Late Summer 2011 Newsletter
LATE SUMMER 2011 NEWSLETTER
FROM THE SUPERVISOR AND TOWN BOARD OF PULTENEY
MEMORIAL DAY DELEBRATIONS—On a lovely day in May, with help from the Pulteney Volunteer Fire and Ambulance Crews as well as the Hammondsport Central School Band, we were able to honor our World War II veterans. We currently have 7 living vets in Pulteney; John Rose, John Pizura, Clarence Dunaj, Walter Faber, Joe Nykiel, Reginald Miner, and Steve Boyetchko. Three of the seven were able to attend the ceremony and we were proud to be able to honor their service to our country.
PLANNING BOARD—The planning board under the leadership of Lisa Stone, has completed a questionnaire being mailed to all property owners asking for inputs to a revised comprehensive plan for our Town. This plan will bring us up to date on current issues facing us and provide guidelines for continuing to preserve our environment and quality of life in an ever changing and challenging world.
WATER DEPARTMENT—We now have about 277 connected customers and to increase this number in an orderly fashion, the Town Board has passed a new local law requiring all residences in the water district to be connected upon sale or in the event of a private water system failure. Additionally, we have been able to alter our contract with the Village of Penn Yan to reduce the minimum annual purchase of water from 20 million gallons to 13 million. This will save us about $21,000 per year in water costs. We are working with the State on the application of a grant of $500,000 to be applied to our long term loan, which will result in a lower annual payment on that loan over the remainder of the 30 year term. To make up for the shortfalls encountered in the start up of the Water District, the Town Board is considering a one time additional capital charge for 2012.
HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT—Even with a very wet Spring, the Highway Crew has been able to get the roads in good shape with dust oil applications, drainage improvements and paving'portions of Brown Road and doing some major patching of Cross Street. Pot hole repairs continue in an orderly fashion and the major constraint on all highway activity is the cost of fuel and materials.
REAL PROPERTY REVAL—The project is complete, notices sent out, meetings held with the assessor, David Oliver, grievance day held with Gary Herrick and his board and a few upcoming judicial reviews. Overall, the Town's full value increased by about 9% and this will result in slightly higher school and county taxes; it is too soon to tell what the effect will be on the Town tax rate.
TOWN JUSTICE—Justice Sam Jack resigned and moved out of State on June 22nd. Hon. James Burns is our new Town Justice and will hold office until 31st Dec, when an elected Justice will take over. Roy Stocking is the Republican candidate for the position. The Town Board is considering hiring a Court Clerk to facilitate the paper and computer work required.
THE WEATHER—It has been a very hot and dry Summer with stress to the crops and lawns, but the Lake has been warm and crystal clear, adding to the enjoyment of our Lake residents. We are hopeful of continued nice weather taking us to Autumn and I wish you all the best in the months to come.
Best regards, Bill Weber, Supervisor, August/September, 2011

Outside Burning Regulations Effective on October 14, 2009, all open burning is prohibited in New York with several exceptions including the following:

• Campfires less than 3 feet in height and 4 feet in length, width or diameter are allowed.
• Small cooking fires are allowed.
• Fires cannot be left unattended and must be fully extinguished.
• Only charcoal or clean, dry, untreated or unpainted wood can be burned.
• Ceremonial or celebratory bonfires are allowed.. Click For More

Summer 2009 Newsletter
SUMMER 2009 NEWSLETTER
Summer is upon us and I have much to report since we emerged from a very difficult winter. Keuka lake froze solid in both branches and there was considerable ice damage, mostly the result of a "microburst" one Saturday evening when the ice was still quite thick.

SCRAP METAL, BATTERY AND APPLICANCE DISPOSAL
I am glad to announce that the Town will be placing two containers for collection of these scrap materials. One will be located at the Town barn on Mill Street and the other one will be at the entrance to the gravel pit near the Wagener Gully bridge on Rt. 54A. The date is SATURDAY, JUNE 27™ FROM 8 AM TO 4 PM. This collection will help us remove scrap materials from Town, help beautify the area and get the Town a small amount of income from the sale of the scrap metals.

