Albion highway superintendent praised for securing grants

ALBION – The Albion Town Board praised Highway Superintendent Michael Neidert for securing two grants, one that will replace a small bridge on Clarendon Road and the other will pay most of the cost for a new single-axle truck.

Neidert and the board discussed the grants during the Town Board meeting on Monday.

A $174,000 grant will pay 100 percent of the cost to replace a small bridge on Clarendon Road over West Branch Sandy Creek. The bridge is about 14 feet long, Neidert said.

He applied for the funding through a $200 million bridge rehabilitation program announced last July by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Last month, Cuomo announced the money was approved for the bridge.

“I just want to congratulate you for applying and following through for something that is of no real cost to the town,” Town Supervisor Matt Passarell told Neidert.

The other board members gave the highway superintendent a round of applause.

The board also approved hiring Chatfield Engineers in Rochester to do the engineering work on the project, including preparing bid specifications, at a cost of $27,936. That cost is also covered by the grant.

Neidert had hoped the project could be completed this summer. He wants to do it while school is out of session because Clarendon Road is a busy road leading to the school.

It doesn’t look like the project will be ready to go in time for this summer, so Neidert said construction will likely be in the summer 2018. It is estimated to take 4 to 6 weeks to replace the bridge.

The town has also been approved for a $50,000 grant from State Sen. Robert Ortt through the State & Municipal Facilities Capital Program (SAM). Those funds will go towards the $80,000 cost to replace a single-axle truck

That truck won’t have plow equipment but will be useful for many projects, Neidert said.

It replaces a truck from 1993. That truck has been sold for $6,900, and proceeds from the sale will go towards the new truck’s cost.

• In other highway department issues, the board approved allowing the county and Rick Stacey, owner of the former Apollo Restaurant site in Albion, to tap into the town sewer line on Route 31. The county and Stacey are paying to bore under Route 31 and tap into the line.

• The board also approved a five-year shared service agreement with the county where both entities will document how they share equipment and manpower. Neidert said the highway departments have been sharing resources for at least 20 years, but haven’t necessarily been writing it all down. Having the documentation will allow the local municipalities to prove to Gov. Cuomo just how much the municipalities do share equipment and manpower for projects. Cuomo has said there are too many local governments in the state, and that they don’t share pavers, and other costly highway equipment.

Neidert said there has long been a spirit of cooperation locally among the highway departments at the village, town and county levels.

• The board also set 7 p.m. on March 13 for a public hearing on a local law allowing games of chance by permitted organizations within the town.

The local law is needed for the American Legion to do pull-tabs. The Legion used to get the annual permit through the village, but the organization has moved outside the village to the former Pap Pap’s Par 3 golf course on Gaines Basin Road.

• The board also agreed to a four-year lease with Toshiba where the town will pay $93.57 monthly for use of a new copier.