Village Update – December 6, 2018

Our village is looking festive as we enter this holiday season.  I am excited to see so many activities around the village to celebrate.  The United Methodist Church is hosting Community Caroling on the 16th at 4 pm.  The Neighborhood Association had a very successful welcoming of Santa along with the fire department’s holiday bazaar last weekend.  The turnout was great. NASP has 2 more holiday events planned including a decorating contest for residents and businesses as well as a Bow Making class.  Both events and many more can be found on the community calendar which they maintain.  It is on the village website under the “Welcome” section.

The late leaf drop and the early snow have left parts of the village a mess.  Picking up leaves with a bucket tends to damage lawns as does plowing before the ground is frozen.  We will focus on getting lawns back in shape as soon as the snow leaves in the spring.  If your mailbox gets damaged, let us know and we will repair or replace it.

The ice rink is here and the village employees have viewed the installation video.  It looks like next week will be a good window to get the frame up.  Once we get a string of 20 degree days we will get the liner in and filled.  My family has their skates and is ready as soon as we have ice.  This is a good gift idea for those that need one.

I am meeting with the architects later today and I expect to know when we can schedule the next workshop after that meeting.  I have heard several helpful comments along the way which are being factored into the proposals.  Please feel free to share yours.

The Village Organizational meeting was held on Monday of this week.  The only decision with an impact on the public is we have changed our official paper to the Times of Wayne County.  We discovered a significant difference in the rates for posting legal notices.  I appreciate the fair and balanced articles written by John Addyman and his team at The Sun & Record.  We also need volunteers to staff our ethics committee.

p.s. if you missed Santa last weekend I understand he will be at the Sodus Bay Sportsmans Club, 7812 Margaretta Rd, this Saturday, December 8, 4 pm – 7 pm.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Dave McDowell
Dmcdowell@SodusPoint.info

On Monday this week, our new website went live. The new layout should allow for easier information access. We’ve provided a box for feedback at the bottom of each page; please provide comments to help us make improvements.

Mark Poretta Excavating is finishing up the wastewater main repairs identified earlier in the year. It looks like they will be complete this week. PIM Corporation is also in the village this week waterproofing the 49 lower manholes. That work is also expected to be complete this week. The big trailer that has been at the wastewater plan all week is a sludge press. We are piloting a different manufacturer so that we can determine which press is best for our plant. The new press is a part of the capital improvements that were started in 2016 for the wastewater plant.

Leaf collection begins today. We will collect them as long as possible but expect to do more in the Spring. All of the leaves are late in coming down and we need to be prepared for the white stuff. The last brush collection is Tuesday, November 13th. Remember that brush and leaves need to be kept out of the roadway and should never be placed near a storm drain. All of our storm drains eventually get to the lake and this type of debris encourages weed growth.

The ice rink is on its way to the Village. It is expected to be delivered to the highway barn next week. Soon thereafter we will set up the frame behind the information booth in Willow Park. Once the ground has frozen the lights and liner will be placed and filled. Mother nature will dictate when we are open and ready for some fun.

Monday is Veteran’s Day and the Village office will be closed. Next week we have a workshop to continue the Village Hall discussion at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, the 15th. The Village Board meeting begins at 6:30 the same night. The public is welcome at both.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Dave McDowell
Dmcdowell@SodusPoint.info

Election Day is November 6th. Please remember to get out and vote. Your vote is very important!

Mark Poretta Excavating continues to work on repairing our sewer mains. Please be patient when you encounter them as they often have to set up in the middle of the road. The paperwork phase of the manhole waterproofing project is now complete. This project will get started the week of November 5th.

The drainage repair on the east end of Greig St. is complete. As expected the existing pipe was plugged with roots and debris. Next up will be Route 14 by the main lift station and following that an extension of the Bay St Extension system onto Wickham Blvd. There is another repair on Greig St. that we hope to get to this fall. The utilities on South Ontario Street have all been marked and the planning for that drainage project is almost complete.

The last brush collection is Tuesday, November 13th. Remember brush and leaves need to be kept out of the roadway and should never be placed near a storm drain. All of our storm drains go into the Bay and eventually Lake Ontario. This type of debris encourages weed growth.

The Planning and Zoning board is seeking a part-time clerk. If you know of anyone please have them send a resume to tdurham@soduspoint.info Responsibilities include minute taking and meeting preparation. Training is available. Any Wayne County resident can apply.

The Post Flood Recovery workshop sponsored by NY Sea Grant and the Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council will take place next week. The output from this workshop is expected to be a prioritized list of projects to enhance the resiliency of village infrastructure, economic/tourism business, and the environment. Projects will then be further defined by the sponsors in conjunction with their experts and presented to the Village Board in the Spring.

The Village Board continues to work with Edge Architecture to evaluate all of our options regarding the village hall. It is clear from their initial report that we cannot afford to fix the current facility so we are looking for less expensive alternatives. Another workshop is scheduled for Thursday, November 15th at 5 pm. At our October workshop, it became clear that this is an opportunity to potentially get some public dock space. Those alternatives will be explored in detail so that the costs and pros & cons are well understood. The tentative plan is to have alternatives with enough detail to begin to get public comments early in the new year.

Come to support the Sodus Boys Soccer team in the Section 5 finals, Saturday at 5pm in Avon!

If you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Dave McDowell
Dmcdowell@SodusPoint.info