DECICATION CEREMONY FOR THE NEW PLAYGROUND
We are planning to celebrate the new playground on SATURDAY THE 11™ JULY FROM LATE MORNING UNTIL EARLY AFTERNOON. We are going to honor the many Town residents who donated time and money to this wonderful addition to the Town. There will be free hotdogs and a soft drink for everyone. I am inviting State Senator Winner, as it was his "member item" that provided $20,000 to offset the total cost of the equipment, the balance being entirely from donations. With a bit of luck, we might even have the local TV station there to help us recognize the great efforts of all the individuals involved, especially Councilman Janet Stone.

THE WATER SYSTEM
Water Plant Operator, Ken Forenz, has done a magnificent job in managing the system components and has reported that we now have 232 connected customers. It is hoped we will have over 300 by the end of 2009. For the balance of this year the Town's Water District will be offering free meters; after 2009, the cost to the customer will be about $160. I encourage all residents in the district to get connected as soon as possible. This will give you a reliable source of good water and enable us to reduce the unit cost of the water. The current $8 per thousand gallons should be reduced to a lower rate as we add more customers to the system. A list of local contactors may be found on the Town's website, www.pulteneyny.com and click on WATER DEPARTMENT.

OUR HIGHWAYS
The winter took it usual toll of the gravel roads and even some of the paved roads. Highway Superintendent George Mclntyre and his crew have paved a portion of Brown road and are smoothing up the gravel road surfaces and applying dust oil where necessary. The goal is clearly one of producing a smooth driving surface with a minimum of dust. Great job, George and the highway crew!!

WASTE WATER, SEPTIC INSPECTIONS AND PROPERTY TRANSFERS
Code Enforcement Officer Lauren Welch has been busy with Zone one and property transfer inspections. Contrary to the real estate problems in other parts of the Country, Lauren reports as many property transfers as he has ever seen, If you get a notice for a Zone one inspection, please comply as soon as possible to ensure we keep Keuka as pristine as ever.

REAL PROPERTY ASSESSMENTS AND THE REVAL PROGRAM
Assessor David Oliver reports that the data collection process is about 50% complete. We have the State and County Departments of Real Property Tax Services coming to the 8th July Town Board meeting to provide the information and timetable for this project which will result in a Town wide re-assessment of all real property.
Have a pleasant and safe summer,
Bill Weber

Boil Water Order
As of Friday 6-12-09 at 10AM the boil water order has been lifted in parts ofthe Pulteney Water District.

Boil Water Order

BOIL WATER ORDER
PULTENEY WATER DISTRICT
Properties on Gallagher Rd, Idlehurst Dr.
& Rte. 54A – South of Lakeside Restaurant
Addresses:  12606 to 13760 State Route 54A

For more information, please contact Ken Forenz of the Pulteney Water District at   607-868-3808 or the NYS Department of Health – Hornell District Office at 607-324-8371.

JANUARY 2009 WATER DISTRICT NEWSLETTER

As I write this newsletter we have about 200 residences hooked up to our new water system. The connections have gone well with local contractors doing a fine job at reasonable prices. The maximum number of connections should be about 400 total, but we anticipate another 100 this year to make the total a year from now 300. That number of residences on the system will give us a sufficient revenue stream to provide good service and debt repayment.

