Repairs neededWill town swap Krumkill Road"



NEW SCOTLAND – Krumkill Road is a gateway from rural New Scotland into the city of Albany. As such, traffic gets heavy.

The town is responsible for maintaining the section of Krumkill Road that passes through New Scotland, in the town’s northeast corner.

At its July 11 meeting, the town board discussed the possibility of a road swap with Albany County that would make Krumkill a county road, and Font Grove Road – which is now a county road – a town road.

On Wednesday, the town board will hold a special meeting, and Supervisor Ed Clark anticipates that the board will pass a resolution authorizing him to submit a proposal to the county.
"In the long run, its going to be a very difficult and expensive road to maintain," Clark told The Enterprise of Krumkill, which, he said, has "very, very heavy commuter traffic" that will only increase if the Kensington Woods development is approved. (See related story.)

The town’s engineering firm, Stantec, is currently investigating a section of Krumkill Road that was heavily damaged during the April nor’easter. R. Mark Dempf, an engineer with the firm, estimates repairs will cost $500,000.

Federal Emergency Management Agency officials have observed the damage, and have requested reports detailing damages sustained over the past five years, before making a determination as to funding the repairs, Dempf said.
"We feel it’s getting worse, and it’s a matter of time before we have to do something else, with or without FEMA," Dempf advised the board at its meeting last Wednesday.

The town is awaiting core samples from Geotech, said highway superintendent Darrell Duncan this week. At this point, he said, the town has installed a sign marking the area, but is waiting on Stantec’s recommendations on how to proceed.
Dempf said that a temporary patch is not feasible. "Adding more weight to the area is not what I would consider a good idea," he said.
The roads damage "hasn’t reached the point where it is threatening," said Clark. "We want to do something before it becomes really dangerous."
"We can’t afford to continue to maintain it," said Dempf at last week’s meeting.
"It is, as far as we’re concerned, a county road, as it connects three municipalities," Clark said, referring to Albany, Bethlehem, and New Scotland. Font Grove Road is a county road that "exists solely in the town of New Scotland," he said, adding that it would be reasonable to make it a town road.
Councilman Richard Reilly, whose father, Herbert Reilly, is a county legislator, told the board last week that the idea seemed like one the county "was open to."

Michael Franchini, the Albany County Commissioner of Public Works, was not available for comment on Wednesday.
The change in ownership of the road, Councilman Reilly said, "is a more long-term solution."
Clark is waiting to hear from the Northeast Neighborhood Association to get a sense of how residents feel about the change. "I presume there is some attraction to the idea," Clark said.
At this stage, he said, it would be "premature" to hold public meetings on the subject, "because we have no idea how it will be received."
He is unclear of how the transition process works, he said. "I’ve never traded roads before" We’ll have to investigate that somewhat."

Other business

In other business at its July 11 meeting, the town board:

– Heard from Dempf that the town is looking at potential re-alignment of the intersection of New Salem South Road and Glenwood Terrace. New Salem Properties, which has filed an application with the town for a nine-lot subdivision on 40 acres off of Meadowbrook Place, agreed to fund $5,000 for a survey to determine the overall project cost.
"It’s going to benefit the town, even if the project does not go through," said planning-board Chairman Robert Stapf.
This is of "significant importance" to the applicant, as it is the sole roadway in and out of the property, said Dempf.

The board authorized Supervisor Clark to authorize Stantec to prepare a design to propose to the applicant on the intersection;

– Heard from Paul McDonald, of the Capital Bicycle Racing Club, on the group’s second annual bike race on Aug. 11, which will briefly travel on Route 301 in the town of New Scotland.

McDonald said that the group participates only in sanctioned events, with insurance. The Aug. 11 race, he said, will have about 350 racers and 60 volunteers on a 20-mile long race loop. Albany County will provide emergency medical services and police, he said. All intersections of the course where the participants do not have the right-of-way, will have police, McDonald said.

The group was seeking town-board approval, though it was not required for them to travel through the town. The board took no action on the issue;

– Approved a bid opening for Aug. 3 at 10 a.m. for trash collection in the town;

– Authorized Clark to send a letter to the county regarding posting speed limit signs on Martin Road, Rowe Road, and Onesquethaw Creek Road.
Miriam Williams addressed the board regarding Rowe Road and Onesquethaw Creek Road. Williams recalled events that she and her husband had observed on Saturday, July 7. "We witnessed a speeding truck hit our elderly neighbor’s cat," she said. The vehicle never slowed down, and luckily, she said, the elderly woman had just finished crossing the street from getting her mail.

Clark thanked her, and informed her that the town needs to get permission or a recommendation from the county for speed limit signs;

– Granted the request of town Assessor Julie Nooney that the town set the amount for mileage reimbursement at the rate established by the federal government. The town will now reimburse at the rate of the Internal Revenue Service – $.485 per mile. The town was previously reimbursing at $.445 per mile, Nooney said;
– Discussed the draft of a senior zoning law. It would be a "floating incentive zone," said Reilly, who drafted it with the help of other town officials. The town’s planning board had reviewed the document and its recommendation was to move forward with it, said Stapf. "We’ve put everything we’ve gathered into a document that seems realistic," Stapf said.

The document will now go to the county’s planning board for review. The town board scheduled a public hearing for the Aug. 8 meeting at 6:30 p.m., but will have to wait to hear from the Albany planning board to vote.
Town resident Edie Abrams suggested that the town print letters to the editor in the local newspapers urging New Scotland residents to attend the public hearing. "People do read them," Abrams said of letters to the editor. "This is a big deal, I think," she added;

– Heard from Reilly that the town’s recreation committee has enough money in its budget to book the band, Mayan’s End, to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the town.
Reilly also informed the board of a $30,000 youth and recreation grant, that might be a possible grant for a municipal skate park for the town and the village of Voorheesville. "The project would fit within the parameters of the grant," Reilly said. Community members would raise the funds for the equipment for the park, he said.
"I feel that a community pool would benefit more people than a skate park," said former councilwoman Andrea Gleason; and

– Heard from town clerk Diane Deschenes that the town received a $30,918 grant for the installation of read-by meters in the town’s water districts. The town asked for $74,918, she said, so it will have to consider how to scale back the project.