[6:58] All right, welcome everybody.
That's that seems loud, echoey. Um,
[7:04] welcome everybody to this is a regular
meeting of the Malta Town Board. It's
[7:08] our agenda meeting where for the most
part we discuss items that we will
[7:13] likely act on next week. Um, well, we
don't have any presentations tonight. We
[7:19] so we'll start our meeting with a salute
to the flag. So stand if you are able
[7:25] and then we'll have a moment of silent
prayer.
[7:30] » I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
United States of America and to the
[7:34] republic for which it stands, one nation
under God, indivisible, with liberty and
[7:40] justice for all.
[7:48] Thank you everybody.
[7:52] » Um, first item on our agenda is to
accept the town clerk's minutes from our
[7:57] 83 meeting.
>> So move.
[8:01] » Second.
Any discussion?
[8:05] All in favor?
>> I
[8:06] » I. Any opposed?
>> Um, next we have comments from town
[8:11] residents.
[snorts]
[8:14] step right up.
[8:22] » Good evening everybody. My name is
Ashley Villa and I live at 510 Nelson
[8:26] Avenue Extension. Everybody probably
knows my husband by now. Um my husband
[8:31] and I have been coming before the board
and discussing the water problems in our
[8:34] neighborhood since May. Since then, this
issue has continued to grow, and we now
[8:39] have nearly 200 signatures from
residents asking the town to support a
[8:42] feasibility study to determine what it
would take to bring public water to our
[8:45] area.
I want to give you an update on what has
[8:49] happened at our own home because I think
our experience demonstrates why this
[8:52] study is so important. As we discussed
at the last meeting, we've spent
[8:56] approximately $13,000 drilling our third
well in hopes that it would finally
[9:01] solve our water problems. Unfortunately,
it did not. The well only produces a
[9:05] half a gallon to one gallon of water per
minute and the water coming out of it is
[9:08] gray because of the colloidal clay. We
brought our water in last time for
[9:11] everyone to see. We already have over
$10,000 invested in a whole house
[9:16] reverse osmosis system because of the
problems with our previous water from
[9:20] our previous two wells. We have now been
told that the colloidal clay in the new
[9:24] well will clog that system. So, we've
received another quote for more than
[9:28] $10,000 in additional treatment just to
make this third well usable. But even
[9:33] those numbers don't tell this entire
story. When we include the equipment
[9:37] that has been damaged or ruined by our
water, hot water tanks, repairs,
[9:41] maintenance, treatment systems, wells,
and everything else we have done trying
[9:44] to manage this problem over the last
nine years. Our family is approaching
[9:48] $100,000 in cost and we still don't have
reliable water. At some point, there
[9:55] simply isn't any amount of money that an
individual homeowner can keep throwing
[9:59] at this problem. We can drill another
well. We can install another filter. We
[10:03] can replace another piece of equipment.
We can add another treatment system. But
[10:06] none of those things address our
underlying problem. And I don't think
[10:09] that this should be viewed as an issue
of property values or whether there are
[10:14] high-end homes in our neighborhood that
can afford these ridiculous costs
[10:16] because like I said, there is no amount
of money that can fix this. It does not
[10:21] matter what someone's house is worth.
This is a quality of life issue. The
[10:25] stress that this has put on our family
in the last nine years, I cannot begin
[10:29] to explain to you as a mother with two
children, this is an ongoing thing that
[10:34] it's we need help. With that said, as my
husband stated in a previous meeting,
[10:40] our area supports some of the highest
taxed homes in Malta. We need your help.
[10:46] People should be able to turn on their
faucet and have clean, reliable water.
[10:49] They should be able to take a shower,
wash their clothes, cook dinner, give
[10:52] their children a glass of water without
worrying about whether they're well able
[10:54] to produce enough water or what's coming
out of the faucet. We're not asking the
[10:59] town tonight to commit to building a
public water system. We understand that
[11:02] there are still questions about cost and
infrastructure and engineering funding
[11:06] feasibility, but that's why we're asking
for the feasibility study. We'd like to
[11:10] get the facts. Let's determine why it's
poss what is possible, what it would
[11:14] cost, what funding may be available,
what options exist for the residents
[11:17] who've been dealing with these problems
year upon year upon year. And with the
[11:21] town getting closer to its budget
discussions, I think now is the time to
[11:25] ask, is funding for this feasibility
study being considered in the upcoming
[11:29] budget? If it is not, we would
respectfully ask the board, why? And
[11:34] what do you recommend that we can do
next? We've been coming here since May.
[11:38] Nearly 200 people have signed the
petition. We've documented the problems.
[11:42] We've spoken with our neighbors. We've
drilled another well. We've installed
[11:45] treatment systems. We spent tens of
thousands of dollars trying to solve
[11:48] this ourselves. And we're doing
everything we can on our end. We're
[11:52] asking the town to take the next
reasonable step with us to support a
[11:55] feasibility study and help us determine
whether there is a permanent solution
[11:58] for our neighborhood and our neighbors.
Thank you.
[12:04] » Thank you.
Um, as I reply to you, I have reached
[12:08] out to our water engineer and he's
working on some sort of at least report
[12:12] for us to use during our our budget
talks. So, hopefully I'll have something
[12:18] soon.
>> Well, we'll find that out shortly
[12:21] because I'm going to tell you. So, very
soon. Um,
[12:27] anybody else? Yes, sir.
[12:34] » All right. My name is uh my name is John
Traber. I live on Raleigh Road, which is
[12:39] right around the corner from those guys.
Everything she said, I agree.
[12:44] Uh right down the street from me now. I
mean, every time someone drills a well
[12:48] or hydroofracks, my water turns gray.
I've been there for 42 years. It's run
[12:52] out completely. I can't tell you how
many times. Um now they're proposing to
[12:58] build four more houses down the street
from me. And I have nothing against
[13:03] construction or anything moving in that
direction. You buy a piece of property,
[13:07] you should be able to do what you want
with it. But if that those new wells are
[13:12] going to obviously take care or take
cause problems with mine because it does
[13:17] every single time anybody drills a well
around there. So I would respectfully
[13:21] ask that same thing, you know, you were
just talking about um is there money
[13:26] just for I mean you did it for
Multivville. At least you found out what
[13:29] could be done. I know you went a step
further with them. We're just looking to
[13:32] find out what could be done and which
direction to go into in in with. And um
[13:39] and like I said, I mean, those houses
are going to have four more wells, more,
[13:44] you know, the aquifer is just terrible
around here. Everyone knows that. So, uh
[13:48] just more stress on it. It's going to be
wor and and what are they going to do? I
[13:51] mean, every time someone buys a piece of
property around here, they can't drill a
[13:54] well or if it does, it affects your
neighbor. Um, again, [clears throat]
[13:59] I've lived there for 42 years. Uh, we
we've dealt with it, but uh, the more
[14:04] people you put in there, it's going to
get even worse. That's all I'm saying.
[14:07] All right. Thank you.
>> Thank you.
[14:13] » Anyone else? Public comment.
[14:18] [snorts]
[14:28] Hi, good evening. Karen Evanius, Malta
Ridge. Um, I was I had a question um
[14:35] regarding item number two on the
discussion items tonight, the Luther
[14:40] Forest Athletic Field Lighting Capital
Project. Um, the materials in tonight's
[14:45] packet show a $650,000
project amount, but the August 3rd LA
[14:50] Group estimate shows 1.22 22 million in
construction costs. Could the board
[14:56] please clarify what the total amount of
the capital project being established
[15:00] tonight is and what the funding source
will be?
