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Image provided by: Guilderland Public Library
A^^jjjm^M^M^-ii. •tai uv i T \.f \ - - i J 4' f i i 1 — Tfwnday, April 11, r i \ M R^B^s®©^ estimate for water-pressure woes ByBryceBuHer NEW SCOTLAND -^ Water, a perennial topic in this rock- ribbed, spottily watered town, dominated a four-hour town board meeting here. Items: — Supervisor Herbert W. Reilly will request a cost esti- mate for engineering and work on the ground to solve a water pressure problem in the Feura Bush Water District. — The board and a score or so of skeptical residents of the North Road area heard a report from Matthew Mazur, an assistant attorney general, about the state's efforts to recover the costs of a petroleum spill affecting their properties. — The board authorized at- torney John Tabner to complete condemnation of the well field for the proposed Northeast Wa- ter District, and also secure easements from half a dozen district residents who don't want to allow the water mains across their property. It also au- thorized bond anticipation notes to begin to pay the estimated $600,701 the project will cost, r and agreed to publicize a bid document. Bids will be opened May 3, and let at the next regu- lar board meeting, May 14. Feura Bush Residents of the Feura Bush Water District have long suf- fered from fluctuations in their water pressure, and the problem has been before the town board before. But it received added urgency with a letter from Al- bany county denying approval of a water service to three pro- posed duplexes because of insuf- ficient pressure. The denial came March 25 in a letter from Clifford*^6rando, associate public health engineer for the Albany County Department of Health. Forando wrote that pressure in the affected area had dropped to between 0 and 25 pounds per square inch. The state Sanitary Code requires 20 pounds. The proposal to build the du- plexes came from Mr. and Mrs. John' Mauro. Mr. Mauro is a building contractor, and Mrs. Mauro has a purchase agree- ment for the property, on New Scotland Avenue two doors down from the new Senior Citi- zen apartments. % Last month, engineer Robert A. Fraser had written the town a letter discussing work he had done toward a solution. The problem exists in the area be- tween the Bethlehem water main, from which Feura Bush gets its supply, and the Feura Bush water tower. This is up- stream from the water tower, and pressure is controlled by the Feura Bush pump. Fraser discussed changes that have been made in the pump switch to make the flow more regular. \The s low distribution ser- vice,\ he added, \due to normal pressure fluctuations in the Bethlehem water system which supplies it, however, will con- tinue to be a normal result of the pump station's design and lo- cation.\ As discussed at Tuesday's town hoard meeting, the solu- tion for this problem will be to bring a main from the water tower to the affected area. Then it will get a steady pressure from the local tower. It is the cost of engineering and in- stalling this solution that Fraser will estimate. The estimate could be high, since the amount of pipe to be laid would be considerable. Councilman Scott Houghtaling, a Feura Bush resident, warned against rushing to a solution. \There were at least four resi- dences with no water at one time,\ he said, \Yes they were complaining, but they would complain more about having to pay [a high price.]\ The question will be aired further at a meeting at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 25, at the Jerusalem Reformed Church, of the Feura Bush Neighborhood Association. Houghtaling said he will attend, as will Highway Superintendent Darrell Dun- can. North Road Matthew Mazur had little to say about the spill of petroleum that was detected last May in wells on North Road. Since the MTBE, a gasoline additive, and acetone, were detected in wells, the state has provided carbon filtration for some resi- dences and bottled water for others. Where the MTBE level was so high the additive broke through the filters, the state has provided both. Since last summer, the state has been pumping water out of the ground and cleaning it. Mazur said Tuesday that the site was an example of success- ful cleanup. Since October, levels of MTBE have lowered, and the state Health Depart- ment has proposed taking away the bottled water from the prop- erties with the filters. This was originally to have been done March 1, then April 1, now it is proposed for May 1. One resident Tuesday com- plained about the uncertainty; people had bought water unnec- essarily, he said, creating an unnecessary expense. All wanted the bottled water to be continued for a year. This is for two reasons. First, some argue that the spill was not recent, but that the drought last year caused material from an old spill to come out of the broken rock that underlies the area. They say testing should go on through a full year; the lowering of pollution levels in October, they argue, coincides with the coming