LEGISLATURE STUFF - Getting There and Fare

By Michael Ryan

CATSKILL - Helping residents get where they need to go and have food on the table tops the list or actions taken by the Greene County Legislature during a recent meeting.

Lawmakers authorized the purchase of three replacement buses for the county’s transit vehicle fleet, splitting the expense three ways.

The purchase will be made through the Office of General Services on the trio of 16-passenger, Ford E450 buses, each consisting of 14 ambulatory and 2 non-ambulatory wheelchair stations.

Coach & Equipment Bus Sales, headquartered in Penn Yan, New York, was awarded the contract for a total cost of $367,197, according to a legislative resolution.

Funding for the transaction is available via formula grants, with the federal contribution at 10 percent, the State share at 80 percent and the county responsibility at 10 percent, the resolution shows.

Lawmakers similarly authorized the purchase of a Ford Transit 350 for the county Human Services Department.

The new vehicle will replace a 2017 Ford Transit with high mileage, which will be surplussed through county procedure, the resolution states.

DePaula Ford, based in Albany, New York, has the exact vehicle in stock, carrying a price tag of $67,122 and change, available through an Unmet Needs grant which expires at the end of March, 2024.

Legislature chairman Patrick Linger was authorized by lawmakers to execute an independent contractor agreement between the county Department of Human Services and Mom Meals.

The pact provides for home delivered meal service for county clients through the end of the year, the resolution states.

Moms Meals will “shall prepare and deliver meals which meet one-third daily recommended daily intake,” the resolution states.

The number of meals delivered per client will be recorded and a monthly invoice will be submitted to the county at the rate of $7.49 per meal, the resolution states.

Toward that same well-fed end, Linger was authorized to execute an agreement between the Department of Human Services and Senior Projects of Ravena for home delivered fare.

Senior Projects of Ravena will deliver meals to clients in the New Baltimore area for $14.10 each, through the end of 2024, the resolution states.

Lawmakers further authorized chairman Linger to execute an independent contractor agreement between the Department of Human Services and Nicole Gehman, MS, RD, CD-N for nutritional counseling services.

The deal runs through the end of 2024, paying Gehman $65 per hour for a maximum of 12 hours per week, the resolution states.

Gehman’s work will include nutrition counseling for Human Services clients, Senior Nutrition menu planning with nutrition analysis, presentations, Health Information and Nutrition Quality Control.

Lawmakers authorized chairman Linger to execute an agreement between the Department of Human Services and Home Aide Service of Eastern New York (doing business as Trinity Health Alert).

Trinity Health Alert agrees to coordinate Personal Emergency Response Systems for elderly county residents in need of such units.

The cost is $50 per unit (in person) with a monthly monitoring fee of $31, the resolution states, noting the cost will be $375 for replacement of any lost unit and $70 for a button replacement alone.

Lawmakers approved a resolution entering into an agreement with Niagara University to provide First Responder Disability Awareness training.

“The ability to respond to individuals with disabilities has posed varying challenges to 911 dispatchers, EMS, fire and law enforcement personnel across the country,” the resolution states.

“Awareness Training (FRDAT) provided by Niagara University is considered to be the preeminent training program in the country.

“FRDAT educates first responders on disabilities while enhancing sensitivity,” the resolution states. “Included in this training are:

—‘Disabilities defined and appropriate response, characteristics and how to identify disabilities, candid video instruction, and municipality roles and responsibilities;

—“The perspective of the disability community, victimization, challenging scenarios and behaviors and how to address them, current trends and topics, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and etiquette and interaction skills,” the resolution states.

A request was made by the local Department of Emergency Services to utilize funding from the federal Department of Homeland Security Grant Program for the training. The request was approved.