[15:03] » Well, first of all, we're not
establishing it's simply discussion.
[15:06] We're not establishing any capital
project and I'll explain that when we
[15:09] get to that.
>> Perfect budget or that item.
[15:13] » All right. Cool. Thank you.
>> If I tell you now, it'll ruin all the
[15:18] fun later. Karen,
anybody else?
[15:23] Okay, we'll move on then to um comments
from town board and department heads. I
[15:27] have a few of course. Um first to remind
everybody that the town offices and the
[15:32] community center will be closed on
Monday, September 7th for um Labor Day.
[15:38] And our next town board meeting will be
Monday, September 14th because of Labor
[15:43] Day. So delayed a week. Um September
12th is the 37th annual Malta Community
[15:51] Day at Shannetah Creek Park. Starting a
little earlier this year. I believe
[15:55] we're starting at 10:00. It's scheduled
for 10 to 3. Um so
[16:00] pray for hope hopefully there'll be
great weather and it'll be a great time.
[16:03] It's always a lot of fun. Um
next up is we are going to have a series
[16:09] of budget meetings coming up. There's
the schedule. Um it'll start with um uh
[16:16] we'll have a budget presentation at our
Monday um September 28th
[16:23] 2026 meeting. I'll present the tenative
budget to the board and once it's been
[16:27] once it's been filed with the clerk and
then we have a series of budget
[16:31] discussions. Most of them the first one
is
[16:35] basically the board will you know just
talk in general about what's in the
[16:41] budget and then we meet with
um department
[16:46] department heads um individually
during the next budget discussions you
[16:51] we have more detailed here for us um not
for profofits can come and meet with the
[16:56] board um on uh before our Monday October
5th meeting and then again We continue
[17:02] on after that. Um so then you know we'll
have a special meeting for a budget
[17:08] recap.
What
[17:10] » water on the 14th?
>> Well, it won't be about that. It'll be
[17:15] up in here.
>> Oh,
[17:16] » that's just our water department. So, um
so in any one of those all those
[17:22] meetings will be streamed. So you'll be
able to watch from the comfort of your
[17:25] home. They are most of them at 8:00 in
the morning. They start and they run
[17:30] for, you know, about 2 hours. So, but
they'll be streamed for you to be able
[17:33] to watch if you can't get here. And then
hopefully we will have arrived at a
[17:37] budget and we'll be able to adopt a
budget on uh November 5th in a timely
[17:41] fashion.
Um [clears throat] on 911 for the past
[17:45] couple of years, we have had a uh
remembrance ceremony here at our
[17:50] veterans park. Um we intend to do that
again now. short ceremony, not a lot of
[17:56] hoopla. Um, start at 8:30 and we usually
are finished by 9:00. So, encourage any
[18:01] of the public to come and if anybody out
there is interested in speaking at that,
[18:06] just reach out to me and and we'll get
you on the schedule. Um, last but
[18:12] certainly not least, I want to take a
minute to thank the Round Lake Host
[18:15] Company and the Malta Ridge Volunteer
Host Company, the Saratoga County Office
[18:19] of Emergency Services, and all of the
other agencies that were involved in in
[18:24] preventing a disaster from being even
worse with the fire that we'll be
[18:29] talking about later in our meeting. So,
thank you to all the volunteers out
[18:32] there that that um, you know, that
helped out to keep to keep everybody
[18:37] safe that night.
Um, any other board members have any
[18:43] thing to bring up at this time?
>> I have nothing.
[18:47] » All right, we'll move on to our
discussion items then. The first time
[18:51] here, I put it first because I thought
somebody from the water authority was
[18:53] going to be here, but he is ill. Um,
there is a project on Route 67 that is
[18:59] it's kind of hard to see what that is.
It's been it's a fully approved project.
[19:03] It's been approved for probably almost
two years now. Um it is um on the south
[19:11] side of Route 67.
It is three 11 unit apartment buildings.
[19:17] Um the very last thing, it's been
approved for everything. The very last
[19:20] thing is um we have to approve a
waterline extension for Clifton Park
[19:26] Water Authority. The water for the
project will be serviced by by uh
[19:30] Clifton Park Water Authority. So that's
the last item we have. It'll be um an
[19:36] action item next year. It has been
approved already by the Clifton Park
[19:40] Water Authority. Once we approved it,
then the town of Clifton Park will have
[19:44] to approve the waterline extension also.
So, any questions?
[19:49] » You said uh next year. Did you mean next
meeting?
[19:51] » Uh next meeting.
>> Okay.
[19:53] » Yes. On the 14th.
>> Thank you.
[19:57] » Any other comments, questions for any
board members?
[20:01] Cynthia, I'd just comment that certainly
we can consider it at the next meeting,
[20:07] but to extend the water, they're going
to have to, you know, file a petition to
[20:13] to do so. Um, it's the the legal
description of our area for a water
[20:19] supply district is defined. So the
applicant's going to have to take steps
[20:24] to provide that which
>> the applicant or the water authority
[20:27] » or the water authority, you know, that's
the water authority more than likely is
[20:31] going to pass the buck on to them.
They've started that process through
[20:35] Clifton Park, but but but the owner of
the property needs to
[20:39] » get additional information for the
board. So
[20:42] » it may or may not be ready for action.
>> Okay. [clears throat] All right. Well,
[20:47] you and I talk about what's what we need
tomorrow and I'll relay that to either
[20:51] planning or the water authority.
>> Um
[20:55] » I have a follow-up question for Steve um
or I guess Mr. Gotman.
[21:00] » Uh do you know how long those would you
know that process typically takes for
[21:03] the the water authority or the applicant
to uh to get all of that in order?
[21:07] » Well, normally if the applicant is the
only owner of the property, it's just
[21:13] completing the the paperwork and filing
it because it doesn't need consent of
[21:17] any other parties. So it's, you know,
preparation of legal documents that
[21:22] based upon, you know, um, submitting
things like the engineering and
[21:26] everything to Clifton Park, I think is
already done. They just have to do a
[21:30] parallel process here for us in in
Malta.
[21:34] » Okay. Thank you.
>> Anybody else? Any questions?
[21:39] » How long
is that?
[21:42] » I have no idea.
>> Is it the dashed line on the plans?
[21:48] I I don't I I have no idea. I mean,
we'll find more, but when we have the I
[21:52] suppose the
>> But again, that'll all be paid for not
[21:55] by the town of Malta. It'll be paid for
by the applicant, by the developer,
[22:01] » at no cost to the town of Malta.
>> So, everybody's clear, this is nothing
[22:05] to do with Malta's water authority. This
is Clifton Park Water and they have a
[22:10] defined area for a water supply district
that the board has approved in the past.
[22:16] And if we're going to amend that, the
board has to take action and that's why
[22:21] they need to submit this paperwork. But
>> that water line, wherever it's extended
[22:26] from and two is Clifton Park Water
Authorities water line, not the towns,
[22:31] » right?
[22:34] » Um, anything else? So, the next item um
is to establish I'm hoping the next week
[22:41] we will establish a camper project for
the Luc athletic field lighting.
[22:45] Originally,
I we submitted a for a um grant, a state
[22:52] and municipal grant from um the state of
New York for [clears throat] $250,000.
[22:58] We've been awarded that. I
underestimated the cost of the paving
[23:04] more than anything else. When the
estimate came back from the LA group
[23:09] regarding it, regarding the project, the
the paving alone was $600,000.
