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LAST WEEK'S WEATHER Hi Lo Tues. 52 40 Wed. 42 35 Thurs. 40 32 Fri. 54 29 Sat. 66 46 Sun. 76 44 Mon. 70 56 Pep O.lOr 0.90sn trsn trr 0 0 trr A PARK NEWSPAPER COURIER ft FREEMAN, (USPS135460) POTSDAM, N.Y.-TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18,1988 Clarkson Univer- sity inaugurates' 14th president. See story, photo this week. VOL. 136 NO. 31 28 PAGES 35 CENTS Gains, Losses Seen From Move To Co-Terminus BYTHOMPARDOE There would be both gains and losses for the village and town of Potsdam if the village became a co- terminus town-village. That was the conclusion contain- ed in the report of Village Ad- ministrator Robert R. Burns, who gave his report on the possibility of co-terminus town-village status for the village to the trustees at Mon- day night's village board meeting. Burn's report outlines three possible ways to create a co- terminus town-village. The first Is to extend the village limits to in- clude the entire town In which the 'iliagt' i.' nov iucalet* Second ti town or a village, the town-village would be required to have a town justice as well as a village justice. Burns' report states, \there would be significant financial im- plications for both the Village and Town of Potsdam.\ The report says village tax- payers would no longer have to pay $17.57 per thousand of assessed value in town tax, which Burns said totalled over $234,000 The new town-village would also receive more state per capita aid as both a village and a town, except for CHIPS (Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Pro- v KIII C ' Ililllll! v T.I Uul.'Unl.vl »!l;u» PRESIDENT INAUGURATED - Dr. Richard H. Gallagher, center, was Inaugurated Saturday as Clarkson University's 14th president. Shown ap- plauding the new president are, from left, Dr. R. Thomas Williamson, executive vice president of Clarkson; Robert L. Morrow III, '89, Student Senate president; Lisa C. Ware,'91. who performed Clarkson's Alma Mater; and Dr. Bayard D. Clarkson, chair of Clarkson's board of trustee*. Par- tially hidden is the Rev. Scott L. Barton, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Potsdam, who gave the benediction. (Betsy Baker photo) ViHage Settles With Axel Johnson BYTHOMPARDOE The Village of Potsdam has reached an out-of-court settlement With two of the defendants in its lawsuit against Rist-Frost Associates of Glens Falls for the improper work done oh the hydroelectric dam On the east channel of the river. According to a resolution passed at Monday night's village board .meeting in the Civic Center board room, the village will pay $25,000 to Axel Johnson Engineering Cor- poration and KvMM»r Hydro Power, Inc., and any successor cor- porations for their work on the hydro project. The hydro dam was built in 1983, and according to village officials, has not performed as well as it was supposed to. The village has been involved in litigation on the dam project for three years. Axel Johnson and Kvaerner Hydro were only two of the defendants in the suit against Rist-Frost. Axel Johnson was supposed to be paid $136,500 for their work, but as Village Attorney Peter Lekki said, \Axel Johnson is willing to give up a considerable amount of money\ for their part in the dam project. Jeffrey Belodoff, 2 Clinton St., said, \It seems to me that we don't owe Axel Johnson a dime. \It seems they owe us,\ he said, the dam \does not work the way it is supposed to. I am dissatisfied we have•.to.payJthem anything.,,I don't see the necessity for it.\ Belodoff pointed out that one of the critical issues in the on-going litigation is that of \black start\ capability. Black start, he said, is the ability of the hydro dam to begin generating power by itself if Niagara Mohawk shut down or lost power and for the dam to provide necessary power to the water treat- ment plant if the power went out. One advantage for the village, however, is that the interest from the money set aside to pay Axel Johnson goes to the village. That interest will be set aside to pay off the debt in the hydro fund. In a related matter, the board ap- proved payment of $1,572 to Vin- cent Kirsch for his services as special counsel to the village in the litigation. Other Board Business Burns also reported to the board on Adirondack Hydro's proposed new dam at Sissonville. According to Burns, the report Adirondack Hydro presented to the town board said the new dam would have no ef- fect on the operation of the water treatment plant or the village hydro dam. Village Attorney Lekki also reported to the board that the board could appoint a separate assessment review board to handle grievances from village residents about tax assessments. Lekki said he would draft a local law to create the board and that once passed by the village board it would be open to permissive referendum. Lekki suggested the board have three to five members, preferably five, with five year terms. Lekki said the appointees should have some experience with assessments. Lekki said village of- ficials and employees can be on the grievance board, but they must not constitute a majority of the members. A resolution instructing the ad- ministrator to review and report to the board on Nov. 21 on whether or not the village can insist that the town's current re-evaluation assessments reflect the same rela- tionship to true value for town- outside the village as for village assessments was passed by the trustees with trustee Alexander •• ;• voting against the resolution and Trustee Helen Brouwer