At 6:00 PM on Monday, Monday, January 4th, 2021 Mayor Meg Grenier read the following statement: this is the Village of Menands Board of Trustees, semi-monthly meeting. I am Mayor Meg Grenier and as it is 6:00 o’clock, I will call this meeting to order. For anyone outside the village staff who is attending this video conference, I would ask if you would please identify yourselves, Steve Boulet, Bill Nevins, John Stangle, Eric Johnson, Lisa Newman, Renee Lequire. The Mayor asked them to mute their microphones.
Mayor Grenier then did a roll call of Village staff: Deputy Mayor Aileen Nicoll, absent, Trustee Seth Harris, present, present, Trustee Diane Foley, present, Trustee Brian Marsh, present, Clerk Don Handerhan, present, Village Attorney Steve Rehfuss, present. On behalf of the Village Board, I would ask all residents that we please keep our First Responders, all essential workers and those affected by this pandemic in our thoughts and prayers.
Pursuant to Governor Cuomo’s executive order number 202.1 issued on March 13th, 2020: Suspending article 7 of the public officer’s law, to the extent necessary to permit any Public body to meet, and take such actions authorized by law that allowed the public to not be physically present at the meeting, but allow the public to listen to or view such meetings via teleconference call or video conference, while recording and later transcribing of the meeting. Village of Menands Board of Trustees semi-monthly meeting is being held via Google Meets video conference to protect Public Safety and Welfare during this COVID-19 pandemic. In an effort to conduct this meeting effectively we asked those in attendance to please mute your microphone during the meeting. As we are conducting only business essential during tonight’s meeting, there will be no public comment. Any comments previously submitted to Clerk Handerhan prior to the meeting and deemed essential will be read into the record. Governor Cuomo has extended executive order number 202.1 through January 29th, 2021.
A motion was made by Trustee Marsh to accept the minutes of the December 21st, 2020 Board Meeting, seconded by Trustee Nicoll.
ADOPTED:
Trustee Foley voting AYE
Trustee Harris voting AYE
Trustee Marsh voting AYE
Mayor Grenier voting AYE
A motion was made by Trustee Marsh to approve payment for the following, seconded by Trustee Foley.
WARRANT # 15:
GENERAL totaling $113,493.88
WATER totaling $300,799.00
SEWER totaling $ 2,107.50
TOTALS $416,400.38
PAYROLL # 16: totaling $ 99,455.56
(12/18/20-12/31/20)
ADOPTED:
Trustee Foley voting AYE
Trustee Harris voting AYE
Trustee Marsh voting AYE
Mayor Grenier voting AYE
A motion was made by Trustee Marsh, seconded by Trustee Harris, to accept the following resolution:
RESOLVED, that the Treasurer be, and hereby is, authorized to make the following Budget Transfers
Account
Account
From Acct:
A.1990.0400
To Acct:
A.1420.0400
Description
Contingent Account
Law – Contractual
Amount:
$7,000.00
$7,000.00
From Acct:
A.3120.0151
To Acct:
A.3120.0153
Description
Telecommunicator F/T
Telecommunicator O/T
Amount:
$7,000.00
$4,000.00
From Acct:
”
To Acct:
A.3120.0208
Description
”
Equipment – Misc.
Amount:
–
$3,000.00
From Acct:
A.3410.0405
To Acct:
A.3410.0404
Description
Insurance
Miscellaneous
Amount:
$2,500
$2,500.00
From Acct:
A.5110.0417
To Acct:
A.5110.0405
Description
Gas & Oil
Insurance
Amount:
$50.00
$50.00
From Acct:
A.7620.0450
To Acct:
A.7620.0405
Description
Hall Rental
Insurance
Amount:
$150.00
$150.00
WATER FUND
From Acct:
F.1990.0400
To Acct:
F.8310.0415
Description
Contingent Account
Bldg Maintenance
Amount:
$7,500.00
$1,500.00
From Acct:
”
To Acct:
F.8310.0419
Description
“Vehicle Mtce
Amount:
”
$6,000.00
SEWER FUND
From Acct:
G.9710.0600
To Acct:
G.9710.0700
Description
Bond Principal
Bond Interest
Amount:
$170.00
$170.00
Approved:
Trustee Foley –
voting
AYE
Trustee Harris –
voting
AYE
Trustee Marsh –
voting
AYE
Mayor Grenier –
voting
AYE
The Clerk advised the Board that he will send letters to the Board of Elections advising them of the follow:
- Village Election will be held on Tuesday, June 15, 2021 from 12 PM to 9 PM at the Menands Firehouse.