[23:15] um mostly because the cost of asphalt
has has exponentially increased over the
[23:21] past year. So um I have submitted a um
modification to do only the lighting of
[23:30] the field. So on the what you were
looking at on the form the 1.2 we've
[23:36] asked to eliminate the $600,000.
So the total cost of the project instead
[23:40] is $620,000.
[23:44] the we'll get the $250,000 from from the
state from the state municipal grant
[23:50] sillies grant from Carrie Warner's
office and then we the rest of the
[23:55] project will be paid for from our park
reserves. We have park reserves of
[24:01] $790,000.
Um that and those are monies that can
[24:06] only be used to make improvements to our
park facilities. Can't be used for
[24:11] anything else. they can't be used to pay
anybody or to buy anything. It's to make
[24:15] capital improvements in our parks.
They're monies that we collect from
[24:19] developers for mitigation funds and
they're sitting there waiting to to be
[24:23] spent. Um, I've discussed this with our
with our facilities manager and with our
[24:30] parks and wreck director and
[clears throat] we
[24:34] are comfortable that we can expend this
money and not hurt ourselves with other
[24:39] upgrades that we need to make in the
future like playgrounds. Um, so, um,
[24:44] that's what the proposal is going to be
is to establish a capital project in the
[24:48] amount of $620,000
to put lights on the athlet on the
[24:55] soccer field at the Luther Force
Athletic Fields.
[25:00] Did we ever get an
accounting of the
[25:07] percentage of Malta
residents
[25:12] from
>> I mean just the just the one that we got
[25:16] a while ago. I I don't I mean I mean
because it's a park
[25:22] it's not only for the use of Malta
residents. It it's for the use of
[25:27] anybody, right? But multi- taxpayers are
going to be upkeeping that in the future
[25:35] also.
>> Correct.
[25:37] » And they'll have a contingu
ongoing cost
[25:43] to maintain it.
>> Correct. But
[25:47] » that's my concern that
>> when I take my grandkids up to Gavin
[25:51] Park to use the um splash pad up there
and the park facilities in Gavin Park,
[25:58] the town of Wilton is maintaining that
park. So it's, you know, it's a give and
[26:02] take everywhere. So, you know, we we can
go to parks.
[26:06] » When I get calls, I got to answer them.
So,
[26:10] » um any other questions on that? I mean,
it does open it up to being I mean, one
[26:15] of the examples is and one of the
reasons I support this is got fall
[26:19] soccer going on. It's dark
[clears throat] by 6:30, 7:00 and they
[26:24] have to end their programs
>> and it would allow a lot more kids to be
[26:29] able to participate in in the programs.
I mean, this year they said they turned
[26:34] they turned kids away and
>> it would be
[26:36] » think he
>> if they had a winter
[26:40] » program out there also. Yeah, agreed.
>> They're going to have
[26:45] lights. They could have a skating
program out there for a
[26:52] » town of Malta could have a have an open
skate for an hour. You pay five bucks,
[26:56] bring your skates, you know, a little
money for the town. Might go to your
[26:58] maintenance cost. But that's that's the
idea here. I mean, I see this purely as
[27:02] a public improvement. It's a public
park. It's open to anybody, not just
[27:05] town residents, but anybody out here.
And I think if we have this money and a
[27:09] park improvement fund, having, you know,
one park within our community that is
[27:14] capable of nighttime activity, I think
is a resource, a resource and a benefit.
[27:19] » I'm not disputing that.
>> I'm just saying to get more you use out
[27:26] of the dollars that we're putting
forward.
[27:28] » Yep. Agreed. We could we can
>> at a
[27:32] very small cost.
>> Yeah.
[27:33] » Mhm. [snorts] Any
other remarks from any of my fellow
[27:39] board members? So, that will be an item
next week. We also will have um a
[27:44] stipulation of settlement for 15 Locust
Road. Our assessor has agreed to settle
[27:48] a a case uh regarding that. So, we'll
have that next week.
[27:55] Um
the next one also is related to
[28:00] assessment. The Boston Spa School
District historically has assumed uh 50%
[28:05] of the cost of fighting any uh legal
challenges that we have based on because
[28:12] of assessments within the Boston Spa
School District. We have three this
[28:17] year. And so the next item is actually
an agreement between the Boston Spa
[28:21] Central School District and the town of
Malta for them to pay 50% of the legal
[28:27] fees for these three.
um these three challenges. So, it's
[28:33] really quite a benefit for us. They've
been very generous with that.
[28:37] » And I'm sure everybody got their school
taxes in the mail.
[28:40] » Yeah. Just today.
>> Today, I'm sure you're all smiling.
[28:44] » Could be worse.
>> As I did as I tore the top of it off.
[28:49] » Yeah.
>> Any other comments on that?
[28:54] Um, another item that we'll have next
week is um, we have a contract with the
[29:01] um, company that we bought the audio
video equipment from to help us maintain
[29:06] it that they they have on-site service,
on-site training for us. So, it's
[29:11] contract that we generally have renewed
every year. So, hopefully the board will
[29:15] agree to renew it again this year. The
total contract amount is $6,400.
[29:24] Everybody any comments there?
All right, the next one is a little bit
[29:28] complicated here to explain, but we have
a graphic for you. Um, if you can see
[29:34] it. So, in you, as as you may know, we
recently updated all of our zoning um
[29:42] our zoning code and we uh sort of
discovered after the fact that there was
[29:48] something that was omitted in our
opinion erroneously. Um so, the area
[29:54] that is involved is in our formbbased
code. It's the district called the GC3.
[30:00] If you look on the furthest map to the
left, um, it is where that that's that
[30:06] sort of lavender color for lack of a
better one. So, there's an arrow there.
[30:10] There's also some up towards the top if
you can scroll up a little bit there,
[30:13] Clark Forest. So, it flanks the north
and south borders of of our of the of
[30:20] the formbbased code of the downtown.
Um what we what happened was so the
[30:26] first
um the the middle graphic is what was in
[30:32] the revised 2021 formbbased code. Those
are uses. So that's the use table. The G
[30:40] GC3 where that's highlighted there for
you. If you scroll down a little bit,
[30:46] you'll see that in the in the GC3 in the
2021, a convenience store with no gas
[30:53] was an allowed use. So there's a little
dot there says it's allowed. If you go
[30:58] to the next graphic,
[31:02] it is eliminated. So where there's no
dot there in that line,
[31:07] I it was not the intention of the board
to eliminate that. We never discussed
[31:11] it. We never discussed changing any uses
in the GC3
[31:16] um other than adding. We talked about
adding uses. We never talked about
[31:21] taking any uses away. So, it's been
recommended by our planning staff that
[31:26] we go through the process of amending
that the the zoning already to add
[31:35] convenience store as an allowed use in
the GC3.
[31:41] That make sense to everybody?
Any discussion from anybody? The
[31:46] process, of course, it's a process. It's
um we will have to have a public
[31:52] hearing. It'll have to be referred to
the county planning. They'll have to
[31:56] make a determination
and then we'll have to adopt the local
[31:59] law to to add that use to the to the
form based code zoning.
[32:09] questions, comments.
Jeez, I thought that'd be harder than
[32:13] that.
Um,
[32:17] we've also talked about this at a couple
meetings. The next item, um, our highway
[32:21] superintendent is recommending that we
update that update our water ordinance
[32:27] and specifications to include a couple
of items. The first one is um that he
[32:32] would like to have a meter pit installed
for any service connection 2 in and
[32:37] under where the distance between the
curb stop and the structure exceeds 100
[32:41] ft. Mostly that's because if if there's
a leak in between there, we might never
[32:47] know it. So the meter pit would give us
some,
[32:50] you know, we'd be able to isolate leaks
on the longer service lines.
