Friday, November 14, 2014

Loan funding for home repair for very low-income homeowners

USDA Rural Development has low-interest loan funding available to very low-income homeowners for home repairs. Elderly very low-income homeowners may be eligible for some portion of assistance in the form of a grant. Applications are available through the City of Norwich Office of Planning and Community Development, Opportunities for Chenango, Inc., and the Cortland office of USDA Rural Development. For more information, click here.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Winter Parking Ban

The Norwich Police would like to remind city residents of the winter restriction of parking vehicles on city streets and city parking lots. “Because we have many multi-family dwellings in the city, there are residents who don’t have a dedicated parking space and need time to figure out where they can park their car” said Norwich Police Chief Joseph Angelino.

City code Section 90-43(a) Winter On Street Parking Ban: From November 1 until April 15, no vehicle shall be parked on any city street or public parking lot between the hours of 2:00am and 6:00am. This is necessary to facilitate the prompt removal of any snowfall. This city ordinance includes every night during the period from November 1st to April 15th, not just the nights there is snowfall. “The City DPW crews often times work at night to maintain open traffic lanes by clearing snow from streets curb-to-curb when they are not plowing fresh snowfall” said the Police Chief.

The Police Chief also noted this parking restriction includes the city owned parking lots in the business district. Violators may receive a parking ticket that carries a ten dollar fine. In extreme cases, if a parked vehicle is hampering snow removal efforts, the car could be towed at the owner’s expense.

The first week of this ordinance the police department will issue courtesy notices by placing a reminder on the windshield of vehicles found in violation. After the one week grace period, parking tickets will be issued. “From November to April, at any given time the Norwich area could have measurable snowfalls that require streets to be plowed. It’s a fact of life in up-state New York” said the Police Chief.

Leaf Pickup

The Department of Public Works will be picking up leaves from November 3 through November 16.

Leaves should be in CLEAR BAGS ONLY. All items to be placed between curb and sidewalk area.

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Youth Bureau Winter Program sign-up

Youth Bureau winter 2014-2015 program sign-up night will be held Wednesday, November 5, 2015, at 6 p.m. at the Youth Bureau office in City Hall.

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Fire Department Open House

The Norwich Fire Department is hosting an Open House on Thursday, from 6 to 8 p.m. during Fire Safety Week.

The Norwich Fire Department is located at 31 East Main Street.

Monday, September 29, 2014

Updated Comprehensive Plan available

The newly updated City of Norwich Comprehensive Plan is now available. You can access the document here.

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Flushing of Water Mains

Water mains will be flushed from September 9 through October 14. Hours of flushing will be 2:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. This procedure simultaneously checks hydrants for damage, leakage, flows, and operation. Please check here for the detailed schedule.

Customers experiencing cloudy water should run a cold water faucet to waste until the flow clears.


Friday, June 6, 2014

The City of Norwich is looking for Street Tree Planting

Norwich has many beautiful tree-lined streets, with maples, oaks, elms, crabapples and ashes towering over our streets and sidewalks. In an effort to add to our urban forest, the City of Norwich Street Tree Committee has secured a grant from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Community Urban Forestry Grant Program to plant 30 more street trees in City tree lawns over the next year.

The Street Tree Committee will be planting trees in tree lawns, the strip of grass between the sidewalk and the curb. New trees will add to the diversity of species already in the City. The NYSDEC grant targets a few streets in Norwich that are especially tree deprived: Cortland, Henry, Pleasant, Gold, Burr, Hale, Division, Canasawacta, Elm and West Main Street and portions of North and South Broad streets. If you do not live on one of these streets, you can still submit an application and your address will be put into a lottery. More trees may be planted in the future and your address will be kept on file for the next round if you do not receive a tree this spring.

To qualify for a tree you must: have a tree lawn planting location of at least 4 feet wide by 4 feet long, have a planting location that is more than 15 feet away from an intersection and 10 feet from hydrants, light poles, signs etc., and agree to care for your new tree. If you already have a tree in your tree lawn or trees in your yard that extend into the tree lawn, your property may not be chosen.

Official tree planting request forms and more information are available at City Hall and on-line at http://goo.gl/hvUUTM. Please fill out one form per address and return it to City Hall or submit it online by Thursday, June 19, 2014. Trees will be planted by volunteers on June 27, 2014.

If you have any questions about the tree planting program or are interested in volunteering, please e-mail norwichtrees@gmail.com.

Friday, May 30, 2014

Notice to Elm Street Residents

The City of Norwich DPW will be starting the sidewalk, curb, and sewer cleanout projects (and new natural gas service, if required) on Monday, June 2. Work will continue for the next 30-45 days with the milling and repaving of the street to be completed later in August 2014. Notification of the paving schedule will be posted later.

Please expect some interruption. Use of your driveway will be lost as work proceeds, and sidewalks will be blocked for several days at a time.No parking will be allowed on the street at any time during this phase of the project.

If you have any questions, please contact the DPW at 607-334-1240 and leave a message for Mark Williams or George Carnrike. Office house are Monday-Friday, 7 AM to 3 PM.

Please note that NYSEG and the contractors doing the sewer cleanout may need access to your basement at some time during the course of the work as well.