Because we only have 200 customers at the present, it was necessary to raise the water rate to $8 per thousand gallons. This increase at the minimum quarterly billing will cost the average customer 79 cents per week over the 2008 rate. If we get 300 connections by the end of 2009,1 anticipate we can lower the rate back to, the $6.97 per thousand gallons we started with.
To encourage those who are not yet connected to do so as soon as possible, I want to point out a few items of interest:

1) Meters are still free for the balance of 2009 and after that each customer will have to purchase a meter, which is currently about $200.
2) Besides the obvious benefit of clean fresh water available 24/7 with no dependency on electricity, filtering or pump failures, I want you to know virtually all lending institutions will insist on hook ups upon sale or refinancing and municipal water always increases the value of a residence.
3) The "busy" season for the contractors will be in the Spring, so the sooner you make arrangements for the hook up, the sooner you will be ready to go in the warm weather of 2009
Our water department is being managed by Ken Forenz and all his contact information, permit applications, contractor information and suppliers are listed on the Town's website, www.pulteneyny.com. Just click on the water department on the left column and then at that site you can click on the various downloads.

I am attaching a summary of the 2009 fee schedule that Ken Forenz has prepared. In addition to the information on this sheet the new mailing address is PO Box 165, Pulteney, 14874 and the general rule for inspections and turn on/off is 48 hours notice. Bills will be sent to the address shown on your tax bills and no reminder notices will be sent in order to keep our administration costs as low as possible.

We are proud of this great addition to the health and welfare of our community and I encourage all of you who are not connected to do so at your first opportunity.

Click to download... 2009 Fee Schedule

Bill Weber, Supervisor
Early January 2009

WINTER 2008 NEWSLETTER

As I write this last newsletter of 2008 we have not had any measurable snow storms to test our Highway Department, but I assure you, when the time comes they will be ready to provide you with good, safe driving surfaces!

In fact, the roads we maintain are in fine shape thanks to the great work of Highway Superintendent George Mclntyre and his crew of Terry Gibson, Jason Tears, Jim Sprague and Steve Short.
Our playground is now completely finished, thanks to Councilman Janet Stone, the Highway crew, North Country Contracting and the many terrific volunteers and donors. We get compliments all the time about the appearance of the playground and the area in and around Town Hall. We started a "handyman" programme with Randy Kelly volunteering his time and energy. When it appeared his time was limited and there was still much to be done, the Town Board appointed Steve Short to be the paid "handyman" and he has worked wonders with the grounds and building.

I am going to write a separate and special newsletter for Water District customers, but let me say here and now that this project was completed on time, under budget and operating smoothly thanks to the fine efforts of North Country Contracting, John Murphy of Hunt Engineers and Architects, Ken Forenz (our water plant operator), NYS DoT and the co-operative spirit of the people in the district who gave us the necessary easements and directions for the location of the curb stops. Great effort by all concerned, not the least of whom are Town Clerk, Donna Conley and Bookkeeper Helen Coombs for the added work load and effort required to make this project a going concern for the Town. I must also mention Gary Dinehart, Paul Enos, Carrie Wheeler, and Daryl Jones of the Town of Jerusalem who have helped us in many ways, not the least of which has been sage advice on how to start the system up and avoid the pitfalls of the new business.

The residents of the Lake have "dodged a bullet" in that the Department of Health rescinded its prohibition of lake water for domestic use. Notwithstanding the opportunity for many of the lake residents to connect to the municipal system, those outside of the district (South of the Waterfront Restaurant) would have had a tremendous hardship with new construction or even satisfying a bank loan requirement for an approved water system upon sale. A meeting of many interested parties in Penn Yan convinced DoH that this proposed regulation was onerous and not good government.
Your Zoning Officer, Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals has been quite busy of late with the usual requests for sub-divisions and the variances that often accompany building permit applications. I must tell you we suffered a great loss with the untimely death of Jim Burchett, Chairman of the ZBA. Fred Bulkley agreed to return to the ZBA as Chairman, Doug Nichols moved from the Planning Board to the ZBA and Nancy Cole will soon replace Helen Coombs who has served the Board as Secretary/member for as long as I can remember! Well done and thanks, Helen. The other members of the ZBA are Nena Case and Dana Digiulio. These men and women serve without compensation in an often thankless job!

