SILVER CREEK - After weeks of back and forth, a resolution has not been reached in a dispute surrounding a salt barn.
In 2007, the village of Silver Creek and the Silver Creek Central School District entered into a municipal agreement for the purpose of obtaining the Department of State Shared Municipal Services Incentive Grant for $96,600 for a salt barn. The agreement included the district paying $7,500 in exchange for 10 years worth of salt.
However, in June, an internal review of bills paid found the district paid for salt the past two years and asked the village for a refund.
Article Photos
OBSERVER Photo by Matt Panebianco
At a recent board meeting Silver Creek Mayor Kurt Lindstrom insisted the 2007 salt barn agreement to build the barn pictured is still open for discussion.
Each board went back and forth with reports that first the written agreement could not be found and then once a copy was found, that it was not signed and the district did not pay the $7,500.
At the last school board meeting Superintendent Daniel Ljiljanich said the matter had been resolved but just one week later the village board did not express the same sentiment.
Ljiljanich did attend Monday's village board meeting but expressed a will to continue working with the village.
"I'm very excited to be in the district. I look forward to continuing the relationship I think the village and the school district has fostered over the years. The SRO (School Resource Officer) program and things like the salt barn have been win-win for the district and for the village and I just hope to continue that cooperation," he said.
Mayor Kurt Lindstrom maintained the agreement was not signed. Trustee Amy Romanik added the village's records say the district did not pay the original agreed upon amount of $7,500 but if they did she would like to see documentation it was paid.
One resident, who has been following the dispute closely, spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting, reading an excerpt from the agreement with Lindstrom's signature.
"What's your point?" Lindstrom asked.
She said the point is the matter is closed and the agreement was signed by the mayor and the superintendent at the time.
Lindstrom insisted otherwise.
"It isn't the end of the discussion. I need to speak with Mr. Ljiljanich but there is an empty signature page," he said.
The resident responded the agreement must have been signed when the grant was sent in or the village would not have received the grant money. Lindstrom said the salt was not part of the shared services agreement and disagreed the matter was settled.
In other business:
The board accepted the sex offenders law and the breach of peace law.
The board authorized work to be done on the windows and doors in the fire hall not to exceed $3,000, paid from the contingency budget.
The board will next meet Sept. 4 due to the Labor Day holiday.
