BY ADAM ATKINSON
North Country This Week

POTSDAM — The village board has awarded bids for chemicals for the water and wastewater treatment plants, and for lab testing for the plant.

The trustees signed off on the bids at their meeting March 20. The board also approved an appointment, agreed to sell surplus vehicles, set a public hearing on the annual tax cap override local law for the budget and made a declaration.

Bids awarded for chemicals for the water and wastewater treatment plants for fiscal year June 1, 2023-May 31, 2024 were:

• Slack Chemical - Sodium Hydroxide at $2.943 per gallon tank truck load & $5.199 per gallon less than tank truck load delivered;

• Thatcher Company of New York, Inc. - Alum at $1.61 per gallon tank truck load & $3.95 per gallon less than tank truck load delivered;

• Slack Chemical - Sodium Hypochlorite at $3.982 per gallon tank truck load & $4.53 per gallon less than tank truck load delivered;

• Slack Chemical – Sodium Fluoride at $3.49 per pound delivered, 2,200 pounds;

• Holland Chemical - Poly Aluminum Chloride at $3.58 per gallon tank truck load & $5.03 per gallon less than tank truck load delivered;

• Slack Chemical - Phosphate at $21.63 per gallon delivered, 30 gallon drum;

• Clean Waters - Liquid Polymer at $2.29 per pound, 450 pound drum.

The village also awarded the bid for annual laboratory testing requirements at the plant for the coming fiscal year to Life Science Laboratories Inc., 5854 Butternut Drive, East Syracuse, NY, in the amount of $24,840.

Trustees approved the mayor’s appointment of Trevor J. Blank, 11 Bay St., Apt. 2, to the village’s Zoning Board of Appeals to fill the unexpired term of Janna Cummings. Blank’s term will expire Nov. 18, 2024.

A public hearing was set for Monday, April 3 at 5:55 p.m. to receive comment on the village’s proposed local law to allow village officials to override the tax cap for the coming fiscal year. The village board passes law annually as a “just in case” measure during budget building time. Like other municipalities, Potsdam has not often surpassed the cap to balance the budget, and is expected to revoke the law after the budget is passed.

Also at the March 20 meeting, the village passed a resolution declaring April as Fair Housing Month, and authorized the village clerk to advertise for bids for two surplus vehicles, a 2009 Dodge Charger and a 2015 Ford Explorer.