[32:56] Um,
he would like to see a shut off valve be
[33:00] installed on both the inlet and outlet
sides of a meter of a water meter to
[33:06] allow the water and plumbing system to
be isolated for maintenance and
[33:09] replacement.
Um, if the third one is if you have an
[33:14] existing well and you then hook up to
the water system
[33:20] um that don't there will be no physical
cross connection. So you can't right now
[33:26] you can have some some I don't know
backflow
[33:30] metering and or system but he thinks
that's inadvisable because we would
[33:35] never know if that system fails. So he
wants absolutely no no cross connections
[33:42] between the well system and the potable
water supply and the last is to require
[33:48] pressure reducing valve requirement. I
believe this is only for Maltville,
[33:52] correct? The the the pressure reducing
because the water is coming in at a very
[33:57] high pressure from the Saratoga County
Water Authority and we have pressure
[34:02] reducing
valve in the in the whole system. But if
[34:07] that one pressure reducer fails, then
the pressure to the water going into the
[34:12] homes of the residents that are using
the water would would cause damage. So
[34:17] those are four things that he found in
our standards. he thinks and our water
[34:21] engineer agrees that those are something
we should uh change. Again, it requires
[34:29] you know a process that public hearing
it's updating a local law so it you know
[34:35] it'll require the process. [cough]
>> Yeah. I mean, some of those may be
[34:42] avoided if they're not required to
change what's in the local law because
[34:46] we have a separate
>> standards
[34:49] » standards that we adopted. So, I'll have
to verify,
[34:52] » okay,
>> which ones are changes to the local law
[34:56] and which one were just adopted by
resolution of the board
[35:00] » for the standards.
>> Yeah. Then that would not require as
[35:03] much
>> and they may all be
[35:04] » Yeah. you know, so
any questions on that?
[35:10] Sean's here. Well, you but with this is
a discussion with the board. So, and
[35:14] you'll be able to ask that question at
the end of the meeting to save it. So,
[35:20] um
>> so I I have a quick question.
[35:23] » So, with these uh these meter pits,
valves, you know, etc., etc., who is on
[35:28] the hook for uh paying for these
installations? and would they be
[35:32] retroactively applied to already
existing uh customers?
[35:37] » Um we haven't really quite settled on
that. We did talk about the pressure
[35:41] reducing valve being part of the uh the
charge that we have for installation.
[35:46] » Um our water superintendent would like
his his people to install them
[35:53] » at at no cost to the user be part of the
installation charge. So yeah, the meter
[35:58] pit would be the responsibility of the
of the of the user. Um the existing
[36:05] walls doesn't, you know, it's just a
thing. So
[36:08] » yeah, and the only reason I bring this
up is I deal with specifications all the
[36:12] time for the DOT and I mean we have all
sorts of documents on how to write these
[36:16] things and this that and the other and I
don't know
[36:18] » if it's spelled out somewhere else in
the water codes. It's just these kind of
[36:21] clarifications might be needed or maybe
they're not. I'm not sure. But
[36:24] » it it will be at this at this point.
It's just a summary of the changes he
[36:28] wants to make. The the final legislation
will have more.
[36:32] » All right. Thank you very much. And
thank you for going through this as well
[36:35] and looking at this and coming up with
suggestions. We do appreciate that.
[36:41] » Anything else from the board? Um next
item is the um state has adopted a new
[36:50] exemption. Um it's a proposed disabled
veteran exemption. Um this is a 100%
[36:58] it's a it's an exemption for 100%
disabled veterans. Um it is veterans
[37:05] that are permanently and totally
disabled. Um and they're wartime vets
[37:11] only. So you know peace time cold war
wouldn't apply. Wartime vets. Saratoga
[37:17] County is set to adopt.
We're having a public hearing in two
[37:22] weeks and I expect that Saratoga County
will adopt this. Just a reminder to
[37:27] everybody, we have no town tax. It does
not exempt them from special districts,
[37:32] which is fire and um EMS and library.
So, they wouldn't be exempt from that.
[37:38] And since we have no town tax, it
doesn't really affect our our budgetary
[37:43] doesn't affect us budgetarily at all. um
it would be county tax and presumably
[37:47] the school district if the school
district also um adopts it. It's it's
[37:54] very you know in the packet there were
several things including you know a an
[38:00] explanation from this that we got from
Saratoga County and a very impassioned
[38:04] letter from the um director of the um
our veterans affairs for Saratoga
[38:10] County.
I I personally support it. But I think
[38:14] anything we can do especially for
disabled vets is is important. So
[38:18] [clears throat]
any discussion on that?
[38:21] » What's going to happen to the the
veterans that aren't 100%?
[38:27] Is it going to be a percentage?
>> No, it this is an exemption only for
[38:31] that. But it does not affect um the
veterans exemptions that they currently
[38:35] have. So there we there are veterans
exemptions in place now
[38:39] » that that they they still are available
for vets. Okay.
[38:43] » This is just for
>> Thank you.
[38:46] » Yeah. This is
>> permanently.
[38:47] » Yeah. This is in addition to
>> in addition to Exactly.
[38:51] » So, doesn't affect any other exemptions.
Um here's another little interesting
[38:58] diddy. They got the bid results from the
much talked about ramp on the court. As
[39:05] everybody probably knows, we've been
trying to update our court building to
[39:09] make sure it's ADA compliant. Um, we got
we only received one bid for replacing
[39:14] that ramp. We had appropriated
about $40,000 for all the ADA compliance
[39:20] things. We have about $36,000 left. The
bid amount was $148,000.
[39:28] So, considerably more than we
anticipated.
[39:32] Um,
I we only got the one bid. It's the the
[39:39] proposal is to remove the concrete ramp
that is there now
[39:44] and build, you know, replace all the
concrete sidewalks, build some steps up
[39:48] where the ramp is now, that side, and
then build the ramp
[39:53] so that it would enter the porch on that
end on the south side of the building to
[39:58] make sure that there's enough um
length to make the gradient what it
[40:04] needs to be. Um there's a couple of
other things. So we have $36,000 left
[40:10] that that we appropriated in this budget
that we can use. Um the court is
[40:15] applying for what's called a JCAP grant
which every year we you know we we
[40:19] usually apply for that. They are
applying this year for a the JCAP is up
[40:23] to $30,000.
This year they're applying to replace
[40:27] the magnetron or whatever the metal
detector thing.
[40:33] um they anticipate that'll cost
somewhere between5 and $6,000. So if she
[40:37] applies for the $30,000, we could have
conceivably $24,000.
[40:42] It still would be requiring a $90,000
outlay that's unappropriated, but um you
[40:49] know that money would come from fund
balance if if this board decides to move
[40:54] forward with that with that project.
So,
[41:00] comments, questions?
>> I'm assuming that's all cement
[41:08] flooring.
>> Yep. It'll all be it'll all be concrete.
[41:11] Yes. Which I think that's probably part
of what makes the
[41:14] » the cost
>> the cost is,
[41:16] » you know, concrete.
>> So,
[41:19] » yeah. And this is a compliance issue.
So,
[41:21] » it it would be compliant.
>> Exactly.
[41:24] So, if the board chooses to move forward
with this, it we'll just accept the bid
[41:30] and
our controller will advise us to move
[41:34] some money around. It's a lot of money,
but like I said, it's something that's
[41:38] been talked about for quite some time.
