By DAVID HULSE

GLEN SPEY - A number of Lumberland residents last week exhorted the town board to take action to relocate the highway department to a more appropriate site away from the town cemetery.

Town board members say they agree, but Supervisor Paul Brennan is skeptical as whether the town's already strapped budget can support the costly move or even $1,000 for preliminary engineering.

Residents last week told the board that the combination of the salt shed and the cemetery was "a shame," and "a disgrace." Several recalled numerous letters of complaint they had written the town about the situation over the years.

Resident John Geba told of listening to disruptive truck loading noises while attending funeral services. "You've got money for everything else and you don't have $1,000 for engineering?" Geba asked.

Highway Superintendent Charles Hallock said operations have not gone on while funerals were in progress since he has taken office.

Councilman John LiGreci says he's found another feasible site and wants the board to move on funding preliminary engineering work. LiGreci last week told the board that when he campaigned for office, he heard about the salt shed's inappropriate location "at every other door.... We're here for the people. We should pursue this as a high priority."

Brennan said no one on the board disagreed but asked that the project be held over for discussion in next year's budget. Brennan pointed to increasing landfill closure costs, which last week alone included an unanticipated $13,800 engineering change-order.

LiGreci said a site on town property on Mohap Road is feasible and that a $150,000 move might be 90 percent federally aidable. LiGreci said he had already talked to Rep. Ben Gilman's office and was told that issues involving salt storage and cemeteries were both high priorities for federal aid.

Initially LiGreci sought board approval for $500 to $1,000 to fund preliminary engineering, but Brennan said budgeted funding for engineering was "about exhausted. "I'd like to drag our feet on this until budget time," he said.

"We've already been dragging our feet for ten years," LiGreci replied.

"You haven't. No one will fault you," Brennan said.

Based on the salt shed's impact on water quality, Councilwoman Nadia Rajsz suggested the engineering money might be available in an Upper Delaware Council (UDC) grant. Grants are to be awarded next month.

Hallock confirmed that the Department of the Environmental Conservation has cited the shed twice for seeping into the Mill Brook.

But LiGreci said he would press the issue. Regardless of the result of the grant progress LiGreci said he plans to introduce a funding resolution next month "and people can vote what they will."