The last item I want to tell you about is the real property data collection programme underway. Assessor David Oliver is heading up this project with two part time contractors and the data, when completed, will enable the Town Board to make a decision on whether to proceed to a re-val. Pulteney is the only municipality in the Hammondsport and Prattsburgh School Districts with fractional assessments.
I end this newsletter with wishes to all of you for a joyous Holiday Season and a healthy and Happy New Year.

Bill Weber        December 2008

SPRING/SUMMER 2008 NEWSLETTER

With summer nearly upon us and school about to be let out for the summer vacation and the resulting arrival of our Summer residents, it is a good time to review some of the salient features of your Town government that have evolved since the last newsletter.

THE WATER DISTRICT PROJECT

For all practical purposes the project is complete and running just fine.  We have a minor control problem with Jerusalem and Penn Yan, but Water Plant Operator, Ken Forenz, is able to run in a manual mode with no problems.  We have about 100 customers taking water now and to the person they are delighted with the pressure and water quality.  With about 500 potential users, we feel we have about 300 more to connect this first year of operation, if the 80% rule that Jerusalem experienced holds true for Pulteney.  Please refer to our website, www.pulteneyny.com, or call 868 3808 for information on connection permits and contractors.

THE PLAYGROUND PROJECT

The last newsletter told of the initial installation of the new equipment and the outstanding list of donors of both money and energy.  The project was halted by the onset of Winter, but with the Spring came new vigor with volunteers to finish the installation, wood chip spreading and site work.  We have not finalized the drainage issue yet and are waiting for some small parts, but the playground is fully functional and being used by our children.  I especially want to thank Councilman Janet Stone for her organizational skills and energy in seeing this project to completion.  She was assisted by many members of our Community and there was one day when the youngest volunteer was over 60 and the oldest were in their 80’s!  Our children should be proud to know the “old geezers’” in Town have contributed heavily to their fun and welfare.

NEW DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH REGULATIONS ON DRINKING WATER

You may have seen news articles about a recent Dept. of Health regulation prohibiting the use of surface waters for individual household drinking water systems.  Simply put, they are saying we may no longer drink Keuka Lake water.  There are well specifications in place, but if you have a property on the Lake and cannot meet the well specs and are not in the Water District No. 1, you, in effect, have property that cannot have a construction permit and further, if you need any sort of waste water system waiver from the Dept. of Health of the State, the answer is NO.  Many of us are protesting this insane bureauocratic nightmare, but you may be able to help by contacting any and all in the State Government and telling them this is simple Government gone too far!!

REAL ESTATE TAXES AND ASSESSMENTS

In conversations with many Town residents I am told our taxpayers are assuming your Government is in the process of a re-val for the Town; this is not true, as your Town board has carefully examined the issue, worked with our assessor, the State board of real property services and the Steuben County real property tax service.  We have determined that with few exceptions, virtually every property in Town would pay higher County and School taxes if we did a re-val.  Your Town tax rate is about $4 per 1000 and we believe we can hold the line for the foreseeable future.  What we believe to be true is that School and county taxes will continue to rise, even with the current attempt to cap the School tax levy increase to 4%.  It is our belief that Government in New York State is taxing us at a rate beyond our capacity to pay and the result is out migration of the working age families, further exaggerating the problem of taxes.  Our only suggestion is for you to contact our State representatives and tell them taxes in our State are simply too high and overall spending must be reduced—no if ands or buts!!

Sorry to leave you with a sour note, but please have a safe and fun summer here in Pulteney on Keuka Lake.

Bill Weber        July 2008

SECOND NEWSLETTER OF 2008
Our first newsletter was dedicated entirely to the Water District and this letter will briefly update you on other Town happenings, especially the playground project.

