April 14th, 2023
from the desk at city hall

From the Desk of our City Manager

Storm Clean Up: Our teams continue to respond to the damage caused by the storm last week. Castle Creek breached over the banks, running down Main Street causing significant impact in downtown. Many properties were impacted by this overflow, including the DRI area. The 5&20 DRI Green infrastructure was significantly compromised, both streetscape and 5&20. As a note, there were no improvements made to the water/waste water system through our DRI work. Two of our lift pumps at the Wastewater Treatment Plant failed during the event, causing overflow. The over flow was contained and DEC has been notified. Our Fire Department has responded to 70 calls since the beginning of the event through Thursday morning. We have heard from residents requesting support in mitigating the water in their own homes from the City. While we have a responsibility to support the infrastructure that the City is responsible for and will continue to look at ways to improve our response during weather events, we are unable to support recommendations on how to best mitigate storm impact on private residences. Thank you to our teams who responded during the storm, who have supported, and continue to support the clean-up efforts. We had over a dozen employees respond during the event well as over 40 volunteer firefighters join in on the response. Thank you to all for the services they provide the city. 

Parks and Field Maintenance: Our staff will be maintaining all fields with in the next few weeks. All of our parks and grounds are saturated, very soft and may support vehicles or equipment on them at this time (ours or outside contractors). 

Here is the current 2023 plan for ball field maintenance: 
 • Brook St. and Jefferson St. - outfields will be rolled, soil will be applied to infield areas and dragged. 
 • Jefferson will remain grass except for the bases, mound and batter’s box. We have soil available. 
 • Nieder will remain grass. We have an idea for long term solution for Nieder, that will include relocating the ballfield to the north west side of the park to get away from poor drainage concerns in its current location. A new backstop will be requested as part of the 2024 budget process. 
 • Clark St., Gulvin and Ridgewood - these infields need to be turned and dragged and the outfields need to be rolled. Ridgewood will be dragged in the near future. 
 • All the parks, are currently muddy and wet and will most likely remain so for the next couple of weeks. 
 The wear and tear of having multiple teams use the infields for practice during this wet season will also damage our city fields. We encourage teams using the fields to please attempt to use outfields and side lots at this time. 
 
 Planned park improvements for 2023 include: 
 • Freshening up the stone dust trails at all parks 
 • Freshening up the wood chip playground mulch for all parks, 
 • Replacing the wood benches at Clark St. 
 • Restoring the basketball court surfaces at Nieder and Richards 
 • Installation of pickleball courts at Nieder 

Recruitment

Chief of Police: The test was given to five individuals on March 26. Results are usually returned between 90-120 days from the date of test. If three internal candidates successfully complete the test, then we will only have the ability to interview the candidates from the internal list, as the list is then considered a mandatory list. If less than three internal candidates successfully test (score about 70) then the external candidate list is viable for use. I do not have a list of candidate’s names at this time. Once the results are received, interviews will be held in a panel format as well as community presentations by the 2-3 top candidates. Prior to interviews/community presentations we will canvass the community for questions. The current Chief is set to retire in summer of 2023. 

Assessor: The current salary for this role is $75,500 - $80,000. The Assessor is a joint position shared via contract with the City of Canandaigua and we will work together on the interview process. The Assessor is a management, non-competitive position, which means there is not at test for this position. Currently the Comptroller is acting in the role of Assessor while the search is being conducted. Applications are due on April 21, 2023. 

Director of the Planning and Economic Development Department: This is currently posted and the search is ongoing for this position. I have attached the recruitment flier to this email for sharing with your networks. The posted salary for this position is $72,500 - $82,700. There is not a test for this position. Once the candidate pool is closed and internal and external team will work together to interview the selected candidates. The members of the panel will include representatives from IDA, LDC, RLF, County Economic Development, School District, Colleges, and internal staff members. Currently, the Comptroller, City Manager's Office, and staff from the PED Department are sharing city responsibilities related to the work of this position. Applications are due on April 21, 2023.

Junior Engineer: This position is now posted on the Ontario County Civil Service site. Applications are due by April 30, 2023. 

Engineer Technician: This position is also posted on the Ontario County Civil Service site. Applications are due by April 30, 2023.

For full City Manager report click here.

Recently, the Federal Government mandated that municipalities must inventory all water services to determine where if any lead service pipes are located throughout the community. This information will be utilized to develop plans and begin the process of eliminating them. Lead is usually not present in the drinking water source. It may result from the distribution system or the homes interior plumbing itself. Possible ways lead enters into drinking water could be where there is corrosion in the lead pipes, fixtures, and solder. An impactful way to reduce the risk of exposure to lead in drinking water is to remove the lead service line that brings water to your home from the water main in the street. To help address this issue of identifying the specific homes that have lead service lines, the City of Geneva staff will be conducting door-to-door assessments. These trained individuals will be able to quickly identify if your home has a lead service line. This round of door-to-door lead service line verifications begins this week and continues through May 31 2023. The Geneva DPW workers will identify themselves with an official City of Geneva ID. If you have any questions about this important and federally mandated initiative, please call Public Works and Engineering at 315-789-3101. 

Attention Geneva Residents and Property Owners

Do you have open green space between the street and sidewalk in front or alongside of your property?

The Geneva Department of Public Works with the support of the Geneva Shade Tree Committee is seeking property owners to plant street trees in open city rights-of-way.

•    Trees are beautiful and provide important value to you and to the city. 

•    Trees can increase the resale value of your home and enhance privacy and boost the appearance of your street. 

•    Trees improve air quality and provide cooling shade to lower ambient air temperatures in urban and residential spaces.

•    Trees improve water quality by absorbing groundwater and reducing storm run-off.

•    Trees improve habitat for birds and other important wildlife.

•    Healthy residential tree cover makes people happier!

Healthy young trees are available at NO COST in exchange for a small promise that they will be watered regularly for the first year and protected from trunk damage by mowers and string trimmers.  DPW will provide FREE tree trunk guards and initial waterings. 

You will be consulted to select the species most suited to your planting sites to minimize conflict with overhead and underground utilities and to avoid future issues with sidewalks such as upheaval and cracking.

Planting sites are being created this spring and trees will be scheduled for planting in Fall 2023. DPW will provide tree installations. 

Please call Joe Venuti in the Engineering Department at (315) 789-3101 or contact Mark Perry at markperry@geneva.ny.us to request additional information.

NOTICE TO GLENWOOD

CEMETERY VISITORS

Please be advised that Geneva City crews have started spring cleanup activities at Glenwood and Washington Street Cemeteries.  We would like to remind visitors that all unclaimed wreaths, broken urns and flower pots and all artificial flowers and/or adornments not in appropriate containers, etc. will be disposed of starting Monday April 10th 2023.

Visitors are reminded that trees and shrubs are not to be planted without permission, and flowers should be placed in containers at the ends of the monuments if possible.  Due to safety concerns, GLASS CONTAINERS AND/OR ADORMENTS ARTIFICIAL FLOWERS AND DECORATIONS NOT IN POTS, AND LOOSE STONE ARE PROHIBITED. WOODEN CROSSES, FENCES, TRELLISES, SHEPHERD HOOKS, AND BANNER & PLANT HANGERS/HOLDERS ARE NOT ALLOWED.

As you visit the cemetery, please note (as posted in both entrances of Glenwood and at Washington Street) that dogs are not allowed on cemetery grounds.

If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, please feel free to contact the cemetery office at 315-789-7271.

The City of Geneva

Buildings & Parks Department