abstaining. The trustees also approved two mayoral proclamations. One declares the week of Nov. 1 to 5 to be Telephone Pioneers of America Week in the village of Potsdam and the second proclaims November to be National Federation of the Blind Month in the village of Potsdam. The village officially recognized the Police Protective Association and their negotiators for the Potsdam Police Department, Sgt. Daniel W. Manor and patrolmen Gerald.M. Thomas and Dale E. Culver. The resolution was for the purpose of negotiating a workin contract Detween the village ana the association. A partial audit for October in the amount of $86,495.39 was approved by the board. >!llug<» it ni'liiili\ IIP existing boundaries of that village. Third, to create a new village to in- clude the exact bounds of a town with no village in it. Burns said that options one and three are not open to Potsdam. The first, which has never been tried in New York before, would not fall under Article 17 of New York State Village Law, Burns said, so seperate town and village govern- ments would have to be maintain- ed. Number three, said Burns, can't be pursued if villages already exist in the town, which is the case with Potsdam. At the Aug. 14 village board meeting, the trustees resolved to instruct Burns to do the study into co-terminus status. The mayor and the trustees have been concerned with the high tax rate in the village, which Burns said is caused by hav- ing 85 percent of village property, largely owned by the two colleges, tax exempt. Village officials also say the Town of Potsdam is partly. to blame. It has been an issue in the I'lris »HIIIII.<U»(1 In 1 in creased state aid at around $85,000. Burns' report states the new municipality would also have in- creased expenses to provide rquired services the Town of Potsdam now provides. Burns estiomates $10,000 to set up a town court with justice; $45,000 for a separate assessor and assistant to maintain the new assessment in- ventory and roll; $11,000 for animal control measures; $20,000 for addi- tional clerical costs since the new government would also be respon- sible for issuing hunting, fishing, and dog licenses, as well as others, and $40,000 for additional fringe benefits and miscellaneous items. Burns estimated the town-village would gain $319,000 in revenues and lose $126,000 to additional costs and expenses, leaving the town-village with a total gain of $193,000. The Twon of Potsdam would lose an estimated $341,000 In taxes and state per capita aid as a result of the creation of a co-termlnus town- <. ill age •.imth*\ p r iK)lerr fn r the ^'UUigt •mh( !<• !mUm( i ii>-v mull* in • !ii« ii'iv nimlrlpullty Trustee David Alexander said he felt taxes would only decrease once, and then \go right back up.\ Alexander said he wants to see what happens with Massena's at- tempt to dissolve the village into the town, creating one municipali- ty, before deciding what to do. \I would rather wait and see what happens in Massena,\ Alex- ander said. Arena Give-Away Plan Fails For Lack Of Motion BYTHOMPARDOE Although Potsdam Village Mayor Paul Claffey has tried several different strategies to find ways to help fund Sandstoner Arena, he is finding it difficult just to give the arena away. At Monday night's regular village board meeting, a resolution concerning the probable effects on meeting, Claffey said in his open- ing comments that he would like to propose the possibility of donating the arena to the school board. Claf- fey said he got the idea when several local hockey coaches spoke- up at the Sept. 19 hearing about the need for the arena by local hockey teams and skating classes. No Formal Proposal Hearing Set On Codes BY BETSY BAKER NORWOOD — Proposed changes to Village of Norwood zoning codes will be brought before the public at a Nov. 21 hearing, following action by the village board Monday night. The trustees voted to set the public hearing on zoning code changes for 6:30 p.m. on the 2lst, prior to the regular village boatoL. meeting. Mayor Joseph Mariano was ab- sent Monday night. Also Monday, the trustees voted to approve Harold Ling, Maple Street, as a member of the Nor- wood Volunteer Fire Department. The trustees approved reim- bursement for one meal for officers attending a police school in Syracuse Oct. 26. Police Chief Dale Wells said he will send two officers to the school, which deals with the problem of drugs in^schools. And the trustees \accepted the lone bid of $1,001.50 from Peter Marks of Potsdam, for the village's 1984 Dodge police car. Deputy Mayor Mark Tebo noted that fall cleanup days in the village are Thursday and Friday. Bagged leaves will continue to be picked up after that date, he said. Fire Chief John Upham reported that the fire tanker truck is in \very bad shape.\ He suggested forming a committee of two trustees and the department's board of chiefs to \investigate rebuilding, repairing, or replacing the tanker.\ He said the committee should gather information and consider options, but he added, \I believe our best option is to buy a new tanker.\ Upham said repairs to the tanker would cost an estimated $25,000. Rupert Palmer and John Murray will serve on the committee. ~ Village Seeks Funding Split With Township BY BETSY BAKER Potsdam Village Administrator Robert R. Burns brought to the Potsdam Town Board last Wednes- day night a proposal to share the costs of recreation programs available to village and township residents, by a 68-32 percent split. Burns said that his formal pro- posal represents \a complete shar- ing of the net costs of all recreation programs.