Submitted photo New Silver Creek village trustee Stephen Romanik was sworn in earlier this month, along with mayor elect Jeffrey Hornburg and re-elected trustee Warren Kelly.

SILVER CREEK — Those present for the first village board meeting of 2018 were treated to a remodeled courtroom, along with two new ideas from the board’s newest trustee, Stephen Romanik.

Romanik, eager to make good on a campaign promise, informed the board that he is intending to start up two new exploratory committees, one with the goal of refurbishing the village street lights and the other to come up with a balanced, monthly water billing system for village residents.

“One of the biggest complaints (I’ve heard) about the village is the water bills,” Romanik said. “Our water bills are like mortgage payments.”

Romanik used himself as an example of someone who’s yearly budget is reflective of a hefty burden that could be eased through a monthly billing system.

“My water bill from last year came out to $1,012,” Romanik said. “If we can do some kind of electric billing like NYSEG does and National Fuel, then I would have an average bill of $84 a month. This would make it more manageable for people on fixed incomes.”

Romanik said the program would be optional, not mandated.

“It doesn’t change what the rates are,” Romanik noted, adding that the village would save money in the long run if they switched to an electronic billing system.

Romanik, along with Trustee Warren Kelly have been meeting with people like AJ Dolce and Michael Pagano regarding switching the village street lights from high sodium bulbs to LED lighting.

Romanik also discussed adding some more streetlights to some sections of the village.

I’d like to add about 30 more street lights in areas that need it,” Romanik said. “Specific areas like Dickinson Street, High Street extension, Burgess Street and school routes that are pretty dark, downtown area we’re missing a couple poles.”

The trustee said his research informed him that LED lights are roughly $200 per bulb, but they come with a 25-year lifespan.

“So, if we purchased approximately 385 lights, it would cost about $77,000,” said Romanik. “We currently budget about $58,000 a year for street lights. If we converted them from the sodium to the LED, (after they were paid off in a couple years) we’d save approximately 65 percent…about $37,000 per year.”

In terms of the village converting to LED, the courtroom’s makeover included a switch to the more efficient lighting system. EMC construction, contractors for the remodel project, also tore apart and rebuilt the courtroom bench, put in new carpet tile for the flooring and redid the drywall of two walls and repainted the room.

Mayor Hornburg, sworn in at the beginning of the year, congratulated former mayor Nick Piccolo and trustee Kelly for “spearheading the remodeling. It’s long overdue and well worth it. The room looks very nice.”

The mayor announced to the board that County Executive George Borrello will be holding a regional economic planning meeting on Monday, Jan. 22 at 10 a.m. in Hanover Town Hall. Nathan Aldrich of the Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation will be present at the meeting, the mayor said.

“(Borrello and Aldrich) are both on board trying to get us jumpstarted into growth and development here in the town,” Hornburg said.