of the fall rains. They want to monitor the levels through the summer. Second, the levels of acetone are uncertain. The two labora- tories that have tested for ace- tone have disagreed on their findings. Acetone can be an artifact of the testing procedure, and test samples have been sent to a third lab to check the results further. These results are due by May. But one resident said he was told the carbon filters are inef- fective against acetone. He asked that bottled water be con- tinued for that reason. Residents want a connection to the Clarksville Water Dis- trict, a mile south on North Road. That work has been es- timated at $587,000, according to Houghtaling. Kleen Resources, a petroleum clean-up company that formerly did business from property on North Road, and Domermuth Petroleum, which formerly did business there and owns the property, are identified by the state as the re- sponsible parties. Mazur said the AG's office has written both Kleen, which has moved to Rensselaer, and Domermuth, which has moved out of state, to recover the money the state has spent from its oil spill fund on testing and reme- diation, as well as penalties. Dean Sommer, a town resident and former state attorney whom the town has hired to pursue the matter, asked the penalty pack- French Canadian rag making topic of library program GUILDERLAND — The Guilderland Public Library lo- cated at 2228 Western Ave., will host Bernard and Francoise Ouimet, who will conduct a pro- gram On French Canadian rug making. This is one in a series \One World, Many Worlds: Tradi- tional Folk Arts in the Capital Region,\ and will be held on Saturday, April 13 at 2 p.m. French Canadians came to Cohoes to work in the mills. Until the 1980s, one could still hear French spoken in the cafes, church halls, schools and grocery stores of the city. Bernie and Francoise were both born in Cohoes, but met as adults through the Franco- American Federation. Bemie's family came to Cohoes in 1953 from Canada to work. The fam- ily soon became members of St. Joseph's Church, one of three French-Canadian parishes in the city. ..>••/[•,•: Today, he is a teacher in the Cohoes School District and plays the organ for the church choir. Francoise learned the art rs mother. The process involves the hand weaving of a rug in a circle, following the shape of the frame. The frame was origi- nally a large wagon wheel. To- day, Francoise still uses the wagon wheels she received from her mother-in-law, but she has found ways to adapt the frame so that she can teach the art form to others on a smaller scale. Both Bernie and Francoise have devoted a portion of their lives to teaching French Canadian traditional art and lore. Their library programs consist of a French Canadian rag rug demonstration and a brief talk on the history and culture of French Canadians in the area. This program is free. For more information, call 456-2400 Saint Rose offers scholarships to single mothers ALBANY — The College of Saint Rose is now accepting applications for the Arkell Hall Scholarship Program for single mothers who want to begin or continue their undergraduate education on a part-time basis. To qualify for the award, an applicant must be a single mother, 25 years or older, and demonstrate a need for finan- cial assistance. Applications must be received no later than May 1, 1996. Scholarship recipi- ents wiu\ be eligible to begin classes this fall. Students receiving the schol- arship will be funded for up to nine credits, or three classes, each. One class is usually taken the first semester as an introduction to academic life, and the second semester con- sists of two classes. Students who maintain at least a C-plus average can matriculate and enter college full-time the fol- lowing semester, thus becom- ing eligible for tuition assis- tance programs. . - For more information or to request an application, contact The Graduate Adult and Con- tinuing Education Admissions Office at The College of Saint Rise at 454-5143. age include more remediation for residents, including some redress for the loss of value for their homes. This might take the form of paying the town for reduced assessment value, and consequent loss of tax money. Mazur said that penalties are paid to the spill fund; any relief residents seek they will get through the fund, not directly from the responsible parties, whenever they can be made to pay. He said he would meet with Sommer and with Peter Hen- ner, who is the attorney for the residents. Houghtaling asked him to give the town all docu- ments in his negotiations with Kleen and Domermuth. Mazur said he will return next month to update residents. In other business the board: — Authorized the supervisor to secure bond anticipation notes for the rebuilding of town hall. — Heard a report from Tax Assessor Patricia McVee that she will begin updating the town assessment rolls. — Authorized bids to sell the property the town owns at the corner of Picard Road and Route 85A. A previous effort to sell the parcel foundered when