by Rachel Hunter

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the Village of Gouverneur Board of Trustees held its monthly meeting on March 17 in the municipal courtroom. The meeting was an abbreviated format, with all those in attendance, observing the “social distancing” six feet separation rule. Village of Gouverneur Mayor Ronald McDougall set a limit at half the municipal courtroom’s capacity, at 41.5 persons.

“It’s no secret, of course, that in St. Lawrence County, we’re under a state of emergency per the St. Lawrence County Public Health Office and Public Health Officer Dana McQuire, who is also the Village of Gouverneur’s Public Health Officer,” Mayor McDougall said. “A lot of people don’t realize that we’re under the umbrella on that with that. Public meeting and open meetings law has been amended because of (COVID-19).”

Mayor McDougall then directed the Village Trustee’s attention to the following memo to all local government leaders from the secretary to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Melissa DeRosa, dated March 16: “The rapid increase in suspected and confirmed cases of COVID-19 is an unprecedented public health emergency facing all New Yorkers. As leaders in state and local government, our first and foremost responsibility is to ensure the health and safety of the public. This essential duty requires our decisive action now to slow the spread of this virus. On behalf of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and all New Yorkers, I call upon you – as executives, managers, administrators, mayors, supervisors, and leaders – to join the State of New York and limit your local government workforce to only its essential employees for the next two weeks. Specifically, all non-essential employees of local government agencies and authorities should not report to work, reducing your workforce by, at least, fifty percent (50%), until March 31, 2020. You and your local agency officials should consider essential employees as any person whose job function is essential to the effective operation of their agency or authority, or who must be physically present to perform their job, or who is involved in the emergency response to COVID-19. Non-essential employees should be considered any person who does not need to be physically present to perform their job functions, or they are not currently required to meet the core functions of their agency or authority during this emergency response. Throughout state government, non-essential employees will not be charged accruals during this time. Non-essential state employees are being directed to work from home, to the extent practicable. While they are home, these employees may be assigned work outside of their normal duties. State agencies may change an employee’s designation as either essential or nonessential at any time. Finally, state agencies will continue to recruit volunteers or mandate staff to support the critical COVID-19 response efforts across the state. The people we serve demand action. Let leadership be our legacy. Thank you.”

Mayor McDougall then made the following comments: “I did talk to Donald Dabiew, the Franklin County Legislative Chair, and he didn’t have any in his county as we don’t yet. We have some people waiting for some tests to come back, but that changed today unfortunately. There was one today in Saranac Lake, which is in Franklin County and also there is one in Plattsburgh, currently at the CVPH Hospital. I talked to the Jefferson County Chairman Scott Gray this afternoon and they didn’t have any in Jefferson County either. However, now, I guess one has been classified now in Albany but that person is a Fort Drum part-time employee and works in the Education Center. He was in Fort Drum from the 11th to the 13th, that’s Wednesday through Friday, and he’s got a positive test in Albany. Consequently the Education Center is currently shut down on Fort Drum.”

Mayor McDougall then gave the floor to St. Lawrence County Legislator District 5 Henry Leader (R-Gouverneur) who gave the following county update, detailing the special board meeting held March 16: “The declaration of emergency is, in part, to assist the school districts, to allow them to continue federal and state funding. Last night, the thing of significance was the legislature voted to empower the County Administrator Ruth Doyle with the advice and through the Office of Emergency Services and the St. Lawrence County Department of Health to take whatever measures were necessary to protect the county, and to help handle safety and health of the county… The county has also indicated a desire to go virtual, so we will probably be Skyping in electronically meeting three or four meetings. Other than that, if you walk through the county halls, there’s people with sanitizer, paper towels, and washing hands – as the board is doing here – as well as keeping distance. The recommendation is six feet, but at least three feet, and trying to avoid exposure for over 30 minutes. I will keep you apprised of anything that happens…”

Village Clerk/Treasurer Barbara Finnie then gave the following report: “We have closed off the (municipal) building to the public. I just heard today that the town court is also closed for good. They are not even opening up, until further notice. We are accepting phone calls. All three of us are here. Payments are still accepted. We are asking them to be put in the dropbox. We will make sure a receipt is mailed back to them. Births and deaths is all by phone. Put it in our box, and we’ll mail their birth and death certificates to them. So, we’re just trying to keep clean. But we’re here for all calls. Just press zero on the main line and one of us will answer it. A lot of people don’t know what extension they want to call, just press zero.”

