*This story and the following sidebar outline what happens to a state-owned prison when it closes and the long odds of redeveloping such facilities.
ROME — In Housing Unit L, the dormitory style cubicles where prisoners slept are all but cleared out save for a few toiletries and an occasional magazine.
At Oneida Correctional Facility, prisoners aren’t attending vocational classes anymore; they aren’t eating in the cafeteria and they aren’t lifting weights in the prison’s recreation yard.
Now that the fight to save Oneida Correctional is all but over and the prisoners all have been relocated, area officials now must turn their focus to finding a suitable reuse for the aging prison.
“I think that Rome and the county are the two major players in that,” Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente said. “Between the leadership of both and the economic development agencies that serve both, this should work.”
At the time of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s announcement to close seven prisons in late June, Oneida Correctional held 939 prisoners, about 80 percent of its capacity. It took only five weeks to transport those prisoners to other medium security facilities throughout the state.
The prison now will be decommissioned, winterized, secured and handed to the state Office of General Services as surplus, said state Department of Correctional Services spokesman Peter Cutler said.
On Thursday, during a tour of the facility, staff members lingered about. Most doors no longer require a key to pass through, and boxes of equipment and books were stacked along walls.
The fresh smell of sawdust still lingered in the woodshop, even though the tools and equipment used by prisoners were long removed.
“By Oct. 1, there will be no one in there,” said Cutler of the prison and its employees.
Late last week, 55 security personnel and 133 civilian workers still were working in the prison.
Of the 294 security personnel that had worked there prior to the closure, 126 were able to transfer to facilities within the state’s local cluster of prisons in Rome and Marcy, Cutler said.
The remaining employees were forced to work at another prison, or find employment elsewhere.
What happens next?
After Oct. 1, Oneida Correctional will be maintained by the state until a new owner is found, state Office of General Services spokesperson Heather Groll said.
The building could either be sold to Empire State Development Corp., to a municipality or to a private entity to be developed. The final option would require the governor’s signature.
Local and state leaders here offered mixed responses to the future of the structure.
Picente said the facility needs to be evaluated to determine its condition, its value and whether there is a reuse for it.
“There should be a collective discussion about its uses or whether it should be torn down,” Picente said. “Or could we use the space for other economic development purposes?”
The county executive said Mohawk Valley EDGE should also be involved in future discussions about marketing the building. EDGE President Steve DiMeo could not be reached.
Economic development funds
State Office of General Services Commissioner Roann Destito once lobbied for the Rome area as its 116th District assemblywoman.
“As OGS commissioner, I am hopeful that the communities affected by prison closure, including Rome, will take full advantage of the tax credits and $50 million in economic development funds available through the Empire State Development Economic Transformation Program, which was created with Gov. Cuomo’s commitment to assist the communities that will lose a prison facility,” Destito said in an emailed statement.
The prison sits within Sen. David Valesky’s district as well.
“I am continuing to work with our local delegation to secure economic development funding for the region, and I will support all efforts for positive redevelopment and reuse of the Oneida Correctional Facility,” the Oneida Democrat wrote in response to questions.
The governor’s office has said that the state’s prisoner count has decreased 22 percent, since 1999, to about 56,000 this year. In total, the state’s prison system will be consolidated by about 3,800 beds in 2011, which is expected to save the state $72 million this year and $112 million in 2012.
Oneida is the largest facility slated for closure, although an 89-employee food production center that is operated out of the prison will remain open because its services are shared with neighboring Mohawk Correctional Facility.
The only prison of the seven slated to close that still houses prisoners is Arthur Kill Correctional Facility, which is slated for closure in December, Cutler said.
‘Substantial state aid’
Communities where prisons are closed will be eligible for economic incentives from the state.
A request for an explanation of those incentives from the Empire State Development Corp., which will administer the funds, was redirected to the governor’s initial news release about the prison closures.
Communities affected by the closures can request money from a $50 million fund as well as additional tax credits to help ease the economic loss of the facilities.
“We will work closely to ensure impacted areas are given substantial state aid to help them create jobs and transform their local economies,” Cuomo says in the release.
Picente said he has received limited information about how economic incentives will be paid.
“I’ve tried setting up a meeting with (ESD Commissioner) Ken Adams and (Rome) Mayor James Brown to have a walk through to see what the drill is,” Picente said. “There has to be a starting point about what type of recovery grants we can go toward. Right now, I haven’t heard a lot.”
Monday, September 5, 2011
Former prison a tough sell in Franklin County
Take a drive several hours north from Utica to the town of Brighton, and you’ll find a former prison on a sprawling 92-acre campus known as Camp Gabriels.
The minimum security facility in Franklin County was closed in 2009 because of state budget cuts and has since remained devoid of inmates.
Despite the best efforts of local leaders, Camp Gabriels will remain vacant for some time.
“No one knows what to do with it,” said John Tubbs, Franklin County Industrial Development Agency executive director. “It’s an opportunity for someone out there – we just don’t know who yet.”
Even though the property is owned by the state Office of General Service, Tubbs said the development agency can provide financial incentives to a developer by offering loans and helping with tax exemptions.
The Office of General Services has unsuccessfully tried twice to auction the property, which also acted as a tuberculosis sanitarium and satellite college campus before it housed inmates.
Prior to its closure, Camp Gabriels was the largest employer in the town and held about a third of the immediate region’s population, officials said.
Sue Mayer is the chairperson of the Town of Brighton Community Development Committee, which is promoting the property to prospective developers.
“We’ve reviewed the reuses that were suggested in the plan the state had issued,” Mayer said. “The plan didn’t have that many reuses. They want to sell it as a whole and not break it up into smaller parcels.”
Mayer and the committee also repeatedly are calling state officials to make sure Camp Gabriel remains on their agenda.
“We want them to know how concerned the town is with the property,” she said.
The minimum security facility in Franklin County was closed in 2009 because of state budget cuts and has since remained devoid of inmates.
Despite the best efforts of local leaders, Camp Gabriels will remain vacant for some time.
“No one knows what to do with it,” said John Tubbs, Franklin County Industrial Development Agency executive director. “It’s an opportunity for someone out there – we just don’t know who yet.”
Even though the property is owned by the state Office of General Service, Tubbs said the development agency can provide financial incentives to a developer by offering loans and helping with tax exemptions.
The Office of General Services has unsuccessfully tried twice to auction the property, which also acted as a tuberculosis sanitarium and satellite college campus before it housed inmates.
Prior to its closure, Camp Gabriels was the largest employer in the town and held about a third of the immediate region’s population, officials said.
Sue Mayer is the chairperson of the Town of Brighton Community Development Committee, which is promoting the property to prospective developers.
“We’ve reviewed the reuses that were suggested in the plan the state had issued,” Mayer said. “The plan didn’t have that many reuses. They want to sell it as a whole and not break it up into smaller parcels.”
Mayer and the committee also repeatedly are calling state officials to make sure Camp Gabriel remains on their agenda.