Your Town Highway Dept. under the direction of Superintendent George McIntye has kept the roads in fine shape all through the late summer and autumn; we hope the mid-winter thaws do not damage the gravel roads more than usual. The Highway Dept. has new wheeled excavator purchased, in part, with a State grant of $70,000 as part of the new shared services program administered by the NYS DOT. The Superintendent also has a new truck to replace the older pick-up. I am glad to report the Union contract is well in place and operating as hoped for, with the bargaining unit highwaymen enjoying the benefits of a fine health insurance program.

Your fire commissioners of District no. 2 have been wrestling with die question of ambulance coverage in District no. 1 and appear to be making some headway with the question of non-mutual aid coverage in the North of town. The Health Dept of the State has issued a license for the Ambulance crew to operate in the whole Town; Don Ballam and Nancy Snyder are working hard to define the insurance situation for our EMT's working out of their district.

The Planning Board, under Chairman Lisa Stone, has been very busy with sub-division applications. Some are simple, minor sub-divisions, but lately we have seen an increase in the interest in major sub-divisions for residential development. The increased interest in lakeview property has raised the price of land and probably forecasts the demise of vineyards with a view of Keuka Lake. The Planning Board is moving forward with the developments, especially in the SEQR process and the Town Board's Agriculture committee is exploring ways to preserve agricultural land in our Town. The change of scenery in upland Pulteney is dramatic to say the least and your Town government is dealing with it in a manner spelled out in our laws and in the best interests of the whole Town.

NOW ONTO THE PLAYGROUND PROJECT!!
Our playground committee, Lisa Stone and Councilman Janet Stone, brought to the Town Board a proposal to completely renew the existing playground with all new equipment. As we had a $20,000 grant in hand from the State and a smaller one from CVS Pharmacies, the Board approved the purchase of the equipment and the project was underway!
Jan Stone ordered the equipment and then started a fund raising campaign which was so enormously successful that the entire project will not cost the Pulteney taxpayers any local money whatsoever. Site preparation and technical management was provided by Jason Tears with the following contributors:

Removal of the old equipment, site clearing, hole drilling, construction materials, concrete work and heavy item unloading were provided by:
North Country Contractors, LLC
Lawrence McMinn
Town Highway Dept.
Knapp and Schlappi Lumber Co.
Knight Settlement
Shirleys of Bath

The following people volunteered in the assembly and set up of the equipment:

The following people and companies made financial contributions to the project:

This is a remarkable show of community spirit and support providing a new and fascinating playground for our children—more contributions are still coming in and, if you wish to donate, there is still time!
I remind you that Pulteney has a wonderful website designed by Don and Dan Radigan and I encourage all of you to visit www.pultenyny.com. There is all sorts of information on it, along with downloadables of our local laws, permit applications, instruction booklets and links to many other applicable sites, such as www.keukalakeassoc.org for a real time display of Keuka Lake levels.

I hope you had a pleasant holiday season and I wish you all the best for the remainder of the Winter.

Bill Weber, Supervisor
January 2008

FIRST NEWSLETTER OF 2008
Happy New year to all of you! This newsletter is intended to bring you up to date on the nearly complete Water District. The only items remaining at this writing are the telemetry system that enables Pulteney to co-ordinate tank filling schedules with Jerusalem and Penn Yan and some "punch list" items that will be attended to between now and Spring by our contractor, North Country Contractors, LLC
I am glad to report that we have quite a few residents hooked up to the system, including the Town Hall. For those of you who have not made arrangements for the installation of the necessary components for connection, I urge you to contact your preferred contractor, download the information on permits and contractors from our website, www.pulteneyny.com, or call Ken Forenz at 868 3808 for more information.
Your Town Board has worked diligently with the engineers, contractors and water plant operator to ensure we have a reasonable set of regulations in place. To this end we passed a resolution at the 12th December Board meeting setting forth the specifics of Section 7 of Local Law No. 2, 2007 establishing water rates, fees and other charges in connection with the administration and operation of the Town of Pulteney Water District No. 1

