Belmont still working to raze former school
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BELMONT -- Village Council approved hiring an environmental firm in a sign of progress toward demolition of the former Belmont school building
During a meeting held Dec. 6, Mayor Ron Woods presented council with legislation to approve a contract with Boggs Environmental Consultants.
"Essentially, this is the first step for us to move forward with the school project," Woods said.
Fiscal Officer Ricky Burkhead said the legislation would approve a contract with Boggs Environmental to provide hazardous material removal support, specifically monitoring and performing testing during the demolition of the school building. Village Solicitor T.J. Schultz added that he believed the contract was required to be in place before the project could go to bid.
Burkhead said officials hope to have the project go to bid by mid-January with bid approval happening in early February and demolition getting underway in March.
Schultz and Burkhead confirmed that the amount of the contract, which is capped at $10,940, is covered by a grant for the total project, which was awarded through cooperation with Belomar Regional Council.
The four council members present unanimously approved entering into the contract.
The village has been working toward the removal of the school building - constructed in 1915 and having served as both a high school and later an elementary school - since approving its demolition in 2017 while Stan Sobel was mayor. However, an estimated $200,000 asbestos abatement in addition to the cost for the actual demolition put the project well beyond the means of the small village, with a population of just over 400 residents, to take on without logistical and financial assistance.
Meanwhile, Cemetery Board member Ed Tacosik provided an update, saying the board had sold three plots at $400 each while five burials were conducted at $1,000 each during 2023. He noted that half of the $1,000 burial fees were spent to have the graves dug.
Tacosik also said that the cemetery had received $3,500 in donations during the year.
Tacosik said he and Schultz have been working to try to determine whether there is any way to use $41,000 that had been provided to the cemetery, but only for the upkeep of one individual plot.
Fire Chief Bob Mills informed council that the fire department answered six calls, while the emergency medical service answered 41 calls during November. He also said that fire Capt. Kaye Hall is working on grants for a new ambulance, for new large diameter hose for the fire truck and for new self-contained breathing apparatuses.
Mills also noted that former Belmont fire chief Kenny Kemp recently died.
Regarding building code enforcement, Mills said progress has been made on a number of properties and that he is working with a number of property owners to get them in compliance. He noted that the process is slow and there is only so much he can do due to legal constraints.
After an executive session, Council President Derek Cain proposed hourly raises of 50 cents per hour for village crew members Dave and Ken Orr, while water clerk Jason Fowler was given a $1 per hour raise.
When Dave Orr asked why Fowler had received a $1 raise while he had only received 50 cents, Cain explained that Fowler was paid from the water fund only while Orr's wages come from street and alley as well as water, and that since Fowler only works 15 hours a week while Orr works full time Orr would be making more money from his wage increase.
Woods said that the village tree lighting and breakfast with Santa went very well and thanked those who helped out. Cain commended Woods for his remarks about former Councilman Dan Scott at the tree lighting.
This year's tree lighting was done in honor of Scott, who died in October, by his wife Kathy.
Belmont Village Council meets at 6 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month in the Stanley Sobel Village Offices on Brown Street.