Ogdensburg schedules budget meeting

OGDENSBURG — The Ogdensburg Borough Council scheduled a budget meeting on Thursday, Feb. 26, to discuss ways to make necessary improvements to the borough.

Council President Peter Opilla, Ogdensburg's water commissioner, brought up the need for a request for proposals regarding water infrastructure. The solicitation would include a valve on Edison Road, guages that need repairs and replacement heaters at the well station.

Opilla said he would like one document in order to get everything priced by the first or second quarters of 2015. He said he would like the work to be done correctly by certified installers.

“Get some bids, and get it done,” he said.

Councilman David Astor discussed modifying the snow removal procedures and policy. He said would like to have a weather service help them decide when to call the Dept. of Public Works out for overtime.

Currently, DPW head Chris Ross may authorize overtime only when the police, Astor or Mayor Steve Ciasullo have pre-approved it. When the police call, it is after an emergency.

Councilman Robert McGuire said that the council had discussed a weather service in the past and decided it “wasn't worth paying for” since the same information is on a cell phone or computer.

Astor said Lafayette School, where he is the chief administrative officer, and the Lafayette Department of Public Works both use a weather service. He suggested the borough could split the cost with the township and school to save costs.

"(It would be) a lot more reliable, particularly when there is ice and sleet," Astor said.

He also said the borough's two shipments of salt are on back order and the DPW is doing the best job it can with the products and machinery it has.

Councilman George Hutnick said the estimate to put a new radiator in the fire truck will cost $8,000.

“That's cheap, they were looking at $15,000 for a 20 year old apparatus after wear and tear," he said.

Hutnick said for now it is usable because they keep refilling it.

McGuire said that they “have one [fire truck] in the museum, and they can crank that one up. There's only an oil leak.”