Monday, May 19, 2014

Grievance Day

Grievance Day for property assessments will be held on May 27, 2014, from 2 PM - 4 PM and 6 PM - 8 PM. Appointments are strongly suggested. For more information, check the Assessor's Page.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Earth Day Celebration to support the Norwich Youth Bureau

Rita's is holding their annual Earth Day Celebration to support the City of Norwich Youth Bureau. This will take place at Rita's, 15 Lackawanna Avenue, Norwich, NY, on Saturday, May 17, from 1:30 pm on. Music, food, raffles, and giveaways.

Monday, May 12, 2014

Traveler's Advisory

We are advised that the Department of Transportation will be working on the intersections of Rexford/Pleasant and North Broad Streets, Cortland/Mitchell and North Broad Streets, and Silver/Birdsall and East Main Streets from May 12 through September 26 to upgrade traffic and pedestrian signals, sidewalks, etc.

Survey work will begin May 12. Traffic will be shifted into and/or out of turn lanes on NY 12 and East Main Street during certain phases of construction. Flag personnel will be present when needed. Through traffic will be maintained on mainlines, with possible stoppages on side streets during some operations. Pedestrian traffic will encounter signed detours. Some parking areas near these intersections may be needed for construction equipment.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Youth Bureau Summer Program Registration

Registration for summer Youth Bureau programs will take place at 6 PM on Wednesday, June 4, at the Youth Bureau office in City Hall.

Spring Yard Debris Pickup

The City of Norwich will be conducting a City-wide curbside pickup of yard debris from May 12 through 23, with the following guidelines:

Brush is to be bundled and tied with string, twine or thin rope (NO WIRE).
Length of brush and branches no longer than 6'.
Largest diameter of brush and branches is 4".
Leaves, grass clippings and twigs in CLEAR BAGS ONLY.
All items to be placed between curb and sidewalk area.
All items must be light enough for one person to lift shoulder high.

We cannot pick up the following items:

Stones.
Bags with papers, garbage or animal feces
Tree removals or stumps
Bush removals.

Monday, May 5, 2014

Flushing of Water Mains

Tuesday May 6, 2014 through June 13, 2014
During the weeks of May 6, 2014 through June 13, 2014 water system personnel will be flushing all fire hydrants in the water system. This procedure allows the water system to flush the water mains and simultaneously the hydrants are checked for damage, leakage, flow and operation. The water system will also be conducting hydrant flow testing at the same time.
See this PDF for complete details

Friday, April 25, 2014

Volunteer Open House for RecruitNY

The Norwich Fire Department is hosting a RecruitNY Volunteer Open House on Saturday, April 27, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Stop by and learn about volunteering and meet your local firefighters!

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Annual Water Supply Statement for 2013 now available

The 2013 Annual Water Supply Statement for the City of Norwich public water supply system is available here.

Monday, April 21, 2014

Advanced SKYWARN Training

The City of Norwich and Chenango County Emergency Management Offices will be hosting a free National Weather Service Advanced Skywarn Training Class on Tuesday, May 27, 2014. The class will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at the Norwich Fire Department, 31 East Main Street, Norwich.

Objective: To train storm spotters about advanced severe weather topics and what to report to the National Weather Service(NWS) and Emergency Management relating to severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, hail and lightning. Topics Include: Review of NWS, importance of spotters and ground truth storm reports, and reporting procedures; radar meteorology, advanced discussion on thunderstorm ingredients and how meteorologists measure thunderstorm and tornado potential including concepts like CAPE, lifted index, and how wind shear affects thunderstorm and tornado development; review of severe weather safety and terminology and how to get severe weather information.

Who Should Attend: Individuals who have taken BASIC SKYWARN in the past 3 years or someone with a background in meteorology. SKYWARN spotters are independent of any government agency and are not by definition “Storm Chasers”.

For more information and to register: SKYWARN Training

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Heritage Block and Museum District Projects

Engineering services from The Chazen Companies of Troy, NY, have been authorized to improve the Heritage Block parking area and plan streetscaping for the Museum District. Sidewalks, curbing, and lighting for the Museum District from Silver Street to the railroad tracks will be included in the engineering plans.

Once preliminary designs and cost estimates are determined, the City will be eligible to apply for CFA grant funds. This project will significantly improve a prime tourism area in the City. Check back for updates!

Primary Digester Project

The Common Council authorized a special project to clean and inspect the primary digester at the Norwich wastewater treatment plant. The 25-year-old primary digester is currently not functioning optimally, failing to provide necessary biosolids processing and methane gas generation.

The project, slated to cost approximately $180,000, will provide inspection and cleaning of the unit and bring it back to full functionality.

Establishment of Capital Project for Wheeler Avenue Water Tank Replacement

The Common Council has moved the Wheeler Avenue Water Tank replacement project forward by establishing it as a Capital Project and authorizing additional engineering services.

The project of replacing the 66-year-old water storage tank on Wheeler Avenue has been in the works for several years now. This has included the preparation of a study and a report as required for application for funding to USDA-Rural Development, borings for subsurface soil tests of the project site, and studies required by the discovery of long-eared bats, a potentially endangered species, at the proposed site. The project has been established at a cost not to exceed $2.7 million.

Revised Draft Comprehensive Plan available for review

The City of Norwich newly revised draft Comprehensive Plan is now available for review at the City's website here. A public hearing will be held at the Common Council meeting at 7 PM on May 20, 2014. A big thanks to Community Development Specialist Todd Dreyer and the Planning Commission for their hard work in reviewing and preparing this revision.