So,
[41:42] let's say
to I guess reiterate Don's point, it is
[41:47] a it's a compliance issue. This issue
has been brought up for for not just our
[41:52] tenure on the board, but this has been a
long-standing issue over multiple u you
[41:57] know I guess sessions here or terms on
the board.
[41:59] » Why don't we try and do what we can to
fix it? Concrete's a good material. It
[42:04] lasts for a while, especially if it's
installed correctly.
[42:07] » We might get, you know, hopefully
decades worth of use out of it.
[42:12] I I would like to add uh we have talked
in the past about possibly relocating
[42:18] the courts, but I assume that building
would be repurposed if we did that and
[42:24] this
>> uh addition would still be required.
[42:28] Yes. And so it's not wasted, so to
speak. Thank you.
[42:32] » Correct.
>> Exactly. It's it's just it's investing
[42:35] in the town's infrastructure. It's
helping just make us more resilient
[42:39] moving forward. Any
[42:43] other comments? And we'll have that as
an action item next. Uh on September
[42:48] 14th, our town historian is requested to
um attend the 2026 Association of Public
[42:55] Historians New York State Conference in
Udica on the 28th to the 30th. So, we'll
[43:01] have a resolution to to approve that
unless somebody objects to him going to
[43:05] a conference in Udica. Um
>> my only comment is please go out there,
[43:11] learn a lot, bring it back, continue
doing good things.
[43:17] » Um we the the um historic preservation
review commission has had well
[43:24] somebody's been acting as the secretary,
but she doesn't want to do it anymore.
[43:26] So one of the newer members on the HPRC
um Kathy Cobri um they have selected to
[43:34] be their secretary and she's agreed. So,
we'll have a resolution to appoint uh
[43:39] Kathy Cobri as the secretary to the
HBRC.
[43:43] And the last um discussion item is
[clears throat] the New York State
[43:47] Association of Towns is having the very
first ever legislative conference. It's
[43:52] in Albany, so it doesn't require travel.
Um I plan to attend the conference.
[43:58] There is um and you know, if anybody
else wants to go, you know, I'll share
[44:02] that information. We have an
opportunity. So at this conference, the
[44:07] New York um Association of Towns will
[clears throat] meet and discuss um
[44:15] you know legislative priorities that
they want to recommend that they move
[44:19] forward. And I would like that the um I
would like this board to uh designate me
[44:27] as a as a voting member of that
legislative committee so that we have
[44:33] some say in what sort of programs we
want to put forth and advocate for for
[44:38] the to the New York State Legislature
and the governor.
[44:42] Anybody have any objection? Doesn't cost
anything for me to be a delegate. So,
[44:51] um, if there's no other comment, if if
anybody else wants to attend the
[44:54] conference for whatever reason, just let
Julia know. It's in Albany from,
[45:01] um, what's the date? I don't know.
[45:06] It's September 22nd and 23rd at the
Albany Hilton.
[45:13] I won't be staying down there. So,
Anything else?
[45:19] Uh, we have a few action items. Uh, the
first I will um invite our senior code
[45:24] enforcement officer, Greg Berg, to
present a report regarding the condition
[45:29] of the property subsequent to the fire
at five West Drive. West Drive. Yeah.
[45:34] Drive.
[45:38] » That's okay. Take your time, Greg.
[45:55] Good evening board. On the 23rd of this
month, Five West Drive experienced a
[46:01] devastating fire. There's nothing left.
[46:07] I'm asking on under the provisions of
chapter 60 that the board consider an
[46:14] act of condemnation for the particular
property as well as what's standing
[46:18] which is approximately 50% of the
garage.
[46:24] Hopefully you all have some photographs
of what we've seen, walked around,
[46:32] smelled, but you can't smell that from a
photograph.
[46:38] Under 60-2,
under lawful unlawful conditions, there
[46:44] is likewise a number of unregistered
vehicles. As of today, only three. There
[46:49] were four.
There's also defunct lawnmowers,
[46:55] various garden debris, there's unmodeed
weeds and grasses,
[47:01] and it just is in an unkempt condition
at this point.
[47:10] I ask that you consider taking a look at
those photographs. It doesn't do it
[47:14] justice. If you've been there yourself,
I think you can understand the scope of
[47:19] the devastation that occurred there. And
please keep in mind that it is a
[47:24] neighborhood and there are neighbors in
close proximity to it.
[47:29] So I ask under 60-4
procedures
[47:34] that you find that this property is
worthy of condemnation and that we set
[47:39] forth a public meeting date.
Thank you.
[47:45] So I believe the process is and what so
everybody got a new resolution
[47:51] replacement for the resolution that had
your packets that the town attorney made
[47:56] a few updates to it. Um maybe
so basically the action tonight would be
[48:02] to um schedule a hearing because the the
the property owner is is um entitled to
[48:09] a hearing before this board
>> um before it's um for the condemnation
[48:15] process. Um I guess I want to ask you
what first of all has the property been
[48:22] secured at all at this point?
>> There is caution tape around it. Uh it
[48:26] was advised that that's as far as the
town should go at this point. If we were
[48:31] to fence it in number one, it would be a
pretty decent expenditure on the town's
[48:36] part, but it also uh exhibits ownership.
We are in control of that property. I
[48:44] don't think you want that. I think that
is definitely within the realm of the
[48:50] responsibility of the owner and also the
insurance company in order to do that.
[48:55] So I would highly caution against that.
It was likewise posted as do not occupy
[49:00] and as of today there the order of rem
to remedy [snorts] was likewise posted
[49:05] on the property as well as a letter sent
per law. So notifications
[49:10] [clears throat]
out there and everything. So hopefully
[49:14] you know we will get some movement in
that regard. I have been in touch with
[49:19] the insurance company their
representative there. They sent out an
[49:24] investigator. Highly doubt that that
individual is going to find a blessed
[49:28] thing because county was all over that
and they didn't find anything either. It
[49:33] was inconclusive.
So, origin of fire non-existent.
[49:39] So hopefully in the next few days I'll
get further correspondence and we'll go
[49:44] on from there.
>> But I will pass that along.
[49:47] » It would be good if the insurance
company would f put a temporary fence
[49:50] around it.
>> It would be it would be awesome all the
[49:52] way around. It really would. Um
>> cuz it's definitely hazardous.
[49:57] » Yeah. And um quite honestly, it would be
a very refreshing experience for me
[50:02] after 15 years of doing this. That
probably will be the first time I've
[50:06] ever seen it anybody move that quickly.
So, uh I may have a few tricks up my
[50:11] sleeve in order to move things along a
little bit faster, but [snorts]
[50:15] we'll we'll cross that bridge when we
get to it.
[50:18] » Greg, I have a question. We've gone to
this once before recently.
[50:26] Um, rally
>> and yeah, and as I
[50:30] recall, the insurance company or the
homeowner did not respond to it.
[50:38] Correct.
Do you see the same issue here
[50:44] long-term or do you think the insurance
company will
[50:52] respond as needed?
>> I think the insurance company will be a
[50:56] little bit more responsive. The
difficulty in the Raleigh Road case was
[51:01] that
the fire investigation team came in.
[51:05] They had um they had their dogs with
them. The dogs alerted on two specific
[51:11] areas within the home which were cut out
and then later analyzed and found to
[51:15] have accelerants.
>> Oh, that's right.
[51:18] » Th this case here, there's nothing
that's going to cause that. So, there
[51:24] was a prolonged investigation
and uh there the investigation led to an
[51:30] individual that had a relationship with
the owner at one point and so on so
[51:36] forth. Children probably road one.
