The Argyle Village Board met on Wednesday, January 7 where they were met with questions on not allowing haulers to dump septage in either the holding tanks or the wastewater treatment plant itself.
Jeff Monson, owner and operator of Monson Septic Pumping & Portable Restrooms, out of South Wayne, asked if the board made any motion that allowed some haulers to dump at the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and others not. Monson stated he drove through the village recently and saw a tanker dumping into the village’s WWTP holding tank. The next day he saw the same company doing the same thing. He asked if he could dump some septage on Friday but received a text message that stated that since he had dumped a load back in August that caused a problem at the plant he was not allowed to bring in anything. That load came from a drain line that was cleaned out from RBS Activewear.
Monson stated that it was not his intention or that of RBS Activewear to cause harm or problems at the plant. He read the minutes from December and didn’t see anything that stated he was not permitted to dump and other companies were.
Board members were not aware that another company was able to dump. They assumed that the motion they made at their December meeting at the recommendation of Mike Lewis, the current Operator on record for the village, was to not accept any septage until they are able to get their phosphorus under control.
The board stated they would get to the bottom of what has been transpiring and assured Monson that it should be the same for everyone. They stated that it would be on the February meeting’s agenda for more discussion.
Recycling Center hours
Gary Mckibben at the village’s recycling center asked if the board would allow him to change the hours the recycling center is open on Wednesday. The current open hours on Wednesday are 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and then again 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Mckibben asked that there be no break and they be open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Saturday hours would stay the same.
The board wanted to keep the recycling center open so those getting off of work might still have time to drop off their items. They made the motion to change the Wednesday hours from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Committee reports
Wyatt Webster received a recommendation from Argyle School District’s Superintendent Dr. Randy Refsland for a school representative to join the Argyle Public Library board. Dr. Refsland recommended Asha Whitney. The board is in need of a representative from the school. With this appointment, the board would have too many people on the board who live outside the village, according to their bi-laws. To remedy this situation, the newest member that joined the board and lives outside the village limits would need to step off the board. That newest person is Sarah Gallagher. The board approved Asha Whitney’s appointment and Sarah Gallagher’s removal. The board still has one seat open for a person who lives within the village limits.
Other business
Al Gard spoke up during citizens comments questioning the validity of the village purchasing the old First National Bank and Trust. He felt the purchasing was rushed and it was a hasty decision. He was worried that the purchase and paying for the loan would fall back onto the tax payers of the village. Members from the Friends of the Argyle Public Library and the village board assured Gard that even though the purchase happened in just under two months, they did not take the issue lightly and put much thought into how it is being purchased and who will be paying for the interest only loan.
The board approved:
– the proposal from Kelinschmidt to repair the Argyle Dam & Spillway.
– picnic license for the Friends of the Argyle Library.