Preparing for Next Year

As the days grow much shorter, we still are enjoying weather mild enough to plant an extra row of garlic or prepare beds for next year.  Remember that you can use cardboard as a weed barrier and add organics to your compost bin.  Footprint Solutions

We are planning many workshops over the next six month as New Paltz works towards a Sustainable and Zero Waste goal.  Together we can reduce garbage, our carbon footprint, eat healthier and save money.

Dollars & Sense: Told 'no,' New Paltz finds 

way to repair road

7:31 AM, Nov 8, 2012   |  

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A car comes across Dug Road in New Paltz on Wednesday.

Written by

John Ferro

Poughkeepsie Journal

• FILED UNDER

• News
• Local News

ZOOM

Dug Road and adjacent stream bank have been recently repaired Wednesday in New Paltz. / Photos by Karl Rabe / Poughkeepsie Journal

NEW PALTZ — When stormwater runoff from tropical storms Irene and Lee undermined a New Paltz road, town officials turned to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for money to rebuild.

FEMA said no, but that didn’t stop town officials.

“We don’t do ‘no’ ” said Laura Petit, the town recycling coordinator and one of its grant writers. “Nothing should be out of your reach.”

With ideas from its environmental advisory board, the town applied for a grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The result was a grant for no more than $42,000. The money was used to repair the bank along a Wallkill River tributary that had undermined part of Dug Road.

Though the due date was Wednesday, the town completed the project a month early and well under budget.

New Paltz Highway Supervisor Chris Marx said the town saved money by using its own crews, rather than having to pay contractors at prevailing wage.

Total wage costs were $8,993.11, about half what the town would have paid to a contractor, Marx said.

The town also was able to purchase materials under state-bid prices. The total cost for materials was $3,800. Equipment costs totaled $8,842.90.

The final price tag for the project — $21,636.01 — was about half of the grant’s maximum. The federal grant paid for 75 percent of that cost. The remaining cost was covered by federal stimulus funding the state received. That funding was obtained with help from state Sen. John Bonacic.

“A lot of people probably would have turned around — and I would have, too — when FEMA told us no,” Marx said, “but thank goodness we have other people in the town who are a lot more experienced with grants and difference services.”

Marx said it pays to talk with other department heads and ask around what is out there.

“That is the lesson I learned from it — don’t take the first answer, just like you don’t take the first bid,” he said.

Students Welcome

We had visitors from several different schools this weekend who were working on art and science projects.  Materials are moving off the shelves quickly and we are always looking for new materials to replace them.