1. The rate for water during the year 2008 shall be $6.97 per thousand gallons of water delivered thru the household meter.
2. Each customer shall be billed on a quarterly basis with a minimum charge of $69.70 for 10,000 gallons of water. Additional water used shall be charged at the rate of item no. 1. Connections initially made during a given quarter shall be billed on a pro-rata basis for water used and the minimum charge.
3. All meters shall be furnished by the Town free of charge between November 2007 and December 2009. After Dec, 31st of 2009, the meter will be sold at cost to the resident user.
4. Meter pit packages, where required, shall be sold by the Town to the user at the Town's cost.
5. Water charges are due and payable upon presentation; unpaid bills beyond 30 days shall attract a monthly charge of 1.5% with a maximum total extra charge of 10%.
6. Bills unpaid after 60 days may subject the property's water to be shut off with 10 day's notice and may result in a lien upon the subject property if the water charges are not paid.
7. Water shut-offs, either voluntary or not, may be subject to a fee set by the Town Board.

Interestingly enough, the early completion of the project, under budget, is good news all around and I compliment the contractor, North Country Contractors, LLC for an excellent job and I want to recognize the outstanding contributions of Hunt Engineers, especially John Murphy, who was the field Engineer representing the Town. New York State Dept. of Transportation was especially helpful in providing access vis their Route 54 A right of way.
As the Spring time return of our seasonal residents along 54 A will see a flurry of activity for connections, I urge all the year round residents to contact their contractor for a connection well before the warm weather.

2008 promises to be an exciting year for your Town and another newsletter will describe some of the other developments we have in place, or are planning on. Best wishes to you all!!

Bill Weber, Supervisor
January 2008

Late Summer 2007 NEWSLETTER
Well, it has been a wonderful summer of 2007 with plenty of warm weather, moderate rain and clear water in Keuka Lake. Our Highway Superintendent, George Mclntyre, has reported more dust problems than usual, but the roads are in good shape and the equipment is working well. I am glad to report that the Town Board approved the Teamsters Union contract at a recent Board meeting and all we have to do now is perfect the Health insurance participation agreement and move on. I am grateful for the assistance of the State mediator, Scott Marchant and Union President, John Farwell.

The Zoning Board of Appeals held a public hearing on August 22n and had a presentation by Jim Griffin of Lakeside Villas, LLC. His company is proposing a 16 unit Townhouse project on 4 plus acres to the West of 54A, above Lakeside Restaurant. Whist the project does not meet the Zoning regulations for the required space, it is noteworthy that they are not proposing any Lake access, which has been a common fault of many upland projects around the Lake—some call it "keyholing" and I am glad to say this is not the case for this project. Nonetheless, the audience did not appear to favor this project and the Chairman, Jim Burchett, has tentatively set another hearing for 26   September. There complaints about the notice for such hearings and I am at a loss as to how to do better. There were postings in the Post Office, a note on the Town hall door, a public notice in the Leader, a news article and a spot on the radio. Perhaps we need a "Town Crier"!! In any event, I encourage all interested persons to visit our website, www.pulteneyny.com, where we have all the local laws available for downloading, or they can be purchased from the Town Clerk. Careful study of the Zoning Law and Sub-Division Law will give the reader a better appreciation of the task before the Zoning Board of Appeals.

I am glad to report that Councilman Janet Stone and Lisa Stone have finalized the plans for the new playground and the Town Board is going to meet on 29th August to approve the plans and authorize ordering over $20,000 worth of equipment to be covered by a State grant from Senator Winner's office and local donations.

NOW ON TO THE WATER PROJECT!!
Our contractors, North Country Contractors, LLC, continue to make steady progress and they are targeting for completion in late October. At that time we expect to have the DoH approvals for water purity, the laterals to the houses on the East of 54A completed and the system up and running. We have been given permission to issue installation permits and our website, www.pulteneyny.com, has downloadable permit applications, instructions and contractors listed as being approved by the Building Department for Insurance. You may also contact Ken Forenz for more information at 868 3808. We recommend you choose a contractor, have him get the permit and find out whether you need a meter pit (the regulations are in the installation brochure, also available from the Town Clerk). The Town Board has not calculated the water rate yet, but we hope to have it done soon and publish that information, as well as minimum quarterly billings, etc. Recall that the capital charge to pay the EFC loan will be billed as part of your Town and County taxes in 2008, only for those in the Water District, of course.

