I hope this communication finds you and your loved ones safe and healthy during this ongoing Coronavirus situation.

We want you to know we are working with State and County officials regularly during this time as we make our way back to some normalcy. In recent public statements, it appears we are going to start opening New York for business and social interaction to some degree. Please make no mistake; it is going to be a slow process.

Continued Updates

I will continue to update you as best as I can. Please register for announcements of New Public Notices posted to the Village website.

Thank you to All of You

I want to thank everyone! – Thank you to the first responders answering emergency needs of our community, the multitude of agencies working to support our communities with food drives, personal protection equipment, and information, the medical, healthcare, and health personnel for all you are doing. I want to thank the everyday worker who is deemed essential and who continues to keep pushing forward and making it to their job every day with little to no recognition.

I want to thank all of the people that make our community. Your lives have turned upside down in many ways with restrictions, financial hardships, and the worries you have for loved ones becoming ill, yet you keep pushing forward. Even when not agreeing with some of the requirements and restrictions, we have overwhelmingly complied. 

We want to continue doing the best we can not overwhelm our law enforcement agencies with an unnecessary response to gatherings and compliance issues so they may be available to emergencies.

I ask that you join me in following universal precautions even after restrictions are lifted so that we may protect our vulnerable people.

Regular Communication with the County

We have established regular communication with county officials. The County is meeting with local officials every other week on Thursday’s remotely. These meetings are crucial for understanding current situations and communicating with the public.

Travel Advisory

In speaking with public health officials, I have learned the people who are testing positive in our area previously traveled outside the area. The tracing has reenforced the advisory I placed out to the public on March 30th. To review the announcement, please visit the post here. Caution is still needed when it comes to people traveling from more densely populated areas.

Creating Practical Habits to Prevent Future Situations

As we see improvement in the number of cases diagnosed as Coronavirus reducing, we need to continue utilizing universal precautions even after Federal, State, and County Officials lift restrictions. In addition to the few limitations, we have placed locally. I call the required precautions “universal” because they are habits we should follow for personal health and safety regardless of the current threat. I have made available these universal guidelines on our website.

Working with the County Health Department and the County Personnel Department, local officials plan to establish healthy guidelines for not only municipal workers but for our communities as well. We all are working very hard behind the scenes in protecting our community.

Communication with Business

I directed Village personnel to collect updated contact information from our businesses within the Village. If you were not contacted and own a business within the Village, please send me an email with your contact information, [email protected]

I want to be sure we are supporting our businesses during this challenging time, and we open the path in returning their business to normal operations.

Commerce is vital to all of us. For the people employed, supplied, serviced, and in the recovery of our state.

Village Operations

Many of the functions of a local Village municipality is considered essential. It is to this end we continue to operate as ordinarily as possible.

I have created stringent guidelines for our Village personnel to follow. These guidelines outline personal safety precautions in addition to protecting the public during their work processes.

Clerk’s Office

The Village Clerk’s office is staffed currently, Tuesday through Thursday, for administrative tasks. Visitors are not allowed into the Village Clerk’s office and may communicate with the Clerk-Treasurer by telephone, email, or postal mail.

At our last meeting, I made the motion to create electronic methods for our property owners and customers in making payments to the Village. These additional options in making payments will ease the stress of getting to the Village offices in your already busy life. These optional methods of payment will include Credit Card, ACH transfers, and Debit Card. The modes of payment may be processed by telephone or through an internet portal.

Street and Water Departments

Our Department of Public Works continues with regular work and added projects. Our water and wastewater filtration plants have been operated every day, as usual. The operators of these facilities are taking every precaution to operate these essential services safely.

Our critical infrastructure projects continue for water, sanitary, and storm drainage. These projects, funded through grants and bonds, must remain on schedule for multiple reasons. Two of which are, they have been long needed for continued usage and to protect the funding paying for the necessary work. I am cautious of the fact that the state has spent additional money in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, and I am concerned if the projects are not completed, the funding promised may be withdrawn.

During the COVID reduction, we turned all of our street lights back on and converted these lights to LED lighting. These will remain on, and we will continue conversations of additional light fixtures within the Village.

Code Enforcement

Code enforcement is deemed essential by the State and continues to work on a limited basis. 

