BY JEFF CHUDZINSKINorth Country This Week

MASSENA -- The Joint Recreation Department of Massena is looking to purchase a new vehicle with existing funds but trustees say a new leasing program the village is enrolled in is a better fit for replacing the vehicle.

Trustee Ken McGowan told board members he had a conversation recently to address the situation, however Recreation Director Mike McCabe still has questions about the leasing program's effectiveness and cost saving measures.

According to McGowan, McCabe said he wished to purchase the new vehicle due to the high costs of leasing vehicles.

"He has some questions about leasing vehicles, I guess that's really drawing a lot from his budget," McGowan said.

McGowan said he suggested McCabe speak to Department of Public Works Superintendent Marty Miller about the expenses.

"I told him when we went over what we knew about it but I told him Marty's the contact. He wanted to know how long the program is going to go on because it doesn't seem like it's very favorable to them," he said.

Miller acknowledged that there would not be big savings when first opting into the program but "after two, maybe three years" it would be a big cost saver to the village as a whole.

Mayor Greg Paquin went a step further, saying the program is saving the village a great deal of money already.

"As long as it works for all of us (we'll do it). I mean, they think they want to buy a new vehicle but that's a big part of the leasing program, you get new vehicles for the old ones in return. As we keep up with maintenance and miles lower, they're going to slowly come down in price and it's saving us money. I'm sorry it's costing them an extra 100 bucks per month or whatever it is but it is what it is and it's saving the vast majority of us a great deal of money," Paquin said.

Miller said the program is one that the village needs to be in for the long haul.

"The longer you stay in this program, you're going to not only see newer vehicle and prices going down but your maintenance costs are going to go down too. Those are some of the other things people don't think about. All they see is that number (to purchase a vehicle) and say 'That's all I need to pay for this vehicle.' Well, I can show you a bunch of numbers that makes a difference. But driving newer vehicles over time will be cost effective for us in all departments," Miller said.

Miller said once equity is built up in the vehicles, each department will save money.

"You'll see it and you can have Mr. McCabe reach out to me about any questions he has specifically. He knows where to find me," Miller said.

Trustees also briefly touched on discussions regarding the staffing of the community center.

In recent months, village trustees have suggested revisiting the agreement regarding the staffing needed for the center, saying the village contributes far more financially and offers far more man hours to maintenance and scheduling needs.

Despite that, McGowan said he recently spoke with town board members but the topic was a non-starter.

"Their board feels they're understaffed to do that. So, I said maybe we can meet with the two town liaisons and discuss how we can figure something out. That's all I've got," he said.

McGowan previously prompted conversation on the topic at a previous board meeting, questioning why the village is left to handle the majority of duties at the center.

"I know they have their own issues with it but I just, I'm not sure why the village is the only entity doing anything there. So, I think it should be split. Maybe there's a back history there, I don't know. You know, I'm not sure why the village administrator's handling it with the DPW. I'm not sure why, it's not a joint effort," McGowan previously said.

Officials also noted the contribution rate disparity, saying the town contributes around 38% towards the costs of the facility.

When repairs are needed, officials say the town is billed based on that percentage.

"If the bill costs 100 bucks, they get billed around 38 bucks," Mayor Greg Paquin said.

According to Treasurer Kevin Felt, the original agreement was closer to a 55/45 split between the village and town, a gap that has continued to grow each year, he said.

Though trustees said the contribution percentage disparity was an issue, multiple trustees questioned why administrative manpower from the village was used exclusively for scheduling, applications, deposit collection, final payment and other duties.

"How many times do you have to book the community center," Trustee Christine Winston asked.

"I will say that they don't get billed on the admin time. And I mean, we must have had at least 10 calls today alone. And each of them, you have to do the application on the phone and each call takes I'd say at least 10 minutes. Then they have to come in and we collect the security deposit. Our guys or Marty (Miller) goes down on Mondays after the events (to inspect), we deal with the tenants there. I mean, it takes up a significant amount of our time." Village Administrator Monique Chatland said.

Calls to book the center happen on a daily basis, she said.

According to Chatland, community groups and members call every day to hold events at the location.

"We are pretty much booked solid through April already," she told trustees.

Events ranging from birthday and retirement parties to karate practices, bridal and baby showers, line dancing and senior citizen events take up a significant portion of the schedule, officials say.