Village ups sewer fees, plans roof repairs

ALTAMONT — The village board voted at a special meeting Tuesday to increase its sewer service fees, and to accept bids to repair the roof at Village Hall.

The board held a public hearing before voting for the service-fee installment, which required the village to adopt its first law of 2013. The law amended one portion of village code and eliminated another. Now, residents who use the village sewer service will be charged twice a year, in April and in October.

The fee charged in April for sewer use will be 1.8 times the users’ water bills. The second fee, charged in October, will be 1.5 times users’ October water bills.

Residents and non-residents who use the sewer service will also be charged a $45 user fee twice a year. Board members discussed the additional fee months ago as work on the $3.6 million wastewater treatment project came to a close.

Roof repair

The board also voted to solicit bids for roof repairs at Village Hall. Superintendent of Public Works Jeffrey Moller told The Enterprise that the roof has leaked for the last four years, particularly during the spring thaw, and that the village has patched it repeatedly for the last 10.

“Patching doesn’t work, anymore,” Moller said. “We’ve had a few leaks in the museum area. It’s time to do something.”

Bids will be opened Sept. 26 at 2 p.m.

“We got some preliminary estimates of about $40,000,” Moller said. The village sought estimates from professionals last spring because Village Hall has a rubberized flat roof, he said.

The board voted Tuesday to consider spending up to $45,000 from the village’s repair reserve fund.

The leaks are in the older part of the building, Moller said. The community room attached and behind Village Hall will not be affected, he said.

“That’s our plan, to have it done this fall,” he said. If the roofers know what they are doing, he said, “They should have it done in a week.”

The board will hold a public hearing on Oct. 1 at 7:15 p.m. before it votes on whether or not to authorize the roof repair.

More Guilderland News

  • GUILDERLAND — Two Buffalonians — a man and a woman — were arrested after, police say, they held u

  • Superintendent Marie Wiles told the board members at their March 12 meeting, that, by creating a third Comprehensive Skills section next year, “The hope is spreading those students out over three sections, recognizing the wide range of age levels that are served there, [ages] 14 to 22, will give us a lot more opportunity to meet those individual needs, customize the programs for those students as they age through the program and their journey here.”

  • Superintendent Marie Wiles said the district needs the traditional buses “no matter what.” Splitting the bus purchases into two propositions, she said, would help ensure getting those traditional buses even if the electric buses aren’t popular.

The Altamont Enterprise is focused on hyper-local, high-quality journalism. We produce free election guides, curate readers' opinion pieces, and engage with important local issues. Subscriptions open full access to our work and make it possible.