The Town of North Hempstead has taken another step bringing its record keeping into the 21st Century.
Town of North Hempstead Town Clerk Leslie Gross announced Tuesday that the town has received a $29,885 state grant to organize inactive records in the building department.
“We had to fill out a very extensive application,” Gross said. “We had to give them a floor plan that showed how much space we needed. We needed to show what kind of records were there, talk about the inactive storage area and its suitability for receiving.”
The new system plan will reorganize the inactive records department, as well as work towards replacing filing cabinets. The town will start storing inactive records in three cubic feet cardboard boxes and work towards making the area ADA accessible, said Gross.
Making the area ADA accessible was a recommendation of the New York State Archives, which Gross said was required to comply with the grant application.
“When you fill out the grant, you learn that certain things are ineligible,” Gross said. “You cannot get grant money for filing cabinets, you can only get money for the way the record center should be setup. Even lateral filing cabinets aren’t allowed. They recommend standard cubic foot boxes and 18 gauge steel shelving.”
Gross said the grant is very competitive and North Hempstead was one of only two towns on Long Island to receive the grant this year. The grant was issued by the New York State Archives, a part of the state Department of Education that administers statewide programs that reach out to state agencies, local governments and community organizations.
“We were very fortunate to get these grants,” Gross said. “Now we can begin the process of hiring a trained individual who can help oversee the grant. The grant money will pay for the salary of the professional and no taxpayer money will be spent.”
As part of the grant process, the town must complete what they submitted in the grant by June 30. You must spend the money, complete the project and write up at the end what you set out to do and what you accomplished, Gross said.
“Normally for these types of grants we apply in February and are told in spring if we got the grant, but because the state didn’t know how much money it had, we weren’t told until the day before Thanksgiving,” she added. We still need to have all this done by June 30th and I am hoping that in our January meeting the town will put the resolution on to hire the professional to oversee the grant.”
Gross said she is also working towards educating employees in town offices how to best organize the filing systems and make sure people are following the right procedures.
“I am trying to educate the different offices in town, to go through these files as we transfer items to this record center,” Gross said. “We need to cull out things that don’t need to be there. One example is if a building is destroyed, by law we keep a record of that building plan for six years. After six years we take that plan and shred it, but we keep a note on record that the plan was shredded, because that is what state law dictates.”
The next step is to apply for a document conversion grant to digitize the records, Gross said.
“When someone comes to look for a copy of a document, we can call up the record and have it to them right away without having to touch the record itself,” Gross said. “We could even have the record downloaded to their electronic device. This is creating the history of the town and making sure it’s persevered properly.”
Gross thanked the help of Jim Burton, first deputy town clerk, and Bob Russell, the records center clerk, who she said were “instrumental” in helping to secure the grant.
Tuesday’s meeting was the last for outgoing Town of North Hempstead council members Maria-Christina Poons and Fred Pollack.
“It’s very hard to do what we do and Ms. Poons and Mr. Pollack both served with honor and distinction,” Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Jon Kaiman said. “To have that dedication was a rewarding experience for all of us and we thank you for all you have done. I am honored to be your friend.”
Echoing Kaiman’s comments other council members thanked Poons and Pollack for their service.
“I commend you both,” Councilman Thomas Dwyer said. “It is not an easy job, but it is rewarding and I wish you both the best.”
Joking about his role as the only Republican on the town board, Councilman Angelo P. Ferrera thanked Poons and Pollack for their time on the board.
“As the minority leader, I’d really like to wish nothing but the best for your future endeavors,” Ferrera said.
Councilwomen Lee Seeman and Viviana Russell both said Poons and Pollack will truly be missed and that it had been a pleasure working with them.
Pollack, who lost his seat to Dina DeGiorgio, thanked everyone on the board.
“I’ve served with two supervisors and 11 council members through my time on the board,” Pollack said. “For all the cynics out there, I want to let them know that they were committed to serving the people who voted them in. I hope the board continues the nonpartisan way we do politics and will continue to thrive. And if anyone knows me, they know I am not going away.”
