County committee hears buildings and parks updates; superintendent flags expired SPDES permit and staffing strains

FORT EDWARD — At a June 23 meeting of the Washington County Government Operations Committee, Buildings & Grounds Superintendent Matt Jones said maintenance work at county sites is ongoing but that the department faces regulatory and staffing challenges.

Matt Jones, superintendent of Buildings & Grounds, told the committee that “Fort Ann Barn roof is fixed, leak free,” and that water-pressure pumps for the sprinkler system and potable water are scheduled for installation. Jones said the county is still “working on fuel system matters” and that parks are open but staff have raised on-site safety concerns around swimming in cold water.

Supervisor Hall asked whether the county honors the state’s free veterans passes for parks. Jones said “Huletts Park is free all the time and Lauderdale Park only charge a $2 parking fee,” and suggested the county could consider a parking pass for veterans or accept the state pass; he added that Washington County’s reimbursement for park operations is small and that the state funded a recent new roof and may provide money for a project next year.

Jones told the committee that the state Department of Environmental Conservation recently informed county staff that the county does not have a valid SPDES permit for either park. “DEC called last month informing them that we do not have a spdes permit for either park,” he said. Jones said the permit is a ten-year authorization: “It is a ten-year permit. He cannot renew and must start the permit process over.” (Speaker identifications follow committee procedure and the transcript.)

On municipal facilities, Jones said Buildings & Grounds is working with the County Administrator and other department heads on space needs but had no firm solutions to present. He said Public Safety’s need for additional space for its communications center “deserves a Public Safety committee discussion.”

Jones described recent personnel losses in his department — including a 30-year employee who retired and a mechanic who took another job — and said budget cuts and the elimination of summer help have left the department short-staffed. “Between the budget cuts of last year, we are short-staffed,” he said. He described the department as being in “maintenance mode,” with staff prioritizing repairs and moving funds between budget lines to keep vouchers processed.

Mr. Campbell, the county’s Budget Officer, warned supervisors he is hearing resistance to large property-tax increases from residents. “He is already hearing from people that they don’t want a 20% increase again,” Campbell said, and cautioned that given the costs discussed, he was not sure the county could avoid substantial increases over the next three to five years.

The County Administrator told the committee she will place a draft Workforce and Harassment Policy on the agenda for next month so supervisors have more time to review it. The committee approved the minutes of its May 19 meeting (motion moved by Mr. Wang, seconded by Mr. O’Brien, and adopted). The meeting adjourned at 12:17 P.M.

What’s next: County staff will need to begin the SPDES permitting process for Huletts and Lauderdale parks and the Public Safety committee will likely review space needs for the communications center at a future meeting.