Guilderland Archives — The Altamont Enterprise, May 21, 2009
Town board split
Guilderland last to agree to recycling regulations for Rapp Road landfill
By Anne Hayden
GUILDERLAND — The town board here is united in opposition to expanding the Rapp Road landfill into the environmentally sensitive Pine Bush, but divided over what action to take.
A party-line vote at Tuesday’s town board meeting defined the differences.
To buy time at the landfill, Albany County municipalities have to beef up their recycling programs.
All municipalities participating in the program — including Guilderland, New Scotland, Altamont, Voorheesville, Berne, Knox, Westerlo, and Rensselaerville — are required to submit an adopted resolution of agreement to the City of Albany by May 29. Any municipality that does not adopt the resolution will not be able to be part of the planning unit.
As of Tuesday, Guilderland was the only participating municipality that had not submitted such a resolution.
Republican councilmen Warren Redlich and Mark Grimm voted against adopting the resolution, and Democratic Supervisor Kenneth Runion, along with fellow Democratic councilmembers Paul Pastore and Patricia Slavik, voted in favor.
Redlich said he voted against the resolution because he believes the planning unit promotes expansion of the Rapp Road landfill, something he is staunchly against. For Guilderland to participate in the planning unit’s programs would be equivalent to Guilderland standing in favor of the expansion, Redlich told The Enterprise yesterday.
Runion, who pointed out that he has gone on record saying he opposes the expansion of the landfill into the Pine Bush, said he had no choice but to vote in favor of adopting the agreement resolution.
“If it had been voted down, we would have been removed from the program,” Runion said.
If Guilderland were to be removed from the program, the town would need to find an alternative space to deposit trash, something Runion says is not immediately available. The town has been looking at alternative places for a few years, Runion said.
“Maybe in the next few years, we will find that resource. It’s something we’re always conscious of,” said Runion.
Redlich said he is not concerned with being removed from the solid waste management program. There are other options, Redlich believes, including shipping the waste to Utica, or working to get a landfill installed in Coeymans.
“Bottom line is, we shouldn’t be dumping our trash in a heavily populated, environmentally sensitive area. I will not do anything to promote landfill expansion,” Redlich said.
Other business
In other business, the town board voted unanimously to:
— Pass a local law to grant phased in tax exemption for historic barns, and capital improvement on residential buildings, pursuant to sections 438-b, and 421-f of the Real Property Tax Law (for the full story go to www.altamontenterprise.com, Guilderland archives, under April 16, 2009);
— Pass a local law to grant phased in tax exemption for capital improvements to residential buildings, pursuant to 421-f of the Real Property Tax Law;
— Appoint Debra Murphy to fill an unexpired term to the Board of Assessment and Review;
— Approve sale of surplus equipment items not bid on at prior auction;
— Award the bid for Lydius Street Pump Station Panel to the lowest bidder, ITT Flyght Corp; and,
— Authorize the supervisor to sign a collector’s warrant for the Guilderland Water District.