Free park
New Use for old reservoir



GUILDERLAND — Next year, the land around the old McKownville reservoir will be a park thanks to a $99,000 state grant; residents living in Guilderland’s west end may have municipal water; and, if they do, they’ll be able to pay their bill through the town’s website.

A new residential park, bringing water to the west end of town, and paying municipal bills on-line, rounded out the last town board meeting of the year on Tuesday.

The board unanimously authorized the supervisor to sign a contract with the New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation for a grant to turn the McKownville reservoir, which is a pond near Stuyvesant Plaza, into the McKownville Reservoir Park.

According to Supervisor Kenneth Runion, the $99,000 grant was written by the town’s economic development director, Donald Csaposs, and won’t cost the town a dime.

With most state grants for a public works project, local municipalities have to match the funds of the grant. In this case, Runion said, the town is using the assessed value of the land, which is more than the $99,000, as consideration for the grant instead of paying actual money.
"The value of the land will substitute as the match instead of money," Runion said at the meeting. "It takes it out of the water system and puts in the parks department."

The money, he said, will go to developing walking trails and paths around the pond. There will also be a footbridge, a pavilion, and some benches built on the land.

The area where Stuyvesant Plaza is today used to have several ponds before development, and is susceptible to flooding. Runion said the flooding that sometimes washes out Western Avenue will be dealt with separately.

Funding from the grant will only cover the development of the park and not flood control, the supervisor said. State Assemblyman John McEneny, who represents Guilderland, has been vocal in getting funding to control the flooding problem in the area.

The McKownville Neighborhood Improvement Association has for years pushed for the park designation.
"It’s a wonderful Christmas present, Hanukah present, and holiday gift all in one," the association’s president, Donald Reeb told The Enterprise yesterday. Referring to the town’s economic development director, he went on, "Don Csaposs has done great things for the town and so has the board; we’re very pleased."

Reeb said he can remember when the land now occupied by Stuyvesant Plaza was just a series of ponds.
"Before Stuyvesant Plaza, there was a series of ponds"After it got developed the ponds became less and less in number," said Reeb. "We’ve been fighting to save this pond ever since."

Reeb used the example of Buckingham Pond in Albany, just over the town line, east of McKownville near Western Avenue, for what he envisions for the McKownville Reservoir Park.
"Back in the ’60’s, it wasn’t much to look at, but, little by little, it became the great little location it is today," said Reeb. "Hopefully, years from now the McKownville Pond will also get better and better."

Buckingham Pond is in a partially wooded site. A walking trail circles the pond and benches and picnic tables as well as a small playground are nearby. The Albany pond is also stocked with fish by the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation and maintained by the city’s department of general services.
"We can start in the spring and hopefully have it finished by the fall," Runion said about the McKownville Reservoir Park.

West end water

Plans to expand the town’s municipal water system into the largely rural west end has moved forward.

The $7.1 million plan will bring water to Chandler Road and Wagner Road, and extend water lines into Church Road, Route 158, and Grant Hill Road.

Delaware Engineering is leading the project and a public hearing is now set for April 3, 2007, at 7:30 p.m. at town hall.

Runion said the reason why the public hearing is set several months away is to ensure all of the analysis and final studies needed will be completed before submitting the final plans to the public.
The town board is the lead agency in the project and has authorized the retention of Birchwood Archaeological Services to perform a required "cultural resource assessment."

According to Ed Hernandez of Delaware Engineering, there will be a flat fee of $457 per year to all residents living in the proposed water district.

Residents who want to hook up to the system will pay a one-time $1,750 fee in addition to paying a usage fee for the water, Hernandez said.

Runion told The Enterprise yesterday that most of the residents in the area to be served are in favor of bringing in water; he described the current water situation as "problematic."
Runion said in September that, "Chandler and Wagner roads are areas with very poor water."

Some are opposed, however.

Patti Percoski claims in a letter to The Enterprise editor this week that it is "unfair" to raise taxes for residents like herself who won’t use the new water supply.
"I don’t intend to ‘hook up’ to the line, and I didn’t ask for it," writes Percoski. "Why, then, should I have to pay for it""

Hernandez said the charge to residents not using the water is for bringing a municipal service into the area. He cited the example of a town road not used by everyone but still paid for with taxpayers money, and, he added, municipal water increases the value of property in an area simply by being available.
"It basically pays for the bonds on the water system for the area," said Hernandez of the $457 fee. "Otherwise, you could never have water districts."

There will also be a $9.87 increase for town residents currently using municipal water.

Attorney Dennis Feeney told the board the town does not need approval from the state comptroller for the bonding portion of the project because the amount needed is under the federal limit.

Runion said the April 3 hearing will be open to the public and allow residents to discuss any grievances over the final plans for the project.

Cash or credit"

The town board authorized the supervisor to contract with East Ink to establish a system for residents to pay municipal bills using credit cards, debit cards, and electronic checks.

The system, which will be available on the Internet, will eventually allow residents to pay all of their town bills on-line or at the Town Hall with the swipe of a card.

First Niagara Bank is sponsoring the system.
"It will be for all of the departments eventually. First, the receiver of taxes; then the courts, and eventually the rest," Runion said at the meeting. "We will be able to take payments over our newly-designed website as well as two terminals in Town Hall: one in the court and one upstairs."
Runion said that a link to a "secure site" from the town’s website will ensure the safety of any transactions over the Internet.
"It’s all done through a secure website, not the town’s website," he said.

Visa, Mastercard, and Discover cards will be accepted, but not American Express.

There will be a $1.50 fee for all electronic checks and a credit-card fee will be charged to the customer. The credit card fee is proportional to the amount spent.

Runion said that the town court has been asking for a credit card system in order to expedite the payments of fines and fees that are imposed.

There will also be a desk with a computer available at Town Hall for residents to make payments on-line, said Runion.
"There’s some convenience to it, like if it’s the last day to make a tax payment and you can’t make it down here," said Runion.

The board members voted unanimously in favor of the system.

Ending the session, Runion acknowledged that the meeting was the last of the year. The board unanimously canceled its Dec. 28 and Jan. 2 board meetings and set Thursday, Jan. 4, as the town’s re-organizational meeting, at 7 p.m. in town hall.
"As this is the last meeting of the year, we want to wish everyone a happy holiday and a happy new year," said Runion.