VOORHEESVILLE — All 54 of the active volunteer firefighters here will now be able to take part in the Length of Service Award Program.

In a unanimous vote, the village board on Tuesday decided to change the number of slots available for LOSAP awards from 50 to 60, to accommodate all of the active members of the Voorheesville Volunteer Fire Department. The other part of the resolution states that the administrative fees associated with receiving the benefits will be paid by the recipients.

The state-approved program provides benefits for volunteers when they turn 62 based on the number of years that they have served. In Voorheesville, the fire department provides $480 per year, which is paid for with village taxes. Most fire departments and ambulance services in the area provide $700 per year to their volunteers, a $220 raise approved by voters in 2005.

The Voorheesville fire department was the only service company in New Scotland that did not request an increase last year because it was planning a $1.2 million renovation project for the firehouse.

When volunteers turn 62, they can choose whether to take the money that they’ve earned in one lump sum or receive a portion of it every year for five years. For each option, there is a $75 fee initially, said William Berger, a village trustee and president of the fire department. With the five-year plan, there is an additional cost of $50 per year after the first year. All of those fees are to be paid for by the recipient, he told The Enterprise.

Asked if the service awards had helped the department, Berger said it’s hard to tell. The idea behind the program is that it will attract new volunteers to increasingly under-staffed service companies and encourage existing volunteers to be more active, since they must accumulate a certain number of points that are given for various activities throughout the year in order to be eligible for benefits. In Voorheesville, they’ve had some active members become more active after LOSAP was introduced, Berger said.
"These volunteers put in a lot of hours," he said. "It’s a nice thing to give them a little something."

Other business

In other business at the Dec. 19 meeting, the board:

— Heard from Gerald Gordinier, the village’s part-time building inspector, that there will be a bakery opening in the village. It is slated to go in the former pizza shop building on South Main Street, Berger told The Enterprise on Wednesday; and
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— Heard from Mayor Robert Conway that the village received a letter from the New Salem Fire Department asking for a waiver of water fees from June of 2006 to May of 2007. Berger said on Wednesday that there is a $70 yearly fee in the village and a $140 yearly fee outside of the village. The board was advised by the village attorney that the village cannot waive fees like that, Berger said.