PERRYSBURG - At the Town of Perrysburg Board meeting Monday night, a few groups were represented and shared some information with the public.

Among those groups was the Gowanda Ambulance Service. Steve Debruin, Georgia Roberts and Kathy Green updated the board on recent changes. Since the volunteer service began billing insurance companies on behalf of those who use the service this year, many residents found themselves responsible for large co-payments.

According to Debruin, the law stipulates they must bill everyone. They are seeking legal advice to find out if there are any options regarding collection of the co-pays from those who are unable to pay. Debruin stated that Gowanda Ambulance Service is sympathetic to the needs and financial situations of those they serve and their goal is to keep the service as free as possible while bringing in enough funds to keep the service up and running.

Prior to this change in billing, Gowanda Ambulance Service was funded by the municipalities. Each community served paid a set amount per resident. The municipalities will continue to pay this amount for an indefinite period of time until the bugs are worked out of the new system. Debruin explained that they hope to be able to function without funds from the towns, villages and counties within the next three years.

Councilperson Dick Gabel expressed his support, saying, "Well, we need you guys, that's for sure. Whatever we can do to help you out, we will."

Supervisor Dennis Stopen thanked the representatives for coming and also asked that they keep him apprised of the situation and their needs.

The next presentation came from William Cole, a member of Boy Scout Troop 276 of Gowanda. Cole first approached the board in January with a proposal to refurbish the walking trail in the town park as part of his efforts to become an Eagle Scout. In his initial proposal, he estimated the job would require about 248 hours of labor and cost between $700 and $1,000. The board agreed to support his efforts.

Cole announced that the project is complete. Around 300 man hours were spent on building bridges and creating trail markers and signs. The project came in under budget at around $600 and a fundraiser is in progress to cover those costs.

Through a power point presentation, the audience was able to see some shots of the workers slinging hammers and trudging through mud, as well as the finished product which included 32 pieces of a walking bridge. Councilwoman Mary Denea said she took a tour of the trail and they did a great job. Stopen thanked Cole for a job well done.

In other business:

• Assessor Mary Bailey reported that renewals for property tax exemptions will be mailed out this week. She advised residents who will turn 65 in 2010 that they might be eligible for the Enhanced Star Exemption. She can be reached at the Town Hall on Mondays between the hours of 1 and 5 p.m. for questions regarding exemptions.

• Dog control officer Kathy Hagner reported that there will be a free rabies clinic on January 9 from 9 a.m. until noon in Little Valley at the Department of Public Works building. She also reported that she issued six tickets for dogs with no licenses and that she received numerous calls about dogs being left outside in inclement weather. She advised residents that dogs left outside without access to an insulated dog house constitutes animal cruelty.

• After requests last month from residents that voting be moved back to the Town Hall, Denea followed up with the board of elections. She was referred to the polling site inspector who recommended the move to the Developmental Disabilities Services Offices. Denea plans to meet with the inspector to find out what changes would need to be made for voting to be reinstated at the Town Hall.

• After a brief discussion about current conditions of the Town Hall, Gabel made arrangements to meet with Engineer Mark Alienello in the near future to get an estimate on the price of an engineering study to determine if it would be more feasible to renovate the existing building or build another one. After gathering some preliminary information, the board will consider possible grant options to fund a project in the future.