BERNE — "We need to set aside our fears, set aside our politics, help our residents, and save our tax dollars," Berne Supervisor Kevin Crosier said at last Wednesday night’s town board meeting.

Crosier has been pushing to consolidate the Berne Highway Department with the Albany County Department of Public Works. Berne residents and highway workers, however, expressed concerns.
"What happens to the people" That’s my main concern," Berne board member Joe Golden said.
"It’s a brand new idea," Crosier said. The town and county consolidation would be the first in the state, according to the Association of Towns.
"In the 21st Century, the world is changing," said Crosier. "We need to look further down the road. We need to look at consolidation very seriously." Crosier later said that the town could be forced into consolidation if it didn’t consolidate now.

A report put together by the town and county outlines over $600,000 in expected savings and service improvements for Berne.

The need to construct a salt storage facility, the need to replace underground fuel storage tanks, along with the desire to save taxpayers’ money led to the plan.

According to the report, Berne has 79.25 road miles, a population of 2,846 in 2000 according to the 2000 census, and the second-highest ratio of road miles per 1,000 people (27.85) in Albany County. The report also says 47 percent of the roads within Berne are county roads.

Ray Storm, Berne’s highway superintendent, recently told The Enterprise he’d rather look into money-saving strategies than ask the board for more money.
"We need to look at ways to keep taxes down," Storm told The Enterprise.

Storm and Albany County’s commissioner of public works, Michael Franchini, cite rising material and fuel costs as reasons to support the proposed consolidation. Albany County, which uses more materials and hires more workers, gets better prices on materials and doesn’t pay as much as Berne for workers’ compensation insurance, they say.
"We provide service 24 hours a day," Franchini said at Wednesday’s meeting in Berne. "We have guys out there while you’re sleeping. For snowplowing, we have enough staff and we rely on our engineering department. We replace culverts on our own. We can provide a better service," he said.
Franchini went on to say that he was proud of Albany County employees. "And most of our guys live in the town of Berne," Franchini said.

Crosier also commended Berne’s highway workers.
"Our highway guys are asked to do a lot," he said. "I think by combining we can provide a better service. Our guys do a great job. Their guys do a great job."

Workers Have Concerns

Berne highway workers raised concerns, including where salt and sand would be stored; differences in snow and ice control methods between Albany County and Berne’s highway department (Albany County uses pure salt, Berne uses a salt and sand mixture); the distance workers would be required to travel from Berne to the county supply building; changed routes; and which roads would be maintained.
"What we’re doing now won’t change," Crosier said.

Crosier, Storm, Franchini, and Albany County Executive Michael Breslin were all in agreement that the proposed consolidation is still in its genesis and therefore not far enough along to answer such operational questions.

Highway workers also expressed concern about Berne losing its identity as a small, rural highway department; losing control as money gets farther from the town; and the serviceability of roads. Workers also voiced concerns about Albany County’s ability to plow private roads or lots, such as for a church.

Townspeople at the meeting wondered if the consolidation would result in Berne residents being last in line for snow removal and road maintenance.

Joe Welsh and his fellow Berne highway workers recently compiled a list of 49 questions about the proposed merger and presented the questions to Crosier.

Welsh received responses to his questions but has concerns about the answers he was given. Welsh doesn’t know who came up with the answers and isn’t satisfied with the answers provided.
"The answers to some of these questions are ridiculous," Welsh told The Enterprise. "They jump around a lot and avoid the questions."
At last Wednesday’s meeting, Breslin said, "If you want to go over them [the questions] one by one, we’ll do it."

The board, Breslin, Franchini, and Welsh, scheduled an open meeting to answer highway department employees’ questions on Aug. 23 at the East Berne firehouse. The meeting, due to scheduling conflicts, has been canceled but will be rescheduled at a later date, Welsh said this week.

Other business

In other business, the town board:

— Heard from Youth Director Jane O’Shea that the summer program was a success, seeing a 17 percent increase in enrollment from last year. O’Shea said early advertisement as well as not having the program run over the Fourth of July weekend are reasons for its success. O’Shea informed the board that it would be wise to rethink brochures which were sent out to residents as they were expensive and asked the board to consider increasing the $50 fee for each child next year;

— Rescheduled Berne Heritage Days for Sept. 2. The town-wide celebration of its history was postponed from July 22 because of heavy rain;

— Heard that Jeff Thomas of Knox will donate $850 to the Friends of the Berne Library;

— Approved replacing the transfer-station truck for an amount not to exceed $85,490.05. The board also approved buying the truck’s options for an amount not to exceed $26,294. The transfer-station truck will also need a hoist with an automatic tarping system, which the board will bid on at a later date, Patricia Favreau, Berne’s town clerk, told The Enterprise;

— Agreed to hire Richardson Pump Service to install a well pump at the town park for an amount not to exceed $2,325.65;

— Heard from Crosier that World Changers is looking to help with any town projects. World Changers, a group of Christian volunteers, works with Albany County Rural Alliance and comes to Berne each summer for one week to work on a person’s home; and

— Heard that Jackie Murray, who kept the minutes for the zoning and planning boards, resigned. Andrea Barnwell will now be appointed to the position.