Sewer project may have to wait for spring

KINDERHOOK–Construction on the sewer lines to connect properties in the village business district will be postponed until spring, according the village Mayor Carol Weaver and Project Manager Jim Dunham.

Results from a state archeological review have only recently arrived, and the timing means the issuing of bid requests for the project has been delayed.

“It’s just something beyond our control,” Mr. Dunham said at the regular board meeting on Wednesday, July 10. He said that the results will push the start date off by eight weeks. “It’s just too tight to start construction this year,” Mr. Dunham told the board.

“This has dragged on for three months,” said Mayor Weaver of the archeological review. She and Mr. Dunham said they will be writing a letter to the state asking for an extension of the state Office of Community Renewal (OCR) grant. At present the board has until December 13, 2013 to complete the work.

The sewer project, which will connect properties along Hudson Street, Albany Avenue and Route 9 in the village to the Valatie sewer plant, is funded mostly by state and federal grants, including $285,000 from OCR. The village board plans to borrow $231,000 for the project.

The board had to amend its original state environmental review when the project was approved last year to add the two sites in the archeological review that need to be avoided or watched. The site of a privy at 6 Hudson Street needs to be avoided and the Kinderhook Knitting Factory site, which is behind the Kinderhook Library on Hudson Street and part of the St Paul’s Church property, is to be watched under the new review. Mr. Dunham said the state “determined they were not national registry eligible,” which he said would have a caused a problems with construction.

The new review also calls for the village to “watch” the habitat for the Indiana bat and the removal of trees during the project. The mayor said there are three trees in the village where the bats nest and will be removed during the project due to the condition of the tree.

Part of the wastewater project is moving forward. The Route 9 Sidewalk Link project, also being built with federal and state funds, will connect the villages, and the Kinderhook board approved laying pipes under the sidewalk. Mr. Dunham said that project is on schedule.

The board is also looking at construction costs for the Village Hall roof. Trustee Bob Puckett is drafting a letter for the village attorney and the mayor to send to National Grid about moving power lines close to the roof, which makes repairing the roof more expensive.
Mr. Puckett said he has not received a response from National Grid.

He is also working on a Parks and Recreation grant to help cover the repair.
Trustee Rich Phillips worried the roof wouldn’t make it through anther winter. He pointed out that the roof is leaking now.
“Let’s see what [National Grid] responds back with and we’ll have to talk about it again,” said Mayor Weaver.

Also at the meeting:
•The Economic Development Committee and the Village Board are hosting a band and Dancing on Street Saturday, August 4. Renee Shur, from the committee said they are still getting the details together and would start advertising soon
•The village will receive $19,000 from the company that paved Hudson Street. The street started breaking up after the construction was completed
•The Recreation Commission will host a movie night August 9 at the Rothermel Park. Trustee Brian Murphy said they have not decided what movie they are showing, but it will be a free, family event.
•The board held a public hearing about creating a no-parking zone 25 feet on Hudson Street at the corner of Sylvester Street in front of the Kinderhook Memorial Library to improve sight lines. After receiving not comments at the hearing the board passed the motion. Mr. Dunham said the signs were being ordered.
The next meeting is Wednesday, August 14 at 7:30 p.m.

To contact Emilia Teasdale email eteasdale@columbiapaper.com.

Ghent Fire Company set to pass century mark

July 20, 2023

By GREGG BERNINGER

***After the great fire, looking west with the Bartlett House on right, in Ghent, September 1923. Photo contributed***

THIS YEAR MARKS THE 100TH YEAR the Ghent Volunteer Fire Company has been protecting the community of which it has become an essential part. Those 100 years have seen many fires of all sorts, but thanks to those volunteers, none have been nearly as devastating as the fire from whose ashes the company arose.

The fire that broke out Wednesday morning, September 12, 1923, consumed the heart of Ghent’s business district, the area across Route 66 from the Bartlett House and running south toward where the VFW now stands. To many of Ghent’s inhabitants the extent of this fire came as no surprise.

The 1913 Sanborn Map of the Ghent hamlet, a detailed map produced by the Sanborn Map Company to help insurance agents assess fire risk, makes clear that Ghent was ripe for a disaster. The map reads: Prevailing Winds West, Water, Facilities NOT GOOD, NO Steam & No Hand Engine, NO Horse Cart, NO Hook & Ladder Truck.

Questions remain about how the fire started, though it’s apparent that the Ghent Hotel, two General Stores, and a building with a cobbler, woodworker, and barber were all lost. The loss totaled $75,000, equal to $1.3 million in today’s money.

This tragedy spurred a committee of Ghent men comprised of John Berninger, Emerson Southard and F. Vincent to visit Valatie to inspect a used chemical engine which was subsequently purchased and mounted on a Dodge pick-up truck.

From this humble beginning, the company members, with strong and continued support from the people of Ghent, has grown into an organization any town would be proud to have. In 2022 the GVFC responded to 112 calls.

For decades one of the highlights of the Ghent social scene was the firemen’s carnival. Thanks to Ghent being the home of the Fecteau acrobats and Adele Nelson’s trained elephants, both truly world class acts, the carnival proved a success year after year. In 1954 it raised $5,700; $64,000 in today’s money.

Many dances, shows, clam bakes and auctions over the years kept the fire company operating without any taxpayer dollars for much of its history. One of their first fund raising successes led to the construction of their first firehouse on the same grounds they occupy today.

Inside the first firehouse was the truck that remains the pride of Ghent, the 1928 American Lafrance, purchased for $5600 ($98,000 in today’s money) every penny of which was donated.
Among many families that have produced generations of firefighters, the Wilbers have done their part. Fred Wilber was a founding member and his son Charles, grandson Ken, great-grandson Kyle, and great-great-grandson Matt Radley have been a part of the family tradition. Charles and Ken both served as presidents of the Columbia County Volunteer Firefighter’s Association, and Kyle is the current president.
As is the custom, the CCVFA president’s company hosts the annual parade. This year’s parade will be on Main Street and Church Street in Ghent on July 29 at 2pm. This will be a fitting kickoff to another 100 hundred years of firefighting in Ghent.

Sewer project may have to wait for spring

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