February 2024 City Manager Report

DEC Technical Assistance for Protecting Drinking Water Program: Through our sustainability work the City of Geneva was awarded free technical assistances to help protect public drinking water. We are excited to have this opportunity to work with local and regional NYSDOH officials on this program. The Drinking Water Source Protection Program (DWSP2) is a locally led, and state-supported program that empowers municipalities to take action to improve and protect their public water supplies and surrounding watershed environments. We are choosing to participate in the DWSP2 to promote public health and safety, enhance environmental protection and recreation opportunities and strengthen our regulatory agency partnerships and collaboration.

Grants: In 2023, the City received just under $450,000 in grant funding for various programming. We are still waiting on grant decisions on applications which would total an additional $200,000 if awarded. The grants coordination team (a team of City staff that are exploring grant opportunities) met to review grants being written or explored in 2024. Currently we are looking at grants related to housing, tourism, tree management, child passenger safety, stormwater mitigation, additional water filtration programming, and much more.

Reassessment Process: Our assessor is working on the reassessment process. We have created a reassessment page for information on this process on our City Assessor website. Additionally, our Assessor Tina Rados will be providing an overview of the process at the March council meeting. Revaluation notices will go out in April 2024.

PED RFP for Economic Development Coordination: A review team consisting of members of the IDA, BID, and LDC will be convened to review the applications and award funds for this project to review our various economic development strategy and move forward on a compilation of the various strategies.

City Tours for City Council: Thank you for all members of Council that were able to participate in the departmental tours. We will set up an additional set of tours in March for those that were unable to attend.

Council Retreat: The first phase of the City Council retreat will occur on February 29 at 5:15pm. There will be several retreat sessions.

How do water main breaks happen?

What causes a water main to break?

A water main break happens due to various reasons and are a normal part of operating a water system. Temperature changes, extreme dry or wet weather can cause the ground to shift which can cause breaks. The age of the pipes or sudden fluctuations in the pressure may also lead to a break. Pipes and fittings may also break or leak due to corrosion. Main breaks are more frequent in the winter time due to frost related ground movement and changes in weather/temperature.

How long does it take to repair a water main?

It can take anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days to have a water main break completely repaired. The amount of time it takes to fix a water main depends on the size of the break, where the break is located, and what type of environment it is in. Water mains are generally repaired and completed between four to eight hours. Repairs on a water main that is buried deep inside the earth and conflicts with another utility will take much longer.

What do crews do to fix a water main?

Our NYSDOH trained and certified maintenance team begins by isolating the broken pipe by shutting off valves and temporarily placing the water supply out-of-service to make the repairs. When this occurs, an attempt to notify effected residents and businesses occurs. After the repairs or replacement of the broken pipe is completed, the repaired area is flushed prior to connecting it back to the system. Weather conditions dictate what temporary or permanent pavement and site restorations can be achieved at the time of the break.

What to expect after the water main is repaired and the work crew leaves a site?

After a main is repaired, discoloration may be seen in the water coming into your home or business. Discoloration is caused by small amounts of iron deposits flushing out of the system. Residents can get rid of the discoloration by running cold water for a few minutes through the lowest tap or faucet within the building that does not have an aerator, such as the basement washtub or outside spigot.

What do I do if I detect a water main break?

A water main break will result in water leakage which may cause running or pooling water in lawns or the street. Additionally, breaks may result in reduced pressure and/or volume at your faucets or showers. If you see pooling or running water and suspect water main break at any time, please contact 911. You may also contact the City of Geneva Department of Public Works by phone during normal business hours at our City DPW/Engineering office at 315-789-3101 or by email at complaints@geneva.ny.us

We thank all residents and businesses for their patience and apologize for any inconveniences this unexpected work may have caused. We appreciate everyone following emergency traffic control directions and temporary road closures which are in place for your safety and the protection of our workforce.

Please remind all property owners of City Code 306-7 Cleaning, Maintaining and Repairing Sidewalks. Removal of snow and ice is the duty of property owner and occupants. Please remove snow and ice within 24 hours after the end of snowfall to avoid removal and associated fees by the city.

Resource Recovery Park

New hours until further notice !

Wednesday 7:30 AM to 3:00 PM

Saturday 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM

DPW Christmas Tree cleanup is ending January 19. Residents are encouraged to drop off remaining trees to the Doran Ave Resource Recovery Facility. (see new hours) DPW reminds residents that NO PLASTIC is ALLOWED at the facility. Please remove tree bags when leaving tree at curb line or dropping off.

Forecasted Wind Storm Events

To assist our City of Geneva residents as we all clean up and recover from the recent and forecasted wind storms, there may be significant quantities of tree debris and brush to dispose of. As needed and weather dependent the DPW will be collecting brush and tree limbs January 16-19. Please be patient and we try to get to all locations in a timely manner. Please adhere to the following rules:

• Please get all debris to the curb line but not in the street.

• Please have all material to the curb, we do not enter private property

• Please do not block the sidewalks with the material.

• Please stack as neatly as possible with branches parallel with the road.

• Please do not have individual pieces longer than 4’ in length.

• Please do not stack debris near fire hydrants.

• Please do not park in front of debris piles as this prevents us from accessing the material.

REMINDER: Winter Parking Enforcement Winter parking program allows residents and visitors to utilize on street parking from 2AM to 8 AM from December 1 to April 1 unless an overnight parking ban due to a winter weather event has been declared by the city. Official notification of an overnight parking ban will be posted on the city website www.cityofgenevany.com and through alternative notification and social media systems. Winter Parking Restrictions will be enforced when there is weathered event. This will continue until further notice. No parking on City streets will be permitted, EXCEPT streets marked with alternative parking signage. If you park on alternate streets or in downtown municipal lots PLEASE FOLLOW ALTERNATE parking rules. We appreciate you parking off-street and helping us safely clean snow from city streets. REMINDER: WINTER PARKING FINE IS NOW $75.00. If you are not signed up

to receive winter parking enforcement notifications and alerts, please sign up on our city's webpage https://cityofgenevany.com/list.aspx, continue to check our city webpage and Facebook for updates.

As of July 5, 2023, the Geneva City Council passed an ordinance allowing mobile food vendors at the lakefront from April 1st - October 31st.

To view the application and ordinance in full, visit our website.

Please continue to visit the city website for the most up to date information, including staff contacts, online bill payment, and any City changes or updates.

Sign up for notify me to receive our weekly eblasts!

To alert us to any residential concerns, street light outages or street tree issues, please email us complaints@geneva.ny.us

For anything communications please email us at communications@geneva.ny.us

How do water main breaks happen?

Draft Public Copy of the Ontario County Hazard Mitigation Plan