Guilderland Archives — The Altamont Enterprise, April 29, 2010
Town releases $2M to DOT for flyover bridge
By Anne Hayden
GUILDERLAND — After 10 years of collecting payments, the town is releasing over $2 million to the state’s Department of Transportation, for the Northern Corridor Flyover Bridge.
The bridge is part of the ring road that was constructed when Crossgates Mall expanded in the mid-1990s. The mall doubled in size, re-aligned Rapp Road with Johnston Road, re-built the ring road, and built an exit off of the Northway. The mall had to get permission from the state’s DOT to construct the exit off of the Northway, and build the Northern Corridor Flyover Bridge; the bridge is on state land, and is maintained by the state.
The town of Guilderland has acted as a fiduciary, or a trustee, because it has the ability to charge the mall on its tax bill, according to Supervisor Runion. The town entered into an agreement with the state to collect 10 payments, of $230,000 each, from the mall. After the tenth payment was collected, the town would turn that money over, plus interest.
The tenth payment from the mall was made to the town this year, and the town board voted last Tuesday to release $2,649,228.66 to the state. Runion said the money had been kept in a separate reserve account, and would not affect the town’s fund balances.
A portion of the ring road, from Rapp Road to roughly 100 feet before the entrance ramp off of the Northway, is owned by the town of Guilderland. The town re-paved that part of the road last year.
“We have always been pretty prudent about what we need to take care of,” Runion said. He said he thought the state would be using the collected money to construct a new deck for the Northern Corridor Flyover Bridge, but he was not sure, due to the state’s economic crisis.
Other business
In other business, the town board voted unanimously to:
— Re-appoint Debra Murphy to the Board of Assessment and Review;
— Authorize the Department of Water and Wastewater Management to go out to bid for the purchase of a pavement roller, and sale of surplus equipment;
— Award bids for various Highway Department items;
— Waive building permit fees associated with re-construction due to fire at 5816 Gardner Road;
— Authorize the supervisor to sign a collector’s warrant for the Guilderland Water District;
— Establish water district number 79, on Ostrander Road;
— Authorize the supervisor to sign an agreement with Technical Building Services, Inc., for building maintenance services;
— Retain the services of Marvin & Co. to perform auditing services; and,
— Set a public hearing for May 18 for an easement for parking and ingress and egress in regard to the Schoolcraft House parking area, for Hamilton-Union Church on Western Avenue.