Niles Road rough

Thursday, November 17, 2005 - 00:00





RENSSELAERVILLE — Neil Carmen blames the condition of his road, Niles Road, for ruining the ball joints in his truck, twice.
"It’s from driving that road, day in and day out," Carmen said. "It’s like a rumble strip."
At its regular meeting last Thursday, Carmen presented the Rensselaerville Town Board with a petition signed by the residents of Niles Road. The petition demands that "immediate action be taken to improve the deplorable condition of this road."

Carmen said Highway Superintendent G. Jon Chase had told both him and his wife that the road would be repaired this year. Though the road crew did some work on the road a few weeks ago, Carmen said, the problems are still there.
Chase admitted, "That road has been a disaster. There’s no question about it."

Chase said he had a skim coat put on the road at the cost of $3,500.
"That’s all we can afford to do this year," Chase said. "We can do only what the budget allows me to do."

The road crew has been through the whole town, patching holes, Chase said, and it cost a lot of money just to do that. Higher oil prices are also to blame for the increased cost of repairs, he said.

Niles Road is on the town’s list of roads that require work over the winter and into next year, Chase said.

Niles Road runs for about a-mile-and-a-half from the Greene County line to Medusa.

Other business

In other business at the Nov. 10 meeting, the Rensselaerville Town Board:
—Heard from County Legislator Alexander "Sandy" Gordon about the community wind project in the Hilltowns. Gordon and a few others are spearheading an effort to create a business plan for a 10 megawatt community-owned wind farm in the Hilltowns. The project is funded by a grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).

Gordon asked for a member of the town board or a designee of the town board to be a member of the focus group responsible for creating the plan. He asked the town board to think about it and get back to him;

—Declared Nov. 18, 19, and 20 to be Bob Tanner Day, Robert Thomspon Day, and Brian O’Keefe Day, in honor of three Rensselaerville residents who have returned home from serving in the military in Iraq;

—Approved a $2.2 million budget for 2006; and

—Agreed to ask the county for a new sign on Route 352 that says Fox Creek Road. According to a resident of that road, Fox Creek Road is used for mailing addresses, but the sign that said Fox Creek Road no longer exists.

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