Richmondville Super Optimistic About 1 Million Sewer Project Request

RICHMONDVILLE — Richmondville Town Supervisor Jeffrey Haslun feels there is a fairly good chance his request for a $1 million federal allocation for the town's upcoming $13 million sewer project will be approved by the U.S. Congress.

Haslun expressed those thoughts at the Thursday, Aug. 8 town board meeting. He said he spoke with Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, who confirmed the request has "passed all the hurdles in the House and now goes over to the Senate side."

If approved, the allocation would be part of the 2025 fiscal year budget, Haslun added. The project would provide public sewer service to much of the Town of Richmondville. The town already has in place $5.7 million from another federal program, $300,000 from Schoharie County and is seeking other sources of funding.

In other news from the Aug. 8 meeting, it appears things are progressing with a planned addition of about 1,000 square feet to Town Hall, which is just off Podpadic Road and not far off Route 7.

Haslun reported the town has received a proposal for the work including a cost estimate. He declined Thursday night to provide details of the proposal, saying that he wanted a subcommittee of the town board including himself and Councilman Todd Sperbeck to go over it with Brendon Becker of Lamont Engineers and "refine" the proposal before it is made public.

The addition would provide more efficient access to both town and court operations, and also provide more storage space for both. Town officials are hoping to get a $30,000 grant from the state court system to help pay for the addition.

Town board members voted 4-0 to approve a resolution that green lights the hiring of Paige Bulmer as the new court clerk for interim Town Judge Lynn Hait. Haslun and Councilmen Eric Haslun, George Horning and Sperbeck voted yes on the motion. Councilman Harry Rode was unable to attend the meeting.

Jeffrey Haslun said there were five applicants for the job and two were interviewed by himself, Sperbeck and Hait. Bulmer was one of the two interviewed and in the final analysis seemed like the best fit for the job, though all five "seemed quite qualified."

"She seems quite enthused about the new challenges ahead of her," Haslun added. He continued that Bulmer must first get fingerprinted and undergo a background check before she is officially on board and in the meantime will work with interim court clerk Joy Musella, who is also court clerk in the Town of Harpersfield in Delaware County. Bulmer is scheduled to work about 15 to 20 hours a week with starting pay of $16 an hour, Haslun said.

On the recommendation of Highway Superintendent Brian Manchester, the board voted to put a 1994 Osh Kosh plow truck that is no longer being used up for auction, along with some old tires and rims that are just taking up space at the town's public works facility.

"It's an old vintage," Jeffrey Haslun said of the Osh Kosh. "Somebody might want it just for the parts."

Also on the recommendation of Manchester, the board voted to trade in to John Deere the town's current loader for a newer one that will increase the warranty from three to four years. The town will have to pay $9,900 as a result of the trade-in, a figure that was negotiated down from $15,000 by Manchester.

"It's a good idea," Haslun said of the move. "It's a year newer. We won't have to worry about replacing hoses and hydraulics and such. One repair bill with our current one could run up to four figures. Every couple of years, we try to change those babies."

Manchester in his report said he and his crew have been busy as usual. They have changed a culvert with help from a neighboring town, cut shoulders on, and ditched several roads, among other work, the superintendent said.