“We want them to know how concerned the town is with the property,” she said.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Knoxboro residents: Killing should not define our town
* This story was written the weekend after Oneida County Sheriff's Deputy Kurt Wyman was shot and killed by a man who barricaded himself in his garage for more than six hours. An article relating to the initial event can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/3jtjlrf
KNOXBORO — Melissa McNamara is an active member of the Knoxboro Community Church and a proud wife of a military man.
She also takes pride in the hamlet where she grew up,in the rural town of Augusta.
Saturday afternoon, McNamara and a dozen other people congregated at the church for the parish’s annual chicken barbecue. The group, however, debated whether to delay the event. After Tuesday, residents were more than shaken at what had happened up the hill from them in this southern Oneida County community.
Knoxboro’s residents were awoken late Monday to find that police and firefighters had overrun their corner of the world. They would later learn that Christian Patterson, who moved into the brown house up the hill in 2007 was involved in a lengthy standoff and allegedly shot and killed Oneida County Sheriff’s Deputy Kurt Wyman.
“We need to keep moving forward,” McNamara said. “The church is the hub of the community, and this fundraiser is important to us.”
Wyman’s memorial service is scheduled for Monday morning at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.
Patterson, meanwhile, is at St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Utica in critical condition, although he was recently taken off of a ventilator that aided his breathing. He is expected to be charged with aggravated murder when his condition improves, authorities have said.
In Knoxboro, residents Saturday said they still are in disbelief such a heinous act could happen in their community. After all, the hamlet is where neighbors know and trust each other. Children gather in groups to play tag or hang out at a neighbor’s pool.
“I couldn’t believe it,” resident Robert Reed said. “Not in our town, not here.”
Reed’s family owns 6 acres down the hill from the hamlet’s post office. Reed and his wife, Susan, also happen to be in the process of moving out of their home to be closer to Robert’s son in Michigan.
“It’s beautiful here,” Reed said. “We moved here 32 years ago from Herkimer County because of my job. We were looking for something rural but not as big as the farm we were living on. This is it — we found it here in Knoxboro.”
Reed said that during his time on the property, the family started an apple orchard and planted some 300 trees of various species throughout the property.
Growing older and with the children now grown up, Reed said the property had become more than he can handle. Besides, the more time he could spend with his six grandchildren, the better.
“Summer nights, we would eat out here on the patio and over there is where the children would split wood. There was always something to do outside. We were always busy.”
Prior to Tuesday, Knoxboro was known for its namesake, taken from John Jay Knox, a staunch supporter of the national banking system who held the position of U.S. comptroller of the currency in the 1870s. Locally, he had co-founded the Bank of Verona in 1839.
Residents now hope that the death of Deputy Wyman does not place their hamlet on a map of places cursed by history.
“We just held a Memorial Day celebration for all of the members of the military,” McNamara said. “There are a lot of families here who have members that are serving now or had served before – more than you’d believe.”
A small memorial has been set up at the intersection across the street from the post office for Wyman. More than two dozen people have signed the placard that sits in front of the hamlet’s American flag.
KNOXBORO — Melissa McNamara is an active member of the Knoxboro Community Church and a proud wife of a military man.
She also takes pride in the hamlet where she grew up,in the rural town of Augusta.
Saturday afternoon, McNamara and a dozen other people congregated at the church for the parish’s annual chicken barbecue. The group, however, debated whether to delay the event. After Tuesday, residents were more than shaken at what had happened up the hill from them in this southern Oneida County community.
Knoxboro’s residents were awoken late Monday to find that police and firefighters had overrun their corner of the world. They would later learn that Christian Patterson, who moved into the brown house up the hill in 2007 was involved in a lengthy standoff and allegedly shot and killed Oneida County Sheriff’s Deputy Kurt Wyman.
“We need to keep moving forward,” McNamara said. “The church is the hub of the community, and this fundraiser is important to us.”
Wyman’s memorial service is scheduled for Monday morning at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.
Patterson, meanwhile, is at St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Utica in critical condition, although he was recently taken off of a ventilator that aided his breathing. He is expected to be charged with aggravated murder when his condition improves, authorities have said.
In Knoxboro, residents Saturday said they still are in disbelief such a heinous act could happen in their community. After all, the hamlet is where neighbors know and trust each other. Children gather in groups to play tag or hang out at a neighbor’s pool.
“I couldn’t believe it,” resident Robert Reed said. “Not in our town, not here.”
Reed’s family owns 6 acres down the hill from the hamlet’s post office. Reed and his wife, Susan, also happen to be in the process of moving out of their home to be closer to Robert’s son in Michigan.
“It’s beautiful here,” Reed said. “We moved here 32 years ago from Herkimer County because of my job. We were looking for something rural but not as big as the farm we were living on. This is it — we found it here in Knoxboro.”
Reed said that during his time on the property, the family started an apple orchard and planted some 300 trees of various species throughout the property.
Growing older and with the children now grown up, Reed said the property had become more than he can handle. Besides, the more time he could spend with his six grandchildren, the better.
“Summer nights, we would eat out here on the patio and over there is where the children would split wood. There was always something to do outside. We were always busy.”
Prior to Tuesday, Knoxboro was known for its namesake, taken from John Jay Knox, a staunch supporter of the national banking system who held the position of U.S. comptroller of the currency in the 1870s. Locally, he had co-founded the Bank of Verona in 1839.
Residents now hope that the death of Deputy Wyman does not place their hamlet on a map of places cursed by history.
“We just held a Memorial Day celebration for all of the members of the military,” McNamara said. “There are a lot of families here who have members that are serving now or had served before – more than you’d believe.”
A small memorial has been set up at the intersection across the street from the post office for Wyman. More than two dozen people have signed the placard that sits in front of the hamlet’s American flag.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Mileage reimbursements add up for county legislators
Two to three times a week, Michael Waterman drives 45 minutes from his Camden home to the Oneida County Office Building to attend a legislative meeting.
Representing Oneida County’s western-most towns on the Board of Legislators, Waterman utilizes a perk provided to some county workers and legislators to offset travel expenses — mileage reimbursement.
“On a cold winter’s night, it could be an hour there and an hour back, just for a 15-minute meeting,” said Waterman, a Republican. “For me, it’s not unfair to pay mileage.”
In 2009, Oneida County paid $22,543 to the county’s 29 legislators for mileage incurred by driving their personal vehicles on county business. Last year, that figure increased to $23,559, even though the reimbursement rate dropped from 55 cents to 50 cents per mile.
Reimbursements are provided when legislators drive from home to county-related business.
At least one legislator, however, is trying to put an end to the perk.
“One of the main points I’m trying to make is we need more transparency,” said Michael Hennessy, D-Sherrill.
A legislative reform package that included increasing the salaries for legislators - who currently earn a base pay of $8,368 - while stripping health benefits and mileage reimbursements was introduced by Hennessy last month. The proposal was soundly defeated by the board.
Hennessy said the reform would have saved the county about $220,000 annually.
“When you hand out mileage, it leads to abuse,” Hennessey said. “I’m not sure that it’s happening at this point, but it could be something that comes up down the road.”
Hennessy said he has resubmitted his reforms as individual resolutions.
Some legislators said the reimbursements are a benefit not exclusive to their board. County, state and federal employees receive mileage reimbursements for job-related travel.