Trash & Lawn Debris Pickup and Removal

We continue to pick up curbside trash once per week. Each week DPW personnel pick up lawn debris.

We have postponed the Spring Cleanup and Drop Off. Once we know when this is allowed, we will provide an announcement of the dates and times.

Residents may still request the use of the Village dump truck to remove trash or larger quantities of lawn debris. Find information and request forms here.

Meetings

I continue to meet with the Board of Trustees at least monthly. We complete meetings through video conferencing where each member remains home. People may register to view our public meetings and listen to our discussions.

Any matter you wish considered by the Board may be emailed or postal mailed to the Village Clerk. Because of our limited capacity, written communication needs to be received four days before the meeting.

In addition to minutes taken by the Clerk, we post transcripts of the meetings to the Village website.

Challenging Times

Although our cases for COVID-19 are smaller in numbers in contrast to other parts of the state, the restrictions placed by the state make everyday living challenging. I know everything from public gatherings, such as school graduations, parades to private functions such as birthday parties, and even funerals for grieving families, is difficult if not impossible. I truly am saddened for all of you that are going through these situations in an already stressful time.

There is some light beyond the horizon as the number of cases is reducing, and the state has indicated they will open regions of New York soon.

Future of Public Events

Throughout the country, we are seeing major sporting and entertainment events changing their schedules and methods for spectator experiences. In the private sector, my company is involved with corporate events, and we are not anticipating a return to any normalcy until mid-2021.

Here is New York State; it is still unsure when the larger gatherings will be allowed. Speculative, we are anticipating the fall of 2020 as a potential period that events may start occurring. Until the state releases local communities from the Executive Order’s issued, we have to abide by the laws established.

Locally we already do not anticipate the After the 4th Celebration – and the Memorial Day Parade was canceled. I hope that later in the year, we will create some events for our community.

Here is the guideline for opening businesses and other activities that I have available to me today from the State:

Announced by the Governor’s Office April 30, 2020

The plan will be implemented in phases and based on regional analysis and determinations. Based on CDC recommendations, once a region experiences a 14-day decline in the hospitalization rate, they may begin a phased re-opening. The state is closely monitoring the hospitalization rate, the infection rate, and the number of positive antibody tests, as well as the overall public health impact. The state will make adjustments to the plan and other decisions based on these indicators.

• Phase one will include opening construction and manufacturing functions with low risk.
• Phase two will open specific industries based on priority and risk level. Businesses considered “more essential” with inherent low risks of infection in the workplace and to customers will be prioritized, followed by other businesses considered “less essential” or those that present a higher risk of infection spread. As the infection rate declines, the pace of reopening business is increased.
• The region must not open attractions or businesses that would draw a large number of visitors from outside the local area.
• There will be two weeks in between each phase to monitor the effects of the re-opening and ensure hospitalization and infection rates are not increasing.
• This plan will be implemented with multi-state coordination, especially in downstate New York. The plan will also coordinate the opening of transportation systems, parks, schools, beaches, and businesses with special attention on summer activities for downstate, public housing, and low-income communities, food banks, and childcare.
• The phased re-opening will also be based on individual business and industry plans that include new measures to protect employees and consumers, make the physical workspace safer, and implement processes that lower the risk of infection in the business. The state is consulting with local leaders in each region and industry to formulate these plans.

Additional information regarding the Phased Opening of Businesses from the Governor May 4, 2020

• Phase 1 includes construction, manufacturing, and select retail (with curbside pickup). 
• Phase 2 includes professional services, finance and insurance, retail, administrative support, and real estate/rental leasing. 
• Phase 3 includes restaurants, food services, and hotels. 
• Phase 4 includes arts, entertainment, recreation, and education. 

The Governor also outlined new safety precautions that each business must put in place upon re-opening to help lower the risk of spreading the virus. 

Requirements for Businesses:

• Adjust workplace hours and shift design as necessary to reduce density in the workplace;
• Enact social distancing protocols;
• Restrict non-essential travel for employees;
• Require all employees and customers to wear masks if in frequent contact with others;
• Implement strict cleaning and sanitation standards;
• Enact a continuous health screening process for individuals to enter the workplace;
• Continue tracing, tracking and reporting of cases; and
• Develop liability processes.

Thank you again to everyone – we are indeed in this together. Please email me any concerns or questions you may have: [email protected].

Bill Peeler