By LOHR McKINSTRY
PORT HENRY — The first part of the dissolution and services-sharing study for Port Henry is ready to be presented to the Village Board and public.
The Village Board and its study consultant, the Center for Governmental Research of Rochester, will discuss the municipal-services part of the report at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, in the Port Henry Knights of Columbus building.
The Moriah Town Council and members of the Village Dissolution Study Committee will also be present to go over the information, which was collected during several workshop meetings and site visits by the consultant.
Members of the Study Committee are Village Mayor Ernest Guerin, Village Trustee James Hughes, Moriah Supervisor Thomas Scozzafava, Town Councilman Richard Carpenter, and business owners Walter Wojewodzic, Joseph Celotti, Charlie Bryant and John Boyea.
The committee's first major report is titled, "How the Village of Port Henry and the Town of Moriah Currently Provide Municipal Services."
The Center for Governmental Research is conducting a study to serve as a decision-making tool for village voters on whether to dissolve the village.
Guerin said he wants to put the dissolution referendum on the March 2010 village election ballot.
If voters approved dissolution, the village would dissolve in two years, and the Town of Moriah would assume its properties and some of its services.
Governmental Research Project Director Charles Zettek Jr. said he will overview what services currently exist, present options and discuss the next steps.
"On behalf of the committee, CGR will make a presentation to a joint session of the village and town boards, and the study team will answer board members' questions."
Zettek said that although the presentation is open to the public, the study team's focus will be on answering questions from board members.
He said a presentation and question-and-answer session for the public will be held a week later, at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, at the Knights of Columbus.
Electronic copies of part one of the report are available on the project Web site.
E-mail Lohr McKinstry at: lmckinstry@pressrepublican.com
