Lorna Cherot Littleway is reporting for The Columbia Paper on the December 10, Hillsdale Town Board meeting. At that meeting Fire Commissioner Bud Atwood spoke about the recent difficulties dealing with multi-dwelling apartment building owners. Town law requires the units and buildings to be inspected every year, but Atwood said Code Enforcement Officer Lee Heim is being denied access to the properties. Atwood warned the lack of inspections is a “safety issue” and it complicates firefighters’ work because it is unclear how many occupants are in a unit or the overall capacity of buildings. Town Supervisor Peter Cipkowski agreed with a suggestion the town may need to hire an inspector dedicated to multi-unit buildings. In the public comments portion of the meeting, Steve Bluestone complained that an offer to open his brewery at “reduced capacity” was unacceptable because reduced capacity equals “reduced income.” He added that further delays in opening the 18-month project would cause him to “lay off workers and contractors.” Building plans call for seven apartments above the brewery, whichBluestone cannot rent due to unresolved issues with the town’s sewage system. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.