I wish you all a pleasant end of the summer, return to school and a safe and happy Autumn.

Bill Weber, Supervisor
September 2007

Summer 2007 NEWSLETTER

Well, here it is the Summer we have been waiting for and it has arrived with hot, dry conditions making for difficult growing conditions and putting additional stress on our highway crew and water project contractors.

Nonetheless, our highways are in good condition, thanks to Highway Superintendent, George Mclntyre, and his crew. I am glad to announce that the Town has reached agreement with the local Teamsters Union to represent the four highway men and we anticipate a contract execution in the very near future. I especially want to thank Councilman Janet Stone for her dedicated work on this project and for holding our feet to the fire on many issues. Helen Coombs also contributed to this effort which began in January of 2006!

You will notice at the Town Hall parking lot that the new trees are thriving and will soon make a pleasing approach to the facility. Commemorative plaques to be placed at the base of each tree are available for residents to honor the memory of someone dear to them—see Town Clerk Donna Conley for details.

The Town has been awarded a $20,000 grant by the State to upgrade our playground and I especially want to thank Councilman Janet Stone for her fine efforts on this project and also Lisa Stone for volunteering to help with the implementation of this grant. We are uncertain how to install the selected equipment and are wondering if there are any volunteers out there willing to assist in the construction phase of the project?

Our website, www.pulteneyny.com. is absolutely one of the best I have ever seen and I especially want to acknowledge the fantastic work and expertise of the Radigan men, Don and Dan for this accomplishment. Please go to the site and see all the information available—there are local law downloads along with various building and zoning applications. The Water Department is also on the website with the installation brochure available as a download. We have also posted information on giant hogweed which is sprouting in many of our road ditches and is extremely noxious.

NOW ON TO THE WATER PROJECT!!
Our Water Plant Operations Manager, Ken Forenz, has been working closely with the contractors, engineers and homeowners on the Water Project, as well as conferring with the Town of Jerusalem from time to time on the details of an existing system. He has a listing on our website showing his address, phone number and email—feel free to contact Ken with your questions.
The contractor, North Country Contractors, LLC and the Construction/Inspection Engineers, Hunt Engineers, Architects and Land Surveyors have done a superb job in making this project move forward with great speed and efficiency. The two tanks are in place ( Roff Hill and Mill Street), the Hamlet has been completed, there remains just over a mile of 54A to have the main installed, cross connections to the residents' take over points are progressing nicely, restoration and seeding is on schedule and the pump stations are expected to be delivered in time for a "turn-on" in September/October of this year.

After the mains and cross connections are complete, pressure testing can be done and then the system must be flushed and disinfected. After the pressure testing is complete, residents and /or their contractors may begin the individual connections, which requires a permit from the Water/Building Departments. There is available in print and as a downloadable on the website an INSTALLATION BROCHURE which explains the procedure, necessary equipment and details of the required work.
We have not yet calculated the water rate to be charged to each customer, but we are working closely with Jerusalem to understand the process and take advantage of their knowledge and experience. Gary Dinehart, Carrie Wheeler, Supervisor Daryl Jones and Engineer Wayne Ackart have been of immense help and I am grateful for their assistance. Ken Forenz and Assessor David Oliver are compiling the list of EDU charges to be assessed to each customer in the Water District, with each full EDU costing $336 per year (at least for the first year!). These charges will appear as a district charge on your 2008 Town and County Tax bill in the same fashion as Fire District taxes are levied.

