By Michelle O’Riley

VOORHEESVILLE —The village has lifted its moratorium on outside water use and is now looking to stop residential leaks.

The water moratorium or suspension for non-village residents was lifted at last Tuesday night’s board of trustees meeting. This means eligible non-village residents will now have access to the village’s water supply.

The water moratorium was put into effect in June of 2004. It was lifted because of the addition of a half million-gallon water tank and the decrease of water use by customer Atlas Copco, a Voorheesville business which makes compressors, generators, mining equipment, and other industrial tools.

In order to make up for this loss in revenue, Mayor John Stevens said, more water customers are being added rather than increasing the cost of water to village residents.

Letters were sent to about 15 non-village residents who recently contacted Voorheesville, requesting access to the village’s water supply, to notify them of the lift. As a result, nine of those customers responded with interest in applying for water use.

Voorheesville’s Water System Rules and Regulations were revised to accommodate non-village residents. The rules now state that an eligible residence must be within 150 feet of an existing village water system mainline. In addition, the minimum charge and metered usage rates are double for non-village residents.

To apply for water use, the owner or authorized agent of a property owner should contact Voorheesville Village Hall. New service will not be available until April 1.

Residential water leaks

A recent interim reading of water meters targeted 147 indications of possible leaks in village homes. These leaks were targeted using the new $500,000 Badger Automatic Meter Reading System that was purchased by the village last year.
All village residents with possible leaks were sent a postcard notifying them of a possible leak. Superintendent of Public Works Will Smith said, "residents were very appreciative of the notices." A possible leak could include a running toilet or leaky faucet.

The first reading with the new Badger system was administered in May of 2005 and numbers from that reading were used to bill customers last June. The readings are scheduled to take place two or three times a year.

According to Smith, in the past it would normally take up to three months to schedule a time to get into village homes for water meter readings. Now it only takes about an hour for this new technology to read the entire system.
Smith says of the new system’s cost, "Within a year it will pay for itself." Since the purchase of the new system, water production has already gone down 15 percent in the village, he said.

Other business

In other business, the village board:

— Received final plans for water connection and water main improvements between Voorheesville and Guilderland. The board is waiting on the Albany County Health Department for approval. Plans will be in the village office for review;

— Heard that plans for sidewalks over railroad tracks in the village would be taken to the planning board last week. Tentative costs are $10,900 for a pipeline and sidewalk and an additional $2,000 for sidewalk from the railroad tracks to Grove Street;

— Approved two new signs — at Voorheesville Plaza and another sign for a new business at 1 North Main Street;

— Appointed alternates for the senior housing project — Dan Carmody for the zoning board of appeals and Marie McMillen for the planning commission;

— Made changes in the village’s recreation policy. Administration costs for summer employment were added; and

— Talked about plans with the town of New Scotland to work together on a summer music festival. The tentative date and location will be July 1 at the grade school property. The organizers will be looking for local talent, food, a tent, and a bandstand.