1998-07-02-S
SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING
JULY 2,1998
3 :00 p.m.
MTG.#32
RES. 252
TOWN BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT
SUPERVISOR FRED CHAMPAGNE
COUNCILMAN RICHARD MERRILL
COUNCILMAN THEODORE TURNER
COUNCILMAN DOUGLAS IRISH
COUNCILMAN PLINEY TUCKER
TOWN OFFICIALS
TOWN COUNTROLLER HENRY HESS
TOWN COUNSEL BOB HAFNER
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Called the meeting to order. Introduced Bob Hafner.
ATTORNEY BOB HAFNER-You had asked us to come back because you wanted to talk about the Town
of Moreau the proposed Water Agreement. The Town of Moreau has sent us back a revised agreement and
we very, I very briefly went through it before and you wanted more time to think about the issues and go
over it, I presume. So, why don't we start from the beginning and go over their changes and see what the
Board's opinions are so that I can respond to Martin Aufferdou the Attorney from the Town of Moreau.
The Town of Moreau had taken the agreement that we had on our word processing system took a disk with
it on it and made many changes and sent it back. Overall this is closer to where we had asked them to
come back then prior versions, But there are some big issues out, why don't we go through. First, the first
main change is on page three on the bottom where they have added as you will recall we based our price
and their purchasing one fifteenth of the plants effectively an interest in the plant equal to one fifteenth
based on department of health's what they are expected to rate the plant at. And we had always used fifteen
million and said if it comes up to be fourteen million nine hundred and seventy eight thousand so on or if it
came out fifteen million you know, thirty two thousand so odd that it did not make, we were just going to
use fifteen million and one fifteenth. What they have added is some language saying that when that comes
out they want to use the exact number they want to be able to come in and negotiate if it is their favor but
not give us the right to negotiate if it is not in their favor. I think that we just leave it tell them that this is
the best of our knowledge it is fifteen million you are buying one fifteenth and that is where we are going to
leave it so we are not fighting over nickels and dimes. That is what the board agreed.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-I think that is what we all agreed on that, that is ok.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-The next substantial change is on page 5 which deals with again, to refresh them
because I can see someone from the paper is here and they may not have all the same background that I
bored you with many times. Part of the fifteen million gallon plant assumes that we will replace two low
left pump motors. They have not been added yet because the plants is not going to need them until we
cross using eleven and a half million gallons per day. But that a two hundred thousand dollar cost that has
not be calculated in the purchase price that Moreau has gotten. What we have said is that Moreau was
buying two twenty thirds of the increase that we just had and that they should pay two twenty thirds of the
cost of these two low lift pump motors that are necessary to get us up to that fifteen million gallons per day.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-Where did the two twenty thirds come from?
ATTORNEY HAFNER-When we start, when we have the plant before the expansion its capacity was three
and a half million gallons per day, after the expansion it is fifteen million gallons per day so that is eleven
and a half million gallons per day of an expansion. One eleven and a half is a lot harder than a half than
two twenty thirds which is the same amount. So, that is where the two twenty thirds came out. What they
have asked, they want to pay only one fifteenth of that two hundred thousand dollar cost and that is just is
not how we calculated the price.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-It is a difference of a buck and a half.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-We estimated the price without any markup without any risk that the town
residents paid without any of the carrying costs that we have had and just let them buy in at what are actual
costs were without any of those other factors and that is what this two twenty thirds is based on. I thought
that town board had said to stick with the two twenty thirds.
COUNCILMAN TURNER-You are right.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-The next change is just at the bottom of the page they reference a wrong section it
should be 8e. not 8B. I am going to skip some of the things that are not important from I think a legal or
factual point of view, that is just wording, obviously we do not thinks hurts. The next go to page 7 this
deals with the river crossing. Now remember one of our big issues was who is going to pay the cost of the
river crossing that is we paid that cost, that would be an improper gift if we were not repaid for it. And
they have revised the contract to have them pay for the river crossing and what they have wanted to clarify
was that if they pay for the river crossing that we have to pay to make the improvements on them, in our
own system to get it to the river crossing as the board probably will recall the town board had talked about
it thought that making those improvements was good for the town for its own purposes to have future
development in the area and how would some hydraulics
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-That decision was made, I do not think we want to mess with doing
decisions that we have previously agreed to.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-But, this is the first time that this has been written in the contract, so that is why it
is important to have
UNKNOWN-The Big Bay and Big Boom road end
ATTORNEY HAFNER-Yes. And there are reasons that as you said it was hashed out before but they put
this in the contract but we will pay that cost for our own thing and they will pay for the river crossing.
UNKNOWN-So, that is ok.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-Sounds fine.
UNKNOWN-The way it is written is ok, is that what you are saying?
ATTORNEY HAFNER-On page 7 A As the long as the Town has not changed its mind on making the
improvements on our side.
(no)
COUNCILMAN IRISH-Wait, it says they have the right to review and make recommendations on each
others engineering specifications?
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-How come?
ATTORNEY HAFNER-It is only recommendations, well what we are more concerned about is to have
some input on their system and the water crossing. I mean...
COUNCILMAN TURNER-That was in the other one.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-Yea, but they are paying for it.
UNKNOWN-No but the two engeering...
ATTORNEY HAFNER-The engineers and again, Ralph I, the way I understood is for when we connect
that there is going to be some engineering some hydraulics some facts that we need to make sure are correct
and they need to make sure and we need to make sure and this is just the way, neither has the right to order
the other, but it is the way that they can work together.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-let him explain ...we got to make sure.
WATER SUPT. RALPH VANDUSEN-All I want to make sure is that they are going to have an engineer
do their work we are going to have an engineer do our work and they, this allows each of the engineering
firms to make a recommendation to give the other firm information that they have specific to theirs to make
sure the two are compatible it does not mandate anything.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-All we are responsible for is to get the water to the gate in the pipe line that
goes in under the river, is that correct?
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-That is correct.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-Yes.
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-They took out the word approved...
ATTORNEY HAFNER-Because we told them that we would not give them that and again that is a sign
that they have, we are starting I think maybe come together a little bit better. Moreau was going to seek
the permits and we are going to help and provide them with whatever services we need to help with that
process.
CONTROLLER HENRY HESS-... in that paragraph, it says Moreau shall seek any needed permit for the
river crossing etc. the next paragraph says Queensbury shall likewise obtain and likewise should refer to
seek, we should be seeking.
ATTORNEY HAFNER -Well, actually I have and again I have just looked at that as a legal thing since we
no longer have the responsibility to deal with the river crossing that we only have the obligation to help and
that should be deleted, that whole sentence. We no longer have responsibility, delete is what that says.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-Half the crossing in the Town of Queensbury.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-Yes.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-They cannot issue a permit to the Town of Moreau
to come into the Town of Queensbury and do their work and it is the army
engineers that have got to issue the permit.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-DEC may get involved with this to.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-They can issue it to both of us, this is an intermunicipal agreement and they can
take that responsibility and we have agreed to do what ever we need to, to work with them.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-A permit for work on our side of the river, right?
WATER SUPT. V ANDUSEN- The potential currently exists that a portion in the Town of Queensbury we
may have to playa role in.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-And we will, that sentence just before that, Queensbury agrees to provide such
documentation take such action as the governmental agencies involved may require. That is the language
that I have gotten in the past. We have to work together on the river crossing.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-I think the original thinking was that they are in a much better position
since it is going to be their water with the GE issue up front it just seems that they go in and make the
application with a little more strength than Queensbury. Then we can back it up and do whatever we have
got to do to transfer that permit into the Town of Queensbury. But the lead agency, what we are saying,
should be the Town of Moreau in order to proceed.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-And they agree since they are going to pay for it that they should, that makes
perfect sense. They in the next paragraph, paragraph C on the bottom of seven and top of eight they say
that they own the river crossing which is good and they are going to maintain it which is what we have
been wanting from the beginning, so that's seems like an improvement. On a bottom of page eight they
wanted to make it clear that the Town of Queensbury will not assess or level taxes against the river
crossing. Which it is not inside our water district and ..
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-What are the legal ramifications?
ATTORNEY HAFNER-As long as we do not extend our water district to include where the River Crossing
is it is not a problem, we just any time that we have a district we should make sure that it does not go from
the border of the river into middle of the river which would be an uncommon thing I would think.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-That makes me think of Coles Woods.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-Yes. Exactly, that is exactly why that is here. Is what I read between the lines.
... On the top of page nine, guarantee flow, again, in the past they have asked us to guarantee flow in
specific terms we have always said that based on our engineer statements that we guarantee the full
capacity of a million and a half gallons per day, at a hydraulic gradient of five hundred thirty seven feet
usgs. Now, that was based on what our engineer, O'Brien and Gere, stated, they want us to just guarantee
it and they want us to increase that from a million and a half to two million. Which my recollection was
that we couldn't even based on what our engineer said it was a million and a half at that number. If you
went up to a million six it was a different ... and it was a sliding scale because Ralph can probably provide
more background.
