From the desk of City Manager Sarah Purdy...
COVID-19 UPDATE
March 27, 2020
As we close out this first week of having so much of our City operations closed to the public and staffed minimally, I want to say “congratulations” to all of Ogdensburg for showing spirit, ingenuity and respect for the need to follow all the health and safety precautions. This isn’t fun but we are doing it.
There have been some questions about what a “state of emergency declaration” means so I thought I would address that today. It means two things:
- Declaring a State of Emergency sends a message to all of Ogdensburg that your City government takes the COVID-19 pandemic seriously, that we are prepared to address it, that we view it as we would any disaster, and that we have the command structure set up to deal with it.
- Declaring a State of Emergency puts our City on the radar screen of higher levels of government to make sure our community’s medical supply and equipment needs are known. It’s not that they wouldn’t be otherwise, but it draws more attention and helps us be counted.
At this time the City is imposing no restrictions with the State of Emergency declaration. As long as you are adhering to the Governor’s Orders (no unnecessary travel, no gatherings, stay six feet apart, businesses stay closed unless designated as “essential,” etc.) you are doing fine. All of us truly hope it does not become necessary for the City to issue any restrictions; if it does you will quickly know. The main reason that would happen is if COVID-19 were to become widespread in Ogdensburg. It isn’t, and that’s because you are doing a great job of being careful. Thank you and keep it up!
So here are a few other things to know:
- The Neighborhood Center, which used to be in the basement of City Hall, is now located at the former Salvation Army Seek-N-Find shop at 727 State Street. The new telephone number is 315-229-8181, and the hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday (closed for lunch from noon to 1 p.m.). Call ahead to schedule a pick-up for a pre-packaged food order.
- It’s great to see so many residents getting a jump on spring yardwork. Our landfill is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. if you want to get rid of it now. Just call our DPW at 315-393-2300 ahead of time to have the gate opened, or stop by the DPW office at 901 Champlain Street to let our staff know you want to drop it off. If you put it out at the curb early, please be aware that it may sit for a bit. Brush pickup officially starts in late April, and we will try to start earlier but our DPW is short-staffed right now due to the State requirement that we all restrict the number of people at work in order to stop the COVID-19 spread.
- Finally, please take a minute to think about a stinky subject – our sewer system! It isn’t meant to be a trash system. It’s meant for toilet paper, not substitutes like paper towels, Clorox wipes, paper, tampons, paper napkins, dental floss, cotton balls, yesterday’s newspaper, paperback books, Grandma’s Christmas card from last year, your irritating sister’s jewelry, your irritating brother’s baseball cards, or anything else, just plain toilet paper. Sewer main breaks and sewer backups in your house are no fun. So please be thoughtful.
Finally, let us all stay safe, stay healthy and stay together yet six feet apart. Please find below several links to COVID-19 information that you may find useful.
State of Emergency Declaration
Governor Cuomo’s Website
Governor Cuomo’s Executive Orders
Center for Disease Control
New York State Department of Health
Traveler Information
Protect Yourself & Stop the Spread of Germs
Help Prevent the Spread of Coronavirus
What You Need to Know
Please revisit this page for important updates from the City of Ogdensburg.