>> Mhm.
[51:38] » Right.
>> So, and also [clears throat] the owner
[51:41] in this case likewise kind of got in the
way a little bit too, but
[51:45] » later on after drawing her into court,
>> we were able to resolve that. I don't
[51:50] foresee this being the same situation.
>> That would be good. Thank you.
[51:54] » It would be very good.
>> I have a question to were there any
[51:57] summons issued in this or case or
anything? I mean, it looked like it
[52:01] needed some attention from somebody.
I wish I could tell you why it wasn't.
[52:07] Uh, from everything that I've heard
after the fact, it probably should have.
[52:13] Um, but then again, we don't have any
written complaints or anything else
[52:18] having to lead back to it. So,
consequently, it would be conjecture on
[52:23] my part.
[snorts]
[52:27] » Well, I would just like to say I did
drive by there today. It was not at all
[52:33] what I expected. I expected a damaged
building. That That's horrific. No
[52:39] neighbors should be subjected to that
any longer. And whatever we can do as
[52:44] quickly as possible, I'm in favor of.
It's just obviously not only an eyesore,
[52:50] but unhealthy and unsafe. Yes.
>> And it needs to be fixed soon.
[52:54] [clears throat] Thank you for being on
top of things and helping us do that.
[53:00] Well, the first step is, like I say, we
have to have a hearing. Um, there has to
[53:04] be at least some sort of reasonable
time between scheduling the hearing and
[53:10] notifying the the the owner of the
property that we're going to have the
[53:14] hearing so that he can respond. I, you
know, that's sort of a matter of of of
[53:23] opinion. I, you know, even our town
attorney doesn't really have a real
[53:28] » Well, Yeah, [clears throat] I mean it
just for the board and the public, you
[53:34] know, obviously Greg's here because
there's a condition in his view and he's
[53:39] given the report both here today and in
writing to the board about the
[53:43] seriousness and the danger that this
property poses to the public and nearby
[53:48] residents and the condition of the
property. Uh, and as a board, you have
[53:52] an obligation to um to protect the
community. Um, you also have to comply
[53:58] with the due process rights of the
homeowner. So, the notice requirement um
[54:05] is necessary. Your job tonight would be
the resolution before you and the
[54:10] changes I made were minor just to
clarify that it's not just the structure
[54:14] itself, it's the condition of the
property. Um but your job would be to
[54:18] accept his findings that um that um this
needs immediate attention and then to
[54:25] set that hearing and give the homeowner
or their representative the opportunity
[54:30] to be heard before the board before you
make a final determination. So the
[54:35] notice piece, you know, is reasonable
notice under our code. we have to send
[54:39] it by certified mail, return receipt
requested um or by um the regular CPL R
[54:47] which could be personal service um you
know and we have to notice the mortgage
[54:53] holder, the insurance company and the
individual owner and then we have to
[54:56] give them a reasonable time to be able
to prepare and attend a hearing. So, um,
[55:03] you know, uh, typically that's 20, well,
30 days would probably be a time, but we
[55:08] also have a dangerous condition. So, you
know, the shorter you go, you know, we
[55:14] start to border on potentially concerns
of due process. The longer we go, we
[55:20] obviously have a greater threat to the
community. So, um, you know, I think a
[55:26] reasonable notice in this time, you
know, the fire just recently occurred.
[55:30] Uh, Greg and our staff have been on top
of it. Um, you know, we had to we needed
[55:37] to be mindful of the, uh, investigation,
uh, the fire investigation, not to do
[55:42] anything prior to that being complete to
interfere with that. Same kind of goes
[55:46] with the insurance company. So, I guess
the short of it, there's a process as
[55:50] far as a hearing date goes. Um, I know
we have a board meeting September 14th.
[55:56] That's kind of quick notice because by
the time we
[56:00] um get them served um multiple parties
and then um um have them sufficient
[56:08] time, you know, we can extend it if they
object if they appear and say, "Hey, we
[56:14] need more time to prepare for this
hearing." Um that's a possibility or to
[56:18] give a little bit more notice. I think
um Greg's opinion on that is uh very
[56:24] valuable and the condition of the
property is a great threat. Um you know
[56:29] the order before you um and and u
requires that they secure the property
[56:35] that they um um remove the existing
structure to the extent it's still there
[56:42] and that they remove all debris from the
property. And that's the notice of the
[56:46] hearing that we're going to send. Um
once we have that hearing, if you do
[56:50] find it and um they've had an
opportunity to be heard, if you find it
[56:54] to be in violation of our code um or New
York State fire code or property
[57:00] maintenance code, um then we have to
give them a reasonable time to to cure
[57:05] it. So, you know, it's going to be an
extended period of time before the site
[57:10] is cleaned up. And that's what as a
board you need to be aware of is that as
[57:15] fast as we want to move, there's some
legal restraints on what we can do.
[57:21] However, um one of the things in here is
that we're not taking control of the
[57:26] site or ownership of the site. We're
directing the homeowner and um
[57:31] responsible parties to do that. And if
they fail to do that, the town may
[57:38] expend money and then pursue it um
through um you know filing a lean
[57:44] against the property and collection and
enforcement. That's what our code allows
[57:48] for. You know, we're certainly hopeful
that there's insurance that then they've
[57:52] been engaged with Greg that that doesn't
become necessary and that the factors
[57:58] that complicated Rowley Road don't
appear to be present in this case. So,
[58:02] as far as when we should have that
hearing, um I I think um we need to give
[58:08] that notice. Um and you know, it would
the earliest I could think of would be
[58:14] that the 14th. Um anytime after that is,
um you know, balancing towards the due
[58:21] process concerns. Um you know, because
if we can't So, the house is gone. Um I
[58:27] don't know where he's going to get his
mail. So, if he doesn't get that notice,
[58:31] he didn't, you know, then what are we
going to do? There's no no structure to
[58:34] post it on.
>> His mailbox is uh on the ground and I
[58:38] used his post,
>> right? But I mean, under the
[58:41] circumstances, you know, is uh you know,
it we have reasons to suspect that it
[58:47] might be difficult for him to get
notice. I'm going to advise that the
[58:51] town clerk also published this that even
though it's not a public hearing that we
[58:55] we advertise it and put post notice of
it on our website and otherwise and even
[59:00] in the paper. So,
>> do we have contact information? Do we
[59:03] have a phone number for him?
>> That was one of the problems initially
[59:08] within that fire. They weren't able to
raise him. Uh, somebody has his somebody
[59:15] does have his telephone number now that
he's back down from like I believe it
[59:20] was Sarinac Lake or something.
>> Oh, the investigators have it.
[59:25] » We do have the phone number.
>> Okay.
[59:27] » Okay, good. We got a phone number, but
again, verbal notice isn't going to be
[59:31] sufficient, you know. So, I'm just I'm
not
[59:35] » I'm just pointing out the issues as a
board that we have to face. So, we have
[59:39] to give reasonable notice. we have to
have this hearing where they have the
[59:43] opportunity to present their side um and
an opportunity to be heard on it. I
[59:47] don't you know what they're going to
present on that is probably yeah we're
[59:52] going to do it. We need time and
>> um and then the matters of [snorts] you
[59:56] know securing it and what needs to be
done first or things that the board can
[1:00:00] impose at the hearing.
>> I mean I would like to propose then that
[1:00:02] we schedule that hearing for for
September 14th at 5:30 before our
[1:00:06] regular meeting. will make every effort
to make sure that he gets the not that
[1:00:11] everybody gets the notification that
they need within a day or two.
