Mannsville board prepping projects

MANNSVILLE — The Board of Trustees is prepping the village for a makeover.

There are projects in the works to renovate the municipal building as well as sidewalk and road improvements being readied for possible economic stimulus funding, Mayor David E. Gardner said Friday.

The village has been putting money aside in recent years to pay for siding and replacement of roof shingles on the municipal building, Clerk Cynthia L. Wood said. The mayor estimated the fund is at about $16,000.

"It needs a permanent solution rather than more painting," he said. "Within the next month or two, I'm hoping we'll be able to get something out there to bid."

The village board also is hoping to get ahead on road and sidewalk maintenance by putting together projects and moving them toward "shovel-ready" status. The hope is to capture state economic stimulus funds recently awarded New York by the federal government, Mayor Gardner said. The village has many crumbling sidewalks that present a safety hazard, he said.

"If we piecemeal along, we could continue to do a little here, a little there, or we can call it a project and get it all done at once," he said of the sidewalks.

The New York State Conference of Mayors has been urging municipalities to ready projects and apply for state funding.

A sidewalk project likely would include tearing up and replacing deteriorating walkways, and adding new sidewalks on North Main Street to serve residents north of Mannsville-Manor Elementary School currently without sidewalks. The road project proposal will request funds to add a top coat of blacktop to village streets, which they lack, Mr. Gardner said.

"We've been trying to squeeze out enough money to keep our streets in repair, and we do a little section every few years," he said, referring to patching the coarser, base-level asphalt on village streets.

A top coat of asphalt would help maintain the streets in better long-term condition, he said.

The village board is working on cost estimates for the projects before shopping them around for state funding, the mayor said.

In other business, the village soon may be welcoming a new business in the former location of Uncle Nino's Pizza and Restaurant, 417 N. Main St.

Marcellus Construction Co., Liverpool, has purchased the property to house an office. A special-use permit will be needed because the entire village is zoned for residential and agricultural use, Ms. Wood said.

The Jefferson County Planning Board has offered recommendations to the local board on the development, advising it that maneuvering space for trucks would be tight and that is should consider the lack of parking available at the site. The county planners also cautioned that items stored at the site would be visible from the school.

The village Zoning Board of Appeals will consider the company's application for a special-use permit at 7 p.m. Wednesday.