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Could huffing and puffing blow down village hall?

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KINDERHOOK–The alleyway next to the village hall on Route 9 has been closed to foot traffic because bricks are falling from the wall.

The village board discussed the closing at the regular meeting Wednesday, August 8, hiring a contractor to repair the damaged wall and to evaluate the condition of the roof, which the board has talked about repairing for several months.

“It’s serious,” said board member Rich Phillips about wall and roof drainage issues.

The board has discussed in the past applying for grants to pay for the work. To fix the bricks, Mr. Phillips brought a bid from a company in the region which estimated the work would cost the village $6,500.

“The problem with the roof is the roof itself,” said Code Enforcement Officer Glenn Smith at the meeting. Mr. Smith suggested getting a bid from another mason to do the work before going ahead with the one bid the board had. The board agreed and members plan to send the work specifications to the mason Mr. Smith suggested.

The board is also working with the paving company that did the road work on Hudson Avenue. Parts of the pavement are crumbling, and Jim Dunham, the project manager for the road work, has been asking the company to come back and fix the problems. He said he is meeting with company representatives this week to ask them to “do something or get some money so we can do something.”

Mr. Dunham also reported on the sidewalk project that would link the village with the neighboring Village of Valatie. He said the plans for that project are now at the state for review. The villages hope to issue requests for bids for the sidewalk link project next spring. He said that while the state will respond to the final plan sometime this fall, the best time to start work, which involved tearing up sections of Route 9, should take place early in the summer. Also, the village may have to lay out the funds to pay contractors for some of the work before the village is reimbursed. The project will be almost totally funded by state and federal grants, but Mr. Dunham, a former mayor, advised the village to have funds in the budget to cover the cost of the project in the late spring, early summer when village taxes are paid.

In other business last week the board:

Decided to review village emergency plans and update them. After the fire last week at the TCI plant off Route 9H in W. Ghent, the board realized the local plans are out of date

Heard that following the village having been named one of the nation’s Preserve American Communities in November 2011, Kinderhook had just received a sign from the federal government recognizing the honor to hang in the village. The board is discussing where to hang it and whether to buy another sign for $300

Held a crowded information meeting before the regular meeting about the referendum to connect some of the properties on the main streets of the village to the Valatie sewer plant. People packed into the large meeting room to discuss the plan and get information from the board. The referendum passed in a special election on August 15.

The next board meeting date has been changed to September 5 at 7:30 p.m. in the village hall.

To contact reporter Emilia Teasdale eteasdale@columbiapaper.com.

 

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