A routine meeting

Few citizens attended the city council meeting on Monday October 13 but they did not miss much. The council voted to approve the budget for 2015 that will spend almost five million dollars and also a gas tracker decrease of two cents per 100 cf for October. An Urban Tree Forestry spokesman addressed the council requesting that in future budgets a line item be established to aid in their mission of planting trees. The group is in its seventh year and has planted 187 trees. It has brought in $40,000 in state grants that it has matched with contributions or in-kind with work. However, grants from the state are becoming harder to obtain and with the threat of the ash tree borer (28% of trees along streets are ash, 40% silver maple), they foresee a lot of work ahead. The council passed a resolution to provide them with $1500 from the public relations budget provided that there are enough funds in that budget.

The council passed a resolution to keep the city's contribution to employee's HSA plans at $1500, which is what it was last year. (I think HSA is health savings account.) The council ratified a telephone vote taken between meetings to accept a one-time offer to seal coat the roads in Weston Cemetery. The work is finished and cost $9500. Finally the council approved investigating the replacement of a 1995 Suburban van used by the electric department. It needs expensive repairs and they thought was it was time to replace it. The mayor appointed a committee of council members and city employees to find a vehicle for the council to approve.

The gas department reported that it has six hookups to do on the gas line extensions and that it will probably get to SJC by Thursday.

College Avenue is torn up from Clark Street to the intersection with US 231. It will be resurfaced as soon as weather permits.

The most interesting bit of information from the meeting also was about College Ave/US 231. The state has plans to redo the Mt Calvary Road/US 231 intersection in July of 2016. (When the state is involved, things move slowly.) It will add a passing lane to the road and move the intersection 12 feet to the east. That will involve a gradual shift of the roadway starting several hundred feet either side of the intersection. The project will also align the two sides of Mt Calvary Road so that they line up--presently they do not quite do that. The project should not require the closing of US 231 to traffic.

The state has another project involving Rensselaer that will close US 231. It is planning to work on the Washington Street Bridge in August of 2016. I am not sure what that project will do other than close the bridge.