The Shoreline April 1, 2022

In today’s edition:
Village Employees
Water Level Updates
Village Notes
Some Fascinating History
1 – Village Employees
Many residents have gotten to know our Office staff, Tracy, Melanie and Kevin, who have served as the front line for most Village business over my time as Mayor here. I wanted to take this opportunity however to also introduce our other departments and the employees that, that behind the scenes, help perform and deliver all other services in the Village. If ever you see any of these hard-working employees around the village, please feel free to stop and introduce yourself or thank them for everything they do.
Our Wastewater Department is headed by Jeff Cook. He has been a village employee for 22 years and is licensed by NYS as a Wastewater Plant Operator and a Water Distribution Operator. Bruce Gilfus recently joined the department and will begin his licensing classes in the fall. This department is responsible for the operation of both the plant and the collection system. Both require preventative maintenance while often concurrently trouble shooting issues that arise. NYS requires daily testing at the plant 365 days per year.
Our Water Department is led by Nate DeHond. Nate was recently licensed to be a Water Distribution Operator. Even though our water is purchased from the Wayne County Water Authority, we are required to perform daily tests 365 days per year. Nate is responsible for all the water meters and getting them read on a quarterly basis. He is also constantly analyzing the usage, looking for possible slow leaks that cost the village money. We are applying for a grant to have our water system reviewed by a third party to recommend future improvements.
The Highway Department is led by Brad Geffert and staffed by Angus (Hoppy) Hopkins, Terry Kallusch and Josh Gregg. Angus is the seasoned veteran of the crew having worked for the village for 31 years. Brad & Terry have both been with the village for more than 5 years and Josh came on board last fall. The highway department is responsible for the roads and virtually anything else that is not wastewater or water related. However, they do assist with breaks/leaks in both those departments. This winter the department ran 88 plow runs, more than twice the number in each of the past years.
These three departments make up our public works team. We have an employee meeting every Monday morning to go over to-do lists for the week and realign ourselves with goals, Village concerns and bring up any team issues. Each department has the ability to help the others when the need arises and most of our employees are cross trained. I am very proud of our team and the services we provide to our residents.
2- Water Level Updates
Our current water level is 246.33 which is up a little more than 3 inches in the last 2 weeks. The River Board has been adjusting the outflows based on all the limits in the plan as the impacts of the rain and melt have been felt through-out the basin. The outflow is now at 8,690 cm/s and will move tomorrow to 8,760 cm/s which is the maximum flow allowed in the Plan 2014 for the current lake levels. We ended March a foot above the Long-Term Average. We are expected to remain about a foot above average through August.
3- Village Notes
The first brush collection is scheduled for Monday, April 4th. Please keep brush away from electric poles and other obstacles. The full schedule is available here: https://soduspoint.info/brush-cleanup-schedule/
911 numbers – Please make sure your house numbers are on your house and visible from the street. This is important for first responders. It is also the law.
4- Some Fascinating History:
One of the features of the proposed NOAA Marine Sanctuary is the preservation and exploration of the shipwrecks. We have three known wrecks off of our shores and several others nearby. The learn more about those off shore, click on this link: https://historicsoduspoint.com/2011/09/shipwrecks/ You can learn more about the proposed Marine Sanctuary here: https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/lake-ontario/
Feel free to call or email with any suggestions, questions or concerns.
Dave McDowell
Dmcdowell@SodusPoint.info