It was with deep sadness to learn of the passing of former Village Trustee Ron Miller on January 23, 2016. Ron was passionate about everything he did and was a true gentleman. I had the privilege of attending Ron’s funeral and hearing remembrances of his life, some of which I knew and others hearing for the first time, which further emphasized his commitment and service to others. My condolences to Ron’s family and friends.

2015 was another busy and productive year in Menands. There was quite a bit of movement on an economic front, new personnel, continued hard work from our departments and ongoing efforts in paving and infrastructure projects. I am so grateful to our staff for their dedication to our Village and providing us with a safe and unique place to live.

We welcomed new Board members, Trustee’s Diane Foley and Steve Boulet. The Village also purchased 280 Broadway (former Key Bank building) in December for much needed office and storage space. The new building will allow for expansion of office space for those who currently share an office or do not have one, while exploring options for future expansion.

Public Safety:

2015 brought with it a very difficult year for our public safety departments. While the end of the year we saw record high temperatures and a mild winter, the beginning of the year had record snow and cold. Our first responders dealt with a structure fire on Broadway, flooding issues, and the unfortunate response to two fatal automobile accidents along with numerous other calls throughout the year.

DPW:

In addition to weekly services performed, such as trash, recycling and special pick-up, as well as routine projects that are continuously ongoing, the DPW had a busy year.

• Following the retirement of Tim Boyd as Foreman of the Department of Public Works, Sub-Foreman, Mike Hagmann was promoted to Foreman and Sean Connors appointed to the position of Sub-Foreman. Kelvin Schoonmaker was upgraded from a Full-time temporary position to Full-time permanent laborer.
• In addition to plowing and salting, the DPW fixed a record number of water main breaks in early 2015.
• Participated in Albany County’s Hazard Mitigation Plan and Emergency Management Meetings.
• Maintenance projects in and around the Village Municipal Center.
• Assisted and performed infrastructure and paving projects.
• Sidewalk repairs and replacement.
• Coordinated efforts with the Town of Colonie and Albany Rural Cemetery to alleviate flooding issues.
• Replaced trackless snow blower.
• Tree removal and fire hydrant flushing and replacement.
• Continuous placement of seasonal and holiday decorations.
• Coordinated efforts for installation of school crossing signs at entrance to Menands School.
• Assisted where needed throughout the Village.

Menands Fire Dept.:

With an increased number of calls over last year, we are very grateful to the volunteer members of the Fire Dept. for their dedication to the safety of those who live and work in Menands. In addition to routine calls that the Fire Dept. face yearly, a small sample of activities the members saw in 2015 include:

• 2nd Asst. Chief, Michael Steurer received a commendation for his actions in responding to a car accident/fire in November on Van Rensselaer Blvd.
• Welcomed six new active members to the MFD; Justin Jones, Mark Collins, Frederick Weakley, Ryan Drew, Paul DeDominicis and Josh Montanye.
• Responded to a structure fire on Broadway in November.
• Responded to two fatal accidents on Van Rensselaer Blvd. in both November and December.
• Mutual Aide response to assist other Town of Colonie Fire Departments.
• Provided basement pump outs to residents during flooding conditions.
• Hosted their annual open house in October.
• New equipment received included new fire truck, Chief’s vehicle, turn out gear and new pagers.

Total Calls – 313 (including but not limited to):

•             Fire Alarms – 87
•             Mutual Aide – 23
•             EMS Calls – 84
•             MVA – 38
•             Structure Fires – 10

Menands Fire Co. Auxiliary:

• Hosted Life Member Past President brunch which included a fashion show.

• No 711 calls

Menands Police Dept.:

Providing round the clock protection, the police department are often the first ones on the scene when responding to calls. We are fortunate to have the commitment of the members of this department and grateful for their dedication.

• Welcomed Officers PJ Stone and Ty Bariteau to the force, both lateral transfers from the Albany County Sheriff’s Dept.
• Officer Scott Westfall was promoted to Sergeant.
• Sgt. Westfall and Officers Bariteau, Boudreau and Stone received commendations for their efforts during a structure fire at 350 Broadway and a car accident/fire on Van Rensselaer Blvd.
• Chief O’Brien, Sgt. St. Gelais and I continue to participate in Albany County Emergency Managers Program.