[1:00:15] » Okay.
>> Um and if you know if they know the
[1:00:20] insurance company or the homeowner
requests additional time then we can we
[1:00:26] can consider that then we can adjourn
the hearing until
[1:00:29] until such time. So
>> that sounds reasonable to me.
[1:00:34] » Is that reasonable to you? Just for my
own education, when you see houses
[1:00:37] burning down almost every week and
within 24 hours the lots are cleared.
[1:00:42] How does that happen?
>> You I mean that I I mean I'm not aware
[1:00:47] of
>> I don't know how it happens that fast
[1:00:49] » that quickly. I mean the fires the
recent ones I've seen have taken some
[1:00:53] time. Um, you know, there was a family
structure just outside of Malta, but in
[1:00:59] Boston that's now been rebuilt. But
>> it was a long time before that was
[1:01:03] » the insurance companies and, you know,
the mortgage companies and,
[1:01:08] » you know, there's [clears throat] a lot
that has to get worked out before that
[1:01:11] happens. And that's the difficulty for
the towns because
[1:01:15] » they're, you know, as Mr. Berg has
pointed out, not only are they unsafe,
[1:01:20] it it's close to to a neighboring
parcel. Um they're they're attractive
[1:01:25] nuisances, there's, you know, vermin
that moves in. There's people that might
[1:01:30] move in. Um there's a lot that can occur
in an a dangerous site. Um so, you know,
[1:01:38] that's why we're moving quickly to
hopefully tonight accept Mr. Berg's
[1:01:44] findings and set this hearing and and
proceed. But I don't know if that means
[1:01:49] the process of cleaning it up is going
to be a quick process.
[1:01:55] » But we need to be sure we do what we
need to do just to, you know, protect
[1:01:59] our interests also. So So
does that sound like a plan for
[1:02:04] everybody that this resolution will be
read that the town of Malta will hold a
[1:02:08] hearing pursuant to 60-4 the town code
on the 14th day of September at 5:30 and
[1:02:14] then if we have to postpone it. But it,
you know, we hopefully we'll reach out
[1:02:18] to the owner and we'll get a response.
We'll mail we'll give you a notice that
[1:02:23] you'll um we're going to send it
certified mail as required by our code,
[1:02:27] but we're also going to attempt to
personally serve even though he's not at
[1:02:31] the property. He could be encouraged to
come in and pick it up so he has it. If
[1:02:35] he doesn't, we'll post it, put it at the
mailbox to the best we can and comply.
[1:02:41] um we have insurance information so
we'll contact them and you know I'll
[1:02:45] have to get what I can from the county
on the mortgage make sure there's no
[1:02:49] other owners and you know so there is
some diligence we have to do uh and then
[1:02:55] we'll have that hearing and and we'll go
from there
[1:03:02] » so
I'll entertain a motion
[1:03:06] » so move
>> second
[1:03:09] » wait
You've got to have a resolution.
[1:03:13] » There is a resolution and it's been
presided. You you all have that here
[1:03:17] tonight,
>> right?
[1:03:18] » But what we need there is just to
clarify in the resolution. You said it,
[1:03:23] but um the 14th, it's the regular board
meeting at 6 p.m. That information is
[1:03:28] not completed in your resolution. So, um
if I could get a motion to a uh first to
[1:03:35] and then to amend it and then to proceed
with that. First, we'll have a motion to
[1:03:39] amend the resolution to include the
language that the town of Malta will
[1:03:43] hold a hearing pursuant to 60 days for
the town cold on the 14th day of
[1:03:47] September at 5:30
p.m.
[1:03:51] » So moved.
>> Second.
[1:03:55] » Any discussion?
All in favor?
[1:03:58] » I
>> I'll entertain a motion on the amended
[1:04:01] resolution.
>> So move.
[1:04:03] » Second
>> discussion.
[1:04:06] All in favor? I
>> I any opposed?
[1:04:11] » All right. And then we'll get to working
tomorrow to figure out how to get the
[1:04:14] notification out.
>> Okay. Thanks, Greg.
[1:04:17] » You're welcome. All right. Thank you.
>> Um last two are pretty routine. Um our
[1:04:24] um we our our um facilities manager has
um found someone he wants to hire to
[1:04:31] fill a vacancy.
Can't
[1:04:35] I never know what to call you. Sorry.
Uh, we had a we had an employee leave
[1:04:40] and he's found somebody that he wants to
replace her with. Um, so I'll entertain
[1:04:44] a motion to accept the full-time
building maintenance custodian
[1:04:49] appointment.
>> So move.
[1:04:51] » Second.
>> Any discussion? All in favor?
[1:04:54] » I.
>> Any opposed? And next, our clerk has
[1:04:58] requested that we increase her petty
cash fund from $50 to $100.
[1:05:05] » So moved. moved.
>> Okay. Second.
[1:05:08] » A second.
>> Any discussion?
[1:05:11] All in favor?
>> I
[1:05:13] » I Any opposed? Um I am going to uh first
we have additional comments.
[1:05:21] Yes, sir.
>> Uh yeah, on your number seven.
[1:05:24] » Yeah, you need to come to the
>> Okay.
[1:05:30] » Nice discussion. Item number seven,
amendments to the water specifications.
[1:05:34] You mentioned something about a if they
hooked up they had a well and hooked up
[1:05:37] to the water. What is all that about?
>> It's that we don't want if you if you
[1:05:42] have an existing well and you hook up to
the public water system
[1:05:45] » and what public water system we talking
>> we don't want any cross contamination.
[1:05:49] The two systems need to be
>> okay. What public water system are we
[1:05:53] speaking of right now?
>> Right. You can keep your well but it
[1:05:56] can't be in any way connected to the
public water.
[1:05:58] » My question is where is this public
water at?
[1:06:00] » It's our our our water system. And we
have public water.
[1:06:04] » We don't have public water. We need
public water. We don't have it. Where
[1:06:07] are you talking about?
>> We have a water district.
[1:06:09] » Yeah. But where is
>> Well, we have Malta water district
[1:06:12] number one, which was the former
Saratoga water services that the town of
[1:06:15] Malta bought a couple of years ago. And
then we also have our Maltaville water
[1:06:20] district. The Malta water district
number one is largely developments
[1:06:24] started in Luther Forest. It's all of
the newer housing development.
[1:06:27] » But the Maltaville that came
>> Maltville was a separate one. Yes. And
[1:06:31] you bought Luther's
>> We bought water services, correct?
[1:06:35] » Okay. So, what made that more I mean,
obviously studies on this, right,
[1:06:40] » to see why they needed water
>> and everybody else had a well in in some
[1:06:45] cases. In most cases, that's not true.
There's very few places in Malta Water
[1:06:49] District, number one, that that the
existing customer has a well. Most of
[1:06:55] them were built,
the homes were built and put on the
[1:06:59] public water and never had a well. But
in so an example is my own house. Our
[1:07:03] house did not have water, but when High
Point was built, they ran the water
[1:07:08] through our neighborhood.
>> And so then I had water previously, my
[1:07:12] water was a well, and I had the
opportunity then to hook up to municipal
[1:07:17] water and I did. So then we
>> So the water that came to Maltville
[1:07:22] wasn't to existing houses. What are all
which already had wells?
[1:07:27] » Yes, that that that is true.
>> They had wells. They all had. I guess my
[1:07:31] question is so so you did a feasibility
study for that area
[1:07:35] » at one point. Is that right? Is that
>> did what's called a map plan report.
