The Peru Gazette

By John T. Ryan

Children, parents and staff walking or biking to the Peru Central School should have a safer route to travel in a few months. On Monday, April 13, 2015 the Peru Town Board approved a $143,729 bid from Branon Construction Company Inc. of Plattsburg to implement a second Safe Routes to Schools (SRTS) Project. Work will begin as soon as summer vacation begins and should be completed by September 5^th.

The objective is to improve walking and biking safety to school, with a focus on students in grades K to 8. There are 5 components to SRTS projects: encouragement, education, enforcement, evaluation and engineering (the 5 “E”s).

For the construction (Engineering) part, Branon Construction will install a new crosswalk across route 22B with push button activated flashing crosswalk beacons. They will also install additional sidewalks to improve the walkability of the campus on both the Route 22B side and the School Street side of the campus.

The encouragement, education and enforcement components are being coordinated by the elementary school’s physical education teacher Nancy Thompson and the School’s Wellness Committee.  Christa Vancour of the Clinton County Health Dept. and Sergeant Frank Mercier of the Clinton County Sheriffs Dept have given them additional support.  The Health Department funded bike racks to help the Town stay within budget for the project and the Sheriff’s Department conducted assemblies about pedestrian safety and set-up speed read-out equipment along Route 22B. A previous $85,000 Safe Routes to Schools grant financed the School Street sidewalk.

Dog owner respect for their neighbors continues to be an issue. The board asked Dog Control Officer David Drollette to step up enforcement of the dog waste disposal provisions of the Dog Control Law. Supervisor Peter Glushko and Counselor Brandy McDonald both reported seeing significant waste adjacent to sidewalks and roads in the hamlet. Counselor McDonald stated that a few residents appear to pick up waste when being observed, but they do not pick up waste when they believe they are out of sight. Dog Control Officer Drollette will offer these offenders a choice of accepting and using a free waste bag or being issued a ticket.

The board accepted the AES Engineering’s comprehensive grant-funded sewer system report. AES analyzed the system north of the Little Ausable River, much of which was constructed during the 1930’s. There are several reasons for upgrading the system. The 2013 NYS “Sewage Pollution Right to Know Law” requires that any sewage overflow be reported and published. Over time the sewer pipes and manholes have deteriorated, the pumping station is overtaxed and some trunk lines do not have sufficient capacity to accommodate community growth. AES estimated the total cost at $4 million, but Supervisor Glushko said that the project would probably be done in phases. The town will submit applications for grant monies or low interest loans. The extent of the project will be determined once fund availability is determined.

Peru’s walking trail should be even more attractive thanks to TD Bank’s tree planting program that has donated 275 trees of various species to the town. On May 2^nd beginning at 10 a.m. volunteers are invited to help plant the trees along the walking trail. If would like to volunteer Adele Douglas would appreciate if you call her at 643-7863. She would like to know beforehand how many volunteers she will have on hand.

Personal safety is also a primary concern for everyone utilizing the walking trail. Highway Superintendent Michael Farrell reminded the board that a fence should be erected adjacent to the trail beneath the Route 22 Bridge. Farrell pointed out that someone could fall a considerable distance from the trail to the rocks along the Little Ausable River. He recommended that the fence be elevated to a high priority item.

A few weeks ago town representatives traveled to Albany to lobby for increased highway paving monies (CHIPS). They were optimistic when they returned, but their optimism appears to have been misplaced. Highway Superintendent Farrell said the town would only be receiving about $25,000 in additional CHIPS monies. He said, “That’s not even a half-mile of blacktop.” This summer Farrell plans to pave part of the Dashnaw Road, part of the Laphams Mills Road to Route 22 and the newer part of Washington Street. Holden Avenue might be paved, but only if funds are available.

The Board adjourned to Executive Session to discuss the ongoing Dashnaw vs. Town of Peru lawsuit and the work history of two employees.

Counselor Kregg Bruno was excused from the meeting. Since January 1, 2015, Bruno has been excused from at least seven town board meetings.