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-The reality was that with the piping that has been discussed the model
indicates that they can flow up to a million and a half a day. As soon as you go over that then a second line
going all the way back to Corinth Road has to be installed to be able to accomplish that. So, based on the
information that we currently have, if you make it one five zero, zero, zero, zero, one know that you will add
to our capital cost. I think we should stay at the one five which is what we based it on.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-How much are they buying?
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-Well, million with a million,
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-That is all they are buying is a million.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-What happens if they want to go to three million gallons we got to upgrade the
pipe line ...
WATER SUPT. V ANDUSEN-Ifthey want to go anything over one point five million the pipe line has to
be increased, from the Corinth Road all the way out. As soon as they go above I do not know within the
way of twoish, then they need a second river crossing and they are aware of that. Two million, the pipe
that they are talking putting in will handle two million, once you go much above that then they will need a
second pipe line.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-What is the difference in cost for us if we to upgrade our side to handle two
million just in case they..
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-At this point I do not know. What I would recommend
COUNCILMAN IRISH-It does not make a lot of sense for us to do this now and then in five years they
wind up wanting two million gallons a day and we have to..
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-On step one, step one was to just tie them in from Big Boom Road that will
handle up to a million gallons a day that they have currently purchased. I think before we decide to take
step two which is link them together we ought to take a look at the cost and advantages and disadvantages
of going in either direction of looping that together or what we are going to do. I think it is a mistake to
make a commitment now. I think we should stay at the eleven point five we are in the process of doing the
hydraulic model of our system we are going to take a look at that it is a new engineering firm, have them
take a look at those numbers. I do not think they are going hold up much different but maybe they will and
maybe that will be able to change that slightly. I also think that under the old contract we were saying we
were guaranteeing that pressure and that flow on the Moreau side of the River. I think we are in a different
case now that Moreau is going to design the pipe that is going underneath the river they are going to own
and maintain that totally out of our control I am not sure we can guarantee flows through that pipe. That
would be absurd lets say that decide to put an eight inch pipe across the river there is no way that pipe is
going to handle that flow.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-The only point that we should guarantee anything is our side of the river.
WATER SUPT. V ANDUSEN-I think so. I think it is very reasonable for our engineers to provide the data
that was used to calculate the flows to their engineers let them determine if they think that is valid or not.
That is very easily done by the engineering firms. I think that is reasonable compromise, knowing the
solution. Here is the data, let your engineers guarantee if they want to.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-Up front they are buying a million gallons.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-Correct.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-Now, in my mind if they come along and want another million and we have
problems getting to the million to them that should be their problem not ours....it does not say that we got
to guarantee
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-It says we have to guarantee up to one point five.
UNKNOWN-We have got to have piping guarantee at one point five..
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-Big Boom Road will do that now.
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-Tied with Big Bay....
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-Ralph, it references at the pipe line at the Moreau side.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-What he just said is that we should change that and I made that note.
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-I think it should say the Queensbury side.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-Again, we are basing on what our engineers had said a year ago.
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-The engineers have said based on the sixteen inch pipe and based on a
whole lot of things. . Moreau side, all I am saying is the equation has changed we no longer have anything
to do with that pipe line, so it is tough for us to guarantee what is going to happen through somebody elses
pIpe.
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-so, Queensbury, Queensbury side.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-Right. Next. Substantive part on yes.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-This part about the by-pass in B, it says if the by-pass is used. I thought all billing
was going to be billed from our meter anyway.
UNKNOWN-Unless there is a discrepancy a problem....
ATTORNEY HAFNER-That was a long bitter discussion. The next real point...page twelve Al they are
buying a million gallons of capacity this contract has them paying for half of that capacity upfront and the
other half over a period of twenty years. This, the reason why I am stopping here is again is, this a board
decision whether to accept that. What they are doing for the total million based on our cost we are charging
them a million sixty thousand dollars. So, if they pay for half of it up front it is five hundred and thirty
thousand dollars up front.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-The deal is for a million dollars right?
ATTORNEY HAFNER-A million sixty.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-That is a flat rate fee?
ATTORNEY HAFNER-That is the flat cost that supposedly is two twenty thirds of our total capital cost.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-What about Henry, is there any interest built into that twenty year payment?
CONTROLLER HESS-Well, this doesn't talk about, somewhere it does talk about the payment on the next,
page.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-You are taking about two different things.
CONTROLLER HESS-We are talking about how they are going to pay the principal.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-There are two things, there is a million gallons of capacity that they are paying the
capital cost associated for the way that, that was calculated was based on the total cost of our expansion and
multiply that by two twenty thirds. That number is one million sixty thousand dollars for a million gallons
of capacity. They are proposing to pay half of that up front, five hundred and thirty thousand dollars for
five hundred thousand gallons. That is the first thing the Town Board I think was amenable to that pay half
up front.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-I do not know the reason why? Why can't they pay it all, they are getting five
million from GE to do this. Why can't they pay it all.
UNKNOWN-If they pay it all they will not have sufficient capital left to complete the piping they want
within their town without borrowing. They do not want to borrow money.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-That is what we have been told.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-What do they want to do within their town.
UNKNOWN-Serve as many people as they can.
COUNCILMAN TURNER-They want to get as much mileage out of that five million as they can get.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Pliney in order for us to stay in the game, early on, ..
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-What game do you want to stay in Fred.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-I want to be able to provide water to other municipalities in order for the
Town of Queensbury user to enjoy the benefit of a use cost of water. That is really in my goal here is one,
and that one goal is to reduce the cost of water to the Queensbury user. That is the only goal that I have. In
order to do that we are in competition, ok,
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-With who?
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Well, we could be in competition with the Saratoga Water Authority, back
then,
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-They went and talked to them and they are coming back and talking to us what
does that tell you.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-I am not going to argue with you Pliney if it is your way then have it that
way, I think there is enough Board Members here who feel that...
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-I am going to speak my mind whether it is off the wall or not, Fred.
SUEPRVISOR CHAMPAGNE-I have no problem with that, the issue here is do we benefit the
Queensbury user based on putting a program in place buying a half a million...
COUNCILMAN IRISH-I do not have any problem loaning them the money as long as we are getting some
interest on it you know we are getting on our investments.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-From a legal point of view it does not make a legal difference as long as the
interest rate is a fair rate. Whether we do it this way or if we require them to pay it all up front, that is a
business decision for the Board. I mean the key things are, are you willing to accept it, is the interest rate
fair, was the price calculated correctly? And those are all the things that we have been given are true and if
so it is a business decision whether you want to accept that or not. Shall we go on? I want to point out an
important sentence at the bottom of the page, Queensbury shall not deliver any water to Moreau until such
sum is paid in full. Until we get that five hundred and thirty thousand dollars we have no obligation to
provide any water.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-We are not going to do any construction until we some money from Moreau
either.
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-This does not say that but I know that was our intent.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-You might want to put something in there about that, I am not willing to spend
any money if they are not, you know, we could spend a hundred thousand dollars and do whatever we have
got to do and then they decide to buy water somewhere else and we are stuck with a pipe line going to the
nver.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-Ok.
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-You scratched out the amount of the sum why is that, it just says sum,
wouldn't you clarify that within the five hundred and thirty?
ATTORNEY HAFNER-They crossed it out, I do not know why they put the five thirty in there after, they
crossed out because before that sum was the five hundred and thirty plus half of the river crossing, which is
why we used the aggregate amount totaling eight hundred and forty five thousand five, or forty thousand
five hundred dollars.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-But shouldn't we leave the five thirty in there?
ATTORNEY HAFNER-Sure.
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-Such sum is five thirty, then there would not be any question.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-It is the only sum in the paragraph, but that is perfectly fine. The next section,
page thirteen you may recall we had four issues here, basically lets find out first if the Board agrees with
the concept and then we can work on the legal wording. The concept is that the other five hundred
thousand gallons of capacity that they are buying they are going to pay five hundred and thirty thousand
dollars over a twenty year period using a four and a quarter percent interest rate. The reason why they
thought that was a fair rate, I think because that is the rate that we are borrowing from EFC?
CONTROLLER HESS-The four and quarter is a rate that we plugged in at the time we thought was going
to be a reduction in rate from five and quarter that we were paying on the old bonds, close to what we
expected to pay EFC.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-Based on what we expected our rate to be. So, is that ok with the Board to let
them finance the other five hundred and thirty thousand dollars over twenty years?
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-How much could we get for the five hundred and thirty if we had it in the bank,
Henry?
