Village to flush water lines in June
Hydro-flushing village water lines will start on the evening of Monday, June 5 and continue through Friday, June 9, water superintendent Mike Hopf said at the Saugerties Village Board meeting on May 15. The flushing will be done at night, from 8 p.m. to midnight. “There may be some brown water during this timeline.” The Town of Saugerties will be flushing lines during the following week, Hopf added.
“In case people reach out to me and ask whether the water is okay to drink — it is, right?” asked trustee Andrew Zinc.
Hopf affirmed that the water is safe to drink, saying, “Typically the mains get scoured out. We try to flush them right out. You’ll get some brown water if you turn on the tap as we’re flushing that section, but if you let it run, it should clear up shortly. All the water is chlorinated and should be free of any contaminants. But if you have any concerns, you can always boil it.”
Village wastewater permit under review
The Village of Saugerties wastewater plant was recently inspected by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation [DEC] in connection with its SPDES [State Pollution Discharge Elimination System] permit. Among the changes the village will have to make are removal of chlorine before the water is discharged into the Esopus Creek and limits on other chemicals in the treated wastewater, water superintendent Mike Hopf, who is also supervising the sewer plant, said. “Each of these treatments will require modifications to the plant. Dennis [Larios, village engineering consultant] has been on board with this, so he understands what we’re looking at.”
Hopf is awaiting information from the DEC about whether there was public comment on the findings. When the agency responds, the village can begin working on the recommendations, Hopf said, with 18 months for engineering and another 18 months after the plans are approved to do the work. The village is seeking funding through an Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC) grant, Hopf said. “We initially want to go with a $50,000 engineering grant, and ultimately a grant to do the modifications to the plant.”
Trustee Donald Hackett praised the water plant’s operators: Hopf, who is running the sewer plant, and Joe Myers, the temporary sewer plant operator. “We are in compliance; we have been in compliance,” Hackett said. He also asked about a chemical that is now being added to sewage to help eliminate odors.
The chemical is potassium permanganate, Hopf said. “It’s an oxidizer: It oxidizes the organics and helps with odors.” That, and a greater removal of sludge, have reduced odors from the plant, according to Hopf.
Trustee Vincent Buono said that the removal of the digester cover, and cleaning the unit out, has also helped.
Village parks director to retire
George Terpening, the Village of Saugerties’ director of Parks, Buildings and Grounds, will retire on July 15 after 22 years in the position. Terpening announced his retirement as he concluded his report to the village board at its meeting on Monday, May 15.
“I regret that I just can’t do the job anymore,” he said. Terpening is suffering from glaucoma and facing a hip replacement, he explained. “It’s been a good ride; I’ve had a lot of fun.”
Saugerties to levy fines for abandoned junk
The Village of Saugerties plans to fine residents who leave bulky materials, such as discarded furniture, on the street. Village workers have been picking the junk up, but board members decided at the May 15 meeting to make property-owners responsible for the junk they leave on the street. “They’re very good about it, but it is at the village’s cost,” trustee Donald Hackett said. The proposed law would put the onus on the homeowner to dispose of junked furniture or pay a fine to cover the village’s cost to remove it.
Trustee Vincent Buono said that in some cases, the owner of the furniture or other junk might leave it in front of someone else’s house. Trustee Terry Parisian said that the owner of the house at which the junk was picked up would be held responsible. This would be the only way it could work, the board decided; it would be up to the property-owner to fight the determination if he or she were not responsible.
Hackett said he has seen a couch in front of a property on Ulster Avenue that had been there for six weeks. “They actually picked it up and moved it and mowed the lawn.” The couch is still there, he said.
The next step will be to have the village attorney draft a law, following which the board would vote to adopt it. The board voted to refer the matter to the village’s attorney to draft an addition to the village’s property maintenance law.
Activities report at village board
The Saugerties Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a series of summer evening concerts on the first Friday of June, July and August in Tina Chorvas Park, with a fourth concert in September at the Kiersted House, deputy mayor Jeannine Mayer reported at the village board meeting on Monday, May 15. The concerts in the Tina Chorvas Waterfront Park will take place on June 2, July 7 and August 4, the concert at the Kiersted House on September 1. Concerts are set to start at 6:30 p.m.
Because the concerts are happening in a public park, village board approval is necessary, trustee Donald Hackett said. The board voted to approve the events.
Arm-of-the-Sea Theater will sponsor Waterfront Wednesdays from June 7 through August from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Activities including hands-on art, river lore and local history will take place at the Tidewater Center, off East Bridge Street, adjacent to Tina Chorvas Park, Mayer said.
A recent dance at the Saugerties Library drew some 25 teens and an equal number of adults, trustee Andrew Zink said. The event took place on the third floor of the Library.
Proposed Saugerties apartment building shortened
A planned apartment building behind Mirabella’s on Partition Street was recently approved by the Village of Saugerties Planning Board, trustee Terry Parisian reported at the village board meeting on Monday, May 15. The building plan was reduced from five stories in the original application to three stories in the approval. The building would not be visible from the street, he said.
“I think the concern was about the parking,” said trustee Donald Hackett.
Parking and the massive five-story wall were original concerns, Parisian said, but they cut it down to three stories.
Trustee Andrew Zink, a former planning board member and currently the liaison to the planning board, said that the project has not received final approval, as there are still issues to be resolved. There may also be issues with lighting, he said.
The village board increased the parking requirements from one parking space for every two apartments to 1½ spaces per apartment. “We said it was not going to affect many projects because there is so little room for new buildings in the village, but this is one that will be affected,” Parisian said.
The applicant maintains that his application was submitted before the law was changed, so it should not be affected. Zink said that the board is still researching the question.
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