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unresponsive company that owns the property , the board unanimously decided to dismantle the pool and bill the owner for the cost of the village labor . Although Village Attorney David Donovan raised the possibility that the homeowner could come back and make a claim on the disassembled pool , the village ’ s liability would only be limited to the value of the pool .

The board felt the pool had to be taken down immediately for safety reasons , particularly since mosquito breeding is a hot topic with the looming specter of the Zika virus . “ There ’ s an issue with mosquitoes , or God forbid a child got into the backyard ,” Walden Mayor Susan Rumbold said . “ Obviously no one is living there , so a kid could fall into the pool and drown . Or various animals or vermin could get in there . Between the stench and the mosquitos , you know how standing water can get . It becomes a health hazard after a while .”

At many of its bi-monthly meetings , the Walden board is now holding hearings on abandoned properties , and panel ’ s job is complicated by the fact that many of the

homes are owned by financial institutions that are scattered across the country , from the Tri-state area to Texas . When a local house has an unusually overgrown lawn or excessive debris is spotted on a property , the village will dispatch a violation notice to the homeowner . If they don ’ t show up for the public hearing , the board will then make a determination for how to handle the problem .

When the property owner is an outof-state company , it disrupts the usual process . “ It goes back to the bank , and God knows where the bank is or who the bank is ,” Rumbold said of the violation notices . “ I ’ m sure the banks have numerous properties , so it ’ s difficult for them to go and inspect everything that they end up getting back . So we notify them , and generally you don ’ t get an answer from the bank . We just do what we have to do , and the bill goes on the taxes for the property .” Dealing with “ zombie houses ” makes dealing with the violations more complex , and Rumbold suggested at the board ’ s previous meeting that an action plan should be formulated for how to deal with the blighted homes .

At last Tuesday ’ s meeting , the board also discussed the persistent problem of

overgrown brush on the Tin Brook Bridge on Woodruff Street . Village Manager John Revella noted that the village has asked the state ( which controls the site ) numerous times to clear vegetation at that area , but they ’ ve been inconsistent in clearing the route . “ There ’ s an overgrowth problem in that area ,” Rumbold said . “ People pulling out of Highland Avenue trying to go out on Route 52 , you almost have to pull out into 52 to see around it if that brush gets overgrown . It gets quite tall there . It ’ s a portion that the state is supposed to maintain . Unfortunately , they don ’ t have the manpower to come around and cut it as often as it needs to be cut . We have to end up trimming it so people can see . But it ’ s something that they ’ re supposed to maintain .”

In the board ’ s final meeting in June , the group unanimously voted to adopt a $ 999,500 bond resolution to fund the new Department of Public Works building at Bradley Park and approved Local Law No . 6 of 2016 , which amends Chapter 135 of the Village Code to deal with unpaid fees . The bond money will fund the massive new DPW facility that is slated to open this fall . The complex will house all of the department ’ s vehicles , and will be the new

home of the Water Department , which is re-locating from Cherry Street . The new local law ensures that fees assessed by the village in conjunction with private development will not be subsidized by Walden taxpayers .

On June 25 , the recently renovated Maple Street Boat Launch was renamed the Marcus “ Mickey ” Millspaugh Riverfront Park and Boat Launch , to honor Mickey ’ s 90th birthday . The Millspaugh family made a donation in their father ’ s honor to help refurbish the site , and the Walden Recreation and Parks Department has been working alongside DPW workers in recent weeks to get the boat launch ready for summer . “ We did get some grant money to work on that area ,” Rumbold said . “ We trying to make it usable for people to go down there . It ’ s in recognition of Mickey and his family and their contributions to the community .”

At last week ’ s meeting , the village also took the time to honor two former Walden board members , as Bernard Bowen and Willie Carley were both given certificates of appreciation for their public service .