another case of

Griesmere the gift that keeps on giving

some years ago when Mr Griesmere proposed the elimination of the town engineer and a year later had himself appointed to the head of DPW the storm water issues began

tonite our town bard will discuss the hiring of an engineering firm $50K+ worth and a staff member ant a cost of $20k+ on top of the fines issued by DEC

$70k would have gone a long way for cleaning up underpasses or triangles or Sidewalks and Curbs or Sewers

what a waste of money - all thanks to one town resident

Engineer to aid stormwater fix in Rotterdam after EPA audit

Move may help town avoid fines

Sunday, September 22, 2013


By Justin Mason (Contact)
Gazette Reporter  


ROTTERDAM — Rotterdam has hired an engineering company to help sort through the town’s mess of a stormwater management program after a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency report last month cited numerous discrepancies.

Members of the Town Board hired John McDonald Engineering at a cost of $53,470 last week. The company should help the town avoid potential fines from the EPA that could have been forthcoming absent immediate corrective action.

“The fines that could be assigned to us are onerous if we weren’t to do this,” Supervisor Harry Buffardi said.

Last month, the EPA issued a 30-page report listing 18 “areas of concerns and recommendations” the town needed to address. Though some of these items were minor, such as keeping track of printed pamphlets about the stormwater management program and correcting simple record-keeping errors, others involve areas that require more immediate action to satisfy federal regulations.

For instance, numerous stormwater drains and catch basins are unmapped. And while years of annual reports suggested town workers were cleaning these areas regularly, more recent documentation suggests only a fraction were being addressed properly.

Leaves in drains

The report listed numerous drains that were filled with leaves or debris. Outfall pipes were found in areas leading to area tributaries from drains that could potentially collect oil or other contaminants.

When the EPA conducted its audit in April, at least three unmapped outfalls were identified, including one at the town’s water and sewage treatment plant. Town officials also couldn’t produce any documentation identifying any of the outfalls screened between 2010 and 2012, even though annual reports submitted to the EPA suggest the town inspected dozens of them annually.

The report also suggests the town has been lax in ensuring developers are properly following stormwater regulations. The audit found three construction sites that weren’t in compliance with regulations but that hadn’t been cited by the town.

Mary Mears, a spokeswoman for the EPA, said the report is intended as a guideline for the town to take corrective action and that it doesn’t necessarily mean Rotterdam will face fines.

She said the town hiring an engineer to sort through its deficiencies is an encouraging development,

“It’s a step in the right direction,” she said.

Rotterdam’s stormwater management program was overseen by former Department of Public Works coordinator Michael Griesemer. Buffardi didn’t expressly blame the program’s shortcomings on Griesemer and doubted that it ever functioned properly.

“It was probably never created properly to begin with,” he said.

Griesemer, who resigned from his position in 2012, wasn’t an engineer by trade. Buffardi described some of the regulations outlined by the EPA as highly technical and likely requiring someone with far greater expertise in the field.

“It was a very difficult task to take on unless you knew what you were doing,” he said.

The debacle has also raised the question of whether Rotterdam should again have a civil engineer on staff in Town Hall. Rotterdam has spent more than a decade without a municipal engineer and has instead relied on private companies to advise the town on projects; private developers are required to hire town-designated engineers who then report to the town.

The engineer’s position was abolished by the Town Board’s Democratic majority in 2003, so that the position of public works coordinator could be created. Griesemer, who was the chairman of the town’s Democratic Committee at the time, was hired to the coordinator’s position less than eight months later.

Buffardi said it’s likely time to revisit having a town engineer.

He said the town is now encountering a number of engineering issues that might be mitigated by having a qualified person on staff.

“Looking forward, we’re going to have to seriously address the situation of having an engineer on board,” he said.

article courtesy of the "Daily Gazette"

this weeks agenda now list Frank Engineering

cost to the town

$9,000 + $75 per site inspection and printed materials billed at cost   - so much for a competitive bid process for printing materials

it is interesting the town's resolution only lists the $9,000 not the site inspections and printing which could easily bring this total to $20,000

Quoted from exit3

this weeks agenda now list Frank Engineering

cost to the town

$9,000 + $75 per site inspection and printed materials billed at cost   - so much for a competitive bid process for printing materials

it is interesting the town's resolution only lists the $9,000 not the site inspections and printing which could easily bring this total to $20,000

$9,000 times 18 areas that need attention.

$162,000. That's just the inspections, not any fix up.

These types of systems are the difference between the United States and third world hellholes. They are one of the most important functions of local governments, yet they tend to be the very first thing they let go.

OH FOR GOD'S SAKE.............water has been an issue in ROTTENDAM for decades and decades!!!...........long before Gresmere was around! He was just following suit and taking his marching orders..........just like everyone else!!!

Over devleopment, increase in population has always been the problem.(water, sewers, roads...etch!!!! A problem that for DECADES was NEVER addressed with a vision for 'future consequences'!!!

and they keep on building.......never ending fools

Quoted from Patches

and they keep on building.......never ending fools

putting 10lbs of sh!t in a 5lb bag!!!

The town is supposed to maintain the drainage systems of the developments the developers turn over to the town after completion of the project. It's a little hard to do that when they don't even know where the out fall pipes are or where they empty.

Quoted from bumblethru

OH FOR GOD'S SAKE.............water has been an issue in ROTTENDAM for decades and decades!!!...........long before Gresmere was around! He was just following suit and taking his marching orders..........just like everyone else!!!

Over devleopment, increase in population has always been the problem.(water, sewers, roads...etch!!!! A problem that for DECADES was NEVER addressed with a vision for 'future consequences'!!!

Greismere and Polino could have done something and chose to screw the taxpayers

i'd even bet that every document greismere signed off on was fraudulent on this subject

http://rotterdamny.org/pdf/2012AnnualMunicipalStormWaterReport.pdf   - note page 6/35

even our building inspectors are using the practice of copying the prior years info and signing a fraudulent document

maybe this individual will return his stipends back to the taxpayers for the numerous years of this practice

and just who did this individual report to - Mr Griesmere

Is the person who signed the document even qualified to do the job based on state requirements?

probably not...remember the qualifications....  A   E   I   O    and sometimes YOU

It's good to be in the family and friends club.