BY DAVID TYLER
At Monday’s Fayetteville village board meeting, Mayor Mark Olson gave a summary of the village’s COVID-19 response to date.
Perhaps the area of biggest concern is with the EMS and fire services. Olson reported that volunteer participation is beginning to dwindle due to concerns over the virus. That may cause the village to incur additional costs related to staffing with additional part-time and full-time emergency personnel.
“The fire department has had an incident with a [COVID-19] patient,” Olson said. “We continue to monitor the DPW and the fire department because they are the most active departments right now.”
Trustee Dan Kinsella suggested the village maintain a list of any extraordinary costs related to the coronavirus crisis with the hopes that revenue sources might be available in the future to recoup those extra expenses.
As an example, DPW Superintendent Patrick Massett reported that his department has already spent $3,116 on labor and materials to clean and disinfect the department’s facilities and trucks.
The board also discussed creating a possible contingency plan for pickup of brush and construction and demolition materials. Currently, the village DPW is operating on its normal schedule for these services, but these are considered non-essential services.
Olson suggested drawing up a modified schedule for these services, to be put into effect “if the DPW cannot continue to provide the services at the level we do right now, because of the virus or because of conditions beyond our control.”
DPW services that have been deemed essential are storm-related repairs and removal, snow removal, sewer maintenance and trash and recycling pickup.
Other aspects of the village’s COVID-19 response plan include having only one of the three clerks in the village clerk’s office working on site. The other two are working from home.
The village codes enforcement officer is taking appointments and inspections on “a need-to basis,” Olson said.
Visitors are no longer allowed at village hall, the fire department or at the DPW facility.
“All government functions are functioning as best as they can under these COVID responses,” Olson said.
As a word of warning, though, Olson told the board of Governor Cuomo’s dire economic projections from earlier in the week. Cuomo has indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic will have a disastrous effect on the state’s fiscal condition which will affect the amount of state funding schools and local governments receive.
Olson reported that the village election has been postponed until after June 1, but no specific date has been set. The annual Easter egg hunt and Arbor Day celebrations have also been cancelled.