The mileage also is calculated by legislative staff, who record mileage when legislators attend meetings. The practice, they said, regulates the process and decreases the potential for abuse.
At least seven other counties with similarly-sized populations provide mileage reimbursements for legislators, including Ulster, Chautauqua and Niagara. Rockland and Rensselaer counties, which have smaller square mileages, do not.
Martin Reid, chairman of the Rensselaer County Board of Legislators, said the cost of driving to meetings is considered an expense associated with the job.
Rensselaer County covers about 654 square miles versus the 1,221 square miles in Oneida County. Legislators have not received mileage reimbursements since the early 1980s.
“I think everybody just accepts it,” Reid said. “I would appreciate being able to deduct the mileage and depreciation on my car as a write-off, but I can’t do that either. It’s certainly something I’ve thought about.”
Oneida County Board Chairman Gerald Fiorini, R-Rome, received $4,050 in reimbursements for mileage in 2010, which outpaces his colleagues.
Fiorini said he finds himself in the Oneida County Office Building four to five times a week. That estimate jibes with the total miles he is recorded to have traveled last year.
Accounting for the roughly 34-mile round trip from Fiorini’s district to the office building, the chairman would have needed to make 4.6 round trips each week to fulfill the 8,100 miles for which he was reimbursed.
“I’m here in the office and I’m meeting with the county executive, the chief of staff and any legislator who wants to talk,” Fiorini said. “I could be here for the day, then I might have to return for a night meeting. It all depends on the week.”
Fiorini said he supports mileage reimbursements for legislators, especially members who drive to Utica from rural districts.
“A majority of those guys feel like it helps out,” he said. “With the price of insurance and gas, it’s something small that can help offset costs.”
Majority Leader David Wood, R-Rome, said the reimbursement is a way to equalize expenses for legislators who have to drive from districts on the opposite end of the county.
“You never want to discourage someone from attending extra meetings or going into Utica for any reason,” he said. “When the price of gas gets up there, it can be a significant expense for those people.”
Wood said the current reimbursement system is fair for each legislator.
Democrat Rose Ann Convertino, who lives in East Utica, said she supports the benefit.
“If you have to come from quite a distance, I have no issue with them being reimbursed for it,” Convertino said. “It’s only fair.”
Joseph Furgol, D-Utica, said the reimbursements help to offset the costs driving to Oriskany and Rome for committee meetings. If the county decides to take away the benefit, it would not sway him from doing his job.
“Either way, it’s not making me a millionaire,” he said.
For Waterman, who received $1,951.30 in 2010, the reimbursements are a way to help legislators recoup the costs of driving to meetings.
“I can understand what someone is trying to do to save money,” he said. “But from an equitable standpoint, this isn’t the way to go about it.”
Representing Oneida County’s western-most towns on the Board of Legislators, Waterman utilizes a perk provided to some county workers and legislators to offset travel expenses — mileage reimbursement.
“On a cold winter’s night, it could be an hour there and an hour back, just for a 15-minute meeting,” said Waterman, a Republican. “For me, it’s not unfair to pay mileage.”
In 2009, Oneida County paid $22,543 to the county’s 29 legislators for mileage incurred by driving their personal vehicles on county business. Last year, that figure increased to $23,559, even though the reimbursement rate dropped from 55 cents to 50 cents per mile.
Reimbursements are provided when legislators drive from home to county-related business.
At least one legislator, however, is trying to put an end to the perk.
“One of the main points I’m trying to make is we need more transparency,” said Michael Hennessy, D-Sherrill.
A legislative reform package that included increasing the salaries for legislators - who currently earn a base pay of $8,368 - while stripping health benefits and mileage reimbursements was introduced by Hennessy last month. The proposal was soundly defeated by the board.
Hennessy said the reform would have saved the county about $220,000 annually.
“When you hand out mileage, it leads to abuse,” Hennessey said. “I’m not sure that it’s happening at this point, but it could be something that comes up down the road.”
Hennessy said he has resubmitted his reforms as individual resolutions.
Some legislators said the reimbursements are a benefit not exclusive to their board. County, state and federal employees receive mileage reimbursements for job-related travel.
The mileage also is calculated by legislative staff, who record mileage when legislators attend meetings. The practice, they said, regulates the process and decreases the potential for abuse.
At least seven other counties with similarly-sized populations provide mileage reimbursements for legislators, including Ulster, Chautauqua and Niagara. Rockland and Rensselaer counties, which have smaller square mileages, do not.
Martin Reid, chairman of the Rensselaer County Board of Legislators, said the cost of driving to meetings is considered an expense associated with the job.
Rensselaer County covers about 654 square miles versus the 1,221 square miles in Oneida County. Legislators have not received mileage reimbursements since the early 1980s.
“I think everybody just accepts it,” Reid said. “I would appreciate being able to deduct the mileage and depreciation on my car as a write-off, but I can’t do that either. It’s certainly something I’ve thought about.”
Oneida County Board Chairman Gerald Fiorini, R-Rome, received $4,050 in reimbursements for mileage in 2010, which outpaces his colleagues.
Fiorini said he finds himself in the Oneida County Office Building four to five times a week. That estimate jibes with the total miles he is recorded to have traveled last year.
Accounting for the roughly 34-mile round trip from Fiorini’s district to the office building, the chairman would have needed to make 4.6 round trips each week to fulfill the 8,100 miles for which he was reimbursed.
“I’m here in the office and I’m meeting with the county executive, the chief of staff and any legislator who wants to talk,” Fiorini said. “I could be here for the day, then I might have to return for a night meeting. It all depends on the week.”
Fiorini said he supports mileage reimbursements for legislators, especially members who drive to Utica from rural districts.
“A majority of those guys feel like it helps out,” he said. “With the price of insurance and gas, it’s something small that can help offset costs.”
Majority Leader David Wood, R-Rome, said the reimbursement is a way to equalize expenses for legislators who have to drive from districts on the opposite end of the county.
“You never want to discourage someone from attending extra meetings or going into Utica for any reason,” he said. “When the price of gas gets up there, it can be a significant expense for those people.”
Wood said the current reimbursement system is fair for each legislator.
Democrat Rose Ann Convertino, who lives in East Utica, said she supports the benefit.
“If you have to come from quite a distance, I have no issue with them being reimbursed for it,” Convertino said. “It’s only fair.”
Joseph Furgol, D-Utica, said the reimbursements help to offset the costs driving to Oriskany and Rome for committee meetings. If the county decides to take away the benefit, it would not sway him from doing his job.
“Either way, it’s not making me a millionaire,” he said.
For Waterman, who received $1,951.30 in 2010, the reimbursements are a way to help legislators recoup the costs of driving to meetings.
“I can understand what someone is trying to do to save money,” he said. “But from an equitable standpoint, this isn’t the way to go about it.”
Sunday, April 3, 2011
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: How the Mohawk Valley fared
Police officers and firefighters were hired. Contractors fixed the state's roads and bridges. The jobs of thousands of public school employees were safe, for the time being.
And don't forget about the $282 billion handed out nationwide in federal tax breaks.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 has continued to inject millions of much-needed dollars into the Mohawk Valley's diminished economy. Whether those dollars created a positive lasting effect on the region, however, is still being debated.
