Supe's Report

As I come to the end of my first year in office I’ve had a chance to reflect on what we have accomplished and how much is still left to do.  I’m writing an Annual Report to the residents of East Greenbush that should be available at the 2017 Organizational Meeting on January 3^rd.  The report will also be available on this website.

When Tina Tierney, Tom Grant and I made the decision to run for office without the support or endorsement of any of the existing political parties, we were told that we were on a fool’s errand, and that no one could win by ignoring the political professionals and speaking directly to the residents about the kind of change we needed. We’ve worked hard to live up to the trust placed in us, and I think we have had a successful first year.  Thanks to Tina, Tom, Deb DiMartino and Mary Ann Matters for their substantial efforts this year.  Board meetings have been civil and productive, the blogs are relatively quiet, and the focus has remained on the important business of the Town.

For my part, I have worked hard and tried to be clear in communicating the reasons for the things we have done.  My job is made easy by the dedication and professionalism of the men and women who work for the Town of East Greenbush.  We have the best police department in the Capital Region.  Our DPW workers brave the elements and face dangerous challenges every day.  They’re the unsung heroes in our delivery of essential services.  The people who work in Town Hall have brought a level of skill to their tasks far beyond anything I could have hoped for when I took office. Special thanks to Lisa O’Brien, my administrative assistant, who deals with staff and the public with a friendly professional demeanor that makes me look better than I deserve.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy Hannukah.  Thank you for placing your trust in me.  I will continue to work hard every day to represent you in a way that reflects well on this beautiful town of ours.

Good reason for E. G. Ethics Code Amendments

Ken Crowe's TU story about the Rensselaer County Democratic Committee offers a good argument for the proposed Ethics Code amendments.  Here's a link to the story:

http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Disloyalty-becomes-an-issue-for-Rensselaer-County-9547192.php

The Town Code of Ethics

Here's the link to the final draft for the Code of Ethics.  Have at it....

http://www.eastgreenbush.org/document-downloads/board-of-ethics

Supervisor's Report and Notice of Special Meeting

We had to declare a local state of emergency for Hydor Drive due to the occurrence of a third sinkhole in the last five months.  The bottom of the stormwater pipe is corroded and water is causing erosion of the soil to the point where small sections of the road are collapsing.  We’re using cones to prevent residents from driving on the affected side of the road and are negotiating with firms that can repair the stormwater pipe as soon as possible.  We thank the people on Hydor Drive for their patience.  We will solve this problem.

Road paving has been postponed due to scheduling issues with the company that will be paving our roads.  Paving is now tentatively scheduled to begin on August 22nd.

Our Music in the Park concert series starts tomorrow night (August 2^nd) at 6:00 p.m. in Onderdonk Park.  Music will be provided by Band of Gold.

On August 6^th, there will be a volunteer community weed pull and clean-up at Hanpton Manor Lake from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.  This event is sponsored by the newly-formed Hampton Manor Action Group.  See their Facebook page for more information on the group and this event.

The Town Festival will be held on Saturday, August 20^th starting at noon and ending with fireworks over the lake at 8:00 p.m.  This is a great event put together by our Town Services Coordinator Jessica Lansing.
 

Public Notice: Special Meeting

The Town Board of the Town of East Greenbush will hold a Special Meeting on August 4, 2016 at 6:00 p.m. at Town Hall, 225 Columbia Turnpike, Rensselaer, NY 12144 for the purpose of scheduling a public hearing on a Local Law to waive the residency requirement for the Commissioner of Public Works.

Amended East Greenbush Ethics Code

Here's a link to the amended Ethics Code on the East Greenbush Town website, followed by a comment by Supervisor Jack Conway:

http://www.eastgreenbush.org/news/964-notice-of-public-hearing-code-of-ethics-

"We're very proud of the amended Code of Ethics.  It was redrafted by the Board of Ethics and completed by the Town Board.  Thanks to Kathleen Luria and the Board of Ethics for their skill and dedication.  The entire Code has been reviewed and major changes have been made to tighten up the requirements for financial disclosure, and rewrite the rules on nepotism and political activity on the part of Town officials.  The amended Code also includes a section on the grounds for removal of a member of the Board of Ethics.  That section is designed to protect members from removal for political reasons. Overall, the amended Code of Ethics helps fulfill East Greenbush First's promise to take politics out of our Town government.  Please review and bring your thoughts and comments to the Public Hearing.

Thanks,  Jack"

From Supervisor Jack Conway....June 27, 2016

After six months in office, it’s time to take a look at some of what has been achieved by the new Town Board.

We implemented a difficult and long overdue sewer rate increase after intensive analysis and a series of public hearings.  We’ve overhauled the planning department with a series of excellent appointments and an emphasis on the use of in-house resources instead of expensive consultants. We created a formal system for tracking and spending Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) fees so that infrastructure issues can be addressed and our parks revitalized.  Efforts to improve the Hampton Manor Park have included a volunteer cleanup, new playground equipment, the return of the gazebo, a new mural and rebuilt chimney for the Lakehouse, and a developing plan for a new walkway.  We’re seeking grants to improve the Town Park and are investigating the possibility of restoring swimming to the pond in the Park.

We restored the question and answer format to Town Board meetings and added public comment to pre-Board meetings. We’ve established an Honor a Veteran Program. We’ve held several meetings with residents of Hampton Manor concerning the drinking water in the Manor.  Efforts to revitalize Columbia Turnpike include a Rapid Action Plan that will incentivize redevelopment of small businesses, redrafting of the Town’s Building Code and Zoning Ordinance to facilitate a stronger code enforcement program, and working with landowners to improve appearances.  The Weathervane is gone.  We signed a new contract with our Police Officers and hope to do the same soon with our DPW employees and the Bruen Rescue Squad.  We’ve modernized the information technology in Town Hall by replacing our obsolete servers and purchasing new computers.

What’s next?  We’re preparing for an independent audit of the Town’s finances for 2015.

Our summer camp opens on July 5^th and once again it is fully enrolled.  Road paving is scheduled for July 25-27.  In August we’ll pass a new Code of Ethics, one that will further remove politics from the business of our Town government.  We’re researching accounting software for the Town Comptroller and new designs for our website.  There’s much to be done but we’re excited about what has been achieved to date.

From Supervisor Jack Conway.....

The demolition of the Weathervane began today. It should take 3 or 4 days to complete the demolition and site clean up.  That building stood for almost 75 years but has been vacant the last 8.  This Town Board was adamant that the building had to be taken down but we got a great response from the property owners, who agreed that it was an important first step in revitalizing Columbia Turnpike.  It's going to take a lot of cooperation between the public and private sector to make things happen and today showed the promise and possibility of getting that done.

Today was noteworthy for several other reasons.  It marks the END of the decline of Columbia Turnpike.  It is the opening salvo in a major code enforcement push on 9&20. And it lays the groundwork for a Rapid Action Plan that will provide significant incentives for redevelopment on that corridor.  This Town Board has made code enforcement and the revitalization of 9&20 very high priorities. Today is only the beginning.