WEBVTT 1 00:00:24.714 --> 00:00:36.594 We have a quorum do so I actually wanted to just go around and saying who's on the call. So then start. Hi, that's been going on. 2 00:00:38.545 --> 00:00:41.155 Urban Mary brown to past. 3 00:00:45.625 --> 00:00:54.984 Down here. Alright miles on. 4 00:01:00.534 --> 00:01:09.234 So, okay, so just kind of going through. I think we have been Barb, Yvonne, Mary, Jack and Brian. 5 00:01:09.564 --> 00:01:16.344 So, from a routing perspective, and Alisa Paul check us Tim and Tom. 6 00:01:17.640 --> 00:01:32.305 Yeah, and everyone Yep Bob Murray's on as well. Good morning. Okay great. Okay, Bob, you wanna take the meeting to vote on or ball? 7 00:01:34.075 --> 00:01:34.284 Okay. 8 00:01:35.609 --> 00:01:42.474 Yeah, sure I can kick it off. Okay, go ahead. I'll kick it off and I'll let. Yeah, good morning. Everybody hope everybody's doing. 9 00:01:42.474 --> 00:01:51.715 Well, I'll, I'll introduce the topic here and I'll let Paul kinda kinda frame it as well as you know, this is the first. 10 00:01:51.715 --> 00:02:04.525 I think it's diverse video conference telecom meeting by the the corporation, and, of course, we're allowed to do this under an executive order issued by Governor Cuomo during this pandemic. So we're allowed to meet remotely. 11 00:02:05.724 --> 00:02:16.284 I believe Jack the notice was given. So there are, maybe I'll send, you can tell who's on or not on, but these meetings also, just for the boards, education are supposed to be open to the public. 12 00:02:16.284 --> 00:02:24.745 So, this this is being the public can listen to the press to listen in as well to this call and a Jack. 13 00:02:24.745 --> 00:02:35.245 I think you're probably aware from the work that this meeting supposed to be transcribed per the executive order a, and kept available in the, and the corporations, the records. 14 00:02:35.395 --> 00:02:49.914 So that a little bit of housekeeping there, as, as I think everybody knows, I'm under the workforce reduction executive orders that were put into place amongst many other industries, construction, and work with hospital shut down. 15 00:02:49.914 --> 00:02:53.814 Unless a business was deemed an essential business. 16 00:02:55.014 --> 00:03:09.354 The, that is defined under guidance issued by the New York state Empire State development that guidances have been amended and tweak several times. It is it can be a little bit of a strained read. 17 00:03:09.384 --> 00:03:14.064 It's a little bit. It, it's, it's very broad in some instances. 18 00:03:14.370 --> 00:03:14.699 And, 19 00:03:14.694 --> 00:03:21.534 in some instances are the had been receiving, 20 00:03:21.534 --> 00:03:30.055 and the very beginning of the covet nineteen crisis was receiving requests from companies to have the too heavy edema. 21 00:03:30.145 --> 00:03:32.844 Deem that the work contemplated for any work. 22 00:03:32.844 --> 00:03:45.354 Not just construction, if you, or your business line of at your activity could be deemed a, an essential business because perhaps that you felt that you were in a gray area, or you didn't think the guidance was precise enough. 23 00:03:45.354 --> 00:03:54.474 And in the early stages was issuing those letters a, they're no longer issuing those letters. They've gotten tremendous backlog of requests. 24 00:03:54.474 --> 00:04:05.094 They have issue guided saying if you're listed on there, and you think you are in a central business, or you're providing service to an essential business or your undertake services, then you're cleared. 25 00:04:05.455 --> 00:04:12.865 So the, and now corporations bulk head repair work has been. 26 00:04:16.225 --> 00:04:19.884 Has is a project that if everybody recalls a, 27 00:04:19.884 --> 00:04:22.254 the reason we didn't take title to the real property was, 28 00:04:22.254 --> 00:04:25.855 because the bulk had reports we received from engineering firms, 29 00:04:25.855 --> 00:04:32.725 where the bulk was in a imminent danger of failure and we did not want to be the title holder when, 30 00:04:32.725 --> 00:04:43.555 and if that bulk had failed the corporations under a contract or state grant funds has been repairing that bulk had the permit has expired. 31 00:04:44.605 --> 00:04:49.764 Of course, in the middle of this pandemic, adding another challenge to the corporation. 