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Ogdensburg leaders praise crews, discuss designating fire and first aid stations as official shelters
Summary
Following extended outages in a recent storm, Mayor Hutnick praised DPW and emergency responders and said he is pursuing funding and full-building generators for the fire department and first aid squad; council discussed shelter requirements and a registry for medically vulnerable residents.
Mayor George P. Hutnick used new business on Dec. 9 to review the borough’s response to a recent storm that left many residents without power. Hutnick said Ogdensburg was "one of the few towns that were 100 percent without power for as long as we did," called that unacceptable and praised DPW crews, police and fire for their work clearing roads and assisting residents.
Hutnick said he had a meeting with Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill and Senator Stephen Oroho to discuss cleanup funding and to request full-building generators for the fire department and the first aid squad rather than only home generators. He said the borough will pursue funding options but noted the Governor did not declare a state of emergency for the borough.
Council members discussed designating the firehouse and first aid squad as official shelters and the requirements that entails, including running water and usable showers, and whether the sites could serve as warming stations in limited circumstances. Council members also discussed creating or updating a master list of residents with medical needs and the existing process for notifying police and fire so responders know who requires special assistance.
Councilwoman Slater and others emphasized that grant funds for roadway projects are restricted to the approved scope (for example, the NJDOT municipal aid award for Passaic Avenue is for roadway preservation only) and noted engineers and consultants (Van Cleef, Bruno Associates) are finalizing application materials for storm-drain and related projects.
A resident, Vicki Schroder, thanked officials and crews during public comment, saying the borough's communications and response made residents "proud to be from Ogdensburg."
Why it matters: Discussion signals steps toward formalizing local shelter capacity and seeking state/federal assistance for generators and cleanup — measures that affect residents’ resilience to future storms.
Next steps: Officials said they will meet with the first aid squad to discuss shelter designation, investigate generator procurement, revise outreach materials and follow up with engineering firms on grant paperwork.