\ Under the plan, the village would fund $121,200, or 68 percent; the town about $57,000, or 32 percent. He noted that the Village of Nor- wood, which has its own youth com- mission and recreation programs, is not part of the village and town Joint Recreation Commission, which administers programs in Potsdam and the township. Burns also asked for \equity in .funding\ for the Potsdam Public ' Library and Potsdam Museum. He noted that some 20 percent of library cardholders live outside the village, but in the township. And Burns asked the town to grant the village relief from items 3 and 4 of the town highway budget (items having to do with town road and bridge repairs and maintenance, and snow removal). He said that each township in the state is allowed to exempt villages from that portion of the tax. Burns argued that while the residents of the village \pay a significant amount of money each year for construction, and maintenance of village streets, we are also paying for maintenance of town roads. \Our feeling is that that should be the responsibility of town residents — our guess is that town residents use village streets almost as much as village residents use town roads,\ he said. Of recreation expenses, Burns said the villages recognizes that r I the town last year moved $27,777 to the \town outside\ portion of its budget for recreation costs. He re- quested that the town's 32 percent share of the costs be placed in the town outside portion of the 1989 town budget rather than the general fund. Burns also said that Sandstoner Arena, which is used by both village and township residents, as well as residents from neighboring townships, could be improved by changing the present doors to allow revenue-generating events such as boat and auto shows to be held there. Mayor Paul Claffey has sought to lessen the burden to the village of paying for the arena. He has sug- gested closing it, or giving it to the local school district. Burns said the minor hockey and figure skating programs are plann- ing fund raising events. \I think over the next couple of years we'll be able to increase revenues there,\ Burns said. TOwn board members are ex- pected to consider the village's re- quests when the town holds its budget hearing Nov. 9. Hydro Report The board heard a report from Darryl Caputo of Adirondack Hydro on the dam his firm plans to build on the Racquette River out- side the village. Caputo said Adirondack Hydro has developed flood plain informa- tion for the hamlets of Hewlttville and Unionville, In response to homeowners' complaints of 18 months ago. He said his firm has worked with the homeowners and with the DEC, and will turn the information over to federal flood management of- ficials, who will issue the final data. Caputo said construction of the new dam will probably begin next June. past that the town could relieve the village taxpayers of two of the four items of county highway tax, but has refused to do so in the past. Burns has said in the past that while village residents pay $17 per thousand in town tax, they receive very few if any services -from the town. He also said that even though the village rate is high compared to other villages, Potsdam village residents also get more services. The second option, Burns' report states, is possible, but requires several specific steps to ac- complish. First, five percent of the registered voters in the town, in- cluding those in the village, must sign a petition to approve the village's proposal to separate from the town and create a new town. If the town board approves the move, then the town must present the pro- posal to the county legislature for its approval. One of the problems, Burnms said, is that the town must take the proposal to the county legislature, not the village, which could create problems since the town stands to lose a considerable amount of revenue if the village's proposal is approved. \State V illage Law TequlreT that\ once a co-terminus town-village is created, a vote must be taken at the next general election regarding whether the government shall act principally as a town or as a village. All elected and appointed of- ficials in the village would act'as the corresponding town official un- til their successors are elected. For instance the mayor would become the town supervisor and the village trustees would become town board members until the^vote was taken to determine the new municipali- ty's operating status. Regardless of whether the voters decide to operate principally as a Gasoline Dumped Into Village Sewers BYTHOMPARDOE Approximately 70 gallons of gasoline were accidentally dumped into the village sewers Tuesday morning when a local woman pull- ed away from the Agway gas sta- tion on Market Street with the gas hose still in her car, ripping the hose out of the gas pump. Apparently, the automatic shut- off mechanism in the gas nozzle was not operating properly, so that when the hose was pulled from the pump, the gas continued to flow from the pump, spilling gas into the sewers. According to Village Clerk Margaret Robinson the woman, who has not been identified, was flagged down by a village employee who saw the gas hose hanging from the back end of her car as she drove away unaware of what had happened. Residents along Market Street were reportedly alerted to shut off water heaters and furnaces, to check for gas fumes, and to air out their houses to prevent explosions. Robert Sullivan. 