• Albany County DA, David Soares provided drug seizure funds to purchase an in car video system for a MPD patrol vehicle which amounted to $10,000.00.
• Purchased new police car.

• Participated in drug investigations with the NYS Police Community Narcotics Enforcement Unit.
• Investigated two fatal Auto Accidents involving Village residents.

Calls:

• Calls for service – 8,671

• Property Checks – 10,666
• Miles traveled – 140,481
• Criminal Arrests – 368
• Traffic Tickets – 1732
• Motor Vehicle Accidents – 171

Village Activity Regarding Public Safety:

• Together with Menands School, applied for NYS grant to improve emergency access for both the school and village communities.
• Continued involvement with Albany County Emergency Managers Program.
• Continued involvement with Albany County Hazard Mitigation Plan.
• Installed new street lights on Simmons Lane near Sky Zone.
• Upgraded and installed street lights on Broadway near Village One Apts.
• Updated the lighting in the Village Hall.

Infrastructure:

• Scott Drive infrastructure and paving was completed.
• Awarded Bid and construction began on the Van Rensselaer Blvd. water system project to be completed Spring 2016.
• Awarded Bid for engineering and rehabilitation of the Wards Pump Station to begin Spring 2016.
• Awarded Bid for re-lining of major sewer line near Simmons Lane to begin Spring 2016.
• Contracted with Engineering firm for study of S. End infrastructure.

Paving:

The 2015 paving program included paving of Amsterdam Ave., Wolfert Ave., Hutton Street, N. Pearl Street and Hampton Street Extension. Additional streets are scheduled for paving beginning in the Spring of 2016.

Economic Development:

• Family Dollar built a new 9,200 square foot store at 22 Broadway.
• Finishing Traders Institute began renovations of 191 Broadway.
• Hudson Valley AAA at 10 Broadway, undertook a substantial rehabilitation project for their vehicle dispatch center.
• NYS Workers Compensation Board relocated their Hearing Division to Riverview Center.
• Harmony Prima Lofts began a $24 million rehabilitation project converting the former Albany International into 145 high end apartments.
• Columbia Development Corporation purchased 431 Broadway and converted the property into office and warehouse space. The $2.5 million project will see 1000 employees when fully occupied.

• The Dutch Village IV project began, consisting of four new apartment buildings at 30 Wards Lane.  There will be 48 units upon completion in 2016.
• St. Agnes Cemetery purchased a former residence at 40 Cemetery Avenue and converted it to office space for the Cemetery staff.
• Northeast Career Planning undertook a renovation of former production space and converted it into office space for their staff.
• The RAD Soap Company, a manufacturer of medicinal and specialty soaps, purchased 4 Wolfert Avenue and is undertaking renovations to relocate their business from Troy.  About 30 people will be employed when the site is fully operational.
• Karate for Kids opened at 100 Broadway.
• Zombie Apocalypse opened at 21 Simmons Lane, creating a laser tag experience in a vacant 10,000 square foot office building.
• Il Faro Italian Restaurant renovated the former Other Company Restaurant at 698 N. Pearl Street into a welcoming 95 seat restaurant and bar.
• GCR Tires completed renovations and upgrades to their facility at 200 Broadway.
• Our semi-annual Business Breakfast, held in May and October, continues to welcome new guests and we were pleased to have developer Uri Kaufman speak in May and Joe Nicola, President of Columbia Development Corp. speak in October.
• Peak Performance Chiropractic opened for business at 319 Broadway.

Building Dept.:

• Building Inspector, Lyle Dartmetko, completed requirements to become a certified NYS Code Enforcement Officer.
• Both Lyle and Paul Reuss, continue to attend training classes to stay up to date on codes, etc.
• The Village Board adopted a Site Plan Review Staff Procedures Policy.
• The Village Board established a fee schedule for new commercial construction projects.

Zoning Board of Appeals:

• Following the resignation of Leslie Carolus as Secretary to the ZBA, Clerk Cheryl Lyons was appointed to the position.

Village Court:

• The Menands Village Court welcomed new Court Clerk Kim Musella.