the title and boundaries proved unclear. In answer to a ques- tion from Richard Bracket of Voorheesville, Reilly said these matters have been cleared up. — Received three applica- tions for part-time assistant dog officer. The job will be filled next month. — Accepted William Child's retirement from the planning board. Childs had to retire for a month due to a technicality in state law connected with his state job. His retirement letter included a reapplication. Councilwoman Victoria Ra- mundo's suggestion that the town solicit applications from others for the job, pursuant to new regulations about filling vacancies, failed to get a sec- ond. Library Notes Altamont The Altamont Library will present \Circus Time,\ featur- ing EZ the Clown on Wednes- day, April 24 at 10 a.m. in the library. This children's pro- gram is free to the public. Ten children are needed to assist EZ with the program. Children who want to help may call the library at 861-7239 to sign up. The Scotia-Glenville Children's Museum will pro- vide the program, consisting of music, magic and audience participation. April 14-20 is National Li- brary Week. Fifty percent of all Americans use' public li- braries. Public libraries re- ceive less than 1 percent of all tax dollars. More children at- tend summer reading pro- grams than play Little League baseball, according to Ameri- can Libraries. Donations are being accepted for the library book sale to be held on May 4. Hardcover and paperback books in reasonable condition may be brought to the library during regular hours. The sale will be held on 'the parkway in front of the bank/library building from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on May 4. Guilderland Books are being accepted now until June during regular li- brary hours for the June Book Sale. Please call for informa- tion about appropriate dona- tions. 19 The following events are scheduled to take place at the Guilderland Public Library April 15 through April 21: Monday, April 15 — \As Time Goes By\ with Alma Rus- sell, historian, part of the Per- sonal History Series, 2:30 - 4 p.m. Petition deadline for library board candidates. Tuesday, April 16 — Friends of the Library meeting at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, April 21 — National Volunteer Week begins; Friends and volunteers recep- tion at 2 p.m. Drop-In Storytimes: Thursday, April 18 at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.; Friday, April 19 at 10:30 a.m. ^ Registered Storytimes: Tuesday, April 16 at 10:30 a.m.; Wednesday, April 17 at 10:30 a.m. Note that evening storyhours have been temporarily canceled. Contact the chil- dren's department for further information. Voorheesville Columnist and master gar- dener Phyllis Rosenblum will be the featured speaker at the annual meeting of the Friends of the Library on Thursday, April 11 at 7 p.m. Phyllis will share her clever ideas on the topic \Beyond Marigolds and Zinnias,\ suggestions for your annual flowering bed. Join us for the program and find out about the Library^. Friends organization. Friends' members should have received a renewal envelope in the mail recently to update their dues. If you previously joined the Friends of the Library and have not been contacted, please let us know. April is national poetry month. Award-winning writer, screenwriter and poet Diane Gallo will be reading from her work at VPL on Friday, April 12 at 7 p.m. The VPL writers group, the Every Other Thurs- day Night Poets, will also do a short presentation. Anyone else who would like to share a poem is invited to do so. A writing workshop will be led by Gallo on Saturday, April 13 on the subject of turning your life experiences into poetry. Both programs are funded by a r» grant from Capital District Arts Decentralization and are free and open to the public. Registra- tions is necessary only for the workshop. Call the library at 765-2791. In celebration of National Li- brary Week (April 14-20) some special events are being held at VPL. The public is invited to meet the library board of trustees and director at a recep- tion on Monday, April 15 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Some of the newest library acquisitions will be displayed. On Tuesday, you can \LOG- ON at the LIBRARY\ with a demonstration of VPL's IN- TERNET. You may call 765- 2791 to sign up for one of two sessions. 6-7 p.m. or 7:30-8:30 p.m. One World, Many Worlds,** Traditional Arts in the Capital Region is the theme of a set of UHLS programs funded by a grant from the NYS Council on the Arts. One of these programs* will take place at our library on Wednesday, April 17. Come at 7 p.m. to see a demonstration by Panchita Davila, a seamstress who creates the lovely Quinceanera gowns worn by young Hispanic women for their coming of age ceremony. Be sure to see the fascinatfag miniature scenes in our show- case, wMch have been designed and assembled by La Mini Scala. Joan Baim is the artist for April in Ate teal *&&&& * zrstizmm. rf -••*-***• v [• •m* ^SMki§M iM hBttftft^ftSI
