By Zach Simeone

KNOX — The town has been reimbursed by the state for another set of wheels at the transfer station, and additional funds received will go towards maintaining Knox’s snow mobile trails.

The town recently got a $30,385 grant from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, which, at its Jan. 13 meeting, the town board appropriated to the building reserve.

The grant served as a reimbursement for a truck and a 40-cubic-yard container, purchased close to two years ago for the transportation and storage of waste.

“We were qualified for a reimbursement on the purchase,” Supervisor Michael Hammond said this week. “There was close to a 30-percent reimbursement. We paid $112,562 for the truck and around $7,000 for the container,” he said.

Additional funds from the DEC allowed the board to authorize Hammond to disperse snowmobile trail funds, Hammond said; $2,727.90 went to the Frontier Sno Riders, $422.10 to the Ridge Runners.

“The state funds snowmobile trails throughout New York State,” Hammond said. “Some of those trails are in the town of Knox, and all the towns or counties in New York State have to be a sponsor if local snowmobile clubs want to provide their services in preserving the trails. They file vouchers with the state for reimbursement of some of their costs. Being that Knox is a sponsoring agency, we disperse the money to each of the clubs on a mileage basis,” he said.

The board also discussed the purchase of a new snowplow for $182,275.44.

“The town anticipates it’s going to be nine months to a year before we actually receive it, because it has to be built,” Hammond said. “We plan on paying for it from the highway equipment reserve fund, and a bond anticipation note,” he said.

Other business

In other business at its Jan. 13 meeting, the town board:

— Received a report from Jack Norray, Knox’s animal control officer, who traveled 1,162 miles and made 102 calls in 2008;

— Announced the town’s winter festival, to be held on Saturday, Jan. 31, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Festivities include an antique snowmobile show, a chili cook-off, sledding, snowman building, a bonfire, and free hot dogs provided by the town’s youth council;

— Transferred $1,000 from the town’s general fund to the lighting district fund, to cover the cost of electrical requirements for the town park; and

— Reviewed the books of Judge Jean Gagnon and Judge Linda Quay, as required by the Office of Court Administration. “Everything was in order,” Hammond said.