Richmondville Village Board Seeks Grant for Pool Improvements

RICHMONDVILLE - Major upgrades could be coming for the Richmondville Village Pool.

RICHMONDVILLE — Major upgrades could be coming to the Village of Richmondville swimming pool if officials are successful in their bid for a grant from the New York State Parks and Recreation Department or finding another source of funding.

At the Monday, July 15 village board meeting, Mayor Carl Warner Jr. and Trustees Garry Davis and Robert Hyatt voted 3-0 to apply for a $300,000 grant from the parks and rec department. Engineer Brendon Becker explained that the grant would be a 70/30 proposition, with a 30 percent match required from the village that would amount to $90,000.

That match could come in the form of cash or in-kind services or a combination of both, Becker explained. The in-kind services could include any work done by Village Department of Public Works Director Eric Jones and his crew, Becker added.

He said he believes the village has a decent shot at being approved for the grant and would find out by about the second week in December. Another possible source for the grant match would be some or all of the approximately $58,000 the village has left from its American Rescue Plan Act grant, Davis suggested. The village has to allocate the remaining ARPA funds by the end of the year though it's not required to actually spend it by that deadline.

Work on the pool complex that includes a main swimming pool with a diving board and a kiddie pool would include installation of a spray or splash pad, new apron, repair or installation of new pipes and a new fence, Becker outlined. The pools are located behind The Radez School on Main Street in the village.

Davis pointed out that a previous estimate on pool improvements had come to about $75,000 and he wondered about the steep jump up to $300,000. Becker and Warner said the previous estimate did not include as large a scope of upgrades.

"We've been talking about this for two or three years," Davis said of swimming pool improvements. "I think we should move forward."

The three board members _ Trustees Milan Jackson and Cynthia Miller were unable to attend the meeting _ also voted to approve a resolution for a bond anticipaton note in the amount of $37,600 to be used toward the purchase of a 2023 Ford Super Duty F-350 truck from Van Bortel Ford Inc. The total cost of the truck is estimated at $47,000.

The bond anticipation note carries an annual interest rate of 5.47 percent, with the note maturing on July 18, 2028.

Fire Chief Floyd Seales reported that the village's volunteer fire department is hoping to obtain a $5,000 grant that would help fund training and equipment to prepare the department for a possible train derailment or other HazMAT incident.

Seales continued that the volunteer department is now up to 39 active members, news that got a "good" response from Warner. The fire chief commended the firefighters' efforts in controlling and putting out a recent blaze.

"Everyone said it was impossible to save that home but we did," Seales said. "I'm proud of the guys."

There was a brief discussion on work being done on new village regulations regarding short-term rentals, including Airbnbs.

"Our planning board has some work to do in showing us what needs to be done in regard to how our zoning laws should be changed," Davis said. "It's a process. I don't think it should take them that long."

Appointment of a village attorney was on the July 15 agenda but no action was taken on that item because board members need some more information, including clarifying some things with an applicant for the position.