CONTROLLER HESS-I will give you two numbers, if they were to pay cash I would make one of two
recommendations. I say we convert them to CD's, a five point nine two which is a rate that is available to
us today or five point nine three or you could liquidate the old bond issue which was a million three
hundred thousand dollars that you are paying seven point nine on. So, it is somewhere between seven point
nine and five point nine three is the market value of the money.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-We were not engaged for bond counsel in this so I have not done the research. I
expect that is we got paid the five hundred and thirty thousand dollars up front that we would be required to
pay down the bonds and usually that is called arbitrage if you pay a lessor amount on tax free bonds then
what you go and collect. That is usually improper and one of those certificates that you are going to be
signing Fred when we re-finance says you will not do that. But I have not researched it to see... (tape
turned)
CONTROLLER HESS-To go back to the four and a quarter percent I will tell you that since that number
was plugged in the average coupon rate on the bonds is about four point seven. That is subject to subsidize
we have a subsidize on that and how you want to factor the subsidize in, but the average coupon over the
sixteen years of the issue is four point seven percent.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-Did we offer them the same interest rate on that money that we are loaning them
as we borrowed it?
CONTROLLER HESS-That was an assumption, it was five and a quarter and if we ever re-financed that at
a lower rate we will share the lower rate with them. I do not recall all the specifics on it.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-The other interest that you talked about was if we paid for half the river crossing
and they paid us back they were going to pay a higher interest rate on those funds?
CONTROLLER HESS-They are refunded at five and a quarter...
COUNCILMAN IRISH-I knew that there were two different interest rates.
CONTROLLER HESS-Because that's is what we said we could put it into a checking account at five and a
quarter.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-I do not know if we want to get locked in at a fixed percentage if we do not know
exactly what the percentage rate is that we refinanced at.
CONTROLLER HESS-Actually we do know that, we know now what the rate is going...
COUNCILMAN IRISH-Four point seven.
CONTROLLER HESS-Four point seven and if you factor in, if you want to share the subsidy and we could
debate the merits of that or why you want to do that but it would be down around three point seven five or
three, in that range.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Lets make sure that we all understand you know what that is all about.
The way Henry is talking about is four point seven however I do not know whether it is a split or a third
whatever that comes back as but the subsidize that we get as the result of the Federal and State subsidy
against those EFC loans it reduces it another at least one percent, can I say that?
CONTROLLER HESS-It reduces it a third but then you have to add back some expenses.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-So, it is down there to around three point seven, so that is what we are
borrowing the money for.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-We leave this up at four and a quarter we should be all right? You agree with
that?
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-I agree with that.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-Well, you know something so do I.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-If that is agreeable to the Board.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-To me that is more than agreeable.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-We can go and work, Martin and I with language to make this be better from a
legal point of view. This language is loose again., Town of Queensbury, it implies that we might not get
our full payment in the first and twentieth year which would mean that we would not get fully paid which is
something that we cannot do because again we cannot make gifts to another town. So, and I talked to
Martin Aufferdou since last week and he said that wasn't the intention that he would be glad to tighten up
the language. Now, Henry raised an issue of whether we should require semi-annual payments because our
bond payments are semi annual and I really to me that is a business decision.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-I think that we probably ought to. That is my opinion, if we have got to put the
money out somebody has got to, they should be willing to ..
CONTROLLER HESS-If they are paying you less frequently you are also getting less of an interest rate.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Yes, you are right.
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-They are going to pay by March 1st. when would our two payments be
due?
CONTROLLER HESS-You have one in April and one in October.
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-So, they are going to give us the full years payment on March 1st
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Up front.
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-And we are going to have interest on it for six months.
CONTROLLER HESS-Does it say upfront?
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-They are going to make annual payments on or before March 1st of each
year.
CONTROLLER HESS-Except that the first payment will be pro-rated. I do not think that we should read,
my concern here is, I am not sure that we should re-invent an established amortization for...I think that the
language needs to be cleaned up as to how this loan is amortized to be traditional with the way we would
borrow it from a bank or borrow it through bonds. That would require some annual payments and it would
require cleaning up language for the first and last payment because this clearly does not comply. I am just
saying lets not re-invent that language just take the language. .industry and do it.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-That is easy to do. I just want to make sure that we agree, to clarify that the
interest accrues until payment again to deal with any you know if they make a late payment the interest is
going and the payment goes to interest first and then principal. This is common terms that you put in a
note. But semi annual is a yes? Is that what the board says?
(Board agreed)
ATTORNEY HAFNER-Next section on page 14 deals with river crossing, now effectively they wish to
borrow half of the cost of the river crossing and as I mentioned to the Board and I have talked to Martin,
after I, we discussed it last week using borrowing is, would require them to go through the local finance
law and all the things that we do every time we go to borrow. And that seemed to me to create a big, create
a lot more hassles for them and for us. Under the applicable law here we can enter in, we can work with
them in paying that half of the river crossing and then paying us back without it being a borrowing. They
still would have the same requirements as to payments but it would avoid having to go through the local
finance law and require an opinion of counsel from them that they properly complied with everything.
What I also mentioned to them was Henry's comments, that the person that we worked with to refinance
our water bonds said that he thought he could get a better deal for them and that would get us out of the
middle. Let them pay less of an interest rate maybe get some type of subsidize from EFC and have us not
in the finance business. I talked with Martin and I am going to recommend that you might talk with Rick.
CONTROLLER HESS-He will be up here in a couple of weeks.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-Have him talk with Martin direct so, that we can get out of the loop and if they can
finance it that would be the best result for everybody, less interest for them and you know less that we have
to worry about being paid back.
UNKNOWN-If he beat the four and quarter on this then he could also beat the four and a quarter on ...
COUNCILMAN IRISH-We have not agreed to four and a quarter on this though.
CONTROLLER HESS-Four and a quarter is a proposal from Moreau and we have not agreed to that.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-We had agreed with, I thought five and a quarter with language that they, there is a
right for them to seek more efficient financing and we want it at current rate which is the five and a quarter
and we wanted a five year balloon. Give them five years to go and find their own financing for that, which
is a change from past things but again we are not in the banking business.
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-But to be stated just that way it gets the project underway but allows them to ..
COUNCILMAN IRISH-What are we going to do with the..
ATTORNEY HAFNER-Well, I thought that we had we were going to revise the language so it was cleaner
so that it would not be a borrowing but a sharing of expenses with them paying us five and a quarter,
balloon after five years with language in there that they have the right to seek more efficient financing and
that may disappear before the contract is signed because they may do that.
CONTROLLER HESS-That leaves one loop hole, one problem for them that they might object to and I
could understand it and that is what happens if they cannot get more efficient financing or at the end of five
years they just cannot finance this elsewhere and cannot pay us off. Could we leave it in there that we
would continue to carry it but lets index it some way so that the rate moves with the market.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-That is fine you have to give me what you want it indexed to and define that.
CONTROLLER HESS-We will do it with a Wall Street Journal Index and we will find the appropriate one.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Let me throw a ringer in there, if we take the half million five hundred and
thirty thousand dollars ..to pay for the water plant, buying a piece of the rock rather than applying that five
hundred thirty thousand dollars for the plant, because we know that financing is at four and a quarter or
three seven five or whatever it is and it is going to be that way for twenty years that is a guarantee fixed
bond issue. Instead of taking the half a million dollars and applying it to that lets say we take the half a
million dollars and that is going to be cash up front for the river crossing. Now, the river crossing is paid
for they are not going to finance that, but we are going to take that money that is coming in for the buying
of the plant and we are going to finance that plant for twenty years with the four million dollars.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-We are loosing that investment income if you do it that way.
CONTROLLER HESS-What that does that does not lower our over all costs, the interest and the principal
costs are the same and if you are not lowering costs but you are lowering theirs that means you are just
transferring it to Queensbury. Over all cost to remain the same, you lower theirs it transfers into
Queensbury and that is my objection to that.
SUPERVISOR CHAMP AGNE- The only thing, I am not sure I am following you there, but one thing you
are doing you are not collecting that interest at five and a quarter on that river crossing, is really what you
are not getting.
CONTROLLER HESS-But the value of that money has not gone down the value of that money is not the
same. So, if we are not collecting it they are saving it so the burden becomes that of Queensbury and that's
the point I am making. You can do that, but it just means you are subsidizing that project to a .. tune that is
all. I think we should be trying to put this thing together to increase the income to Queensbury not
minimize it. We are negotiating with one another, how do we save them money, why don't we negotiate
with one another how do we benefit Queensbury.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-I guess I see it as an opportunity here to again, to deliver water to Moreau
at no real heavy cost to the user. ... we are not loosing, well.
CONTROLLER HESS-It cost them less, it cost us more.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-Really what you are saying is that instead of them having to pay half up front
which was, as I just said a few minutes ago is a business decision that you five will have to make. You
want to let them pay zero up front.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-To buy into the plant.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-To buy into the plant and that is a business decision whether you know, ..anyone
buying a house has to put some money down, I mean, for something like this I mean, we are requiring the
Village of Hudson Falls to pay all of it up front.
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-By buying into the plant, am I right, you immediately reduce the ad valomm
tax right?