As of Jan. 1, these stimulus funds have meant $128.3 million for entities in Oneida County, and $91.6 million in Herkimer County, according to an O-D analysis.
"We've used those funds to maintain positions that we would have needed to cut without them," said Kathy Houghton, superintendent of the New York Mills Union Free School District.
Still, results have been mixed.
* Nearly all of the state Department of Transportation-funded contracts for local work were awarded to companies headquartered outside the Mohawk Valley.
* Some experts say the $787 billion in stimulus funds were not enough to right the nation's - and the Mohawk Valley's - economic woes.
* School districts were awarded millions of federal dollars to stabilize budgets, but questions remain about the impact when those funds run out.
* The time it takes for groups to receive funding has varied dramatically, depending on which state agency administers the money.
The effectiveness of the federal stimulus still is being debated by elected officials and economic experts two years after the bill was enacted.
The bill funded job growth and cut taxes for individuals and small businesses. The region's unemployment rate, which was 9.1 percent in February, however, remains at levels considered high compared to the past 20 years.
And contracts were awarded to improve infrastructure, although whether money trickled down to workers beyond their expected salaries still is being questioned.
Stimulus funds followed two paths from Capitol Hill, either directly from the federal government or to state departments and agencies, which then administered the money through competitive programs to local entities.
Local police agencies had the option of applying for a litany of grants to purchase equipment and employ more officers.
"Anytime the department can get help putting boots on the street, whether that money comes from the state or the federal grants, we'll always try to do something positive with it," Utica Police Department spokesman Sgt. Steven Hauck said. "Financially for the city, it's helped because it has funded those four positions, and it has helped us put officers out on the street."
The city of Utica received about $923,000 to hire officers, purchase equipment such as guns and ammunition, and to ramp up its time dedicated to Internet crimes against children.
Of the funding, $694,860 went toward allowing the city to fund four entry-level officer positions for three years. As a stipulation of the grant, the city must keep those officers on the force for a fourth year.
The grant program to hire officers had been contentious for numerous municipalities when it was introduced last year because of the caveat that if money was awarded, further officers could not be cut.
Impact on unemployment
Injecting $787 billion into the nation's economy was expected to right the downturn that began affecting Oneida and Herkimer counties in late 2008.
For more than a decade, the Utica-Rome region's unemployment rate floated near 5 to 6 percent, increasing slightly in the winter months and then dropping again as companies hired seasonal workers in the summer, said Mark Barbano, a state Department of Labor analyst.
By the time President Barack Obama signed the federal stimulus bill February 2009, the local region's unemployment rate had spiked to 9.2 percent for the first time since January 1991, according to state Labor Department statistics. This year's unemployment statistics continue to mirror the elevated levels of 2010, Barbano said.
In Oneida and Herkimer counties, roughly 13,000 still remain unemployed.
So without the stimulus bill, would the picture have been even bleaker?
"I think it definitely helped, but the gap between where the actual unemployment was and where it was reported at being, was too large," said Ranjit Dighe, a professor of economics at SUNY Oswego. "A larger stimulus would have done the job. You have to wonder what the policymakers would have done if they had a crystal ball."
The stimulus bill funded work programs and courses for workforce training, and federal funds were used to directly hire companies to perform work.
For David Mathis, director of Oneida County Workforce Development, that means having extra funds to train youth who otherwise had no discernable job skills.
"What we did with our summer employment money was take disconnected youth and put them in training programs," he said. "Many didn't have high school diplomas, so that helped them get their GEDs while gaining some workforce experience."
Alice Savino, executive director of the Workforce Development board, said federal funding continues to provide training for both entry-level and more advanced jobs.
"The money we spent wasn't on staffing, or upgrading the facilities," she said. "That money was spent on training people for jobs, and that investment will pay dividends for some time to come."
Other projects
The stimulus also earmarked funds that would be used to repair and renovate the nation's highways. Putting contractors to work was expected to directly affect the local workforce.
The state Department of Transportation awarded $20.9 million for 17 projects in Herkimer and Oneida counties, creating 173.5 jobs, federal reports show.
Records show that while a number of Upstate New York companies won contracts here, only a single local company landed work.
For Central Paving Inc. of Herkimer, that meant working on the Mohawk Street Beautification Enhancement Project in the village of Herkimer, records show.
Other companies were headquartered as far away as Minnesota. Benchmark New York Inc., a New York City-based group, was awarded $4.5 million for three paving projects.
A regional DOT spokesperson was not available to comment about the issue.
Other stimulus funds went to public school districts throughout the state to stabilize their budgets during the recession.
The New York Mills school district already has received $1,002,843 from six grant programs.
Superintendent Houghton said stimulus funds were used during the current fiscal year to brace the district's budget. Federal job funds will be used during the 2011-12 school year to do the same. The future beyond that is not so certain.
"Obviously, those are holes that will need to be filled," she said. "We'll try to plan ahead to minimize expenses in ways that won't hurt the students."
Costs versus benefits
Officials remain split on whether spending billions of dollars in the end was worth it.
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., remained on board with the stimulus' goals and objectives, helping him win reelection last fall.
Schumer also helped secure more than $38 million for Utica and Oneida County to help pay for state-mandated sewer upgrades estimated to cost $335 million.
"Every nickel we secure from the federal government is one less dollar local residents will have to pay in taxes and rate hikes," Schumer said at the time the funding was announced.
But U.S Rep. Richard Hanna, R-Barneveld, said the benefits of the stimulus did not outweigh the costs.
Hanna was elected last November, replacing Democrat Michael Arcuri, of Utica, who voted for the stimulus bill. Hanna said the government's mission should not be to directly create jobs, but rather "to foster an environment in which private sector job creation flourishes."
"I opposed the stimulus bill because I simply disagree that government spending is the best way to create jobs," said Hanna in an emailed response to questions. "Every dollar Washington spends is a tax dollar taken from a family or a business. Otherwise, it's borrowed money that adds to our debt."
Government expects fraud
Earl Devaney, the head of the White House’s Recovery Act Transparency and Accountability Board, said at the time of his appointment that U.S. taxpayers lose as much as 7 percent of their government’s spending to fraud and waste.
That would mean $2.19 billion of the $31.26 billion awarded to New York from the federal stimulus bill is expected to be lost to fraud and waste.
The New York State Stimulus Oversight Panel already has rooted out improper business practices in Brooklyn and Sullivan County during separate investigations involving weatherization contracts. That put a halt to $7 million in contracts so far, although that figure is well short of the 7 percent mark expected by Devaney.
A state Stimulus Oversight Panel spokesperson said a report updating the group’s work since October is still being compiled and is expected to be released this spring.
SIDEBAR
Where the money is going
In September, the village of Ilion was awarded a nearly $6.3 million low-interest loan to build a water filtration plant and make state-mandated improvements to an existing dam.
Those funds finally arrived within the last two weeks, about a month after the village had planned to solicit bids.
"We were just given the OK to go ahead with the projects," Ilion Mayor John Stephens said.
In 2008, the state Department of Environmental Conservation put the municipality under a consent order to repair Reservoir No. 2 dam.
