By JOSHUA THOMAS

C-S-E Editor

FORT PLAIN — During Tuesday’s Fort Plain Village Board meeting, the council signed an agreement with the Town of Minden for shared code enforcement, agreeing to pay $500 quarterly mileage reimbursement.

The previous two year agreement lapsed on Dec. 31 when the Minden Town Board failed to act on a resolution to extend it. After meeting with village board officials the first week of January during the town of Minden’s organizational meeting, the town board extended a six month agreement to the village, which town and village Attorney John Kirkpatrick called a “stop gap measure.” He continued of the shared code enforcement agreement, which began in 2008, “it’s an excellent arrangement. It’s worked out well.”

Kirkpatrick urged the village board to work with the town board to come up with a permanent agreement, stating that it’s in the best interest of both entities for the contract to “continue on into the future.”

The Minden Town Board is expected to act upon the agreement during their monthly meeting tonight, Thursday, at 7 p.m.

National Grid completed a survey of Fort Plain’s village hall, offering to replace existing lighting fixtures, which contain non-replaceable bulbs and hardware, for a village share of $1,443. National Grid will contribute $2,081.77 to the project, covering 70 percent of installation and equipment costs. They also offered the village board an opportunity to finance their share of the project over the course of 24 months with no interest — an offer the board accepted.

The village of Fort Plain has received a grant in the amount of $40,000 to develop Old Military Road. The grant funding will facilitate phase two of the project, which aims to construct a path leading from the NYS Canalway trail to the Fort Plain Museum, “and beyond,” said Mayor Guy Barton.

Barton noted during Tuesday’s meeting that the village’s 2013 NYS Homes and Renewal CDBG grant application was rejected. Barton commented, “The state has cut back on grants, and our application has not been accepted for the coming year.”

The village board approved the use of Haslett Park on June 8 for the annual Central Mohawk Valley Lions Club Road Ramble, which will be held from 8-10:30 a.m.

During his monthly report for December, Police Chief Robert Thomas said that the 2012 call volume at the Fort Plain Police Department was higher than it’s ever been. He stated, “It seems that crime is down, but complaints are more than ever.”

Superintendent of Public Works George Capece noted that work to construct a new roadway on Clinton Avenue Extension is scheduled to begin on January 22, “give or take a day.”

The village board accepted a resolution stating that the March 19 polling place will be the Fort Plain Senior Center. Voting will be held from 12 Noon to 9 p.m. The board also accepted a resolution to appoint election inspectors Rosemary Waffle, Judy Sickler, Sevim Morawski, and Nancy Herron.

A resolution to hold registration day at the village office on March 9, from 12 Noon to 5 p.m., was also accepted, along with a resolution to appoint inspectors Rosemary Waffle and Judy Sickler.

James Katovitch informed the village board that the Fort Plain Community Activity Council will move Street Fair Days from Haslett Park to Wiles Park this year. The Street Fair Days celebration will take place the weekend of May 17-19.

Katovitch also explained that the FPCAC has already begun planning the 4th on the 3rd celebration at Wiles Park. The Dependents, Spike and the Boys and Cleen Street have been scheduled to perform, a Price Chopper bounce house has been reserved, and the Utica Zoo will give a presentation — a new feature of the event.

“We are already progressing into 2013,” said Katovitch.