Village business remains contentious as new engineer is hired

Goshen — It had been coming for weeks, but the mayor’s deciding vote Monday night to appoint Henningson, Durham and Richardson as Goshen village engineers sealed the deal. This caused at least three trustees to make strong commentaries on the way the appointment came about. Since Bob Weinberger became mayor, he objected to the fact that Jim Ullrich of Alpine Consulting, whom the village had relied on for years, was not a licensed engineer, that his billing was not detailed, and that contracts were signed by trustees and not by the mayor, which he considers illegal. All of the trustees had been involved in interviewing representatives from 12 firms. But in the end, Weinberger made his decision alone. “I have a lot to discuss,” said Trustee John Higgins. “We set up a review process, wasted our efforts interviewing these candidates with Mike [Nuzzolese] and Meg [Strobl, the village clerk]. If you are just going to appoint someone, this is like smack in the face.” He voted against hiring Henningson, Durham and Richardson. So did newly elected Trustee Marcia Mattheus, who said she believed in the democratic process and agreed the interview process was a waste of time. Trustee Susan Fast, said that while she had no problem with Jim Ullrich or his work, she was voting yes in the hope that the village would move forward and resolve issues regarding the village’s new wastewater treatment plant. Mattheus implored the mayor to consider the five existing contracts with Alpine regarding the emergency well at Crystal Run and tests and plans for the pump house. All the work had been done, she said, and the village was now ready to fulfill the requirements of the Orange County Department of Health and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. A new company taking over will have to be brought up to speed, which will cost the village more time and money and risk $37,000 per day in fines. The village attorney, David Donovan, assured her that the contracts had been signed, and were in effect. Comfort Inn and village clash on errant water meter Talk about an errant water meter at the Comfort Inn erupted into a tense exchange between the hotel’s manager, Daniel McMann, and Trustee Mattheus. According to McMann, the meter reader told him there something “weird” with the meter because the amount was the same every month. McMann said he sent a letter to the village reporting that the meter was “malfunctioning.” But village officials said they did not receive notification from the Comfort Inn about a malfunctioning meter. Since then, McMann said, he got one letter from the village asking about the status of the meter and advising the hotel to fix it. In the meantime, McMann said, the village has been billing the hotel, and the hotel has been paying its bills. He said it was absurd for Mattheus to say the hotel had been notified twice and was on the non-paying list when he had received only one letter from the village. He also called absurd that the village attorney is handling the investigation. “We’re not trying to get anything for free,” said McMann. “We just want to know what is wrong with the meter. We need to be told more than ‘Fix it.’” Attorney Donovan said he was unsure why he was being asked to investigate and was reluctant to discuss details until he had more information. Fines for residences are collected on a per-day basis when water meters are not working. The Comfort Inn had to purchase a larger-size meter for commercial use. The Comfort Inn manager said that the meter is the property of the village In other business • The village is looking for cheaper ways of providing electricity to the village with MXenergy as a carrier. Trustee Susan Fast said that other villages, such as Wallkill, New Paltz, and Rosendale, found a 13 to 20 percent savings in electricity. Both attorney Donovan and Trustee Mattheus expressed concern about possible penalties if it didn’t work out, but Trustee Fast assured them there was no penalty clause in the contract. • Paving the sidewalks by the Goshen Intermediate School was awarded to M&S Asphalt Inc. The village will be responsible for replacing topsoil and for seeding, and will be reimbursed by grant money secured by state Assemblywoman Annie Rabbitt. Goshen approved the Goshen Jazz Festival, celebrating Willie the Lion Smith. The event is being coordinated by Ken Tschan and the Goshen Public Library and Historical Society on Sept. 13. • The board hired a full-time police dispatcher position from two part-time positions. Chief James Watt said it was easier to fill a full-time position during the day than two part-time positions. • The board approved a Menorah lighting to take place on Dec. 21. The board acknowledged the need to establish a limitation on the length of time that winter holiday decorations could be on display. Last year the Department of Public Works was placed in the awkward position of having to take down the Menorah, and ended up storing it at their garage, where it remains. • The board agreed to send an officer to a free license plate reader training conference. Comments from the audience said the new license plate reader is a form of “big brother” and an intrusion on privacy. Resident Ray Rooney, a detective in New York City, said it has been used only as a positive force in New York City and might deter the rising incidents of car break-ins.