KINDERHOOK–The Village Board approved borrowing up to $50,000 to pay for a new truck and jaws-of-life for the Fire Department at the board meeting Wednesday, September 11. The board will hold a public hearing on the borrowing on Wednesday, October 9 at 7:15 p.m. before the next regular meeting.
The board also looked at building permit fees and the length of time a property owner has to complete a project before being required to renew or reapply for a permit. Village Code Enforcement Officer Glen Smith gave the board a sheet of proposed changes to the fees and permit duration. “We haven’t increased our fees in eight years,” Mr. Smith told the board.
Mr. Smith also said that changing the permit time limit from six months to 18 months would give people more time to finish their projects. He said that the having such a short window for the permit to be in force meant more paperwork for him to stay on top of.
Mr. Smith said that the time limit of the permit and the fees would encourage people to finish their projects. The fees would be on a sliding scale based on the size of projects and would include everything from changing a boiler in a house to building a new home. “We are not in the business to make money,” said Mr. Smith. These fees are to cover costs and to make sure that work gets inspected.
He also said that village was having a roofing company come in to look for hail damage on of the village hall roof, to see whether the board can collect insurance money to repair the damage. “I’m assuming there is a lot of hail damage,” Mr. Smith said.
The village hall roof has been in an issue the board has been trying to deal with for several months. Board member Bob Puckett was working on a scope of work for the roof, which is in need of repair, but he’s waiting to find out about moving power lines, which are very close to the roof.
Mr. Puckett plans to meet this week with power company National Grid, which owns the lines, and the state Department of Transportation. Moving the power lines could be very expensive for the village.
The sidewalk link project is moving forward along Route 9, connecting the village to Valatie. The construction company that is working on the project, which is funded by mostly by federal and state grants as well as small amount from each village, should complete its work on or before mid-October.
The wastewater project is on hold as the board awaits word from the state about environmental impact issues. Mayor Carol Weaver and Project Manager Jim Dunham have asked the state for an extension on the grant the village was awarded for the project. Mayor Weaver said village officials still plan to go out to bid with the project by this December.
The board is also looking for volunteers to update the village’s comprehensive plan. The village Planning Board will be part of the committee, but the board wants interested residents to be involved. Information about the plan is on the village website, http://villageofkinderhook.org.
The next village meeting will be Wednesday, October 9 at 7:30 p.m.
To contact reporter Emilia Teasdale email eteasdale@columbiapaper.com.
