Council Meeting - Tuesday - 5/19/09

With Mayor Joe Surace calling the meeting to order and opening ceremonies, roll call was taken with all members present except Joe Soldano who was excused. Also present was FO Dale Davis and Village Solicitor Andy Beech. Minutes of previous meetings were approved as read.

Under the Public Speaking portion of the agenda Nunzio Lombardozzi, on behalf of the SOI, asked Council's permission to once again close the streets for the 13th Annual Italian Festival. This year's festival will be held Thursday through Saturday, August 6, 7 & 8. If memory serves me correctly they usually block off 3rd St. from Broadway to Main and Main St. from 3rd up past the 4th St. Square. One year they went to 5th St. for a Saturday Car Show. Council voted to approve the request.

Representing American Legion Post 70, Jack Cataldo ask for a decision on their request to do work on Mill St. which is beside the Post off Wells Ave. At the meeting of May 9 Cataldo asked permission for members of the Legion to strip off the pavement down to the bricks to make it smoother and more attractive. Stating they had the equipment to do the job, the work would be done at the expense of the Legion with no cost to the village. Cataldo advised Council that he and another Legion member met with Acting Administrator Rick Williams and Street Committee Chairman Joe Soldano. The Mayor said there may be a legal problem and Councilman Tony Cataldo stated they have not yet heard from the Street Committee. Council can't make a decision until it comes out of Committee. Jack Cataldo then remarked it's the old "Dragon Feet Policy" and it takes too long to get things done. He further stated it just goes on and on with trivial things.

WFD Chief Smith is on vacation and with no other Department Administrators present there was no Administration Reports.

For the Mayor's Report Joe Surace commended the Street Department employees for doing a good job with grass cutting and pot hole patching. Stating they have been trying to patch all the pot holes but they may have missed one, two or three... The mayor stated if you know of any that were missed to give Village Hall a call. They'll get right on it. Surace also commended employees of Kat's Kitchen for voluntarily cutting the grass at an abandoned house next door to the restaurant. That's the house one door down Main from Kat's.

Councilman Tony Cataldo was the only one to have anything to say for Committee Reports. He said that after a little over a year with repairs being done, the roof over the garage is leaking. Litigation may possibly have to be considered to make it right. Fiscal Officer Dale Davis said that when they did the job it was recommended that an old unused heater unit on the roof be removed. It wasn't removed and that is probably the cause of the leaks. They have a bid for around $800 to remove the heater and patch the hole. The roof work has a five year warranty. They will check into it more to see what can be done.

Cataldo also advised Council that the Village has gotten another bill from the EPA pertaining to the STAG fund situation. This bill is for a total of $222,531 which includes $1,634 for 90 days interest. Cataldo mentioned that it has already cost $30,000 to $35,000, with man hours and the engineering firm, going back 16 years for documents of expenditures on the village's share. Talk about Dragon Feet, the EPA still has not said a thing about the documentation given them for that share.

There was no new legislation to consider.

Under New Business Councilman Randy Allmon advised that the Chamber-of-Commerce wants to offer to cover the cost of materials to repair the gazebo at 4th St. Carpenter Local 171 and Labor Local 809 Unions have offered to do the work at no cost to the village as a gesture of good community spirit. Asking Council's approval to proceed with this project it was quickly granted.

Allmon also asked for approval to block Main St. from Shinglers Alley to past the 4th St. Square from 5 - 8 P.M. on the evening of June 12 for the Chamber to hold an auction at the gazebo. Proceeds from the auction will go to cover the costs of the gazebo repair project and other community projects. If it's bad weather that evening the auction will be held to Dalonzo's. Hoping for good weather a motion was passed allowing the Chamber to block off the street for that event.

Allmon also brought up Council may want to consider increasing fines for letting weeds and grass to grow on properties in town. Many lending institutions have locations that they neglect to the point of it becoming unsightly. Councilman Don Brown stated that the policy has always been to send a letter to the property owner advising them of such conditions and village ordinances requiring them to maintain the property. If the letter is ignored the village has the work done and sends a bill to Lisbon to attach to property tax bills.

Being no other new business the meeting was adjourned at 6:20 P.M. Next meeting is scheduled for June 2.

Now that gets me up to Wednesday of this week...

ole nib