Bill Weber, Supervisor
July 2007

HOGWEED ALERT!!
Various roadside ditches in Pulteney have recently had Hogweed sprouting up.  This is a highly noxious weed that can cause serious skin irritation.  Please do not come into contact with it and please tell us where you may have seen it.  You may call the Town Clerk at 868 4222 or the Highway Dept at 868 4816 to tell of a sighting.  For more information, click... Giant Hogweed Health Advice

SPRING 2007 NEWSLETTER
Now that Spring is really hear it is time to look forward to our short, but wonderful Spring and Summer weather of the Keuka region.
Whilst the Water Project certainly occupies a great deal of your government's time and energy, it is not our only activity and I want to share some of the other news before going into the details of the water project:

1. We had a rabies scare earlier this month of May and I want everyone to know that your local health officers performed an admirable task in assisting the victim and spreading the news about rabies on our website, WWW.PULTENEYNY.COM, The animal was rabid and with this knowledge treatment is underway for a full recovery. The Town is sponsoring a RABIES CLINIC ON 2nd JUNE FROM 9 AM TO 11AM AT THE TOWN BARN ON MILL STREET. Please be sure to bring your dogs, cats and ferrets to this free event.
2. Our Highway Superintendent, George McIntyre, has been busy sprucing up the highways now that the winter is really over and he and his crew can concentrate on road repairs with newly repaired machines and fresh gravel.
3. We are still negotiating with the four highway men and the Teamsters Union, making reasonable progress and looking forward to a contract in the near future

NOW ON TO THE WATER DISTRICT NEWS!!
I am glad to announce that Councilman Kemp's Committee received 13 applications for the position of Water Plant Operator, interviewed some of the applicants (based in qualifications) and selected Ken Forenz as the full time employee. Ken will be working with the Engineers and Contractors to assist in the work and learn the system from top to bottom. Ken lives in Pulteney and is well know for his service to the Fire Department—welcome aboard, Ken!!
I am sure many of us have noticed the tanks going up on Mill Street and Roff Hill; they are an integral part of the system for storage and gravity fed water pressure for the district. In the same manner, I am sure no one can miss the signs of construction in the Hamlet and on parts of Route 54 A.   Besides the obvious signs of digging and directional drilling, the fire hydrants every 600 feet or so are clear evidence the contractor, North Country Contractors, LLC, is making fantastic progress. The target date of September/October 2007 for full water service is certainly within our grasp. Because of the technicalities associated with the system and Health Department regulations, there will be no "phasing in" of the various portions of the district. Only after the pressure testing, flushing and purity certifications will the system be turned on to the 500 plus customers.
One common question we get on a daily basis is the manner of connection to the system. Currently the contractor is meeting with each homeowner (or leaving a note for instructions) to locate the "curb stop valve". This is the point where the customer takes over and makes the connection to his home or business. We are in the process of developing a permit application with full specifications, so that plumbers and homeowners will know exactly what components to use for hooking up to the water and what standards the have to meet for the permit and inspection. The Town is furnishing the meter at no cost to the customer and is requiring "meter pits" for seasonal residences and home without frost free locations for the meter. The Town will furnish the meter pit at cost and this pit will contain some of the required components such as check valves and pressure regulators. We hope to have this package available in plenty of time for the connections to be made before water is available.

I wish you all a very pleasant and safe Spring and Summer.

Bill Weber, Supervisor
May 2007

Raccoon Rabies in Pulteney

On Monday 4-30-07 a women who lives on West lake Road in Pulteney was attacked by a raccoon.  The raccoon was under her car as she went to retrieve an item inside the car.  The raccoon bit her on the foot and wouldn't let go.  After the raccoon was dispatched samples were taken and sent to the state lab.  Wednesday 5-2-07 the results confirmed that the raccoon had rabies and the women was started on a series of injections which will be given 5 times over 28 days.  With raccoon rabies in the area residents are urged to be cautious and to keep their pets and other animals like horses inoculated against rabies.