Beautification:

• Village Gardener, Dianne MacFarland, using her gardening expertise and 295 hours, beautifully maintained the flower beds and hanging pots in the Village, with help from the DPW and fairly good weather conditions, during the growing season in 2015.
• Once again Dianne created a beautiful Fall display on the island, with donations from Michelle and Frank Esposito and help from the DPW and Bill Giering.
• Dianne filled the stone pots with holiday greens and ribbons.
• The third annual Grow Menands contest once again saw beautiful gardens around the Village. The 2015 winner for businesses was Stewarts Shop, located at 14 Broadway and for residents, we had two winners, neighbors Louise Lounsbery and Christine Hearst from Momrow Terrace. Thank you to Bill Giering for spearheading this effort.

Community:

• Pay-It-Forward Together hosted several events to support the Menands and Watervliet Communities.
• Fund raisers were held in support of Derek Murphy, son of Menands Police Officer John Murphy.
• Empower Ethiopia Fundraiser in support of the children in Ethiopia was held.
• Fuel for School Food Drive was held to fill the shelves of food pantries as the kids went back to school.
• Fill the Mayflower Annual Food Drive in November yielded record breaking donations to fill the food pantry shelves for the holidays, as well as support the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society with pet supplies.
• CDCCC Monster Mile and 5K run was a great success.
• The 2015 Summer Concert Series was well attended, with great local bands.
• REACH Youth Group, sponsored by Bethany Church, participated in the 2015 REACH Workcamp.
• Menands Fire Co., sponsored several events to support the MFC and local organizations.

Historian:

• Village Historian, Kevin Franklin continues to share his wealth of knowledge about the Village to anyone interested. Kevin serves as the official photographer of the Village and can be seen at every event capturing the history. Kevin will be moving into 280 Broadway with his historical files.

Youth:

• The Summer Youth Program had fun activities for the kids at the Park Program and went on trips to Fun Spot, Zoom Flume, Sky Zone and Mac’s Ice Cream, Wonderworks, Six Flags, Prospect Mt. Hike and Million Dollar Beach, Clifton Park Ice Skating and Colonie Town Pool. Exciting new trips are planned for 2016.
• Youth Director Brianna Coughlin and her counselors organized fun events for the Village Easter, Halloween and Christmas Parties.
• The Menands Jr. Baseball and Softball League, Ski Program, Youth Soccer and CYO Basketball programs all enjoyed successful seasons.
• The Menands Fire Dept. worked the annual Santa detail by escorting Santa around the Village.

Seniors:

The Menands Sr. Citizens are for members 55 years and older. Their meetings are held on Thursday’s from 10 – 2 at Bethany Church. In 2015, President Diane Leonard organized many exciting trips including:

• Albany St. Patrick’s Day Parade
• The Beeches Inn, Rome, NY
• The Turning Stone Casino,
• Curtain Call Theatre and The Century House Restaurant
• 9/11 Museum, New York City
• “Kykuit,” The Rockefeller Estate, “Shadows on the Hudson,” Restaurant
• Boston Duck Tour, The Chart House Restaurant, Boston, Ma.
• Lake George Dinner Theater, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Abridged
• Washington DC, White House, Capitol, Smithsonian Institute, Udvar-Hazy Air & Space Museum and the, Arlington National Cemetery
• West Point, The River Grill and the River Rose Paddleboat
• Westchester Broadway Dinner Theater, “Showboat”

Menands School:

• The working relationship between Menands School and the Village continues with a common goal of providing a safe environment for the school and village communities.
• With a combined initiative between Menands School and the Village and under the supervision of the Menands Police Dept., new crossing signs have been installed by the DPW at the entrance of the school and a new crossing guard trained to provide safe crossing for students. Thank you to Paul Cooney for his assistance with this project.
• Several school and Village residents participated in the Menands Community Education Summit.

• The PTA continues to host family events including movie nights, bingo night, pancake and spaghetti dinners and dances. They also have their annual mum sale.

Menands Public Library

The Library continues to provide learning experiences for all age groups:

• Guest Speakers
• Children’s Story time
• Homework help and study group
• Book signing by local authors
• Book club
• Movie festivals
• Ice Cream Socials

Upcoming events for 2016:

I am looking forward to the completion of many projects including the Lofts at Albany International, Dutch Village IV, infrastructure projects and continued paving projects. I am also excited about seeing new projects in the months ahead and continued growth for Menands.

Each year the End of the Year Review gets longer but shows the positive growth that Menands continues to see. I look forward to reporting on the progress for 2016.

I thank all of our employees for their hard work and dedication to our Village. Without them all that has been accomplished would not have been possible.

Until next time,

Mayor Meg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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