UNKNOWN-One way or the other yes.
COUNCIMLAN MERRILL-So, the taxpayers would see an immediate reduction, if we did not do that we
would not have that immediate ...
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Ok. I just threw it on the table as another option, that is all.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-So, on the river crossing thing what I said, still says.
(Yes)
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-And you are going to try and get them in the interim to get the money
themselves, right?
ATTORNEY HAFNER-We are going to ask but the thing is if they don't, are we willing to float that for
them?
COUNCILMAN IRISH-Didn't we discuss the other day about Queensbury maybe finding that financing if
either Moreau or Queensbury could find that funding mechanism.
CONTROLLER HESS-I think what Rick was talking about is they mayor may not be equipped to put that
together if we could actually take the lead in this system and help them through that process, or they could,
we could share that responsibility for getting that done, is really what we are saying.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-They would pay the administrative cost.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-Is this a route that we have gone before?
CONTROLLER HESS-Helping a neighbor get their..
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-I mean to get financing like this?
CONTROLLER HESS-That is what we are doing now.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-We have the experience.
CONTROLLER HESS-We know how to do it and
COUNCILMAN IRISH-Put something like that in there we would be willing to do that if they want to pay
the administrative cost to get it done, it benefits them.
CONTROLLER HESS-Yes.
SUPERVISOR CHAMP AGNE- They should be entitled to that really.
CONTROLLER HESS-In fact if they really looked at this there are other ways to get this done, I mean they
are talking about building water districts down there and do a lot of that there is, I am not sure they have
fully explored the options they have under AFC.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-The next issue is the very next section on page 14 part B, Water system operation
and maintenance. And it is the formula, our formula has always been a transmission charge plus, page
fourteen Pliney, We are still there this is one of the more complicated pages, this is the one that deals with
the money once we get past the money ones it goes fast, but you know the money is the heart of the
contract here. This is what they pay us for the water. As you recall we have been very kind in offering to
charge them the same per gallon charge that we charge our own residents for the production of water. On
top of that because this contract provides for no cost for getting the water through our lines to the border we
had estimated or added in a five cents per thousand gallons transmission charge. They have asked, they
have crossed out the transmission charge. It is not a huge amount of money it seems it is an odd contract
that we would not charge for the cost because we have cost of the pipe and they are one of the people that
are using the pipe. From a very practical point of view we have a proposed contract with the Village of
Hudson Falls that sounds to me like that we have a better chance of signing then this contract and that has a
ten cents per thousand gallons transmission charge. If we take it out of this contract we are running the risk
of alienating the municipality that has been very good in negotiating many years and just hasn't gotten
around to finalizing it.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-Because the distance of Moreau, the water that has got to travel thorough our
transmission lines and the distance it has to go to get to Hudson Falls the difference between five and ten is
justified I gather.
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-That was the thought process that went into it at the time.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-I think that when they brought that proposal back Henry said that the five cents
should go back in there. I thought we agreed to that.
CONTROLLER HESS-Five cents was an arbitrary number and I think when Hudson Falls contract came
up double that amount, the double was not arbitrary but the original amount was, we did some calculations
and Ralph and I have never come to an agreement but I just took the chart of accounts and how we came
up with the price of water was that we took the chart of accounts and said which factors are in production
and which are not. There is formula in the contract if you use the same process to say what are your real
transmission costs, you know, and I isolate those accounts and divide it by the gallons we sell you now, I
estimate a reasonable fees that the minimum reasonable fees is thirteen cents that our real cost of
transmitting water is about thirteen cents. But, that is throughout the town, that is an average of, as far
away or close whether it should be five or not, I think the real issue here should it be zero. I have no reason
to say that the cost is nothing to transmit our water.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-What, Bob has said if we take it out of here we are going to have to take it out
of Hudson Falls, and they are agreeable, aren't they?
WATER SUPT. V ANDUSEN-I do not remember them questioning that until this came up.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-Until they heard that we were charging less or thinking about, that there were
proposals by Moreau that we would not pay.,
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-What does this amount to, for a million gallons, am I looking at around
five thousand dollars a year, is that where we are?
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-It is a real cost.
CONTROLLER HESS-It is another one of those factors that somebody is going to pay it, it depends on
whether the user pays it or Queensbury.
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-It is real, it is not major.
CONTROLLER HESS-Not charging doesn't reduce your expenses...
COUNCILMAN IRISH-Do I pay this on my water bill?
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-Your water bill will include that plus.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-It looks like it is unfair to ask them to pay it then.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-So, leave it at five cents?
(BOARD AGREED)
ATTORNEY HAFNER-The other thing is we are going to clarify that the average total water production
does not include water that is used in the production of water, because we have some part of the water that,
goes to clean out the things at the water plant into those type of things that nobody pays for.
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-In reality any of the calculations that we have done have taken that into
consideration already.
ATTORNEY HAFNER -We need to clari. . . that is what I said we have to clarify it.
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-It is not going change any numbers that we have quoted but it has never
been specified that we are going ...
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-Don't we have meters now between the pump station and the water plant,
telling you how much water is coming into the plant?
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-Sure.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-I know we didn't before, before the expansion, did we?
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-We had a meter it was not particularly accurate.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-Because we were loosing water somewhere and we figured out that the meter
wasn't right or something.
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-That is correct. We have meters at several different points right now.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-You know what is coming in and what goes out so.,
ATTORNEY HAFNER-I known we have already sort of touched on it but just to remind you on the top of
page fifteen they have not changed, they have only made one small change in paragraph two but, the way
that the operation and maintenance budget is to be calculated they are not going to pay for any transmission
charges except maybe that five cents per thousand gallons. That is the way that this is done. If over time
the budget changes so that different items have more or less expense they have limited the amount that of
certain line items that can be included in the operation and maintenance budget. We have, if you see in the
middle of the paragraph we have left it before at sixty percent they have lowered it to fifty percent of the
aggregate of the eighty three ten line items and there was a lot of discussion about that, back and forth.
Right now it is what, high thirty's?
WATER SUPT. V ANDUSEN-I wantto say forty two off the top of my head but! am not sure, it is around
forty percent.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-I seem to remember it was around forty. How much leeway do we want, again,
this is a forty year contract things can change a lot. . .
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-We discussed that the night we had the meeting with Moreau and I remember
this discussion.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Yea, I would hope those line items never exceed fifty percent of the
budget, that is administrative mostly in there isn't it?
WATER SUPT . VANDUSEN-That is entirely administrative.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-That is more in our control...
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-If we let it go beyond fifty percent then we are not doing our job..it might
be a good level for us to set for future boards if we can to that, I guess we can do that.
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-I would leave it.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-We can be held by the contract, if we are wrong we pay.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-They are going to be paying two twenty thirds of the total administrative cost?
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-No, actually they are going to be paying more than that. Administrative
costs are considered part of the O&M costs and that is based on actual gallons used so they will be using
probably, if we were to produce one hundred gallons of water they would be using somewhere around
twenty percent of that, twenty five percent so they will be paying twenty to twenty five percent of ..
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-Say that again.
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-They will be using I am kind of averaging as to how much water they are
going to use vs how much water we use.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-So, what are you estimating that usage at...
WATER SUPT. V ANDUSEN-I am saying that they are going to average somewhere around a half a
million a day a peak of a day an average of about half a million, our average is about three and a half
million. It is going to depend on how much water each community uses as to what share they are. . .
COUNCILMAN IRISH-If more water is used those administrative go up?
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-No.
CONTROLLER HESS-Theoretically the ratio should come down.
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-The administrative cost per gallon of water would go down the more water
we produce.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-In otherwords if we are forty two percent now or what ever that number is
and we start pumping out rather than three and a half or four or five million we start pumping out seven or
eight million we are not going to add to that administrative cost all that much.
WATER SUPT. V ANDUSEN-I would expect to add nothing.
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-So the ratio should improve.
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-But that forty two percent isn't a percent of the total cost, what that forty
two percent is, is percent of the administrative cost, if the administration cost are ten thousand dollars we
are saying that this fifty percent, we are never going to charge you more than five, in that line item it will
never be more than five thousand dollars. In otherwords fifty percent of that line item it is not that it is fifty
percent of the cost of producing water it is fifty percent of the line item.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-That is how I read it.
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-I think that is very reasonable from the Moreau.
(tape turned)
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-Only fifty, only up to fifty percent of the replacement can go into the
equation.
CONTROLLER HESS-I understand but if they were to use more than fifty
WATER SUPT. V ANDUSEN-Ifthey were using three quarters of the water they would pay three quarters
of the O&M cost.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-Three quarters of the water being produced.
CONTROLLER HESS-But three eight's of the ..cost
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-No.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-The way this is drafted is if eighty three. .administration cost?
