Caz Town Council lucks out on generator purchase

Barely used device from military surplus store cost town only a fraction of its original price

By Aaron Gifford

(Cazenovia, Jan. 11, 2010) – New York State government never had a reputation for being quick, efficient and thrifty.

But when Cazenovia town officials contacted New York’s Office of General Services a few weeks ago for help finding a low-priced electricity generator that was large enough to juice up all town buildings during a prolonged power failure, the state delivered in a hurry.

The machine cost $500, or $25,000 less than its original sale price. It had 900 hours of use on it, Councilor Pat Race and Highway Superintendent Tim Hunt explained during the town board’s regular monthly meeting.

“You gotta love Uncle Sam,” Race said.

The surplus store, located near Albany, has a variety of heavy equipment items that the town could use for highway and public works maintenance. Town officials said they would consider shopping there in the future.

“They have everything there” Hunt said. “As long as you don’t mind camouflage green, they got it.”

The board also conducted its annual reorganizational business during the meeting. In other items:

In other business

Supervisor Ralph Monforte’s nomination of Pat Race as deputy supervisor was unanimously approved by the board.

Councilors were assigned to their liaison duties as follows: Race – highway and South Cemetery; Kristi Andersen – planning and zoning, Cazenovia Area Community Development; Bill Zupan -labor and employment, lake and water district.; Donald “Sparky” Christakos – recreation and parks, Gothic Cottage Task Force, state police/New Woodstock Fire Department contracts.

The board also approved 3-percent annual raises for all non-union full-time employees, save Assessor Rochelle Harris and Deputy Clerk Jackie Diehl, who have worked for the town less than a year and are still on employment probation.

The board agreed to contribute $1,000 toward a $3,000 engineering study for water and sewer line extensions to the Googin Fields on Fenner Road. The village and school district would each pay $1,000 as well, and the study would be included in grant applications for funding the project. Sidewalks would be added to a stretch of Fenner Road extending to Fenway Greens apartments as part of the project.

The board approved a town-wide revaluation to take place later this year.

Town officials said they would research changes to the zoning code to allow a dance studio to open in a former dentist office building on the east end of town. The definition of allowed uses could be broadened enough to include martial arts and yoga studios, as well.

Andersen said the state still owes the town $25 out of the $900,000 total it paid for development rights to preserve Critz Farms as an agricultural property under a farmland protection program.

“We’d just keep that in our pocket,” she joked, “to hold over them.”

Aaron Gifford is contributing editor for The Madison County Courier. He can be reached at aaron@m3pmedia.com.

One Comment on "Caz Town Council lucks out on generator purchase"

Cazgadfly on Wed, 27th Jan 2010 10:46 pm

Sure hope it’s a voltage and phasing that works with at least some of the Town locations. Saw this happen in another Town a few years ago. They bought a generator at auction and it turned out they couldn’t use it. But I’m sure Tim and Pat have all that knowhow at their fingertips. You know, lick and stick one finger for 120, two fingers 240. Now how does that 3 phase stuff work? Didn’t quite get that Wellington water rewire right a couple of years ago, did we boys?

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Caz Town Council lucks out on generator purchase

Barely used device from military surplus store cost town only a fraction of its original price

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