The estimated cost for the project is $2 million - the remaining funds will be used to renovate the filtration plant.
"Obviously, the dam project is necessary because of the consent order. We don't have a choice," Stephens said. "We have the oldest, slow sand filtration plant in the nation that takes raw water and turns it in to potable water. This upgrade will help with that process."
The filtration plant serves the village and parts of the towns of Frankfort and German Flats.
Reducing energy costs
Millions of federal dollars have passed through the state Energy Research and Development Authority to local groups.
The city of Rome received funding to install solar panels at City Hall and the Kennedy Municipal Arena. The system is expected to reduce energy costs at City Hall by about 10 percent, said Christian Mercurio, the city's community development coordinator.
"It's extremely technical work, getting the systems design, that was the hardest part," he said.
Mercurio said the systems likely will be installed during the upcoming summer.
The Community at Sunset Woods, a senior citizen apartment complex in the village of New Hartford, used $19,993 from NYSERDA to perform an energy audit on its building in 2009.
"We're still putting together a strategy and a plan to make some adjustments," Executive Director Carol Jubenville said. "We were surprised to find that the building was as energy efficient as it was."
The nonprofit's board of directors still is reviewing the findings, she said, and no work has been done on the building to date. With the consultant's report in hand, the group now can apply for grants to implement the recommendations.
And don't forget about the $282 billion handed out nationwide in federal tax breaks.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 has continued to inject millions of much-needed dollars into the Mohawk Valley's diminished economy. Whether those dollars created a positive lasting effect on the region, however, is still being debated.
As of Jan. 1, these stimulus funds have meant $128.3 million for entities in Oneida County, and $91.6 million in Herkimer County, according to an O-D analysis.
"We've used those funds to maintain positions that we would have needed to cut without them," said Kathy Houghton, superintendent of the New York Mills Union Free School District.
Still, results have been mixed.
* Nearly all of the state Department of Transportation-funded contracts for local work were awarded to companies headquartered outside the Mohawk Valley.
* Some experts say the $787 billion in stimulus funds were not enough to right the nation's - and the Mohawk Valley's - economic woes.
* School districts were awarded millions of federal dollars to stabilize budgets, but questions remain about the impact when those funds run out.
* The time it takes for groups to receive funding has varied dramatically, depending on which state agency administers the money.
The effectiveness of the federal stimulus still is being debated by elected officials and economic experts two years after the bill was enacted.
The bill funded job growth and cut taxes for individuals and small businesses. The region's unemployment rate, which was 9.1 percent in February, however, remains at levels considered high compared to the past 20 years.
And contracts were awarded to improve infrastructure, although whether money trickled down to workers beyond their expected salaries still is being questioned.
Stimulus funds followed two paths from Capitol Hill, either directly from the federal government or to state departments and agencies, which then administered the money through competitive programs to local entities.
Local police agencies had the option of applying for a litany of grants to purchase equipment and employ more officers.
"Anytime the department can get help putting boots on the street, whether that money comes from the state or the federal grants, we'll always try to do something positive with it," Utica Police Department spokesman Sgt. Steven Hauck said. "Financially for the city, it's helped because it has funded those four positions, and it has helped us put officers out on the street."
The city of Utica received about $923,000 to hire officers, purchase equipment such as guns and ammunition, and to ramp up its time dedicated to Internet crimes against children.
Of the funding, $694,860 went toward allowing the city to fund four entry-level officer positions for three years. As a stipulation of the grant, the city must keep those officers on the force for a fourth year.
The grant program to hire officers had been contentious for numerous municipalities when it was introduced last year because of the caveat that if money was awarded, further officers could not be cut.
Impact on unemployment
Injecting $787 billion into the nation's economy was expected to right the downturn that began affecting Oneida and Herkimer counties in late 2008.
For more than a decade, the Utica-Rome region's unemployment rate floated near 5 to 6 percent, increasing slightly in the winter months and then dropping again as companies hired seasonal workers in the summer, said Mark Barbano, a state Department of Labor analyst.
By the time President Barack Obama signed the federal stimulus bill February 2009, the local region's unemployment rate had spiked to 9.2 percent for the first time since January 1991, according to state Labor Department statistics. This year's unemployment statistics continue to mirror the elevated levels of 2010, Barbano said.
In Oneida and Herkimer counties, roughly 13,000 still remain unemployed.
So without the stimulus bill, would the picture have been even bleaker?
"I think it definitely helped, but the gap between where the actual unemployment was and where it was reported at being, was too large," said Ranjit Dighe, a professor of economics at SUNY Oswego. "A larger stimulus would have done the job. You have to wonder what the policymakers would have done if they had a crystal ball."
The stimulus bill funded work programs and courses for workforce training, and federal funds were used to directly hire companies to perform work.
For David Mathis, director of Oneida County Workforce Development, that means having extra funds to train youth who otherwise had no discernable job skills.
"What we did with our summer employment money was take disconnected youth and put them in training programs," he said. "Many didn't have high school diplomas, so that helped them get their GEDs while gaining some workforce experience."
Alice Savino, executive director of the Workforce Development board, said federal funding continues to provide training for both entry-level and more advanced jobs.
"The money we spent wasn't on staffing, or upgrading the facilities," she said. "That money was spent on training people for jobs, and that investment will pay dividends for some time to come."
Other projects
The stimulus also earmarked funds that would be used to repair and renovate the nation's highways. Putting contractors to work was expected to directly affect the local workforce.
The state Department of Transportation awarded $20.9 million for 17 projects in Herkimer and Oneida counties, creating 173.5 jobs, federal reports show.
Records show that while a number of Upstate New York companies won contracts here, only a single local company landed work.
For Central Paving Inc. of Herkimer, that meant working on the Mohawk Street Beautification Enhancement Project in the village of Herkimer, records show.
Other companies were headquartered as far away as Minnesota. Benchmark New York Inc., a New York City-based group, was awarded $4.5 million for three paving projects.
A regional DOT spokesperson was not available to comment about the issue.
Other stimulus funds went to public school districts throughout the state to stabilize their budgets during the recession.
The New York Mills school district already has received $1,002,843 from six grant programs.
Superintendent Houghton said stimulus funds were used during the current fiscal year to brace the district's budget. Federal job funds will be used during the 2011-12 school year to do the same. The future beyond that is not so certain.
"Obviously, those are holes that will need to be filled," she said. "We'll try to plan ahead to minimize expenses in ways that won't hurt the students."
Costs versus benefits
Officials remain split on whether spending billions of dollars in the end was worth it.
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., remained on board with the stimulus' goals and objectives, helping him win reelection last fall.
Schumer also helped secure more than $38 million for Utica and Oneida County to help pay for state-mandated sewer upgrades estimated to cost $335 million.
"Every nickel we secure from the federal government is one less dollar local residents will have to pay in taxes and rate hikes," Schumer said at the time the funding was announced.
But U.S Rep. Richard Hanna, R-Barneveld, said the benefits of the stimulus did not outweigh the costs.
Hanna was elected last November, replacing Democrat Michael Arcuri, of Utica, who voted for the stimulus bill. Hanna said the government's mission should not be to directly create jobs, but rather "to foster an environment in which private sector job creation flourishes."
