BY CRAIG FREILICH
North Country This Week

POTSDAM -- The Town of Potsdam has approved a proposed 2020-2021 budget for the joint town-village recreation program that will cost $9,140 more than the current budget, which includes a $10,000 raise for Recreation Director Trey Smutz.

“I tried to save money in equipment areas, but gas and water service will have marginal increases,” Smutz said.

The total budget, split equally between the village and the town and administered by the village, lists expenditures up from $456,477 this year to $461,195 for 2020-2021, including the money for the pay increase.

“I really think it’s merited,” said Sarah Lister, town councilor and member of the joint recreation committee. “He’s done a good job of growing into that role” in the more than two years since Smutz began the job, Lister said.

In that time he has managed a strike by lifeguards over pay and revising the summer recreation program to comply with a change in state requirements treating it as a day camp. He has also managed the day-to-day needs of the summer kids’ programs and the winter ice programs, along with an assortment of other duties such as soliciting advertising in the arena.

Lister reinforced her support for Smutz by saying that she believes “he could do a lot more with an increase in the budget.”

The equipment budget is down from $23,000 to $20,000 and anticipates lower electric costs, from $48,000 to $45,000.