By CRAIG FREILICH

North Country Now

POTSDAM – The village expects delivery of 10 security cameras this week for installation next week, according to Department of Public Works Superintendent Jim Corbett.

In his periodic report to the Board of Trustees at Monday night’s meeting, Corbett said village crews had wired the Civic Center in anticipation of delivery of the cameras, perhaps this week.

The installation of the cameras was planned well before a recent incident of an irate citizen at the Civic Center prompted village officials to begin a review of security at the building.

Among other items DPW has attended to in the last few months:

• Repaired three water main breaks, one on Market Street near the car wash in October, one on Spring Street in mid-November that took two days to repair, and one at 91 Pierrepont Avenue last Friday. They also helped Potsdam Central School with a water main break behind Kingston Middle School, and assisted Clarkson University several times with sewer flushing equipment and manpower

• completed the fall brush and garden waste pickup for the season, brush-hogged the airport property, and assisted the Potsdam Police Department with mowing their auto impound lot and preparing for the annual auction

• flushed and winterized all fire hydrants in the village and prepared trucks and equipment for winter duty

• rebuilt and paved the fire station apron

• cleaned catch basins village-wide and repaired a broken water shutoff valve on Barclay Street, one of several such valves that prevent water line freeze-ups, and performed routine sewer maintenance

• installed tabs to prevent ice falling off the Air Methods hangar roof at the airport

• assisted Rose Rivezi with the Ives Park playscape project

• trimmed trees overhanging sidewalks and curbs village-wide

• assisted water plant staff with maintenance of the West Dam hydro

• assisted the state DOT with Pierrepont Avenue paving work and helped the town Highway Department with gravel hauling

• repaired a crossing light on Clarkson Avenue

• hot-patched excavations on Pleasant, Hamilton and Market streets

• repaired numerous exterior lights at Pine Street Arena

• and installed Christmas lights downtown and at the Plumb Memorial Tree.

Trustee Maggie McKenna asked if more Christmas lights could be put along Elm Street, but Corbett explained that there are no outlets on the poles there, as there are elsewhere downtown, and that it would be exorbitant to have National Grid install them.

During the period, DPW staff attended a snow and ice safety seminar hosted by New York Municipal Insurance Reciprocal, the village’s insurer, and completed Dig Safe NY training.

And in recent weeks, as winter snowfall begins, the department has undertaken its usual snow removal activities.

Village Administrator Greg Thompson praised Corbett’s new winter shift setup for DPW where two crew members work 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. at the barn doing routine maintenance work when they are not covering overnight plowing duties.