"I opposed the stimulus bill because I simply disagree that government spending is the best way to create jobs," said Hanna in an emailed response to questions. "Every dollar Washington spends is a tax dollar taken from a family or a business. Otherwise, it's borrowed money that adds to our debt."
Government expects fraud
Earl Devaney, the head of the White House’s Recovery Act Transparency and Accountability Board, said at the time of his appointment that U.S. taxpayers lose as much as 7 percent of their government’s spending to fraud and waste.
That would mean $2.19 billion of the $31.26 billion awarded to New York from the federal stimulus bill is expected to be lost to fraud and waste.
The New York State Stimulus Oversight Panel already has rooted out improper business practices in Brooklyn and Sullivan County during separate investigations involving weatherization contracts. That put a halt to $7 million in contracts so far, although that figure is well short of the 7 percent mark expected by Devaney.
A state Stimulus Oversight Panel spokesperson said a report updating the group’s work since October is still being compiled and is expected to be released this spring.
SIDEBAR
Where the money is going
In September, the village of Ilion was awarded a nearly $6.3 million low-interest loan to build a water filtration plant and make state-mandated improvements to an existing dam.
Those funds finally arrived within the last two weeks, about a month after the village had planned to solicit bids.
"We were just given the OK to go ahead with the projects," Ilion Mayor John Stephens said.
In 2008, the state Department of Environmental Conservation put the municipality under a consent order to repair Reservoir No. 2 dam.
The estimated cost for the project is $2 million - the remaining funds will be used to renovate the filtration plant.
"Obviously, the dam project is necessary because of the consent order. We don't have a choice," Stephens said. "We have the oldest, slow sand filtration plant in the nation that takes raw water and turns it in to potable water. This upgrade will help with that process."
The filtration plant serves the village and parts of the towns of Frankfort and German Flats.
Reducing energy costs
Millions of federal dollars have passed through the state Energy Research and Development Authority to local groups.
The city of Rome received funding to install solar panels at City Hall and the Kennedy Municipal Arena. The system is expected to reduce energy costs at City Hall by about 10 percent, said Christian Mercurio, the city's community development coordinator.
"It's extremely technical work, getting the systems design, that was the hardest part," he said.
Mercurio said the systems likely will be installed during the upcoming summer.
The Community at Sunset Woods, a senior citizen apartment complex in the village of New Hartford, used $19,993 from NYSERDA to perform an energy audit on its building in 2009.
"We're still putting together a strategy and a plan to make some adjustments," Executive Director Carol Jubenville said. "We were surprised to find that the building was as energy efficient as it was."
The nonprofit's board of directors still is reviewing the findings, she said, and no work has been done on the building to date. With the consultant's report in hand, the group now can apply for grants to implement the recommendations.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
A Village Divided: Whitesboro dissolution vote nears
WHITESBORO — Vote yes, or vote no. Either way, in this village of about 3,900, your vote is going to count.
As soon as the New Year’s cheer wears off, 2,450 registered voters here will be eligible to decide whether the village that was incorporated while the War of 1812 was being waged around New England, needs to stay or go.
Those who want to see the village dissolved say taxes are too high for what they receive. Residents who want to keep the village are worried the current level of services would vanish, and that without a village, they would not have an elected government representing them.
People on each side of the issue, which will be before voters Tuesday, have accused each other of dirty politics. Both sides allege their campaign signs have been plucked from the side of the street, and one man was arrested for breaking a sign he alleges was unlawfully placed on his lawn.
“This is a case of is the devil you know better than the devil you don’t,” said Charles Zettek Jr., vice president & director of government management services for the Center For Governmental Research.
The group — which touts itself as an independent, non-partisan agency for keeping citizens informed — distributed a study in 2008 to consolidate police services in Whitesboro, Whitestown, Oriskany and New York Mills. That report was never fully acted on, although local leaders say they continue to press toward that goal.
“Many of these dissolution petitions are circulated by people who want to reduce taxes, and it sounds like a noble thing to do, but a lot of studies show that while the taxes go down, some don’t go down nearly what you would think,” Zettek said.
In Whitesboro, the dissolution process began in July when Ed Misiaszek submitted 290 signatures to the village. That amount exceeds the minimum threshold of 10 percent of village’s 2,450 registered voters to force the referendum.
The Westmoreland Street resident was arrested after he allegedly destroyed a sign promoting the village. Misiaszek claims the sign was unlawfully placed on his property. His case has not yet been heard in court.
“We pay both a town and a village tax right now,” Misiaszek said. “It’s common sense to say that if you get rid of a level of government, you’re going to save money.”
But village Mayor Brenda Gilberti is concerned dissolution may not lower taxes drastically, or if at all, and without a study that states the financial effects of dissolving the village, residents may be voting on something they can not undo.
Gilberti, who became mayor last spring, said she wants the opportunity to right the village’s historically imprudent spending.
“We’re there, we’re working on it,” she said. “Just give us a chance.”
Dissolving villages rare
A state law that went into effect March 21 streamlines the process by lowering the threshold that forces villages to schedule a dissolution vote. Residents don’t need to submit as many signatures on a petition and a study of the impact does not have to be completed until after the vote is approved.
That means many details — such as how police and fire coverage would change — remain unknown about exactly what would happen next if Whitesboro residents vote in favor of the proposal.
There are at least 10,521 taxing districting in New York state, although a third of those, 6,927, are special districts for services such as water, sewer and lighting. Oneida County is made up of 350 taxing districts, including 268 special districts, according to the state Attorney General’s Office.
Since March, when the New N.Y. Government Reorganization And Citizen Empowerment Act was enacted, eight villages have voted on proposals to dissolve. The village of Altmar, in Oswego County, is the only village that chose to dissolve.
Patrick O’Connor lives in the village and spent his childhood living in the town of Whitestown.
“I bought my first and second houses in the village, and that is where I remain today,” O’Connor said. “I couldn’t imagine not living in Whitesboro.”
O’Connor, a former Whitesboro police officer and current member of the Fire Department, is part of Concerned Citizens to Save the Village of Whitesboro.
“I think that people need to think with common sense and not with emotion,” he said. “I am just as upset as the next person about the financial position that the village of Whitesboro is in. But the answer to the problem is not to vote to close our village doors forever.”
Jan Zabek, who lives and works in Whitesboro, said he believes too many layers of government exist and money can be saves by consolidating services and removing some of the village’s boards.
“There are three boards that are paid, a codes guy who also happens to work with the town, the village attorney, a judge who has assistants — those positions can be eliminated,” Zabek said. “You just keep going down the list. We heat and insure six buildings. There has to be some savings there.”
Zabek said he is happy Tuesday’s vote has spurred a lot of debate about saving money, although he thinks voters will likely keep the village around.
“I think, being in business today, people are doing everything they can just to survive,” he said. “When you don’t see that happening elsewhere it drives you crazy.”
Taxes
The village’s total budget is about $2,666,996, The tax rate per $1,000 of assessed valuation is $14.69, meaning residents with a house assessed at $50,000 pay $734 in village taxes. During the 2010-11 fiscal year, taxpayers were levied $1,457,205 in village taxes.