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-Yes.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-What it says is the most percent of the administration cost that can go, that can be
allocated to operation and maintenance is fifty percent. If all of a sudden our administration would require
ninety percent of your time to be dealt with the production of water we could only put fifty percent our
your time in the charges that they pay a share of.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Who else is in besides you?
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-Office staff.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-So, we are still not talking about much.
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-In the budget right now there was Water Superintendent, there was Deputy
Superintendent, there is Secretarial ...
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-We have already removed one, there goes that forty two back to twenty
five, by getting ride of..
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-Fifty percent of the total administrative cost to produce the water, maximum of
fifty percent.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-Yes.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-Regardless of what the administrative costs are. If it is twenty thousand or fifty
thousand they are paying fifty percent.
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-Not more than that. That is correct.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-Only fifty percent goes into what they are pay a portion.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-Now, I am going to ask a dumb question Hudson Falls contract has no bearing
on this part of Moreau's?
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-Hudson Falls did not raise the issue, I am sure they will now, about putting
a cap, there is no cap. Same formula applies this just has a fifty percent cap on the administrative portion,
Hudson Falls has no cap. The concern of Moreau is, was and probably forever will be that we are going to
transfer some cost that are not currently chargeable to O&M into an account that it doesn't really belong but
it is going to be an account that they pay a share of and that their concern.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-They are afraid we are going to screw them and we probably should.
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-Well, I did not word it quite that way.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-They are afraid of that.
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-I think Moreau will insist upon this and it is very reasonable.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-I think so.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-The only question I am asking Dick is that if we do it in here and Hudson Falls.
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-I do not think we would have any trouble doing it for Hudson Falls either.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-It would be all right.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Absolutely.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-I think it is reasonable for them to do this, the percentage I would have had a
bigger.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-I would hope that the Queensbury Town Board hold that administrative
cost at fifty percent or less.
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-It should be well below that.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Absolutely. It would
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-It would be what?
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-It would be much less than fifty percent. What you are saying here is that
you have to add on three more Ralph's in order to get that...
ATTORNEY HAFNER-...the language is in the Moreau Contract also. On page twenty two, transfer, they
are going to sell up to two hundred and fifty thousand gallons per day to the Town of Fort Edward, they
agree that they will not sell water to other persons, other, for less than they would pay buying it from us and
we put in here that they do not have to right to sell to the Town of Moreau or the City of Glens Falls.
COUNCILMAN TURNER-On page twenty three you did not spell it out, it just said any other county,
town, village or city.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-Ok, that is how we worded it then.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-So, at the end of twenty years they can sell their capacity to whomever,
right?
ATTORNEY HAFNER-The initial, they may sell their interest thousand gallons of capacity to another
County, Town, Village or City provided that they have paid us, that they first offer it back to us and that
they. . . well, ... we have the right to buy it back.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-Why would we buy back capacity?
ATTORNEY HAFNER-If we needed it for our own people.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-If they wanted build their own plant...
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-If they are to sell it to anybody this contract is part of their deal, right?
ATTORNEY HAFNER-Yes. It is on the same terms as this contract.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-Why would that be a problem if they..
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-In fact we have first refusal if they decide to sell it.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-But, I mean even if they do sell it, if we agree with this contract with Hudson
Falls they have got to sell the contract to sell their share, so. ...I do not think you will have to worry about
it anyway.
COUNCILMAN HAFNER-And that is that.
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-And when do you get this signed?
ATTORNEY HAFNER-Again, I talked with Martin just a couple, I forget it was yesterday or the day
before, to see and he had not heard back from the village yet. He was very eager to find out about
Moreau.
CONTROLLER HESS-I would ask you though, on this..agreement look at little bit further, would it be
appropriate to consider language that says not withstanding anything else that this says, this is strictly, sell
water. I am not saying that should be in there, but I am just asking you to look at that and make sure.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-The are buying capacity. They are buying something more than just buying water.
The are buying the right to receive up to a million gallons per day from our plant.
CONTROLLER HESS-I just want to make sure they are not buying a right to the bricks and mortar.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-The contract was supposed to be back today on Hudson Park. ... want to talk to
the Board about these thing before any action is taken due to the Recreation Commission, ok. We do not
want any action taken.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-As a committee you want to say to Harry Hansen no action taken until
such time you got some reports back to the board, we are saying to the commission don't move forward
with anything until the board makes a determination.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER - We had a couple of kinks here and you should know about them. ... You know
something they are going to be putting down top soil and this is the worst time of the year to put seeding
down when you do not have a way of watering, it really is.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-So, we want to...
COUNCILMAN IRISH-This is a public meeting today,
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-We can talk about it right now.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-We can do it today if you want.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-You know Harry has had trouble with Doug Auer and he wants Doug Auer off
the Commission, we have had problems down there because of Doug Auer other people have found out
about the problems maybe we wouldn't of, I do not know. So, it appears that the commission had a no care
attitude about what went on down there correct, do you feel this way?
COUNCILMAN IRISH-Yes. I do not know that I would say they didn't care, I do not think that they I do
not really think that they should be in the business of building a park. The Commission should not have
that oversight, they are good are running programs and setting programs up but I think when it comes to
getting into, they do not have the expertise to
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Then we have got to abandon the Commission. We have got to throw the
commission out and go back to an advisory committee.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-right.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-As long as that commission is in there it is my understanding and I have
looked hard and long at this sucker going back to Nick Caimano when Nick was interested in removing the
Commission per sa and their rights and privileges as a State Statute commission is different. . .
COUNCILMAN IRISH-They weren't formed by State Statute, they weren't formed by a resolution of the
Board.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-It is a State Statute that does, that allows certain things for a commission to
operate within the confines of a commissions authority.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-I do not think there is any argument with that, I think that they should be an
advisory committee it is not fair to them to hold them responsible for what went on ...
SUPERVISOR CHAMP AGNE-I guess what you are saying is we ought to ask Bob, or Mark or whomever
to take a look at how we want to move forward ...
COUNCILMAN IRISH-Didn't you do that once and it was ..resolution of the Board...it is a local law.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-I think it is just by resolution, I did research and did a memo.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-You did a memo it was constituted by a resolution of the Board and that is all it
would take to undo it.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-You undo it the same way you put it in. The State Statute says when you create a
Recreation commission and you delegate your authority you delegate all of your authority with respect to
its matters to them, which is pretty broad, but that is what the State Statue says so that is what you are
getting at Fred. But, it can be undone the same way it is done, ...
COUNCILMAN IRISH-There was no referendum or anything, it was just a resolution of the Board.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-It was a resolution. I would like to look at the memo again, that was a few months
ago.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-I got a copy of the law and I have read the law...
ATTORNEY HAFNER-I am pretty sure that was exactly what our research said and that there was some
opinions of the State Comptroller that verified that.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-There are some members on there that.. .as a matter off act, who is the Attorney on
there
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-Carusone
COUNCILMAN IRISH-Carusone has missed, in their by-laws they have if you miss six meetings in any
twelve month period you are no longer on the Commission and Carusone has missed over six now in a
twelve month period. To me I realize that probably he is a busy guy but if you want to volunteer for
something like that they only meet once a month how can you miss six meetings, you know. There are
some people that probably shouldn't be on there I for one think Doug Auer belongs on there, if it wasn't for
Doug Auer we wouldn't know about the problem down at the Hudson River Park. If Harry Hansen has a
problem working with him then maybe he ought to do his job a little more vigilantly than he has been.
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-I guess I have trouble with Hansen wanting a Commission Member dropped,
it is not his role, is it?
COUNCILMAN IRISH-Fred doesn't want to work with me either but.. .on the board.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Not any more anyway....and he did not want me on the board, so I think it
is stronger toward getting me off then you.
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-Harry works for the Commission, right?
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Not according to Harry... .lets just get a consensus and we will move
forward, you are saying out, get rid of the Commission, get rid of the Commission, get rid of the
Commission
COUNCILMAN TURNER-No,
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-there is three, so.
COUNCILMAN TURNER-No, and I will tell you why, because I do not think it is the Commission, the
Commission should take the blame for what went on down in Hudson Park.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-you do?
COUNCILMAN TURNER-No, I don't.
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-No, we are not placing the blame on them.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-It is interesting that Doug Auer stands over here all by himself you got
seven other Commission members they are over in this pack, he does not have an awful lot of respect by
the other seven, and I think one against seven or seven against one.
COUNCLMAN TUCKER-That is a case of personality
COUNCILMAN IRISH-But by the same token how did all of this come about that they found out what
problems were at the park? One of the Commission members took it upon himself to go down there and
checked the work that was being done. He explained time after time after time after time to the
commission what was going on and they all did nothing. They did not do anything as a matter of fact one
of, I do not want to go there, but, the guy was threaten by an employee of the Town. The Commission the
personnel department did nothing about that, I mean, they, I will go back they do a good job of running
programs they shouldn't be in the business of building parks.
