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.