Village of Lewiston

Sutherland takes Marra’s spot as trustee

Village inflow at a 10-year-plus low

by Joshua Maloni
Lewiston Porter Sentinel, January 23, 2010

Bruce Sutherland, center, is sworn-in by Village of Lewiston Mayor Bill Geiben.
Sutherland’s wife, Jackie, held the Bible for her husband. (photo by Joshua Maloni)

Bruce Sutherland was appointed trustee in the Village of Lewiston on Monday. He replaces Mike Marra, who resigned the position at the end of 2009.

The Village Board unanimously approved a motion by Trustee Vic Eydt to add Sutherland to its ranks.

“He’s very knowledgeable about what’s going on in the village,” Mayor Bill Geiben said, noting Sutherland’s learning curve would be less than the average resident.

That’s because Sutherland served on the village’s Historic Preservation and Planning Board from August 2006 until Monday, when he vacated that position to assume his duties as trustee. Sutherland is the second Planning Board member to recently make the jump to the Village Board. Eydt served as chairman until he replaced Geiben in November 2009.

“I would like to thank the board and the mayor for their confidence in me,” Sutherland said. “I hope to be able to uphold that and make you proud.”

He said the village is on a positive course, and told trustees, “I am happy to join you guys.”

Sutherland is also a member of the Historical Association of Lewiston’s board of trustees, and the Lewiston-Porter High School Alumni Association board of directors.

The Village Board sought applicants for the position upon Marra’s November election to the Town of Lewiston Council.

In other news from Monday’s meeting …

•For the first time in more than a decade, the Village of Lewiston did not exceed its yearly flow limit with the Lewiston Water Pollution Control Center.

Engineer Richard San Giacomo, who has spearheaded television testing and water line replacements, told the board the village used 154 of its allotted 164.25 million gallons of space.

In his report, San Giacomo wrote, “Since the village embarked on a comprehensive inflow/infiltration analysis of their sanitary sewer system in 2006, the annual wastewater flow has decreased from 260 MG in 2006 to 154 MG in 2009. This is a 42 percent reduction in three years.”

This was despite an increase in precipitation – from 30 inches in 2006 to 40 inches in 2009.

“Based upon our present sewer rate of $2.75/1,000 gallons, we have saved over $250,000 over the past three years,” San Giacomo wrote.

In 2010, he has targeted a half-dozen water line locations that need fixing. The total job cost is an estimated $189,000.

The largest areas are 300 linear feet on Tuscarora (from Fifth to Niagara streets; at a cost of $65,000), and 450 linear feet on Fourth Street west (Mohawk Street to Tuscarora; $90,000). San Giacomo suggested both segments be replaced over the next two years.

He wrote that three smaller projects could be completed this year.

•Trustees appointed Loretta Frankovitch and Ernie Krell to replace Eydt and Sutherland on the Planning Board.

•The board approved a motion authorizing Robert MacVie to proceed with the demolition and replacement of the south staircase at Lewiston Landing at a cost of $34,000. Funds are courtesy of a state access enhancement grant.