Village of Gouverneur Recreation Department Director Casey Canell reported that the Gouverneur Recreation Center would remain closed until further notice. “We’re following Gouverneur Central School District,” Director Canell said, confirming that the closure would last until at least April 20. “Our cleaning and sanitizing plan of action is being investigated and researched, trying to figure out what options are available.” Director Canell confirmed with the village board that he was available by phone. Mayor McDougall then said, “As soon as the school closure was announced, Casey and I were on the phone with each other and Dave Spilman.”

Village of Gouverneur Chief of Police Laurina Greenhill then reported the following: “Our department probably, out everybody, has the biggest challenge to this Cornavirus for obvious reasons… It certainly poses some unique challenges. Of course, one of the first things to go was the closing of the courts by the order of the Office of Court Administration. In order to have any arraignment during business hours, we have to do an essential arraignment. We can’t arraign at our local court. I just got an email just before this meeting to clarify that we are to take them to the Ogdensburg City Court, and after hours we can call our local justice… With bail reform and everything, we’re kind of limited on what kind of arraignments we can do. I have instructed our guys to limit their exposure to the public. We don’t need to go out making random vehicle stops for no reason, unless it is necessary. We’re trying to do as much as we can over the phone… We put a sign on the door that, pretty much, if you are there only for a police matter… if you are making an inquiry, call us and we’ll try to answer your questions. Other than that, you’re going to use the intercom or we’re going to interview you through the intercom to try to limit people coming into the office. Obviously, there’s lots of times when we need to interview people, take depositions, but, if it is not a real emergency kind of case… we’re going to put that kind of stuff on the back burner for right now. We’ve encouraged them to wear disposable gloves at every interaction with the public. There’s only limited (supplies) we have on hand for this kind of stuff, but today through Public Health we got delivered some n95 masks. They kind of require some fit testing to work their best, so tomorrow we have an appointment at the fire station to do some fit testing. We also got a supply of some disposable coveralls and suits, and some more hand sanitizer. We put some disinfecting wipes in the cars. Well, the stores were all out, and we don’t have wipes, so we compromised right now and made some with paper towels, disinfectant and Ziploc bags and put them in the patrol cars. We’re going to respond in person, obviously, to personal injury accidents, certain kinds of emergencies… We’ve asked the dispatchers to the ask people when they call that if we absolutely have to respond to a residence, to ask if there is anyone in the residence with flu-like symptoms so we can assess accordingly. I know there is some communication with Public Health and the 911 Center, maybe helping us keep track of who is really under quarantine… We’ve got some teleconference meetings set up with Public Health. We put on our Facebook page too for the public to consider about not dragging themselves to the ER, communicating with the hospitals. If they have questions or anything related to Coronavirus or need assistance, they can call us and we’ll try to deal with each situation as they arise. This is a very fluid situation… it is changing all the time. I am get bombarded with emails, and I am trying to keep up with the information that is coming, and so I find myself in situations I have not had to deal with before as Chief of Police with these executive orders coming from the governor, especially the stuff with the establishments. I’ve had to weed my way through these orders and come to terms with them, but at the same time keep in the back of my mind try to balance people’s constitutional rights.”

Village of Gouverneur Department of Public Works Superintendent TJ Simmons reported the following: “The DPW is basically following protocol. We’ve got the building on lockdown. No entry to any personnel or civilians. As far as the guys out in the field, I tell them to keep their distance of at least six feet because we do have house calls and stuff like that for sewers and water lines… I want to make sure they are safe about it. I have contacted my salesman that comes once a month that lives in Albany. I’ve told him not to come. If I need anything, I’ll call him, and they can just ship what I need as far as water supplies and stuff like that. I do encourage the public not to flush paper towels, baby wipes, or napkins or rags down the toilet. Please dispose them in the garbage. That is some of the main things that we happen to pull out of people’s sewers that plugs them. So, we encourage, if it isn’t toilet paper… please do not flush it.”

When Mayor McDougall asked for Trustee comments, the sole response came from Village of Gouverneur Deputy Mayor Charles Newvine who urged to all present: “Wash your hands.”

In conclusion, Mayor McDougall said the following: “We’re in difficult times, changing times. Life is change. I’d just like to stress, like they did at the county legislature meeting last night, keep calm. I’ve heard various rumors. I don’t know what the toilet paper thing is, but… It was observed recently that an elderly couple was walking home with more toilet paper than they could use in a normal lifetime… and it is all over the country, a run on toilet paper! Another example, there was a rumor that the Price Chopper store was going to close… Ours is just going to close for five hours to restock and clean. That’s just some of the rumors going around in this difficult, challenging times. We will survive. Better days are coming. I just don’t think they are going to be this week, but long-term… have faith and God bless. We will survive this.”

The next meeting of the Village of Gouverneur Board of Trustees is scheduled to be held of Tuesday, April 21, 6 p.m., in the municipal courtroom.