By Mary A. Crisafulli
BOVINA - Bovina Town Councilmembers hashed out details of logging town property that houses the highway department salt shed and transfer station. The idea was proposed by Supervisor Tina Molè in November following the rejection of a grant application to update the existing playground through the O'Connor Foundation.
The playground, at the corner of County Highway 6 and Maple Avenue, was last renovated in 2000. Project goals include new fencing, surface excavation, and structural updates to existing equipment.
After speaking with O'Connor representatives, Molè believes the application was denied due to significant overages in the foundation's budget for 2024. She suggested reapplying while searching for alternative funding options.
Highway Superintendent Edward Weber mapped out the department's roughly 65 acres for loggers to review. The parcel has around four to five acres that contain the salt shed and transfer station. Weber has called about seven forestry organizations who all agreed to review the property for logging purposes.
Molè mentioned that a neighboring town, maybe Sidney, logged some land where they raked in half a million. "We won't get that," she said, but the funds could help with the playground project. Molè said for the next summer season, they should aim to repair the fence, believing complaints might be received.
Councilmember Jillian LaFever, who is heading the project, is reviewing alternate fencing options to reduce costs.
Weber suggested considering the sale of the 65 acres after subdividing the five acres used by the highway department.
Molè also explored securing County bed tax money through the Economic Development grant program. However, she reported Economic Development Director Glenn Nealis was not confident they would be approved as projects must have a tourist draw.
The board will continue to explore other grant opportunities.
In another discussion, the town was invited to an informational session regarding automated external defibrillators (AED). The device is used to treat a person experiencing heart conditions such as cardiac arrest when the heart stops working. Other community organizations asked to participate include the church, library, historical society, and Veterans Affairs.
Councilmember Marni Greenberg said the machines require a trained operator to be available at all times. She was against the idea of having them available at these locations as it could be dangerous and a liability. Greenberg, as a library board member, believes they will not participate in acquiring an AED.
Molè noted that the town hall is not a typical office building and instead is often vacant. "We are just not a normal office and then we would be responsible for updating it," she concluded.
In other business:
The highway department will work on cleaning up debris on the side of the road from storm weather now that snow has melted.
Restaurants, taverns, or retail stores can now obtain a license to sell alcoholic beverages for on-premise drinking or "to go".
Daily water usage for November averaged 7,031 gallons a day. In November the wastewater treatment plant used roughly 198,858 gallons of fuel.
The council paid bills including general $8,059.65, lighting $117.89, water $1,616.98, septic $8,174, and highway $38,203.
Councilmembers entered an executive session to discuss employment policy updates. Bookkeeper Christa Schafer was invited to the session.
The 2025 organizational meeting is scheduled Tuesday, Dec. 14 at 6 p.m. with the regular meeting to immediately follow.
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