Ogdensburg to plan another natural gas meeting

OGDENSBURG — Mayor Rachel Slater said on Nov. 13 the borough will schedule another town hall meeting after Elizabethtown Gas meets with the council and gives them final numbers of residents interested in natural gas.
Councilman Anthony Nasisi said they have pending interviews set up to find a new judge.
Council President Peter Opilla said their current easement allows them to complete the Beardslee Hill Drive loop repair work. They will inform the home owner, he continued, regarding what will be fixed, and hopefully, set up a schedule with the vendor within the next few weeks.
Opilla said he and Department of Public Works Supervisor Chris Ross will review the miscellaneous water repair list — what can be corrected, repaired, or referred to a vendor.
In addition, Opilla continued, the booster pump is offline because the control module continues to fry fuses and may need to be replaced with a newer, more efficient module. After the vendor responds to his inquiry, he said, they will schedule the work.
Slater said, Fielder's Choice uses the fields in the spring and fall in exchange for maintaining the baseball field and paying field fees, which pay for clay. However, she said, she has not received a response regarding use, and there have been requests in the past from other local organizations.
Officials agreed as long as the company maintains the field, pays the appropriate fees, and allows local residents to use them, Fielder's Choice could continue to use the fields.
Councilman David Astor agreed during discussion, the council and school could also develop a shared service agreement for school fields if necessary.
Nasisi said he is waiting for information regarding Horizon Medicare Blue Group renewal changes: premium and out of pocket changes, federal subsidies, and possible Medicare decreases.
He also said there will be a shared service agreement with the Department of Public Works, school, and municipal building for janitorial supplies. The borough will benefit from the school's discount for bulk orders, Nasisi continued, and the shared service agreement still needs to be reviewed by Borough Attorney Richard Brigliadoro.
Slater said they need to start working on borough appointments for the Jan. 2018 meeting.
She also said she has been discussing and will meet with Jackie Espinoza of JCP&L regarding lighting at the corner of Passaic and Rte. 517 and the one dozen minimum requirement of LED lights - to determine their brightness. The council discussed possibly placing lights near Passaic Ave. and Plant St., however, not too close to houses. Slater added, possibly before or after the tunnel and Brooks Flat. However, she continued, 517 is a County Rd., and the borough would need permission to add lights.
Councilman George Hutnick said, it will be fairly easy to determine 12 locations for the LED lights and for visibility help, he suggested also before the Passaic Bridge.
Slater said, the town would need an electrical contractor to set up lights, because JCP&L only installs LED lights on existing polls. The work, she continued, would need to be completed on the bridge before the sidewalk is pored. In addition, she will ask if the lights would be too bright for the bridge.
Police Chief Stephen Gordon said because the tunnel is on the National Historic Register, approval would be necessary before adding lights. However, he said, a light still needs to be fixed on the south side of the tunnel, where a tree fell and broke the wire.
During public session, Richard and Cynthia Predmore spoke of issues with Predmore Rd. caused by heavy rain washing the road out beginning in Aug. of 2000. They asked for two problems to be addressed: a town property drain - which constantly plugs with debris - be regularly maintained in order for heavy rains not to cause flooding and a huge crack in the bridge.
During the meeting, Astor contacted Ross and will meet with him to discuss the two issues. In addition, Slater said, she would reach out to the borough engineer.