Fire trucks will relocate for bridge work

    PENN YAN—Getting fire apparatus to calls south of Penn Yan is one of the many issues connected to the closing of the Liberty Street bridge in Penn Yan.
    The Penn Yan Fire Department covers portions of Milo and Barrington outside the village. An agreement to allow some of the fire trucks to be stored at the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) facility on Route 14A is yet to be formalized.
    Tim Alimossy, DOT Resident Engineer for Yates and Schuyler counties attended the meeting of the Penn Yan village board on Tuesday, Aug. 16. Mayor Bob Church said he thought the village had a workable arrangement with DOT for the trucks. Alimossy said the formal agreement will have to be reviewed by the DOT attorney. He said, “We are willing to have the fire department have a staging area on a handshake.”
    Church responded, “It’s too bad you can’t do it on a handshake.” Penn Yan Fire Chief Rick Simpson said he was happy with the agreement.
    Alimossy said if the paperwork was not complete by Sept. 12, he would be happy to allow the trucks to be placed at the DOT site until the paperwork catches up. Asked about the start date of the bridge project, Alimossy said, “Last I heard there is no reason to think it is not on schedule.”
    The Liberty Street bridge in Penn Yan is scheduled to be replaced. Work is expected to last until late spring of 2012. The Main Street bridge will be the primary link between the north and south sections of the village while the project is underway. A traffic plan for that period has been developed.
    In other business: Church thanked all involved in village streets projects during the last six weeks. Church said it saved the village, “A lot of money.”
    • Trustee Michael Christensen spoke about late reports for the Length of Service Award Program (LOSAP). Christensen said village Attorney Ed Brockman will advise on the program.
    • Trustees approved a resolution on use of funds from rural contracts. The contracts need to be updated. The process of funds coming in the village for the contracts will change.    
    • Trustee Wayne Davidson said the Planning and Development Committees are continuing to discuss garbage pickup in the village. Davidson said the village has not been overwhelmed by people coming to complain. He said he would like to have a public meeting to get input on the topic. Davidson said he is concerned about the wear and tear on the roads caused by the heavy garbage trucks.
    • Dottie Jensen was named as an alternate on the village Historic Preservation committee.
    • Christensen commended the fire department for their efforts in responding to a serious traffic accident on July 19. Christensen said, “That type of response requires equipment and expertise. They did an outstanding job.”
    • Trustees granted approval for the Penn Yan Academy Homecoming parade on Saturday, Sept. 17. The parade will begin at 11 a.m. and will travel on Keuka, Elm and Liberty Streets, before ending at the school.
    • The board approved hiring Jeff Breuer as Water Treatment Plant Operator trainee. It was noted from the 80 individuals who took the test, 13 were eligible for the post.
    The next meeting of the Penn Yan village board will be at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 20. The meeting will be in the village office building on Elm Street.