KINDERHOOK–The Village Board is preparing for a winter without a Department of Public Works (DPW) garage. At the regular board meeting December 9, trustees agreed on a contract with the county for snow removal on two main roads in the village, opened bids for a new backhoe and discussed where to store what little equipment the village has left.
The board plans to rebuild the DPW garage with insurance settlements. The old building burned down last May in a fire that also destroyed much of the equipment used by the DPW. The department was able to salvage its pickup trucks, among other things.
The board had hoped to have a design for the new DPW garage approved by the insurance company in time to issue requests for bids at the Wednesday night meeting but the plans are not ready yet. Instead the board hopes to hold a special meeting later this month to approve the plans and start the bidding process on construction.
Board members also opened bids at this meeting for a new loader/backhoe that could cost over $90,000. The board plans to review the bids from four companies for new and used backhoes and decide on which to purchase at the special meeting.
In a related matter, the board spoke with village DPW Superintendent Dave Booth about where the trucks and other equipment the village does have should be housed for the winter. There are two options: one in the village and one about two miles away.
“I think really what we need is a warm place to work on the vehicles when we need to,” said Mr. Booth. He suggested renting the building outside of the village, since it has tools that the DPW maintenance worker can use. Mr. Booth said the DPW does not have many tools to do maintenance on the equipment.
“The tools are a major, major thing,” he said.
The board is going to do more research on housing the equipment. Board member Rich Phillips said the cost of renting the space would be covered by insurance.
Right now much of the remaining equipment is stored under a pavilion at the firehouse.
As for plowing, the board will need a backhoe, though the village does have plows for the pickups. The board also has a contract with the county to plow Albany and Hudson avenues in the village. Mayor Carol Weaver said that the county is prepared to charge an hourly rate to plow and sand the two roads.
Board members talked about the prediction of a later-than-usual snow season and spoke hopefully about the long range forecasts of more rain than snow this winter. “Someone is looking out of the Village of Kinderhook,” said Mr. Phillips.
The board that announced the special meeting was scheduled for Wednesday, December 16 at 5 p.m.
The next regular board meeting will be Wednesday, January 13 at 7:30 p.m.
To contact reporter Emilia Teasdale email