COUNCILMAN TURNER-No, I did not think they were. They weren't in the business of building park
because we had Jim Miller landscape architect design the park that is not their fault.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-But, the thing is Jim Miller
COUNCILMAN TURNER-And it is not Jim Miller's fault either, we should have had a clerk of the works
if you want to go that far with it.
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-I guess my feeling comes...
COUNCILMAN TURNER-It comes right back to us who said, ok, go ahead with it but, there is nobody to
look after you know.
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-I guess that is where I come back... park or Doug Auer or anybody else there,
I think we have a responsibility and you delegated it , and I think it comes back to the Town.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-Now, it was tax money but some of it was I guess it was user fees, I guess, right.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Well, guys, when it boils right down you can shot down the park, you can
shot down the water department, how many, ... we spent how many thousands of dollars to pay O'Brien and
Gere supervision while Mr. Wunderlich screwed Up,up there, every project that goes on in this town like
every project you do, I do, anybody does isn't a perfect ending.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-Nothing is perfect.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Nothing is perfect, ..
COUNCILMAN IRISH-I think what we are saying is it is our responsibility it is not the commissions
responsibility to take the brunt of whatever criticism is laid out on that park and by the same token we have
got Harry Hansen who doesn't believe he works for the Town Board and tells the Commission where to get
off and
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-So we have a personnel problem within the organization, and Harry
Hansen is not going to function any differently ...
COUNCILMAN IRISH-Oh, he will when he is answering to the Town Board vs a Board of Volunteers.
That is what it comes down to.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Yea, maybe. ..Civil Service protection and all the rest you know that goes
with it, you may be right, you are going to gain something.
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-The last thing I want to do is damage the repetition of the Recreation
Department because they have tremendous programming.
COUNCILMAN TURNER-I do not want do that.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-You are going to take on the Town I will tell you right now, I have been
there you are going to take on every parent that has enjoyed the benefits of that Recreation ...
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-That is not the idea.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-.. . making them an advisory committee though we are not telling them you know.
COUNCILMAN TURNER-Look we made a commitment to build a park, all right, we sent out a contract
that did not get done right, we are going to have to do it right, lets get it done lets quit the bologna and
bickering back and forth this is going to go away nice and easy it will be done complete it will be all over
with and forget it. Let the Dead Dog Lie. . . .
SUEPRVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Back in the business of running programs.
COUNCILMAN TURNER-And they will be right back in the business of running programs.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-I agree but I do not think that they should be in the business of running programs
as a commission they can do that as a committee.
COUNCILMAN TURNER-Not for me.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-What difference does it make?
COUNCILMAN IRISH-Because the Town Board is advocating their responsibilities to the taxpayer to a
group of volunteers.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Are we doing the same thing with the Cemetery Commission?
COUNCILMAN IRISH-Maybe we are but I think they are run a little differently than ...
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-That was passed by the State legislature and we cannot touch that.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-That was the legislature.
COUNCILMAN TURNER-That was a legislative act.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-Can I recommend that I get a chance to review the research that I did and send the
Board another copy of it.
SUPERVISOR CHAMP AGNE- The only thing here is I do not know how soon, we want to hold off on any
work being done out there until the fall, at which time.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-What are you talking about for.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-I told Harry that ...
COUNCILMAN IRISH-Can we get pumps or something to water it if we have too?
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-I told Harry that when everything comes together that I would like to know
what is going on down there just to have an idea.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-As a committee I am going to leave it up to you two guys if that makes
sense and you just keep us advised as to what you are doing and how you are doing it, unless you want
something from the board. I am not sure I know what you are asking for.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-Do we want a resolution to dissolve the commission and re-constitute it as a
committee at this point or what do we want to do?
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-Now, what do the members of the Commission feel about this?
COUNCILMAN IRISH-I have not really talked to, Mark knows, but has not voiced an opinion about it,
Doug Auer is in favor of re-constituting as a committee.
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-What about Sharron?
COUNCILMAN IRISH-Sharron, I do not think has a problem with it, I am only basing that on past
comments she has made, I think the last time it was talked about ...
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Why don't we meet with the Commission. Why don't we as a Town Board
meet with the Commission.
COUNCILMAN TURNER-I think lets talk to them, first.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Eye ball to eye ball, explain to them what our problems are and how we
see we are going to correct it and... abandon the commission and go back to committee fine in spite of
what their thinking is send the balloon up and see what comes down, that is how I think.
Can we do that?
COUNCILMAN TURNER-Don't rush into it.
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-We do not want to be smudge the Recreation Program.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-I do not think that is what we are trying to do either.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-That is how it is going to be perceived.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-I would like to get that responsibility back to the Town Board and you know
instead of pushing it off on a group of volunteers.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-I think that they would be happy with that, I think that they would be very
glad to get the hell out of the construction business.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-I think it would be a less of a burden on their shoulders, they can say, we
presented it to the Town Board they ok'd it, it is the Town Boards problem, now, rather, I know they did
not enjoy sitting here with, what the hell was the guys name that sat here begging for money that night,
from Nutec, that is not what they are there for. They are there to put together programs for the town and
they do a good job of that.
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-It would be nice if it came from within.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Yea, that would be, if they recommend that we want to limit our authority
and we are interested in being advisory gee, I would vote for that. But because of the quality of the
programs in spite of the level of the fields out there it is pretty hard for me to say because a field did not get
leveled we are not going throw out the baby with the wash. I have a hard time with that. There is a hell of
a lot more behind what we would like and what we are getting it is coming right out of that office down
there you know that and I know that. Rather than shooting darts at the commission the darts need to go
where the hell they belong.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-You cannot do anything about that until you get rid of the Commission, you can't
he works for the Commission.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-If you want to go into a personnel thing we can go into Executive Session.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-I don' think, I think we know what we have got to do.
ATTORNEY HAFNER - I just stating this, it is public.
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-Where do you stand on the bids?
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-The bids are in.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-The bids came in today I do not know what they are.
SUPERVISOR CHAMP AGNE-I don't know either.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-I told Harry, I would like to know about the bids and what is involved there are
some other things that are going to have to be done down there that was not in the contact. You have got a
road running right along the fields and I guess young people have been running allover the place down
their with their cars and everything.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-I would like to see, line that ditch with stone and then cover it over...
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-Ok. You are going to get the information for us.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-I am going to get copies of that memo I did to everybody again. I will make sure
that you get that.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-How about this thing with Lopez?
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-From Theresa Higgins, the commission is favoring hiring Joe, Josh Lopez,
Josh Lopez is the son of Mike Lopez who is a working foreman at the Cemetery, we discussed this at
Monday nights meeting, Pliney was not here, the question remains as of that Monday night it was my
opinion that the Board felt that hiring blood relatives to work within a department that a father or brother or
sister or aunt whatever was not the appropriate thing to do and that is what I carried back to advise Rod
that he not hire him based on the general opinion of the board, recognizing that Ted had said he favor it.
But, I thought I had one, two, three votes that night to not ...
COUNCILMAN IRISH-I agreed with you and since then Pliney has made me aware that Rodney actually
had his kid working there and there was no problem with it and I think if we are going to do something we
should treat everybody the same, if it was good enough for Rodney to hire his own son then I think ...
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-When I came into office we put a kibosh to that, Rodney did not hire his
son...
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-they will work four days a week from July 6th to August 28th.
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-A couple of things when we reviewed it, on his resume he did not indicate that
he had a license.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-He has got one.
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-So, that is changed, now,
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-He can use the equipment at 16.
COUNCILMAN TURNER-He can run the power equipment.
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-He can use power equipment at 16. Now, you do have a question of do you
want a 16 year old driving town equipment?
COUNCILMAN TURNER-Dick, before this, the other people that were there, that were of that age drove
town equipment, did the work.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-I guess the only problem I have is what we did yesterday is, this
administration should that be continued for ever and ever and ever? I have always had a problem hiring
blood relatives and working within the same department or within the same school within the same
whatever. My mind can be changed.
COUNCILMAN TURNER-Like I said to you now, it has come to my attention since I talked to you
yesterday that the Highway Supt. has hired relation just in the last few months, he has hired a guy over
there and there is a guy working for the highway department that has been working there for years he is
related to the guy, so.
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-Again, this is a commission how much control do we have over a
commission?
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-That is a good question. That Commission could tell Fred Champagne...
COUNCILMAN IRISH-I thought originally, Rodney did not want to hire him, that was the feeling I got.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Rodney bumped it up to me, Rodney did not want to say no to his, to his
foreman obviously.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-Rodney should have said no if..1 agree with you one hundred percent.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-...I have to sign the seven forty sixes, seven twenty sixes, I am not going
to sign that I am going to the board with it, which I did and I thought I had three votes. . . .
ATTORNEY HAFNER-I put a drop in date that is now only a year away, at the time we put it in we
thought it was two years..
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-that will give us ..times to go over this thing again.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-That was the end of the major comments.
