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Menands explores reconnecting to Albany water main; mayor outlines grant, ADA and energy projects
Summary
At the July 21 Menands Village board meeting, the mayor reported preliminary engineering talks with the Albany Water Department about reestablishing a larger emergency water connection and described several grant-funded building and energy projects.
Menands Village Mayor (name not specified) told the board on July 21 that village staff met with the Albany Water Department to explore reestablishing a larger secondary water connection that could serve as an emergency source for the village.
The meeting report said engineering work will determine whether the 20-inch main near Lawn Avenue and Venezuela Boulevard can be extended to the village line and tied into the village distribution system; officials will then pursue grant funding to pay for construction. The mayor said the Albany department did not repeat an earlier $1 million estimate from prior discussions and described the effort as a “very good possibility.”
If the engineering study shows the extension is feasible, the village would need additional design work and external funding before construction could proceed. The mayor framed the conversation as exploratory rather than a firm commitment to build, and she said the village will seek grants to cover costs.
The mayor also reported other grant-backed projects and near-term items: the village received a $10,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) award from the Town of Colonie to study Americans with Disabilities Act improvements to the village building; ceiling insulation above the municipal court was installed using a NYSERDA climate-smart energy grant and the village expects reimbursement; and the village is preparing a nuisance-alarm law modeled on a Town of Colonie ordinance, with plans to introduce the draft and set a public hearing at the next board meeting.
Other items in the mayor’s report included: the recent opening of Blue Brothers cannabis dispensary, which faced a logo rejection by the state Office of Cannabis Management before opening; increased interest income on village investments (reported as more than $100,000 for the last fiscal year after moving funds into Bank of Greene County and New York Class investments); and higher usage of the village electric vehicle chargers at the office.
The mayor also said summer youth programming is running well and staff will provide a report on the program; porta-potty rental at the park will end this week; and minor interior repairs and new signage were completed at the village office and police areas. The mayor said the village will continue to seek grant funding and will provide engineering cost estimates before any construction decisions on the Albany water connection.
The mayor delivered these items during the formal "Mayor's report" portion of the July 21 meeting; the remarks were described as updates and next steps rather than final approvals or contract awards.
