Village To Post Rexmere - No Ice Fishing

STAMFORD – Stamford Village Trustees again discussed costs at Churchill Gym, saving an historic house, and set a public hearing on a proposed open burning law during their meeting on Tuesday.

Department of Public Works superintendent Jesse Calia will continue to seek proposals for the repair of the boiler at Churchill Gym and outlined some proposed ideas for the area of the old swimming pool on South Street.

Narvine Badal is the only contractor who has provided a quote on the boiler repairs at this point and Calia was directed to continue to seek quotes. "I have contacted local contractors and they have ideas about the repairs, but none of them seem willing to provide a quote," said Calia. He was given a few suggestions to make contact.

Trustees also said they would like to see comparative costs for Churchill Gym, citing the cost of heating fuel is down considerably from last year and so far, the winter has proved to be milder, helping those costs. Last month they decided to attempt to break down costs, to allow organizations to rent the space, and still have costs covered.

Mayor Robert Schneider said he believes there may also be a prospective buyer for the old Jacob's Building property on Lake St. Trustees said the property should be listed with real estate agents, along with the Gray Barn on Railroad Ave. Schneider said he would contact a real estate agent for listing prices. The former Jacobs property has an issue with the removal of material from the site, however, it may be less costly to a private owner who would not have to pay prevailing wage to get the work done.

Board members also discussed the request of one taxpayer to work out a payment plan for taxes. However, the majority indicated it would not be a good precedent to set and that the village cannot serve as a lending institution.

The collection of unpaid taxes through an attorney is working, according to Sandra Collins, village treasurer. Trustees approved retaining an attorney to help the village collect delinquent taxes. They approved $3,000 to retain Merzig, of Oneonta. "At least we are getting a little money back in," said Schneider.

NYClass (NewYork Cooperative Liquid Assets Securities System) is a short-term, highly liquid investment fund designed specifically for the public sector. It is subject to a municipal corporation or special-purpose district empowered under NYS statute. Trustees approved the agreement, which has been yielding higher investment rates.

Mayor Schneider also added some food for thought, saying he would like to get permission to use blighted building grant funding to repair the roof on the house next door to village hall and then pursue a Restore NY grant to repair the building. "Part of it could come under blighted buildings. It needs a roof," he said. The building is leaking and while trustees were balking at the idea of spending taxpayer money on a building that is in poor condition, Schneider said he believes it is worth saving, due to its historic value as one of the oldest buildings in the village. He added that it would not be using taxpayers' money.

Originally, the village was accepting donations for its rehab but has only received $600 to that end.

Schneider said he received a breakdown of repairs from John Whritner that totaled $600,000. He said he also spoke to Glenn Nealis, county Economic Development director.

Code Enforcement Officer Rich Irwin, however, said it was his opinion the building needed to come down and would not be worth investing any tax money. He said there are plenty of other buildings to use the money on that aren't vacant.

Schneider said it would need the okay of the Robinson-Broadhurst Foundation, which has provided the blighted building grant.

Trustee Jim Kopp said the village would need to develop a cohesive plan for the building. Schneider said the original plan was for the Mount Utsayantha Rural Arts League to return to the village of Stamford and use the building, along with providing a base of operations for the historical association. The village purchased the building from the county for $6,000 with the intent the building would be preserved. The county removed it from the auction.

That brought up the former Westholm building on West Main Street, which is all but down and is awaiting transfer of ownership.

An engineering report on Churchill Gym from Cedarwood totaled more than $90,000 and Mayor Schneider said the village should get another estimate, but said he intended to make two separate grant applications to fix the building.

There was a discussion of an incident at Rexmere Pond on Monday. The pond is owned by the village and there is no skating or swimming. Signs notifying the public are posted on the shore. However, a great deal of discussion regarding four people on the ice Monday, ice fishing, generated concern. State police were called and those fishing were asked to leave the ice. There was concern the ice was not yet safe, with members of the Stamford Fire Department holding a cold water rescue drill there Saturday, with almost no ice. Only a portion of the pond was frozen by Monday.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recommends at least four inches of solid ice. Kopp said the ice was not solid to the edge of the pond and he called troopers out of concern for safety. He said the water was also moving underneath the ice and the consensus was it wasn't safe. The discussion resulted in trustees agreeing to have signs erected all the way around the two ponds, saying NO ICE FISHING. Calia was expected to put the signs up this week, with more permanent signs  in order to replace the temporary ones.

The trooper said without the posting signs, the only recourse is to ask the fishermen to leave the ice.

The draft of a local law to restrict open fires within village limits will be open to public discussion during a public hearing scheduled for Feb. 19.

A new local law pertaining to open burning within the village is drafted. Several large open fires raised concerns after they were reported to the fire department in 2023. It will incorporate a permit for special operations or events. It is intended to give fire officials the ability to put out fires deemed unsafe. The permit for special occasions can be evaluated through the permit process and certain conditions apply. The draft of the proposed law will be available on the village's website. www.stamfordny.com

Before completing his report, Calia said he was still working to get a pickleball court at the old village swimming pool location and other types of games to attract the public to enjoy the space, picnic, and use the new swimming pool.