CONTROLLER HESS-One thing that I did not pick up as clear is how will we be paid and when we will
spend money. We are counting on their half million dollar investment to I am assuming that we are not
going to put up our three hundred and sixty one or we are going to start the loan to them for half of the river
crossing when we start spending the money.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-That does not have to be made until ...
CONTROLLER HESS-But as far as the improvement on Big Bay Big Boom Road we should have a
deposit against the five hundred before. . .
ATTORNEY HAFNER-One thing they said, yes.
CONTROLLER HESS-But the contract does not say that...
COUNCILMAN IRISH-I think he put that in there.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-... earlier
COUNCLMAN TUCKER-This contract will be signed with the deal with GE is finalized?
ATTORNEY HAFNER-It will be signed now, but, when we agree, it would be, we won't get any money
until GE
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-Wouldn't it be ironic Gentlemen after this thing is all put together and GE sat
down and figured it out that they were going to get it done for less than five million and they said all they
are going to pay you is what your..
(tape turned)
COUNCILMAN TURNER-..the law suit is in the court I know that...
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Dick maybe you could help we with this, but I understand that, that
settlement is on the table and it is being monitored by the Attorney General or Department of State. . . once
they get this signed it seems they ought to be able to go to the bank and say give me my money, I think that
is where it is at now.
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-This is what is holding it up.
(copies being made of Hudson Falls contract)
ATTORNEY HAFNER-As a technical thing I think I mentioned this before I want to say it a little clearer I
think that from talking with Martin about Hudson Falls and Moreau that I think the Hudson Falls agreement
is closer to being ready to sign and that we might want to consider telling Moreau that we are close and that
we are going to get Hudson Falls signed and then we will move forward with Moreau and get theirs signed.
Tell them what our issues are so that they can be thinking about them, because their Attorney is the same
for both and that might get him to focus on getting one done because that benefits both clients instead of
sort of having his efforts back and forth.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Really, I guess I question that, why would you want to slow down one and
pick up on the other why don't we just go full speed ahead on both of them.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-Because after we get the one that I think has less of these diffi, less of these issues
outstanding the Hudson Falls one, I think then you can say, this is what we did for Hudson Falls we cannot
treat you differently and I think that bolsters our negotiating.
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-I do not think that there are any major issues in here that are going to
COUNCILMAN IRISH-Hudson Falls you are talking about?
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-Moreau, What is the next step with this one with Moreau, you will talk with
the Attorney?
ATTORNEY HAFNER -Yes, I will talk with Martin, I promised him I will give him a phone call, estimated
about now.
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-What is the time is the time frame on all of this?
ATTORNEY HAFNER-Well, I said I would give him a call because I am on vacation until next
Wednesday.
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-So, nothing happens until
ATTORNEY HAFNER-Nothing is going to happen with this except that I am going to report verbally back
to Martin, today, until next week.
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-When would Moreau receive an updated copy?
ATTORNEY HAFNER - I was thinking of just meeting with Martin and going through. Because some of
them we have to agree on language and others its just you know, that would be I think a quick way to get it
back. I was going to ask him when he will be free next week.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-Have you got any feel that we are not going to get one back from Moreau in a
week or two all chewed up again?
ATTORNEY HAFNER-No, we have continued to get things back from Moreau all chewed up again, but
this is the first time that I have been optimistic that we were sort of on the same page. I mean, we went
through all the issues but this is closer to what we agree. I think we are pretty close, the issues are not
hugh.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-...that five and a quarter against the river crossing that is going to be the
main objection.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-..aIways go bond it. Why should we give them money for less than what we can
get ... investment account.
COUNCILMAN TURNER-That and the transmission cost. They are going to argue about transmission
costs too.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Yea, they probably will, that five cent thing.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-I think the bigger issue I think they will fight about those because that is the way
the thing is going. I think our telling them that if they go above a million five toward two million that, then
that is a big issue.
SUPERVISOR CHAMP AGNE- That is going to be another kicker.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-That is a big issue, that is what I see as
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-You have always said pretty much along the way that you know in order
for Queensbury to sell water we ought to provide water at least to ...
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-But this is obligating us a long way down the road isn't it Fred?
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Well.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-You know, if they are going to pay the cost that, whatever the current market
bears that is a different story, they want to pay nineteen ninety eight cost to whenever that could be ...
before they come back for more water.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-Why should we obligate the people of Queensbury, how can we do that?
ATTORNEY HAFNER-Legally we can because there are State Statutes which lets us, I mean, practically
you can it is something legally ...
COUNCILMAN IRISH-It doesn't make good business sense though.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-That is a different point, I mean. I took his question as a legal question.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-..lets start marching though this.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-The Village of Hudson Falls will be a lot quicker.
COUNCILMAN MERRILL... on both of the in parallel as fast as possible.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-That is what we have been doing and we will continue to. Let me go through.
Again, this is going to be a quicker one, what we did we updated the last draft of the contract which I think
was done in ninety four or there abouts and has been sitting on the wordprocessor for four years and it got
farther and farther out of date factually. So, what we did was Martin and I went though what we thought
was legally good language and then we got to see business wise whether this is the deal you guys agree to.
Let me briefly out line what we did. I am going to skip the definitions and go straight to page five, page
five is the capacity issue the fifteen million gallons, you are buying a million they had no problem with
that. That is what the contract provided. The upgrade cost the two hundred thousand for the low left pump
motors they are reviewing this themselves, hopefully I was hoping they would be done but, they are
reviewing this the same time I sent this to you on the fifteenth, Martin had sent it to Hudson Falls counsel.
We on page seven at the bottom, we have the duty to construct all water lines in our town later on we will
talk about the River Street upgrade that is a separate thing that is dealt with differently. It is our obligation
to provide the water facilities the water transmission ability in our town to get it to their border.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-What page are you on, Bob?
ATTORNEY HAFNER-Bottom of page seven. We go on to page eight, we have two meters but this is not
for the same reason this is because we have two connections. One I believe is meant to be as an emergency
backup in case something happens to the other or it was needed for fire or something like that. But, we
have two connections, we have two meters, they pay for one we pay for one.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-Isn't one already made?
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-The connection is there the meter pit is there there is no meter in it.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-That is at Quarry Crossing I think.
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-Yes.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-The village is going to provide a check valve and we are going to install. This
contract has always said there was one, so, I assume that one was different than the other.
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-Well, initially when that was put in there was only one connection point
anticipated.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-So, we need to change it to two.
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-So, the reality is that we are going to have.. . checks.
ATTORNEY HAFNER -. . . for installing the check valves, two, we will update that. But that is not going to
be a point of contention, we are responsible for meters and check valves in future.
COUNCILMAN IRISH-Does it make a difference Ralph if these are different meters, should they both be
the same brand and model and all that, so they read the same on both sides?
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-Their standards and models are almost identical so, yes it would be nice is
they are exactly the same the reality is that they would probably go together in pricing and get joint pricing.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-Page ten, we have a tank which serves the South Queensbury Water Storage tank,
it serves that area, when our use gets up to
a certain amount this five hundred thousand gallons per day on a seasonal average the village has required
at its own expense to have its own water tank. What we have done is basically said you can use ours while
we don't need it when we do you better put in your own.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-How far away are we?
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-When is the next industry that uses a major volume of water going in the
industrial park?
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-What is a major user?
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-Somebody that uses a half a million a day.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-This is half a million a day.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-in otherwords it is just here in case it does happen.
COUNCILMAN TURNER-That is right.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-I have got to tell you something, you know, I keep hearing this stuff when
an industry moves in I am going to have to have a half a million gallons. . . when an industry moves in it will
be right beside the Hudson River just like General Elec., Finch Pruyn, they will process their own water, so,
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-They all have a closed system.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-That is right, that is exactly right.
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-One thing, they initially Hudson Falls wanted to use our storage capability
as their storage requirements to avoid a tank and from what I heard the Health Department said no you
cannot do that.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-I thought that they were still working on it. What I heard they were still trying to
persuade them.
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-Yes, you are right. It was not sealed in concrete but,
ATTORNEY HAFNER-They were leaning that way but, they seemed optimistic to be able to pursued them
if we went along with it.
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-And the reality is that we benefit, that tank is just sitting there stagnating
because there is no water use down in that end of the town right down so we benefit if indeed that does
happen.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-Keep going, on page twelve we changed the, we had a long section dealing with
legislation and really when we boiled down all that language from 1994 it basically said that if we had an
emergency you treat your people the same way we treat our people. So, we summed it down to that one
sentence. Section seven on page twelve, again this is the heart of the contract because this deals with the
money. They are getting a million gallons capacity they are going to pay us a million sixty thousand
dollars, that sum is paid within fifteen days of the Village obtaining the funds which are to be raised by
municipal financing. The Village agrees to use its best efforts to obtain such financing, again, we do not
have we have no responsibility to perform until they pay this. We have no responsibility to improve the
River Street System until they pay this. It is nice and clean... What they pay is ten cents per thousand
gallons of transmission charge and then the same calculation of the operation and maintenance expense we
need to add the same language that we are going to about average total water production doesn't include
water used and we are going to have the same change there that we had but otherwise this is very similar to
what the Moreau one had, except that we did not have all of that language about the precise item numbers
and the fifty percent limit.
