June 17th Board Meeting

Several items of interest were discussed:

1- Walgreen's Tax Break
In Executive Session, the Board voted 3-2 to approve a $540,000 reduction in the tax assessment for the Walgreens Drug Store on the corner of Route 155 & 20. The deal was negotiated by Town Attorney Richard Sherwood without input from the Town Board. Board members Mark Grimm and Warren Redlich voted "No" on the deal. Ken Runuion, Pat Slavik, and Paul Pastore all voted "Yes." The tax break costs the Guilderland School District alone over $10,000 a year in revenue.

2- Cox Appointment
Lt. Curtis Cox was promoted to Captain of the police department with a 5-0 board vote.
Family and friends were on hand to wish him well. Congratulations to Captain Cox. Concerns were raised about the late notice provided by the supervisor for the ceremonies for both Captain Cox and Chief Lawlor.

The hiring process in Guilderland received further scrutiny --- some jobs are filled with only one applicant for the position.

3- West End Water Bid Approved
A construction bid to extend water to west end residents was approved unanimously. The bid accepted was two million dollars less than expected. The overall project cost is $5.36 million, not $7.37 million. Though the cost is much less than expected, the amount to be charged to west end residents tapping into the system did not change. The tap-in fee remains at $1,750 and the yearly payment is $575 for debt service and water usage.

4- Grant Applications
Grant applications were unanimously approved for sidewalk construction on Carman Road and for renovations at Tawasentha Park.
The price tag of the sidewalk construction is $860,000 and the application to the state Department of Transportation is for $688,000 (the grant is 80/20 percent state-town split). If approved by the state, the town would pay the balance.
The other grant seeks $107,500 from the state Office of Parks and Recreation for a $215,000 project to rehab and upgrade the Guilderland Performing Arts Center at Tawasentha Park. This application is a 50/50 state-town split.

There is no way to determine now if the grants will be approved.

5- Town Assessments
The Town Assessor, Carol Wysomski, spoke at the public comment period, insisting there was nothing wrong with the Town's assessment process. Councilmen Grimm and Redlich challenged that viewpoint.

June 3rd Board Meeting

Acting Chief Carol Lawlor was named the permanent police chief by the Town Board following a healthy debate. Warren Redlich and Mark Grimm congratulated Chief Lawlor and pledged to work with her to make Guilderland a safer community for all its residents and businesses.