main project on Norton Street and part of East Potter Ave. is expected to take place for about three weeks in the spring, Williams said.

Williams said this work would be an addition to a project the village started two years ago and would make use of leftover funds. After a recent hydraulics study showed low pressure areas throughout Granville, officials decided to fix spots most in need of an upgrade.

“It has to do with feed lines and upgrades,” Mayor Brian LaRose said. “The system is antiquated — some of the infrastructure has been in place since the fifties and sixties. It plays into usage for fire lines.”

Williams said some parts of East Potter Ave. have very old 4-inch mains and further towards Vermont are 2-inch mains.

“It’s not enough pressure in that area for firefighting,” Williams said.

As well as low-pressure mains, the project will connect dead-end lines, where chlorine by-product builds up.

“With loop lines the water is continuously moving, so you don’t have to worry about that build-up,” Williams said.

The board also discussed changes to connection fees and sprinkler system fees at the meeting. The $300 connection fee has not been raised in about 20 years, officials said, so they are considering an increase of up to $700.

Lamont Engineers made recommendations to the water and sewage commission after researching what other nearby, comparable towns are charging. There would be no set length of piping for the fee, and it would only be for new hook-ups.

Mitigation Project

Officials said the wastewater treatment plant took the brunt of the flooding during last year’s storm. Because the pumps were under water for six to eight hours, Williams said, they will all have to be replaced.

The board approved this mitigation project, which would be 100 percent funded by FEMA, Williams said.

Williams also mentioned implementing concrete walls and removable slats for the control panels in the plant that would help keep major water out for any future flooding.

“I think it’ll save everyone a lot of headache down the road,” Williams said.

“Jake Breaking,” etc.

After looking into an ordinance that would limit or ban truck’s use of engine breaking in the village, Police Chief Ernie Bassett reported to the board that it would not be a prudent decision.

“At this point, it is not in our best interest to proceed with that kind of an ordinance,” Bassett said. He said the state does not recognize any signage in relation to the problem because of liability issues. The breaks create a loud sound when they’re engaged, but they also serve as an important safety measure for their vehicles.

Bassett spoke with officials in Fort Edward, where signs telling truckers to limit engine break use are posted, but not enforced. Officials are considering a similar course of action in Granville.

Greg Liebig of Granville, who is looking to set up an 18 to 50-year-old basketball league, asked the board to provide an insurance certificate for use of the Granville high school gym. While most board members indicated this as a way to support community activities, Trustee Frank Caruso did not agree.

“It’s not part of the function of village government to insure sports teams,” Caruso said. “It’s not something we have any business being part of.”

Granville Village attorney Mike Martin told the board an insurance certificate would not cost them anything and the village would not be liable.  In the end the measure was approved by the board.