Montour Falls village board 9/6/12

    Meeting:  The Montour Falls village board met for one hour and 55 minutes, Thursday, Sept. 6.
    Attendance:  All board members were present.  There were five members of the public in the audience.
    Action:  The board approved Bill Christoffels to continue using the village hall second floor as a performing space.  Christoffels said the summer season of melodrama productions has ended, but he wanted to continue offering something into the fall.  The Courthouse Performing Arts Center will offer free Sunday afternoon concerts in October.  Christoffels explained it would not necessarily be every Sunday, but as often as there is a group to perform.
    • The board approved spending no more than $1,000 as an initial contribution towards paying an engineer to design a joint wastewater treatment facility with Watkins Glen.  There is the possibility of grant funds covering some costs.  Board member James Howell said the plans are still in the very early stages.  Board member Phil Smith expressed concerns that this would be more costly than doing repairs to their own wastewater facility.  Howell said it is too early to tell at this point because the villages have not decided who would even own and operate the plant.
    Discussion without action:  The board heard from the owners of OSM Off-shore Marina in Starkey who will be offering boat-lift services at the Village Marina and Campgrounds.  Mayor John King said Bill Summers sold his boat lift at the Montour marina to OSM.  Co-owner Kim Crawford said they would take boats out of the water while Off-shore Marina and the village agree to a contract.
    • Fire Chief Jeff Confer reported the department is preparing next year’s budget and contracts.  He explained at this time there is no cost increase for the towns of Dix and Montour.
    • Confer also said the fire department applied for a $290,000 federal grant to replace the ladder truck.
    • Board member Jim Ryan suggested the proposed rental law include wording that covers seasonal rentals where a house owner rents their property for a short period of time.  The rental law was started as a way keep track of rental properties and owners to prevent problems with absent landlords.
    • Code Enforcement Officer Dean Hillyard said he received a quote to replace the sidewalk in front of the post office.  A new sidewalk would cost $2,760.
    Upcoming meetings:  The next village board meeting is Thursday, Sept. 20, at 7 p.m.  There will be a public hearing on the proposed all-terrain vehicle restrictions.