[1:07:39] Yeah.
>> Did a what
[1:07:40] » past administrations
handled that
[1:07:44] » but you're if I can understand your
sorry Greg for a vote.
[1:07:48] » Yeah.
>> Once it failed tried a second time and
[1:07:51] it passed.
[1:07:55] You know my question is different.
>> It's different because it's very small.
[1:07:59] It's 37 homes. It's not You're proposing
all of Malta Ridge.
[1:08:05] » Was 100,
>> huh?
[1:08:06] » Only 37 homes were
>> in the district.
[1:08:10] » It was planned for 100.
>> There's only 37 homes in the Malta water
[1:08:15] district. 37 parcels. There's only 37
parcels in the Malta water district.
[1:08:20] Number one, again, prior administration,
a whole different kind of scenario. So,
[1:08:26] » but the point is it was possible to do
it once. We'll just ask.
[1:08:29] » You know what? I think it might be might
be better served if if you have further
[1:08:33] questions about that. If we make an
appointment and you come in and we'll
[1:08:36] get the maps out and I can I can show
you exactly what Maltville looks like
[1:08:41] and and what the challenges are for you.
So,
[1:08:43] » I just because when you said people have
wells and you know, if you had a well,
[1:08:47] you couldn't or you had couldn't cross.
We don't want to cross
[1:08:50] » the streams or whatever you're saying.
Okay.
[1:08:52] » That issue.
>> We don't we don't want, you know,
[1:08:56] the some the wellwater to mix with our,
you know, our our if it's hard piped, it
[1:09:04] wouldn't
>> not knowing what kind of contaminants
[1:09:06] may be in it and
>> Okay.
[1:09:08] » Yeah. Yeah. The provision here is so
where the water where the water pump is
[1:09:12] for our actual for the town's, you know,
municipal water system. It draws water
[1:09:16] from somewhere. We don't want the we
don't want potential backfill. So that's
[1:09:19] just that's safety for the water system.
And your other question though is if if
[1:09:23] a feasibility study or whatever it was
that led to that if it could be done
[1:09:27] there, could it be done uh up on your
neighborhood? Correct.
[1:09:30] » What I'm asking you that's what I
thought.
[1:09:33] » So the answer you'll have to tell me
>> issues in that
[1:09:39] in that Malta bill district is they had
to blast for exit. Um,
[1:09:48] » wow.
>> 11 up there that five
[1:09:53] up there when global foundaries came in
and due to some of that blasting it hurt
[1:10:01] their
>> wells up.
[1:10:03] » I mean, allegedly
>> they were compromised
[1:10:06] » from everything that I've heard [snorts]
and I was part of that group to test
[1:10:12] that. So,
>> but again, like I say, we might be
[1:10:14] better served if you want to come in and
sit down and really
[1:10:16] » Yeah. Well, no, he knows exactly what my
question is. Um, so yeah. All right.
[1:10:20] Well, I guess we'll see in the future.
>> Yeah.
[1:10:23] » Thank you.
>> Also, is um the bidding closed on that
[1:10:28] compliant uh ramp?
>> Oh, yeah, it is. Okay.
[1:10:31] » Bids were due on
>> a lot of money for concrete for 45
[1:10:35] years. That seems like a lot of money.
>> It's I haven't seen it though, so I
[1:10:39] don't even know. But the bids are
closed. It seems high and I will say
[1:10:42] though material costs are also high and
so we shall see.
[1:10:46] » Yeah. Okay. Good luck with
>> Thank you.
[1:10:48] » Thank you.
>> Anybody else?
[1:10:52] » Yeah. Well, well, you and your neighbors
both. It's okay.
[1:10:55] » I actually said it very well. Now, I
just wanted to say uh Stefan Peltier
[1:10:59] Maltto, the uh one of the things that I
did since many of you were not there
[1:11:03] when the multi program was was set is if
you play on the internet a little bit,
[1:11:07] you can find a lot of information. So I
did use AI and I made kind of a
[1:11:11] preliminary um study if you will
comparing our situation versus the
[1:11:16] Maltville situation source of funding
access and things of that nature. It's
[1:11:22] by no means it's more directional than
anything but if any of you would be
[1:11:25] interested in seeing a copy of it it's
you know it's about 10 pages long and uh
[1:11:30] » you have it electronically.
>> I have it electronically as a PDF.
[1:11:33] » If you send it to me I'll forward it to
the rest of the public. It's got
[1:11:35] interesting information and what the
reason why I decided to step up is that
[1:11:39] one of the components of it considering
the fire on Raleigh Road was one of the
[1:11:44] um extra benefits of having uh city
water is the protection against fire as
[1:11:48] well. And since there's a lot of large
properties on that street, it's also
[1:11:51] another added benefits on top of of
course the essential uh drinking water.
[1:11:55] So uh so yeah, I'll make sure send it to
me and I'll forward it to everybody
[1:11:59] else. Thank you.
>> Thank you.
[1:12:01] » Anything else out there? Anybody?
Talk about bad pennies. No, just
[1:12:07] kidding.
I I I I'm happy people come.
[1:12:14] I'm happy you're involved and
interested.
[1:12:18] Well, you know, I didn't come a lot
before, but since April. [laughter]
[1:12:23] Um Karen Evanius again, Malta Ridge. Um
going back to the Luther's Forest
[1:12:28] Athletic Field Lighting Project. Um as
you said, I appreciate you going over
[1:12:32] it. Thank you. Um the $250,000 grant has
been awarded. Um it's $620,000.
[1:12:39] Remaining money is 370 coming from the
town park reserve. Um which you said has
[1:12:45] a approximate of 790,000.
Um, given the town's other capital
[1:12:50] needs, the fact that Bolston Spa School
District is also currently investing in
[1:12:54] athletic fields and field lighting, has
the town evaluated whether there is an
[1:12:59] opportunity to coordinate with the
school district or use existing
[1:13:02] facilities before committing $370,000
of park reserve funds to this project?
[1:13:08] And can the board explain how this
project was prioritized over other
[1:13:12] current capital needs in the town?
Thank you.
[1:13:21] question.
>> Yeah, I you know, we haven't talked to
[1:13:24] the school district. This is a request,
you know, and it was an improvement that
[1:13:29] actually was discussed by
>> probably two boards ago. um you know was
[1:13:34] originally the project was originally
proposed back in 2021 I believe
[1:13:39] » when we installed the softball lights
>> for the [snorts] soft well and it
[1:13:44] included the you know if you recall one
council member voted no on that because
[1:13:49] he wanted the whole facility to be
lighted so so it's something that's been
[1:13:54] contemplated for quite some time. Any
other comments from the public? Um, I'm
[1:14:00] going to ask that we go into an
executive session.
[1:14:04] » It's just attorney client meeting. It's
not
[1:14:06] » Oh, yeah. That's right. Sorry. And
that's what I actually have on here. Um,
[1:14:10] that we'll go into an occurren attorney
client meeting to discuss
[1:14:15] a possible pending uh litigation.
And I will assure the public that no
[1:14:21] other business will be conducted tonight
by this board. So, you don't have to all
[1:14:26] wait and see if we come back and do
anything. So,
[1:14:31] It's not a motion to adjurnn. It's just
motion to go into executive session.
[1:14:36] » Ajourn.
>> Journ. Yeah.
[1:14:38] » Our attorney client is outside of the
board.
[1:14:40] » All right. Motion to adjurnn.
>> Second.
[1:14:47] » Two minutes. Still getting engaged.
>> I need I need his contact. Jets one.