- Registration Day will be Saturday, June 10th, 2021 from 12 PM to 5 PM.
- Positions up for vote 2 Trustees and Village Justice.
- The need for Voter Registration List.
- The need for 1 voting machine the day of Election.
- The Ballot will be forwarded by May 21, 2021.
The Clerk advised the payroll system is going to be upgraded to Flex System. The Flex System will allow for payroll to completed electronically. Once the system is complete each employee will have access to their payroll information.
Trustee Harris asked if checks can be electronic instead of paper checks. A discussion followed.
The Clerk advised the Board that water/sewer bills were sent out January 1st, 2021.
Trustee Harris asked if all trail markers have been installed. The Clerk replied that as far as he knows they were all installed but he will contact Chazen Companies to confirm.
MEMORANDUM 12/28/20
TO: All Village Board Members
FROM: Bill Garvey Jr
I got letters of concern and importance as follows:
I’m glade to see that the contractor finally got the Quiet Zone Railway Project for the D & H Railroad done and I thank him for it. Now since that locomotive engineers of trains can’t blow train whistles in our Village from 10 PM – 7 AM each night, then Menands residents who live near D & H Railway line won’t need to worry about listening to train whistles during the night time. I wish that the contractor had done the Quiet Zone Railway Project right the 1st time the 2and time around. Keep in mind railroads still got to operate 24/7 every single day of the year.
On 12/10/20 I observed and delighted to see that National Grid Power Co replaced 1 silver metal street light marker No. 70 on westside Broadway with 1 new silver metal street light marker plus 5 silver metal street light markers and 2 light green metal street light markers on westside Broadway here in our Village have finally been fixed and they are now being lighted up during night time. I like to thank National Grid Power Company for getting the street light repairs done. Good Job. Since street lighting is one of most important public services, we got to have street light service every single night of the year.
I have been observing 3 red fire hydrants still not having red and white reflector sticks on them for several months, 1 fire hydrant on Oakwood Avenue, 1 fire hydrant Just northeast of Stewarts Ice Cream Store on westside Broadway and 1 fire hydrant on westside Broadway just sough of MacDonald Circle Drive. Those 3 fire hydrants just mentioned above still got to have new red and white reflector sticks on them as required by New York State Fire Safety Rules and Regulations. Please kindly install new red and white reflector sticks on all 3 fire hydrants as soon as possible.
Mayor Grenier asked the Clerk to follow-up with Mike Hagmann, DPW Foreman to check hydrant marker on hydrants.
For several Days while driving on Broadway passed 250 Broadway Building, I have noticed that 1 window on east side of our Village Court Room has been left 1 foot high open when court is not in session or not being used. This is wasting energy plus we Village residents are force to suffer paying higher electric bills for our Village Public Buildings. Wasting energy may cause the rates of climate warming to climb up higher. So, I reported this problem to Menands Police and Village Court Officials in writing. On 12/5/20 while the Toys for Tots event was being held, I ran into one of the police officers and I told him that the eastside window of the Court Room had been left open for several days. So, H closed the eastside window of the Court Room and I thanked him for closing that window. However, on 12/10/20 again I saw the eastside window of our Court Room open. So, I wrote another letter to Village Court Officials this same subject. We got to inform all Village Court Room Officials and staff that they got to fully close all windows of the Court Room when Village Court is not being used or not in session, windows should not be left open when not being used.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Yours sincerely
Bill Garvey Jr
Mayor Grenier advised the next meeting will be Tuesday, January 19th due to Martin Luther King Holiday.
A motion was made by Trustee Harris to adjourn, seconded by Trustee Foley.
ADOPTED:
Trustee Foley voting AYE
Trustee Harris voting AYE
Trustee Marsh voting AYE
Mayor Grenier voting AYE
The meeting was duly adjourned at 6:11 P.M.
_______________________
Donald Handerhan
Village Clerk