32 00:04:50.454 --> 00:04:53.605 The extension permit to continue to work, 33 00:04:54.115 --> 00:05:02.125 hasn't been submitted to canal corporation the Paul Romano and the canal Corporation, 34 00:05:02.125 --> 00:05:04.704 and I have had talks about what type of, 35 00:05:05.064 --> 00:05:05.274 you know, 36 00:05:05.274 --> 00:05:14.095 how can we proceed under the executive order and we believe we fall under two category of an essential project, 37 00:05:14.095 --> 00:05:20.514 and that would be we're undertaking a work to a transportation port type structure number one and number two, 38 00:05:21.235 --> 00:05:22.944 there's a safety issue here. 39 00:05:23.935 --> 00:05:26.634 We need to get the work done before. 40 00:05:28.165 --> 00:05:38.185 You know, in particular before the, the, the canal corporation tinkers with the levels of the canal, and as more rain enters, we're getting into the rainy part of the season the summer months. 41 00:05:38.185 --> 00:05:49.855 It makes work much much more difficult for flooding, which could impact the adjacent properties. So we have applied initial feedback from the Mexican out Corporation. 42 00:05:50.485 --> 00:06:00.985 We Paul, and you can fill in here one second while we expect to get a work permit issued for the work to continue just so everybody knows government agencies are exempt. 43 00:06:01.824 --> 00:06:07.254 So, government contract, construction work is exempt from the essential business order. 44 00:06:07.764 --> 00:06:18.115 Meaning, if you, if this was a government project, get this with canal Corp, knowing the work, that they absolutely can do the work, they don't have to worry about whether there's an emergency or if it's appear, they can do whatever they wanna do. 45 00:06:18.834 --> 00:06:33.475 So, canal Corp will be will be issuing the permit most likely, because they can, because they're government agency, and we fully anticipate that tail would continue with the work. 46 00:06:33.475 --> 00:06:47.214 Once this work permit is issued and Paul. Why don't you? I'll, I'll stop talking. Yeah. Well, I think you hit everything, but but but I'll just say that we were shut down after the October storm. 47 00:06:47.214 --> 00:06:49.045 We really couldn't get water levels back down. 48 00:06:49.500 --> 00:07:01.555 To a level where we can work, and there was speculation that we wouldn't be able to get water levels down till the summer months. But this has been a unique spring water levels are down. 49 00:07:01.584 --> 00:07:14.154 And Corp is probably not gonna restart the canal. It might start a little later than they usually start mid March or I'm sorry mid May. So, this was a really unique opportunity to do the work now. 50 00:07:14.514 --> 00:07:21.685 And when you do the workout compared to the summer mentioned, you know, summer has a high intensity storms. 51 00:07:21.925 --> 00:07:31.495 The water levels go up drastically, very shortly and it is a more it's a lot safer to do it now, where we don't have that summer storm pattern. 52 00:07:31.975 --> 00:07:44.814 So, with that, we did seek an opinion from above said, they weren't doing the written opinions, but we asked him if this was essential, we did talk to some representatives directly. 53 00:07:45.415 --> 00:07:46.105 They felt, 54 00:07:46.735 --> 00:07:47.125 you know, 55 00:07:47.125 --> 00:07:47.785 we had a, 56 00:07:47.995 --> 00:07:49.644 they told us it's self determination, 57 00:07:49.644 --> 00:07:50.694 but they said there's, 58 00:07:50.725 --> 00:07:53.154 they could see it in the guidance, 59 00:07:53.214 --> 00:07:55.884 a number of ways that this was essential, 60 00:07:56.334 --> 00:08:00.625 and encouraged us to move forward and self determination. 61 00:08:01.050 --> 00:08:11.394 But the part of itself it's for us was not completely self determination because canal Corp a work permit. So they really had they looked at this policy as well. 62 00:08:12.024 --> 00:08:25.915 When they were looking at the work permit extension, ultimately, they felt comfortable enough and reviewing the essential policy to extend our permit, which it end of December thirty first extended into, I think, extends into July. 63 00:08:27.475 --> 00:08:38.575 So, we, we did get that permit extension and we're pretty much done with. Can we have the written extension? They did ask us to they're reviewing a title. 64 00:08:38.575 --> 00:08:44.754 Good constructions, health and safety policy for covet amendment for the health and safety policy a little bit closer. 65 00:08:46.195 --> 00:09:00.654 They're gonna give us word on that this week so we're waiting to get that information from them before I go restarts. But other than that, we're, you know, they've, they've told us that they concur. 66 00:09:01.495 --> 00:09:16.014 And and their, their opinion is that work can be extended now in consideration the guidance and everything. So I think that gives us enough information at this point to move forward with the board's decision. 