Note to readers: The Town of Rockland Town Board and Livingston Manor School Board meeting reports for the month of December 2022 will not appear in the paper, but will be published here.
Possible solar array at Roscoe sewer plant to be studied
By Marge Feuerstein | Manor Ink Mentor
Town Board meeting of Dec. 1
Minutes: The minutes of the previous meeting were unanimously approved.
Public Comment: Resident Peter Chiavaro spoke to the board about his plans to revitalize the garden on Pearl St. in the spring. He will make an effort to enlist help from other community organizations.
Correspondence: Sunday, Dec. 4, is Tote Bag day in the Manor. Customers shopping locally will be given a free tote by the hamlet’s Chamber of Commerce. Sullivan Renaissance will host a housing seminar on Zoom on Dec. 7, at 6 p.m.
OLD BUSINESS
The Manor’s sewer treatment plant will test its UV lights on Dec. 5, at 6 p.m.
NEW BUSINESS
Resolutions Required: The following resolutions were passed by the board.
Hire Kerry Madison as the part-time Court Clerk assistant, not to exceed 6 hours per week, at the rate of $14.35 per hour.
Order new mowing equipment from Eschenberg, Inc., including a Redmax RZT for $4,000, two Stihl trimmers for $372, and two Toro self-propelled mowers for $960.
Appoint Guy Baker to the Sullivan County Fire Advisory Board
Order a new magnetic locator for the Water department at $1,114, but with a trade-in allowance of $250, the net cost will be $884.
Department Heads: Roger Decker, Highway: The department is currently running short-handed and will run a help-wanted ad again. Some of the plows are being rebuilt to eliminate scraping of the roads. The Robert Greene dealership should be delivering new trucks sometime in December. Glenn Gabbard, Code Enforcement: A new law has come down from the state and has been sent to the attorney for clarification. It will have to be adopted at some point. Gabbard reminded the board that he will be out on medical leave for two weeks.
Approval of Bills: The bills on Abstract #23 were approved.
Details of all dollar amounts can be found at townofrocklandny.com under the minutes of Dec. 1.
Town Board meeting of Dec. 15
Due to impending severe weather, the Dec. 15 meeting was held on Zoom.
Minutes: The minutes of the meeting on Dec. 1 were unanimously approved after a correction was made noting the absence of board member Andy McRell.
Correspondence: Numerous holiday greeting cards sent to the board may be seen at Town Hall. Sullivan Renaissance notified the town that it has been given the organization’s Silver Feather award. The prize’s funds will be used to create a dog park, a Frisbee golf course and several other facilities in Roscoe. The town will soon contact homeowners to set up appointments to check water meter connections to be ready for new federal system regulations.
OLD BUSINESS
The Roscoe sewer plant modifications have been completed. The chlorine tank and pumps are all operational, but are awaiting paperwork. The Manor is waiting for the last few invoices from Witcom, Inc. The Manor plant’s UV lights have been successfully tested and were removed and stored until April when they will be reinstalled. The $50,000 grant to replace the roof of the town court’s building was finally approved and is on the way.
NEW BUSINESS
An end-of-year meeting will take place on Dec. 29, at 11 a.m. The holiday party for town employees and board members, postponed due to heavy snow, will be held on Dec. 22. At the suggestion of Code Enforcement Officer Glenn Gabbard, the cost of a closed trailer for the new tractors will be investigated.
Resolutions Required: The following resolutions were required and were passed by the board.
Charge water customers the town’s cost of water meter end point at time of tap or customer tamper at the rate of $247.
Authorize a CSAR study with Solar Liberty for a proposed solar array at the Roscoe sewer plant.
Hire Dutchess Overhead Doors of Poughkeepsie to install new garage doors in the highway barn at a cost of $5,675, the lower bid.
Purchase three 40-foot-long storage containers, at a cost not to exceed $15,000, that will be placed behind the highway barn and will house the new tractors.
Department Heads: Roger Decker, Highway: The department bought several new chainsaws. The pickup truck from Robert Greene should be in by the end of the month, but the other truck is behind schedule and won’t be in until January.
Approval of Bills: The bills on Abstract #24 were approved.
Details of all dollar amounts can be found at townofrocklandny.com under the minutes of Dec. 15.
Board presented with LMCS capital improvement costs
By Marge Feuerstein | Manor Ink Mentor
School Board Meeting of Dec. 21
Superintendent’s Presentation: Janelle Jones, Senior Class advisor, gave the board a brief summary of the proposed class trip to the New Jersey shore. Details of the educational component are being worked out.
Presentation by SEI Design Group: Attending via Zoom, two members of SEI Design Group, an Albany architectural consulting service, presented a summary of necessary LMCS building and electrical upgrades and their probable cost to the district. Since the proposed merger of the Rockland school districts did not go through, the Manor must address these repairs with a 68-percent aid ratio, rather than a 90-percent ratio the proposed single district would have received. Several plans were discussed, with some upgrades having no tax impact on residents while others would. At Superintendent John Evans’ request, the board voted to hold workshops in January and February to discuss proposed plans.
Administrative Reports: Reports were given by Adam Larson, high school principal; Chris Hubert, elementary principal; Lauren Marrero, Special Ed services; and David Eggleton, director of athletics.
Action Items: The following items were voted and unanimously passed.
Minutes of the previous meeting, treasurer’s reports, revenue status and budget appropriation reports.
Warrant, CSE, CPSE and Section 504 recommendations
Budget development calendar for the 2023-24 school year.
Accept donation
Ballot destruction
Notice of intent to retire
Tax warrant reconciliation
Consent Agenda: The consent agenda was approved as presented.
The specifics of all action items and those in the consent agenda are not read aloud at meetings. However, all dollar amounts and specific details of action items and the consent agenda can be found at lmcs.k12.ny.us under the minutes of Dec. 21.