Whitesboro residents saw a 49 percent increase in their taxes during the current fiscal year because the village is now paying off a $498,000 revenue anticipation note.
Half of that note the village received last year has already been paid back, with interest, the mayor said.
“In the worse case scenario, taxes will stay at this level for one more year, then they will dip back down,” Gilberti said.
If the village is dissolved, special taxing districts would need to be set up to pay off existing village debt and for services as sewer and water and fire and police protection, Wade Beltramo, general counsel for the New York Conference of Mayors, told of a crowd of residents during a December meeting.
What could happen?
For Whitestown Supervisor Charles Gibbs II, the village voters’ decision could drastically affect the way the town, which has a 2011 budget of $6,236,491, operates in upcoming years.
“How this is going to affect the village taxpayers, and in the town as well, we don’t know how costs are going to be effected,” he said. “I have people who call and what specific numbers, how much is this service or that service going to cost, and we don’t know right now.”
Gibbs added: “People shouldn’t be forced to vote on what may happen.”
If village residents approve the dissolution, the village board would need to form a plan to dissolve. Then the town would in charge of enacting that plan.
“The study may show that we need seven more people in DPW to perform what the village is doing right now,” said Gibbs, a village resident. “We might get into it and realize we only need four, or 10. There are a lot of uncertainties. Nobody is going to know what the costs are after a year or two.”
Gibbs said the town is not trying to “take over” the village. His hands are already full steering the town down a path that doesn’t end in financial ruin.
“We don’t want to tell people what to do,” Gibbs said. “We don’t plan on stepping on anyone’s toes.”
Three Town Board members also live in the village of Whitesboro.
If residents choose to dissolve, and the plan shows scant savings to taxpayers, another petition can be filed forcing a vote to rescind the dissolution. That petition needs 25 percent of registered voters.
“I think in the absence of any other information, people need to vote on whether they believe the town government will do a better job than the village government,” Zettek said.
As soon as the New Year’s cheer wears off, 2,450 registered voters here will be eligible to decide whether the village that was incorporated while the War of 1812 was being waged around New England, needs to stay or go.
Those who want to see the village dissolved say taxes are too high for what they receive. Residents who want to keep the village are worried the current level of services would vanish, and that without a village, they would not have an elected government representing them.
People on each side of the issue, which will be before voters Tuesday, have accused each other of dirty politics. Both sides allege their campaign signs have been plucked from the side of the street, and one man was arrested for breaking a sign he alleges was unlawfully placed on his lawn.
“This is a case of is the devil you know better than the devil you don’t,” said Charles Zettek Jr., vice president & director of government management services for the Center For Governmental Research.
The group — which touts itself as an independent, non-partisan agency for keeping citizens informed — distributed a study in 2008 to consolidate police services in Whitesboro, Whitestown, Oriskany and New York Mills. That report was never fully acted on, although local leaders say they continue to press toward that goal.
“Many of these dissolution petitions are circulated by people who want to reduce taxes, and it sounds like a noble thing to do, but a lot of studies show that while the taxes go down, some don’t go down nearly what you would think,” Zettek said.
In Whitesboro, the dissolution process began in July when Ed Misiaszek submitted 290 signatures to the village. That amount exceeds the minimum threshold of 10 percent of village’s 2,450 registered voters to force the referendum.
The Westmoreland Street resident was arrested after he allegedly destroyed a sign promoting the village. Misiaszek claims the sign was unlawfully placed on his property. His case has not yet been heard in court.
“We pay both a town and a village tax right now,” Misiaszek said. “It’s common sense to say that if you get rid of a level of government, you’re going to save money.”
But village Mayor Brenda Gilberti is concerned dissolution may not lower taxes drastically, or if at all, and without a study that states the financial effects of dissolving the village, residents may be voting on something they can not undo.
Gilberti, who became mayor last spring, said she wants the opportunity to right the village’s historically imprudent spending.
“We’re there, we’re working on it,” she said. “Just give us a chance.”
Dissolving villages rare
A state law that went into effect March 21 streamlines the process by lowering the threshold that forces villages to schedule a dissolution vote. Residents don’t need to submit as many signatures on a petition and a study of the impact does not have to be completed until after the vote is approved.
That means many details — such as how police and fire coverage would change — remain unknown about exactly what would happen next if Whitesboro residents vote in favor of the proposal.
There are at least 10,521 taxing districting in New York state, although a third of those, 6,927, are special districts for services such as water, sewer and lighting. Oneida County is made up of 350 taxing districts, including 268 special districts, according to the state Attorney General’s Office.
Since March, when the New N.Y. Government Reorganization And Citizen Empowerment Act was enacted, eight villages have voted on proposals to dissolve. The village of Altmar, in Oswego County, is the only village that chose to dissolve.
Patrick O’Connor lives in the village and spent his childhood living in the town of Whitestown.
“I bought my first and second houses in the village, and that is where I remain today,” O’Connor said. “I couldn’t imagine not living in Whitesboro.”
O’Connor, a former Whitesboro police officer and current member of the Fire Department, is part of Concerned Citizens to Save the Village of Whitesboro.
“I think that people need to think with common sense and not with emotion,” he said. “I am just as upset as the next person about the financial position that the village of Whitesboro is in. But the answer to the problem is not to vote to close our village doors forever.”
Jan Zabek, who lives and works in Whitesboro, said he believes too many layers of government exist and money can be saves by consolidating services and removing some of the village’s boards.
“There are three boards that are paid, a codes guy who also happens to work with the town, the village attorney, a judge who has assistants — those positions can be eliminated,” Zabek said. “You just keep going down the list. We heat and insure six buildings. There has to be some savings there.”
Zabek said he is happy Tuesday’s vote has spurred a lot of debate about saving money, although he thinks voters will likely keep the village around.
“I think, being in business today, people are doing everything they can just to survive,” he said. “When you don’t see that happening elsewhere it drives you crazy.”
Taxes
The village’s total budget is about $2,666,996, The tax rate per $1,000 of assessed valuation is $14.69, meaning residents with a house assessed at $50,000 pay $734 in village taxes. During the 2010-11 fiscal year, taxpayers were levied $1,457,205 in village taxes.
Whitesboro residents saw a 49 percent increase in their taxes during the current fiscal year because the village is now paying off a $498,000 revenue anticipation note.
Half of that note the village received last year has already been paid back, with interest, the mayor said.
“In the worse case scenario, taxes will stay at this level for one more year, then they will dip back down,” Gilberti said.
If the village is dissolved, special taxing districts would need to be set up to pay off existing village debt and for services as sewer and water and fire and police protection, Wade Beltramo, general counsel for the New York Conference of Mayors, told of a crowd of residents during a December meeting.
What could happen?
For Whitestown Supervisor Charles Gibbs II, the village voters’ decision could drastically affect the way the town, which has a 2011 budget of $6,236,491, operates in upcoming years.
“How this is going to affect the village taxpayers, and in the town as well, we don’t know how costs are going to be effected,” he said. “I have people who call and what specific numbers, how much is this service or that service going to cost, and we don’t know right now.”
