BY PAUL MITCHELL
North Country This Week

RENSSELAER FALLS -- Running unopposed for his fourth term as mayor, Michael S. Hammond says he will continue to strive to improve shared services with the Town of Canton, work to extend the village’s infrastructure blueprint and take advantage of the area’s natural beauty and resources.

“The main goal for my fourth term as Mayor of Rensselaer Falls is to establish a five-year shared service plan or agreement for our roads, stormwater drainage, and sidewalk infrastructure within the Village. I have learned that complete street access for pedestrians, motorists and multi-used vehicles is necessary for a sustainable and healthy community to thrive,” stated Hammond. “The Village will continue to create the blueprint for a multi-purpose trail between the Villages of Rensselaer Falls and Heuvelton. This goal has a great chance of coming to fruition once the LWRP (Local Waterfront Revitalization Program) process is completed with our partners from the Towns of Oswegatchie, Dekalb, Canton and the Villages of Heuvelton, Rensselaer Falls and Richville.”

“We all can appreciate the recreational and scenic beauty of the Oswegatchie River and the Upper and Lower Lakes watershed as it is a true gem hidden in the rough of St. Lawrence County, '' he continued.

Hammond noted Rensselaer Falls sits at a gateway, or an intersection, to multiple municipalities.

“In the next two years we will prioritize our natural resources and human resources to help shape our future as a small village, setting attainable goals that are beneficial to all citizens and their tax dollars. The third goal that will be established by the village board is to continue to invest the appropriate amount of money back into our aging wastewater treatment facilities infrastructure. Sand beds need to be replaced and old pumps need upgrades. I will also be recommending that the Village of Rensselaer Falls look into the possibility of municipal water, natural gas and trash removal as potential services for our citizens.”

“As my administration moves into our 7th year of governing the village of Rensselaer Falls I will be bringing in a new perspective to the office of mayor entering 2022. By the end of this year I will be an established Fire Department member with BEFO under my belt. This newly acquired knowledge regarding the history and inner workings of the Fire Department will be a great asset when evaluating the needs of the department as a whole,” said Hammond. “As an elected official that has to work out a yearly budget for our community, I understand what an uphill battle it is to fight the numerous unfunded mandates handed down by Albany. Training and gear replacement are a must. We need to give our service members the funding they need to survive.”

Like other elected officials, Covid is an obvious challenge facing every municipality. However, says Hammond, there are still many local challenges that we as taxpayers and community members should be paying attention to and helping solve.

“The first challenge that we need to continue addressing is that of mental health awareness and the opioid epidemic. To me these challenges go hand in hand. Family and loved ones are faced with impossible choices of grief and tough love. We need to make a concerted effort to create good sustainable forward-thinking jobs of the future that put individuals in a better mindset to set them up for success. We need to create facilities and programs that actually help people not just waste dollars,” remarked Hammond.

He said another challenge that doesn't seem to hit home to the general public is the ongoing conversation and negotiations of county sales tax. With the city of Ogdensburg preempting and the county now in control of dividing up the pie, Towns and Villages are left with no bargaining tools.

“Sales tax monies are what help pave streets and improve the quality of life in our small municipalities. If we lose that source of revenue or even a small part of it we will see catastrophic issues with our local budgets. Lastly, the challenge we face in Rensselaer Falls right now is a lack of partnership with the Town of Canton. Over the last four years of my six years being mayor I have come to understand how important a shared service agreement with the Town of Canton would be for the Village of Rensselaer Falls. Having to go outside of our municipal resources for street and sidewalk projects we see costs skyrocket. Having to partner with private contractors limits the amount of work to be done for the people because costs are so high. Having a fair agreement on the books is a must and the challenge will be overcome.”

“It truly is the honor of a lifetime to serve as the mayor of Rensselaer Falls, my hometown, and to serve you the kind generous folks of the Village. Please if you can, take the time to get out and vote November 2, 2021. Your vote matters,” said Hammond.