Mid Hudson Times Sep. 06 2017 | Page 4

City to hold hearing on residency requirement for dept . heads
City of Newburgh FD gets $ 50K for SUVs
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Mid Hudson Times , Wednesday , September 6 , 2017

In Brief

Major work on the Catskill Aqueduct , buried here next to Brown ’ s Pond , has been postponed until October , 2018 .

DEP delays 10-week shutdown of Catskill Aqueduct

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connected to our system to ensure their backup supplies are at the ready .”

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The Catskill Aqueduct draws on water from the Ashokan and Schoharie reservoirs , and serves as the one of the primary drinking water sources for New York City . The aqueduct also provides drinking water for upstate communities including New Windsor and the City of Newburgh .
The city had been forced to switch to using Catskill Aqueduct water when PFOS contamination was discovered at Washington Lake last spring . The city had planned to switch back to Washington Lake next month . Massive upgrades at the city ’ s water treatment plant - including the installation of a filtration system to remove PFOS – were on track to be completed in time for the shutdown , said city Water Superintendent Wayne Vradenburgh .
The majority of residents in the Town of New Windsor currently rely on Catskill Aqueduct water , said town Chief Water Plant Operator John Egitto . However , the town may no longer require Catskill Aqueduct water when the 10-week shutdown takes place next year .
“ The town has awarded a bid to a contractor to construct a water filtration plant for the Butter Hill Wells ,” Egitto explained . “ Construction is about to commence . It is anticipated that project will be completed before October next year . That will eliminate any need to use another water supply other than the new system .”
An aquifer in the town ’ s Butter Hill area , next to the Moodna Creek , is expected to produce a total of three wells . Each is expected to yield at least 1,000 gallons per minute of raw water when finished .

City to hold hearing on residency requirement for dept . heads

The City of Newburgh will hold a public hearing on Monday , Sept . 11 on a proposed change to the City of Newburgh Charter , which requires department heads to live within city limits . Residents will have an opportunity to provide comments at this time .
The hearing will take place during the Newburgh City Council ’ s regular monthly meeting that evening at 7 p . m .
The city municipal code states that “ in order to protect the health , safety and welfare of the citizens of the city where emergencies and emergency work arise , it is necessary that the officers and department heads reside in the city .” The rule applies regardless of where they lived before being named head of their department or under which circumstances they took the positions .
Several city department heads currently reside outside of the city . They include the acting city Fire Chief Terry Ahlers , Water Superintendent Wayne Vradenburgh , Police Lieutenant-in-Charge Aaron Weaver and Comptroller Katie Mack , for whom a two-year residency waiver was adopted by the council in December .
“ I ’ d like to put this leadership question to rest in all of our departments , including our police department ,” City Manager Michael Ciaravino said last month following the sudden medical leave of city Police Lieutenant Joe Cortez , who served as acting head of the City of Newburgh Police Department . “ We need continuity to move the city forward .”
The city police department has been without a permanent police chief since 2015 .
- Shantal Riley

City of Newburgh FD gets $ 50K for SUVs

State Senator Bill Larkin handed a big check to the City of Newburgh Fire Department last week . The $ 50,000 donation will go to purchase two sports utility vehicles .
“ You can ’ t do it alone ,” the senator said , handing over a jumbo-sized check to acting city Fire Chief Terry Ahlers on Wednesday .
Larkin highlighted the importance of the city ’ s police and fire departments . “ You ’ re the heart and breath of the city … if you don ’ t have equipment , shame on us .”
The SUVs will be used for fire inspections , trainings , outreach , fire response and administrative work , said Ahlers . “ You ’ ve always supported us ,” Ahlers said , thanking Larkin .
The vehicles replace two retired SUVs ; one that was damaged in an accident and a 27-year-old SUV that was recently sold . Larkin provided the assistance through his office with funds from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services .