From the Desk of Rick McCabe

To the residents of East Greenbush

I hope everyone is surviving the winter.  Thankfully, we have missed the brunt of Mother Nature’s fury.  The respite from snow has given our DPW workers the opportunity to work on projects that had been put off.  Both the town garage and police station are getting a once-over and are looking better every day.

Joe Cherubino and Jim Moore have taken the lead on investigating energy saving projects to be awarded by NYSERDA. We should be hearing from the agency very soon.

One topic that has been widely discussed, in many venues, is the audit of town finances that has been proposed.  As I have said repeatedly, we have no problem with an audit of past budgetary matters. Also, the Town Board has created a Finance Committee whose role will be to recommend future financial procedures.  We have authorized a consultant to work with us on improving our bond status.  This expert advice will provide us with the information that will allow us to move forward and to achieve positive results.  I expect that we will be able to take action on this issue during our March meeting.

As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Town of East Greenbush has been awarded a grant in the amount of $275,000 for the purchase and installation of a 50 kW Photovoltaic System at the Department of Public Works garage. This system will produce approximately 67% of the annual energy required to run the facility and an estimated maximum annual cost savings of $14,783. The project will benefit the environment with annual emission reductions of:

1. CO₂: 55,876 lbs
2. SO₂: 180 lbs
3. N₂0: 62.74 lbs

Upon completion, the performance and environmental impact of this project will be posted on the town’s website for the public to monitor.

It’s NOT too late!  You may be eligible for an Exemption on your property – the deadline to file is March 1, 2010.

Residential STAR (Basic) is available to all property owners, regardless of age or income.  To be eligible, applicant must own and reside on the property, as of March 1, 2010.

 Proof of residency is required.

 Enhanced STAR (Senior) is available to those property owners, who are 65 years of age or older and for property owners who will be 65 years of age in 2010.  Single and combined incomes cannot exceed $74,700 on the 2008 Federal Adjusted Gross Income Tax Return. 

 Proof of residency is required.

Partial Tax Exemption of Aged Persons is available to those property owners, who are 65 years of age and for property owners who will be 65 years of age in the 2010 year.  Single and combined incomes of husband and wife cannot exceed a 2009 Gross Income of $37,400. (Income includes wages, pensions, and social security – contact your Department of Assessment for more details.)

 Proof of Residency is required.

Persons with Disabilities and Limited Incomes

No age requirement –income requirement is the same as the partial tax exemption of aged persons.  Proof of Residency is required. Proof of disability required is:  Benefit Letter from the Social Security Administration, Certificate from the State Commission for the Blind or Award letters from the US Postal Service, Railroad Retirement Board or Department of Veterans Affairs.

For further details on the above information or to inquire about other types of exemptions, please call Susan F. McCarthy, Assessor at 518-477-9710 

Your Property Tax bills are now available online

The Town  has made it possible for residents to access their tax bills online
by entering  the East Greenbush online Tax System. This system allows you to search
your property taxes from any computer with access to the
Internet by entering the following website links.

For Town of East Greenbush tax information click here:
http://egov.basny.com/EastGreenbush/

For East Greenbush Central School District tax information click here:
http://egov.basny.com/eastgreenbushcentralschool/

If you have any comments or questions, please call Toni Murphy,
Receiver of Taxes at 518-477-4810.

The Town has recently applied for a grant request of just under $400,000. in funding from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation that will assist the Town in solving problems associated with water quality at Hampton Manor Lake.

The lake has functioned recently more as a storm water retention facility than water resource, since itscreation over seventy years ago. Over time, storm sewers which convey runoff, from the adjacent residential neighbors have contributed to a build up of pollutants in the Lake, which in turn cause quality problems.Pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, oils and grease from the roads, and just plain dirt and debris have found their way to the Lake and concentrated over time. The plan contains specific methods on how to addressthese existing problems and how to maintain an improved water quality in the future. The 8 acres lake has long been a delight to Town residents who have enjoyed fishing, boating and the tranquilsetting is offers. Hopefully, there may be more recreational opportunities available if water quality can be improved,such as swimming from a new beach area. 

To improve water quality in near term, a number of tasks have to be completed, such as dredging near two major storm sewer inlets, the beach area and near the lake outlet. The lake is very shallow and its average depth is only about 7 feet. The deepest part is only 10 feet. Greater lake depths improve the quality of aquatic life and inhibit plant growth. The other immediate task is to clean all the existing catch basin that empty into the lake which provide some first hand protection. The Town's Dept. of Public Works has already initiated a program to clean catch basins and swales around the Lake this fall.  The key to maintaining future water quality means controlling what goes into the storm sewers in the first place and treating runoff before it enters the lake.

Using nature and a "green" approach, manmade wetlands and preliminary retention areas can be installed to "treat" the pollutants, and hopefully lower concentrations of nitrates, phosphorus, oils and grease and even some heavy metals found in runoff. Two such areas are proposed for construction where prominent weed growth is now visible. Other proposed mitigation measures will include:
1) constructing a new lake outlet control structure so lake levels can be varied to assist in maintenance tasks and flow regulation,
2) installing new storm sewers and catch basins that discharge to the lake, and
3) replacing some sanitary sewers along roads near the lake.

The amount of the grant request was just under $400,000. These funds are administered under the NYSDEC Water Quality Improvement Projects Program, Round 10.

The Town would also like positive input from residents who are familiar with the lake and can offer suggestions on where there corrective actions can be taken to improve water quality and stop unwarranted pollution of this great resource.

Submitted by: Rick McCabe                                                                                                                               Supervisor
Town of East Greenbush