Village OKs $300,000 bond

MILLBROOK — The Millbrook Village Board approved the issuing of a $300,000 bond to provide funding for Phase III remediation of the Village Hall oil spill. About a week ago the village submitted a Corrective Action Plan (CAP) and is now waiting for comments from the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).  

Mayor Laura Hurley hopes that the bond will be sufficient to handle the final stages of cleanup of the years-old oil spill, which was only discovered in April 2009. Included in Phase III will be work on the DeBonis property two doors down from the hall, temporary rerouting of sewer lines, moving electrical wires, replacing trees and working on the Colomello garage.

“We’re hopeful that we know the boundaries of the spill,� said Hurley. “We’re in close contact with the DEC and the property owners.�

Michael and Erica Downing were expected to attend the regular Tuesday, June 8, village meeting, but didn’t.

“We’re waiting to get back with them soon,� said the mayor.

The Downings took over responsibility for the repairs at the Thorne Building, which they are leasing, at the acrimonious March 9 meeting that reportedly prompted then Mayor Andrew Ciferri to resign. It was agreed at the time that a new lease would be required and since then the project to convert the Thorne Building into a performing arts venue has been under a microscope.

“Residents have raised a lot of questions,â€� according to Hurley. “In order to let them complete the work independently a new lease was necessary.â€�  

There are three issues that remain to be resolved in order to move forward: confirmation of private funding sources, the appointment of a village liaison to the project and a renegotiation of heating expenses.

Hurley said that the village’s goal is to have the building used and to minimize expenses to taxpayers of maintaining and heating the building. Last year Hurley estimated that building upkeep costs around $40,000.  The “clerk of the worksâ€� will assure that the village is receiving fair market value for the rental credits generated by the estimated $600,000 to $700,000 renovation work to  be done by the Downings.

Meanwhile, the next, and possibly final, hearing on the safety of the Bennett College buildings will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Millbrook Firehouse on Tuesday,  June 29.

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