67 00:09:18.264 --> 00:09:32.304 So the resolution today, and I don't know what everybody has in front of them. I I hope the resolution was made it out to over the weekend, but the resolution has a, has a three to findings. 68 00:09:32.365 --> 00:09:32.904 And then, 69 00:09:32.934 --> 00:09:34.945 the conditional resolution, 70 00:09:34.945 --> 00:09:38.065 the first finding is the project qualifies as an essential business, 71 00:09:38.634 --> 00:09:42.325 because the project involves construction upon and within a commercial port, 72 00:09:42.384 --> 00:09:44.125 constituting transportation, 73 00:09:44.125 --> 00:09:44.845 infrastructure, 74 00:09:44.845 --> 00:09:45.294 Vanessa, 75 00:09:45.294 --> 00:09:47.934 permissible construction activity. 76 00:09:48.294 --> 00:09:51.684 The second finding is the project qualifies as an essential business. 77 00:09:51.684 --> 00:10:01.764 And and should continue as an emergency construction project for the reasons Paul just mentioned and the third finding is a finding that the, 78 00:10:01.825 --> 00:10:15.654 or is an authorized authorization that the board will I find that issuance of of the work permit by the government agency would also allow the work to continue, 79 00:10:16.315 --> 00:10:25.764 but we're conditioning this approval today is conditioned upon a receipt of the canal corporation work permit which Paul suspecting imminently. 80 00:10:35.875 --> 00:10:37.134 What do you need us? 81 00:10:38.904 --> 00:10:53.845 We need a motion to approve. The is a resolution has prepared by Bob, and I get a motion for that. I'll make it Mary second Eva favor. 82 00:10:54.384 --> 00:11:02.695 Hi. Hi. I so moved anything else. You guys need I'll start here. 83 00:11:04.470 --> 00:11:05.995 I I think because of the, 84 00:11:06.504 --> 00:11:21.235 I think the rules on the meeting allow us only the one topic but I'll just correct everybody know that we are working real hard to get the words Avenue 85 00:11:21.235 --> 00:11:23.575 extension contract documents done. 86 00:11:23.575 --> 00:11:27.325 But, and we're getting very close. So, just as a matter of update. 87 00:11:30.625 --> 00:11:42.294 I don't know if Lisa wants to add anything. No, I just Paul. What do you have a target date for when we might get that? I guess we're talking I think. 88 00:11:45.085 --> 00:11:50.934 Yeah, it's hopefully next week. It's technically it's the city of Utica. That's a grant. 89 00:11:51.294 --> 00:12:02.995 So, I gotta go back through engineering and they've got to go through their process to approve the release of those documents. So I, and everything's a little complicated right now. 90 00:12:02.995 --> 00:12:13.139 So I, I'm hoping next week, but I've gotta have some conversations. It's engineering, right okay. 91 00:12:13.225 --> 00:12:26.095 Well, you got everything covered thanks everybody for taking your time this morning and it was a little awkward. I hope everybody stays. Well, just a quick question. I've got I've got two callers. 92 00:12:26.095 --> 00:12:30.595 One is a seven, three, eight number ones of five to five number. If you can identify yourself. 93 00:12:35.424 --> 00:12:41.004 I believe that's Mary and Barbara. Okay, thank you. 94 00:12:44.215 --> 00:12:58.644 Yeah, one other thing too is that we've a work really, really hard to get a all the information they need for the first reimbursement in the bulk heads. I mean, it's been painful. 95 00:12:59.034 --> 00:13:12.625 They've been very complimentary, the documentation we had, and everything we've done. It's just a process for this enhanced protocols is it's been a little bit a little bit tough to get through but we've I think we've satisfied them. 96 00:13:12.625 --> 00:13:24.174 We've given them everything. So, we're hoping that they can tell us the four million dollar. The first reimbursement of bulk heads is imminent. Yeah. You need me to call anybody? 97 00:13:25.434 --> 00:13:38.759 No, I'll let, you know, what I'll write a note to Caitlin and see where it is. And if it looks like there's a longer delay than we expect, and then maybe you could call make some calls but let's go for that. Yep. Sounds good. Okay. 98 00:13:40.225 --> 00:13:47.965 All right. Well, thanks everybody. Alright. Okay. Have a good motion to motion to try and. 99 00:13:49.855 --> 00:14:03.264 Favor I, I, I, thank you. All right. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye Lisa has left the meeting. 100 00:14:03.475 --> 00:14:05.725 A participant has left the meeting.