Raindrops Falling on Jewett Road Bosss Head

JEWETT - He leans more toward the country/folk musical stylings of John Prine, but Jewett highway superintendent Bob Mallory was crooning a different sort of tune during a recent visit to the town sand/salt shed.

Mallory was having a routine work schmooze inside the barn with shop foreman Scott Schoomaker when the strains of an old B. J. Thomas melody suddenly and soggily seized his attention.

The reason wasn’t exactly that raindrops kept falling on his head (as sung by Thomas) but rather, the result of those drops pelting the shed roof.

“It was a month or so ago, standing there talking with Scott, when all of a sudden there was water dripping on us,” Mallory says.

“We looked up and saw the inside of the roof was all brown. The darn thing was rotted. We never realized it before because who looks up there?

“We went around back of the building and saw that a bunch of shingles had blown off. Several hundred square feet were rotted.

“The roof is almost flat so you wouldn’t necessarily see it from the outside,” Mallory says, noting he stood on newly arrived sand piles to snap interior photographs of the leaky spot.

Those pictures will become part of the record as Mallory writes the specifications to ultimately put the job out to bid.

Jewett officials are expected to seek outside funding to help pay for the task which could easily run into six-figures territory.

Mallory, taking his cue from Thomas, isn’t idly whining about the prospect, understanding that construction costs have gone haywire.

“Just like the guy whose feet are too big for his bed, nothing seems to fit, those raindrops are falling on my head, they keep falling,” Thomas sang.

“So I just did me some talking to the sun, and I said I didn't like the way he got things done, he's sleeping on the job,” Thomas sang. “But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning red, crying's not for me, 'cause, I'm never gonna stop the rain by complaining,” Thomas sang.

At the same time, Mallory isn’t the only one thinking about possibly digging up some dollars somewhere, specifically from the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.

DEP, in the 1980’s, mandated that watershed counties and municipalities build the sand/salt facilities as part of their own mandate preserve the quality of water in their upstate reservoir network.

The agency financed those projects but all these years later, watershed entities are faced with potentially laying out big bucks for maintenance.

Negotiations are ongoing, related to that economic dilemma, between the Big Apple and the Coalition of Watershed Towns as part of DEP’s water withdrawal permit renewal.

Those talks could lead to DEP agreeing to, or being obliged to, set up a maintenance reimbursement program, perhaps as soon as this year, although multiple other issues are involved.

Roof replacements or repairs will not be simple matters since the structures are quite high and therefore not the kind of labors a small town road crew would want to undertake. “That’ll be the roofer’s baby,” Mallory said.

In the meantime, Mallory says the shed is already filled with materials for next winter, beating the anticipated price rise slated for April.

And plans are continuing for dedication ceremonies at the community’s new veterans monument placed, last year, along Route 23C, directly across from the municipal hall.

An unofficial unveiling unfolded, last November, attended by three Vietnam War era veterans whose names are among the 328 names on the stone.

Invitations have been sent out to State officials and especially members of the Greene County Legislature for the scheduled May 17 event.

County lawmakers made available $35,000 in grants, helping put the fundraising effort over the top ,along with private donations, costing taxpayers in Jewett nothing.

“This respectful gesture is done on behalf of everyone in Jewett,” said town councilman John Giordano, who spearheaded the fundraising efforts.