Gibbs added: “People shouldn’t be forced to vote on what may happen.”
If village residents approve the dissolution, the village board would need to form a plan to dissolve. Then the town would in charge of enacting that plan.
“The study may show that we need seven more people in DPW to perform what the village is doing right now,” said Gibbs, a village resident. “We might get into it and realize we only need four, or 10. There are a lot of uncertainties. Nobody is going to know what the costs are after a year or two.”
Gibbs said the town is not trying to “take over” the village. His hands are already full steering the town down a path that doesn’t end in financial ruin.
“We don’t want to tell people what to do,” Gibbs said. “We don’t plan on stepping on anyone’s toes.”
Three Town Board members also live in the village of Whitesboro.
If residents choose to dissolve, and the plan shows scant savings to taxpayers, another petition can be filed forcing a vote to rescind the dissolution. That petition needs 25 percent of registered voters.
“I think in the absence of any other information, people need to vote on whether they believe the town government will do a better job than the village government,” Zettek said.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
New City Fire Chief Settling In To Duties
The gold-plated badge pinned to Dale C. Herman's chest tells only part of the duties that will come with his new job.
The gold badge is given to members of the city Fire Department when they rise to the rank of battalion chief. However, Mr. Herman's badge does not point out his appointment by the City Council last week to the department's chief's position. That badge is still in the mail.
Chief Herman comes from a family of firefighters and, while he could retire today and still collect a state pension, the unpredictability of the job keeps him coming back to the office, 24 years after joining the department as a firefighter trying a new career.
Chief Herman said Tuesday that he is now leading a department where he knows every face in the building. There is, however, still plenty to be learned about leading those 80 other members.
"I walked in Tuesday with a knot in my stomach," Chief Herman said. "If I remember it right, I had the same feeling on my first day as a firefighter, as a captain and as a battalion chief."
The chief's position had been vacant since March 2009, when Chief Daniel J. Gaumont resigned to take a similar position in Keller, Texas. At the time, Deputy Chief Milton M. Sayre was temporarily designated chief and he delayed his planned retirement until April. The chief and deputy chief positions had been vacant since, leaving the on-duty battalion chief to handle administrative duties.
The newly appointed chief said he is happy with the condition of the department. No major equipment needs to be immediately replaced, two cadets are in their fourth week of training and the three-station system - with buildings on Mill, Massey and State streets - provide adequate coverage to the city.
Chief Herman said he does, however, plan to speak with shift commanders soon about tweaking which companies respond when multiple calls are dispatched.
"There is some overlap with responses," he said. "So I want to get their input with the hope we can reduce some response times."
Chief Herman's appointment also will lead to a string of promotions within the department.
The chief's first priority will be to appoint a deputy chief, who schedules vehicle maintenance and employee shifts.
"I'm hoping to fill that position in a timely manner," Chief Herman said. "I'm meeting with the city manager later this week to go over exactly how those steps will go."
Either a battalion chief or captain from within the department will be appointed deputy chief, meaning there may be as many as two battalion chief vacancies. To fill those holes, captains can be promoted to battalion chief and eligible firefighters can be promoted to captain.
Chief Herman made his way to his new post through a series of promotions that began after he entered the city Fire Department as a firefighter in January 1986.
By then, he already had volunteered at the Calcium Fire Department - which later became Northpole Fire Co. - for seven years.
Chief Herman described his parents as lifetime volunteers at the Northpole Fire Co., his father a former chief and his mother a member of the company's auxiliary.
"My father had a monitor with one channel and when a fire call came over, my mother would go to the phone and start calling other members of the department who didn't have monitors," Chief Herman said.
Chief Herman resigned as an officer with the Northpole company after accepting the chief's job with the city. "I just didn't want there to be any conflicts of interest," he said.
Chief Herman said his new job will keep him busy for a few years.
"I have a son who would like to go to college," he said. "I still have all the normal bills that need to be paid."
His son, David, will enter 10th grade next month. Chief Herman also has a stepdaughter, stepson and daughter with his wife, Patricia A.
"I always saw 55 as a benchmark as long as I was still physically able to perform the job," Chief Herman said. "Right now, I'm more worried that sitting at this desk will expand my waist."
The gold badge is given to members of the city Fire Department when they rise to the rank of battalion chief. However, Mr. Herman's badge does not point out his appointment by the City Council last week to the department's chief's position. That badge is still in the mail.
Chief Herman comes from a family of firefighters and, while he could retire today and still collect a state pension, the unpredictability of the job keeps him coming back to the office, 24 years after joining the department as a firefighter trying a new career.
Chief Herman said Tuesday that he is now leading a department where he knows every face in the building. There is, however, still plenty to be learned about leading those 80 other members.
"I walked in Tuesday with a knot in my stomach," Chief Herman said. "If I remember it right, I had the same feeling on my first day as a firefighter, as a captain and as a battalion chief."
The chief's position had been vacant since March 2009, when Chief Daniel J. Gaumont resigned to take a similar position in Keller, Texas. At the time, Deputy Chief Milton M. Sayre was temporarily designated chief and he delayed his planned retirement until April. The chief and deputy chief positions had been vacant since, leaving the on-duty battalion chief to handle administrative duties.
The newly appointed chief said he is happy with the condition of the department. No major equipment needs to be immediately replaced, two cadets are in their fourth week of training and the three-station system - with buildings on Mill, Massey and State streets - provide adequate coverage to the city.
Chief Herman said he does, however, plan to speak with shift commanders soon about tweaking which companies respond when multiple calls are dispatched.
"There is some overlap with responses," he said. "So I want to get their input with the hope we can reduce some response times."
Chief Herman's appointment also will lead to a string of promotions within the department.
The chief's first priority will be to appoint a deputy chief, who schedules vehicle maintenance and employee shifts.
"I'm hoping to fill that position in a timely manner," Chief Herman said. "I'm meeting with the city manager later this week to go over exactly how those steps will go."
Either a battalion chief or captain from within the department will be appointed deputy chief, meaning there may be as many as two battalion chief vacancies. To fill those holes, captains can be promoted to battalion chief and eligible firefighters can be promoted to captain.
Chief Herman made his way to his new post through a series of promotions that began after he entered the city Fire Department as a firefighter in January 1986.
By then, he already had volunteered at the Calcium Fire Department - which later became Northpole Fire Co. - for seven years.
Chief Herman described his parents as lifetime volunteers at the Northpole Fire Co., his father a former chief and his mother a member of the company's auxiliary.
"My father had a monitor with one channel and when a fire call came over, my mother would go to the phone and start calling other members of the department who didn't have monitors," Chief Herman said.
Chief Herman resigned as an officer with the Northpole company after accepting the chief's job with the city. "I just didn't want there to be any conflicts of interest," he said.
Chief Herman said his new job will keep him busy for a few years.
"I have a son who would like to go to college," he said. "I still have all the normal bills that need to be paid."
His son, David, will enter 10th grade next month. Chief Herman also has a stepdaughter, stepson and daughter with his wife, Patricia A.
"I always saw 55 as a benchmark as long as I was still physically able to perform the job," Chief Herman said. "Right now, I'm more worried that sitting at this desk will expand my waist."
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