CONTROLLER HESS-Let me throw one thing in here regarding the construction of this contract and how
it differs from Moreau. This is written as a facility agreement and I am not sure it should be written that
way. Moreau is written as though they are buying water from us and here is how we are pricing it. This
one is a facility agreement like their buying into the facility and but we are going to do the management of
it they actually have a role in the operation of the facility in giving it back to us and like in this section it
talks about you will pay its annual share of operation and maintenance. Moreau's contract does not say
that, it says that formula will be used to determine the price of water. But, I think the language implies
something different here and I am not sure I feel comfortable with it. Because I am not sure how it might
effect, I do not know what the implications are, it is not that I do not trust it, I do not know what the
implications are with other contracts that we have. The whole thrust of this contract is different than the
other one in that regard.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-So, Henry are you saying we, first of all we have the wrong title to the
contract is that what you are saying?
CONTROLLER HESS-The title of it and I think the way some of the language that supports that they are
paying their share of the operation and facility and I think the pricing I do not have any objection to how
things are priced but yes, I think it should not be a facility agreement I think it should be a water purchase
agreement and whatever language is needed to effect that should be made.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-I do not think that this water facility is used anywhere else back in here is
it?
CONTROLLER HESS-When you read through the agreement, this was taken from a sample facility
agreement somebody used a sample boiler plate facility agreement and constructed this contract. Moreau's
contract was based on what..
ATTORNEY HAFNER-It started with this,..we wanted to treat them the same and that is how it started.
CONTROLLER HESS-Moreau is buying capacity and water, they are buying an interest in our facility
here from where I read it and I just, I just think we need to make sure that we are not running into a
problem when we do that.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-There is no reason to have them buy into the plant is there?
ATTORNEY HAFNER-They are buying capacity into our system.
CONTROLLER HESS-... trying to reserve capacity.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-The water capacity, yea but not part of the plant.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-They are buying a piece of the rock.
CONTROLLER HESS-This sounds like they are buying a piece of the building.
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-Clearly that is not...
CONTROLLER HESS-I do not think that was the intent of it but I think the sample contract was used and I
just think it should be tampered with.
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-Any discussions we had were always that Queensbury owns the building,
owns the facility ... we are just sharing the costs.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Now, as I go back through Section 2 on page 5 we are talking about
facility capacity and facility ...
ATTORNEY HAFNER-We keep referring to our system as the water facility.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER- Go to Moreau's and you talk facility management, page 6 section 3.
CONTROLLER HESS-The terms are used facility in both but this one is written as a facility agreement
and I.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-As a legal matter I do not think there is much difference in the determinative
language this contract came to us with from back before we were Town Counsel with the Village of
Hudson Falls having an equity interest to the extent of this contract. That was something that we it is kind
of hard to walk away from what had already been agreed to when they were not walking away from what
they agreed to.
CONTROLLER HESS-At the time you were filing your opinion letter with EFC for financing I was filing
a letter that said that we, a certification that we were, we did not have a facility agreements they accepted
the fact that we were selling water and negotiating to sell water but they wanted to know did we have any
facility agreements. That is what I am saying I do not understand the implication but apparently there is
one or they would not asked for that question.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-In our opinion letter we
COUNCILMAN MERRILL-you just need to change these words.
CONTROLLER HESS-Or we need to find out that there really is no difference. ... comfortable with it and I
am not yet.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-I did not see what you had..
CONTROLLER HESS-My was a different thing.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-Our opinion letter that was not a relevant question. We disclosed to them that we
in fact we recommended that you disclose to them that we were seeking contract of water.
CONTROLLER HESS-And that is what we did put it that way but the question was do you have any
facility agreements, the answer was no, but we are going to sell water to Moreau and to Hudson Falls and
now I read this and yea, you are going to bring in a facility agreement I just think we need to define what
that means and decide whether we are getting ourselves into a box we cannot crawl out of.
WATER SUPT. V ANDUSEN-I can find out tomorrow to, what the intent from their Attorney was I will be
meeting with him tomorrow.
CONTROLLER HESS-When you read the language here I do not think the intent is to buy.
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-The attorney for EFe.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-Rather than refer to all the different, we are on page 13 still, refer to all the
different item numbers all we said was that the O&M costs are calculated by the town in accordance with
the standard policy and practices of the town. So, that is what we tried to get Moreau to stick with and they
would not accept. But, the village has so far.
CONTROLLER HESS-That is why I would like to sign this one first.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-I made that point and the Board seems to think, move on both at the same time.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-I think we owe it to Moreau to keep going.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-I just brought it up as a negotiating tactic I think, stronger, we have a better
contract ...
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-I am willing to bet that we will have Hudson Falls signed long before we have
Moreau.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-I am to. Page 14 the reconstruction cost the same way we calculated it before. If
we have to reconstruct something they pay one fifteenth. There is no charge for the first ten days of water
for line flushing, that is what we gave them rather than the,
COUNCILMAN IRISH-I thought we gave Moreau a year?
COUNCIMLAN TURNER-No.
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-We gave Moreau a number of gallons.
COUNCILMAN TURNER-Two hundred and fifty thousand gallons and they asked for a million.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-It is just for one year with Moreau? I was going to ask that and forgot.
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-Yes.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-Yes. Just the first year, it is about eight hundred bucks is what we figure.
WATER SUPT. VANDUSEN-And the difference between the two is Hudson Falls is existing they can
start flushing and do the entire system, where Moreau is looking at well, we are going to have some of the
pipes now, some later the cost is the same or approximately.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-Section 8 River Street upgrade. Page 16, This says that the town and the village
each will pay half the cost of the upgrade. We arrange for the work to be done they will pay us within
thirty days we give them an invoice and we keep them informed and we will use our best efforts to obtain
any needed easements which we may need some, they seem to think that we would. We have always said
that we were not going to work on that until we had a signed contract because. . .
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Have you got them to agree to that though, Bob, are they?
ATTORNEY HAFNER-He would not commit it sounded like that was ok, but he would not commit.
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Because we were...if we put in an eight inch and they want to go to a ten
inch
ATTORNEY HAFNER -a twelve... they would pay a small percentage.
SUPERVISOR CHAMP AGNE- They would pay the difference over that.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-It was a small percent and
SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Are we going to get into a rats nest there?
ATTORNEY HAFNER-I do not think so.
COUNCILMAN TURNER-They said they were going to pay for half the cost. Yea, Mike Parrillo and they
were sitting right there when they said it. They would pay for half the cost.
COUNCILMAN TUCKER-Are they still there?
COUNCILMAN TURNER-Then you raised the question after I talked to you about it you know, they only
want to pay the difference.
ATTORNEY HAFNER-I want to point out the difference between the two contracts in section 9,
expansion where Moreau required that right of first refusal with ..detail information this says that they have
the right to request expand use and we have the right to enter into an agreement on such terms as we feel is
appropriate at the time. That is the way most of these would go. We would glad to do it with you come
back when you are ready we will figure out the terms then. I am trying to think what we changed they
have rights to consultation on page 18. Their records, we furnish them with copies of records maintained
by the Town pertaining to our operation costs with respect to their responsibility for payment. As they may
reasonably request in writing which is a lot easier of a thing for Ralph to deal with then the detail ones of
anything you may get. It is a twenty year term they can renew it for twenty years that is a change, before I
think it had two years, ten year renewals but they wanted the same amount and language that is in both that
is relative to your point about the facility agreement is that the Village is recognized as having equity
interest to this extent. This extent I have always thought was the limiting language and that is why Paul
agreed to it, it says, it gives them some security which I think is probably important for someone who is
giving a million dollars and they are relying on us being held to provide water for forty years, but this
extent is what is in the contract and they have a right to a million gallons of capacity but they don't have,
they do not own the plant, they do not own a piece of it and I am still comfortable with that language. This
is fuzzy language but it lets them.
(3rd. tape blank)
RESOLUTION CALLING ADJOURING MEETING
RESOLUTION NO. 252.98
INTRODUCED BY: Mr. Douglas Irish WHO MOVED FOR ITS ADOPTION
SECONDED BY: Mr. Richard Merrill
RESOLVED, that the Town Board of the Town of Queensbury hereby adjourns its Special Meeting.
Duly adopted this 2nd day of July, 1998 by the following vote:
AYES: Mr. Merrill, Mr. Turner, Mr. Irish, Mr. Tucker, Mr. Champagne
NOES; None
ABSENT: None
Respectfully submitted,
Miss Darleen M. Dougher
Town Clerk-Queensbury