Heater's Pond Dam should be done by mid-March

OGDENSBURG — Due to Heater's Pond Dam issues Mayor Rachel Slater said on Jan. 8, construction should begin the week of Jan. 22; and the dam should be finished - with pond filled - by the middle of March.
Council President Peter Opilla said the Beardslee Hill Loop repair is on hold due to weather and will probably be fixed in the spring. Opilla also contacted the Chief Financial Officer regarding the capital water budget amount available.
Slater said a meeting with Elizabethtown Gas was canceled due to a snowstorm; and there will be a meeting with Jackie Espinoza of JCP&L regarding when selected lights will be switched to LED.
The borough received $1,664, Slater said, from the 2017 Recycling Tonnage Grant.
Councilman George Hutnick said, the Ogdensburg Fire Department will purchase a fire chief vehicle, due to driving personal vehicles to fires and insurances. Hutnick added, the town will cover insurance and maintenance of the proposed, used 4-wheel drive vehicle.
Slater added the borough insurance will cover out-of-pocket expenses up to the personal deductible — amounts above will go on members' personal insurance.
Unfortunately the borough, Slater said, will not be able to fulfill a request for DPW employees to return after snowplowing in order to clear driveways for handicap residents because of: too many people, insurance reasons, and lack of time in serious snowstorms.
Officials agreed the budget workshop dates will be: Jan. 30 and Feb. 13, at 6 p.m., with a third date to be scheduled in the future. Slater encouraged the council to verify departments submit numbers or close estimates of needs, so the CFO may prepare for the budget workshop.
Hutnick said the NJ DEP recently notified the borough they may burn Christmas trees by Mon., Jan. 15. However, Ogdensburg's Christmas tree pickup is scheduled for Jan. 26, and the Heater's Pond area is unavailable due to construction.
Also, Hutnick proposed the borough provide an updated employee handbook to employees, who then sign and confirm having received it.