September 24, 2026 - Parks & Parcels
With all five members present, the board approved twelve items in about six minutes on September 24, committing roughly $240,000. The largest was a $107,356 change order on a parks improvement contract, bringing a project that started at $500,000 to about $687,000. Five items cleared the way for the Merrick Road bridge project, including three small land purchases that Public Works Commissioner Joseph Guiliano said are fully covered by state bridge funding. The board also approved two more rounds of tree plantings, the first cost increase on the design of the proposed Michael E. Jensen Recreation and Community Complex, and a union agreement raising the pay grade of a city benefits position.
What happened at the Meeting
The board moved through its agenda quickly, and only two items drew comment. The biggest dollar figures came from change orders, which are increases to contracts the city has already signed.
The largest was for the city's Parks Improvement Project. The board hired Essential Constructs for that work in November 2024 at $500,000. In August, it added about $79,000. On September 24, it approved a second increase of $107,356, raising the total to roughly $687,000. The resolution did not describe what the added work covers.
The proposed Michael E. Jensen Recreation and Community Complex, also known as The Legacy Center, returned to the agenda for the first time since March, when the board hired VIP Architecture Associates for $457,900 to design it. The board approved a $28,558 increase to that design contract, bringing it to $486,458. This money is still for planning and design only, and is coming from a $500,000 state grant.
Much of the meeting focused on the Merrick Road bridge. The board approved buying three small pieces of land along Merrick Road: $2,400 from Daniel and Jean Burgdorf, $16,200 from 2 Brothers of CNY, LLC for property at 7551 Merrick Road, and $4,100 from Shannon Rodriguez for property at 7767 Merrick Road. It also approved temporary easements at both addresses, which give the city access to the land while construction is underway. Guiliano told the board the bridge is a $1.5 million project paid for entirely through the state's BridgeNY program, which includes money set aside for land purchases, so none of these costs come from city funds.
The board continued its street tree program, approving two more contracts with J&J Landscaping: $31,360 for a third phase of plantings and $24,640 for a fourth.
Two items involved city staffing and budgets. The board approved an agreement with the CSEA union to move the Insurance and Benefits Clerk position from pay grade 99 to grade 104. Two weeks earlier, the board had created that clerk position while eliminating a benefits manager position. It also moved $10,533 within the police budget to pay a 2025 bill for sending four recruits to the police academy. Council President John Nash said on the record that he had questions about both items, spoke with Treasurer Brian Adams beforehand, and was satisfied with the answers. However, those questions and answers were not made public.
Finally, the board hired Rome Environmental Solutions & Testing, LLC for up to $25,000 to provide air sampling and monitoring services, a contract recommended by the city's chief codes enforcement officer.