Pelletter informed the village of his support for consolidation of the five fire departments that provide protection to the town of Hanover and the village of Silver Creek. The five departments — Silver Creek, Hanover, Irving, Sunset Bay, and Forestville — would then be encompassed under one fire district.

The town of Hanover recently discussed the topic at a public hearing regarding fire protection contracts ahead of the town’s preliminary budget presentation.

With Pelletter taking over as supervisor earlier this year, the town has been reevaluating the way it conducts business. Coupled with the reassessment of the former Lakeshore Hospital requiring a modest increase to the town levy, the Town Board then turned its attention to the fire protection contracts, which are often a source of lengthy discussion each year.

The recent public hearings regarding fire protection in Hanover certainly were lengthy.

Interested parties were not initially on board at the recent public hearing, which Pelletter said lasted several hours when also accounting for the regular meeting surrounding the hearing. However, once Pelletter and Deputy Mayor Bernie Feldmann got their point across, Pelletter got the feeling that consolidation would benefit the town, village, and the five departments.

Pelletter is not looking to take away from the identity of any of the five fire departments. As the village of Silver Creek Historian, Pelletter appreciates the identity that each department has.

“We made it clear that we are not looking to shut anything down,” Pelletter said of the recent public hearing held at the Town of Hanover.

Still, Pelletter believes all five departments would benefit from consolidation into one all-encompassing fire district that the departments would all be a part of.

Pelletter recognizes the redundancy of equipment from having five departments. He also noted that each department has to navigate training requirements and adhere to new regulations, which he believes will go smoother if each department is not entirely separate. Having one fire district to encompass the region would benefit taxpayers in that equipment costs would likely decrease, while the possibility for grant funding could be easier to obtain if the departments were not competing for the same opportunities.

Fire departments across the state and beyond are struggling to address declining enrollment. Having one fire district could help provide stability for the region, especially if low membership were to force one of the departments to join another department.

Members of the Village Board appeared to be in favor of the idea at the recent meeting, at least in theory. Pelletter stated he will return to the board following the upcoming election to provide more information.

Also at the recent meeting, the Village Board approved two new members – Simon Barrett and Richard Brennan — to the Silver Creek Fire Department, as approved by the Board of Fire Wardens. Additionally, the Village Board approved the membership of Dave Sikorski to the Silver Creek Emergency Squad.

The Village Board also authorized the Village Clerk’s office to request a contract for fireworks from Young Explosives in order to reserve the Village’s annual fireworks display on July 3.

Brush pickup in the Village ends in October. Village residents can discard brush at the drop-off site on Saturdays from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. through the month of November.

The next meeting of the Silver Creek Village Board is Monday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. at the Village Hall.