106 1/2 Market St., reported a slight explosion hi his basement, but a damage estimate was not known at this time. When residents started calling, the village for assistance, Depart- ment of Public Works crews responded to flush out the sewers. I village finances and-the village W*en—the—Pots* recreation program if the arena were donated to the Potsdam Cen- tral School District died for lack of a motion from the trustees. The resolution called for Village Administrator Robert R. Burns to review and report to the board at the Nov. 7 meeting on the probable effects on village finances and village recreational opportunities if the village donated- Santfstcaer Arena to the school district. The mayor has tried several times in the past few months to come up with alternate funding for the arena, which costs the village $178,000 a year to operate. At a Sept. 19 public hearing on the mat- ter, Mayor Claffey threatened to close the facility unless the Town of Potsdam and other surrounding towns agreed to pay a fair share to keep the arena open. According to a report Burns gave at that hearing, the Town of Potsdam fell short of paying their fair share by an estimated $10,000. Thirty to 40 village residents showed up for the Sept. 19 hearing; many spoke in favor of carrying the burden just to keep the arena open. Many also voiced anger at the mayor's threat to dose The\ arena, saying the arena is a definite asset to the village. At the Oct. 3 village board Central School Board of Education held its meeting on Oct. 11, board Presi- dent Jerry W. Gravander said the mayor had made no formal pro- posal to the board, and so the board could not take action. According to both Gravander and school Superintendent Gary SnalL-tas.on- Iv discussion of the mayor's pro- posit! prior to the school board meeting was a meeting Sept. 30, hi which Snell said the mayor came to him with %n idea he had. Gravander said the school board is \not prepared to react\ to the mayor's idea, because there has been no formal proposal. Both Gravnder and Snell said that if the village did make a formal proposal to donate the arena, the school board would review the proposal solely on its educational merit. \I can't see any advantage to the school,\ Gravander said, \we have access to the facility already.\ But Gravander added, \we would have to see the proposal.\ . Snell said he had \serious reser- vations\ about Claffey's Idea, and that he wasn't sure the school could handle the financial burden operating the arena would present. Gravander said he thinks the mayor hasn't explored enough alternative financing-methods. \It seems a little precipitous to me,\ he said. Former Editor Recalls Days At Courier-Freeman BY BETSY BAKER __. When Jacob (Jake) Underbill was editor of the Courier and Freeman from 1950-53, the paper was published on Thursday and had a circulation of about 3,000. Underbill shared that, and other reminiscences, when he and his wife, Betsy Ashton, stopped in the Courier office on Monday. The two are traveling to Cincinnati from their home in New York City, by way of Montreal and the North Country, Tom Dolan was the paper's general manager when Underhlll was editor; publisher was Franklin Little of Ogdensburg, and the paper was part of the Gannett chain, Underbill said. UnderhUl and Franklin Little's son, George, were classmates at Princeton; the two met recently at their 40th reunion. Underhill also met former Potsdam Herald editor James Can- non recently at a Rockefeller In- stitute dinner in Albany. The two joked that they were probably the only two former Potsdam newsmen at the function, he said. Cannon went on to Newsweek from the Herald; he was in the news recent- ly as a member of the White House staff. The Courier was located at the corner of Market and Depot streets, where McDuff's restaurant is now. \I can remember we used a web press that broke down all the time. We had a bunch of really hard- working pressmen — every Wednesday night the press would break down and they would have to fix It,\ Underhlll said. When UnderhUl first came to Potsdam, he lived at Dr. Helen Hosmer's house on Elm Street. He asked about Dr. Hosmer, and about former Courier employees Bun Sanford, now deceased, and Betty (Dann) Wakefield, now retired. He also asked about people he had known locally, including Sam and Betsy Kaplan. A print of Underbill's first photo assignment for the Courier hangs on the wall of the couple's New York City apartment, his wife said. Asked to photograph Gov. Thomas Dewey and the Courier's general manager, Underhill caught the governor, but cut off the general manager's head. \I learned a lot here,\ UnderhUl said. Underhill went from the Courier to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, where he was a political writer. He also served as chief editorial writer for the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times, a na- tional affairs writer for Newsweek, assistant press secretary to Gov. Nelson Rockefeller, and first depu- ty in the state insurance depart- ment. He is retired as the president of New York Life. Betsy Ashton is author of \Betsy Ashton's Guide To Living On Your Own,\ A Little, Brown paperback in its second printing. Next month she will begin hosting \Betsy Ashton's Money Talk,\ a television program to air from 8-9 weeknights nationwide on the Financial News Network. In The Courier •Arts Pages DChurch p a ge i* •Classifieds Page 35-27 DEditorials Page 4 •Events Page 2,3 •Letters Page 4 5 •Local News .... Pages 1,5 15 •Obituaries ...j4geia •Sports Pages 2S-14 •Weddings Page\
