Vol. 36, No. 7 3 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2018
Bushmen
rally Technology in
the classroom
Page 36 Page 18
3
ONE DOLLAR
w w w .W a l l k i l l V a l l e y T i m e s . n e t
Broken pipe closes PBES classrooms
By JASPREET GILL
[email protected]
An early morning pipe burst in
Pine Bush Elementary School has led
to classrooms being closed off and
students being transported to E.J. Russell
Elementary School.
On January 9, a pipe burst in the ceiling
of a kindergarten classroom, flooding
the school’s first floor. Although the
school’s Operations and Maintenance
personnel removed all standing water,
secondary water damage and moisture
issues remain. An industrial hygienist
conducted testing in the areas that were
flooded and found possible elevated mold
spores in a single classroom.
“After consultation with the [industrial
hygienist] professional, my senior
leadership team and the leadership at
[Pine Bush Elementary], we have decided
to eliminate the potential for possible
future hazards within the recently flooded
areas,” says Pine Bush Superintendent
Tim Mains in a note sent to parents. “We
will remove building materials in those
areas as a precaution to avoid potential
water-related issues and avoid fostering
any mold growth moving forward. These
operations will be completed following
New York guidelines, will require us to
set-up visible containments and other air
control measures, and will be completed
Continued on page 4
Walden
audit probes
shrinking
fund balance
By TED REMSNYDER
M ardi G ras
Jaspreet Gill
From left: Molly Guifre, Rilee Kinsley and Madeline Guifre pose for a picture in their Mardi Gras masks during last Saturday’s Village of
Montgomery Mardi Gras parade. The festivities began at Flow Theory, where children made colorful masks. Members of the Maybrook Troop
236 Boy Scout Band led the parade down Clinton Street followed by a parade float. Additional photo on page 3.
The New York State Comptroller’s
Office has some recommendations
for how the Village of Walden should
handle its finances, according to an audit
report the agency released this month.
The report advises the village to adopt a
fund balance policy and to develop and
implement a multi-year comprehensive
financial plan.
Covering an audit period of June
2016 to September 2017, the report notes
that the village lacks a fund balance
policy, adding that Walden’s general
fund balance decreased from $859,588 to
$379,387 from 2013 to 2017. The audit
report states that Walden’s Sewer
Fund has not repaid the General Fund
$400,000 in interfund transfers from a
period between 2014 and 2016. The audit
recommends that the village Sewer Fund
should repay the General Fund $400,000.
In a letter to the state agency dated
Jan. 23, Walden Village Manager John
Revella responded that: “The Village of
Walden’s Sewer Fund was unable to meet
its obligations for the years 2013, 2014 and
2015 and it was necessary for the General
Fund to support the Sewer Fund. In 2015,
when it was determined the Sewer Fund
was unable to support its operations, the
sewer rates were increased. As a direct
result of the increased rates in 2017,
$50,000 of the Sewer Fund has already
been paid back to the General Fund as
Continued on page 4
SERVING CRAWFORD, GARDINER, MAYBROOK, MONTGOMERY, PINE BUSH, SHAWANGUNK, WALDEN AND WALLKILL