August 19th Meeting

The Board approved town membership into the Albany County Storm Water Coalition in order to meet government requirements and improve storm water issues with inter-governmental cooperation. The annual membership fee for Guilderland is $14,582.

Dr. Tom Kriger was unanimously appointed to the Chairmanship of the Economic Development Advisory Council. Mr. Kriger said he hoped to follow the path laid out by the town's comprehensive plan. He hopes to increase development taking a balance approach to the competing interests involved. He also said utilizing the state's small business resource centers, preserving farms, and making Guilderland more pedestrian-friendly were some of his other priorities. The Chairmanship stipend is $3,600.

Jackie Siudy and Gerry Lugg were appointed building inspectors. Both scored high on civil service tests. Congratulations to them.

An informational meeting on the 2009 proposed town budget was scheduled for September 23 at 7:30 pm.

In Executive Session, the Board voted 3-2 to uphold a ruling by the Town Clerk regarding a Freedom of Information Request (FOIL). A citizen appealed the Clerk's ruling to the Town Board.

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.

May 20th Town Board meeting

A discussion on how to deal with the flooding problem in Guilderland was a prominent part of the meeting. Barton and Loguidice engineer Don Fletcher and Town Water Department Superintendent Bill West spoke regarding the annual report on storm water management in the town. That prompted a broader discussion on how to deal with flooded basements in McKownville and Stuyvesant Plaza/Western Avenue flooding. The Board decided to ask the town highway department to conduct a survey of residents to create hard data on the extent of the problem before proceeding further with a plan to improve the situation. Supervisor Runion also gave an update on planned changes to the McKownville Reservior to make it more effective in controlling flooding.

The Board also voted unanimously to go out to bid for construction involving the $7.4 million project to extend water to West End residents.

Four volunteers were named to the Guilderland Center Hamlet Committee.