Just in time for Christmas, the Village of Cobleskill and the Fairgrounds have reached a sort-of peace.
At odds with the village for the past few years over a 100-plus-year-old gentleman's agreement and the question of whether the Fairgrounds should pay for water and sewer, the Cobleskill Agricultural Society has said it's now willing to cover a $26,000 back bill with a few conditions.
The Fairgrounds has long maintained that in the late 1800s it gave the village easements through its property for water and sewer lines in exchange for free services.
Finding written proof of that agreement has proven impossible and finally, Mayor Mark Galasso threatened to shut the Fairgrounds off if Ag Society directors didn't pay up.
Last Tuesday, though, Mayor Galasso said he'd met with the Ag Society and together, they've reached some tentative agreements.
Currently, Mayor Galasso said, there are 13 different water meters at the Fairgrounds.
The minimum on each is exceeded almost every time the meters are read, he said, something that substantially and unfairly boosts the bill.
Instead, he proposes using just one meter at the Fairgrounds.
Also, because only the restrooms at the Fairgrounds dump into the sewer system, Mayor Galasso suggested billing the Ag Society for actual usage rather than basing the sewer bill on the amount of water used-the formula it uses for the rest of the village-though breaks have traditionally been given to larger users.
Mayor Galasso also said the village needs to file some easements agreed to in 1986 or '87 "so in the next 100 years the village and the Fairgrounds don't have these problems" again; he also suggested waiving future tapping fees.
All together, the Fairgrounds owes about $14,000 a year for 2009-11 for a total of about $44,000.
Deducting $16,000 in sewer services Fairgrounds records show were never used and some $2,000 in repairs that should have been the village's job, Mayor Galasso said the Fairgrounds' bill totals about $26,000-a figure Fair directors didn't dispute.
Mayor Galasso and trustees agreed not to turn the bill over to the county-something that could, in theory, put the Fairgrounds on the auction block at the 2012 tax sale, "so we can work this through."
Like so much of Schoharie County, Mayor Galasso said, the Fairgrounds was hurt by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, but as a non-profit, none of its losses will be reimbursed by FEMA.
He suggested allowing directors to spread repayment out over a few years.
"We're still in the very early stages [of talks]." Mayor Galasso said.
"In my opinion, we should make some concessions, but the Fairgrounds should pay for what they actually used."
Trustees agreed with that logic and talks will continue.