Members of the public will be able to instantly report poachers & polluters using a new toll-free hotline that will help to ensure strict enforcement of environmental laws, according to State DEC Commissioner Joe Martens. The toll-free hotline number is 1-844-DEC-3267, it will be 24/7 & it connects callers to a DEC police dispatcher.
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Attorney General Eric Schneiderman today announced that his office has obtained a judgment against home improvement contractors who ripped off customers in the Southern Tier and Central New York by going door-to-door seeking to pave and repair driveways. The contractors performed shoddy and incomplete work, intimidated customers into paying more than the negotiated price, and failed to abide by New York’s home improvement contract laws. Schneiderman entered into an agreement to settle his investigation against Joshua Cooper of Ovid and Robert Cooper of Romulus, who were doing business as Finger Lakes Asphalt. the Coopers will be required to pay $8,150 in restitution to 6 consumers
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State Senator Jim Seward announced that the DOT rest area along I-88 eastbound between exits 18 and 19 in Worcester is set to reopen by November 21. In 2010, the New York State Department of Transportation closed six rest areas on interstate highways in what was touted as a temporary measure. To date, only the Worcester rest stop is scheduled to reopen. Seward also advocated for budget funds to reopen the I-88 Wells Bridge rest stop; it has not been funded in the state budget. The Worcester rest area will be open for parking only at this time. Renovation work on the restrooms is still being completed with a 2015 opening planned.
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This week is College Application Week in New York, coordinated by the State Higher Education Services Program as part of a national effort to encourage students to apply for college. High school guidance counselors and volunteer college admission staff across the state will help thousands of high school seniors at nearly 200 high schools apply for admission to college, more information is available at GoCollegeNY.org.
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State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s office conducted an audit of the town of Sidney’s budget. The Audit found that revenue and expenditure projections in the preliminary budget are reasonable, but the Town’s projections for rental income in the Hospital Fund were not based on amounts expected to be received according to current lease agreements. The Town did not budget for an additional $95,000 in nonrecurring rental income, but did include $30,000 of lease payments for which no lease agreement exists. The Town underestimated rental revenue by a total of $65,000 & they are currently reporting accounts payable in the Hospital Fund related to the hospital, which closed in 2005. The Comptroller’s report recommends that if these payables are legitimate liabilities & if not remove them from the balance sheet.
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The Bainbridge-Guilford Central School will hold a Special Board of Education Meeting tonight in the District Conference Room at 5:30 PM. The board will move into executive session for personnel interview sessions.