GOUVERNEUR — The village is trying to come up with a way to repair the building that houses its hydro plant without borrowing money.

"We can't raise taxes 22 percent again, so we have to be cautious," Mayor Dorothy L. Vorce said.

Over the past few years, the village has rebuilt both of its turbines but hasn't addressed the cosmetic and structural repairs the building needs.

"The turbines are working very well and we're saving money," Mrs. Vorce said. "I'd hate to have the wall fall in and the turbines float down the river."

The village asked B-S Industrial, Gouverneur, to look at the building but isn't sure it wants to take on all of the construction at once.

"There's a lot of cement work, exterior work," Mrs. Vorce said. "They'd have to build a cofferdam. It's quite extensive."

At a meeting Tuesday, the village Board of Trustees decided to hold off on any decision until it can meet with B-S about whether the work can be done in stages.

"We want to take a look at what's the most crucial thing needed to keep the plant functioning," Mrs. Vorce said.

The village's grant consultant, Avalon Associates, Glens Falls, also is contacting the state Energy Research and Development Authority about what grants might be available.

At the meeting, the board also appointed former trustee Robert A. Garofalo to a seat on the Zoning Board of Appeals left vacant by the resignation of Douglas Cota.

The board appointed Todd M. Menard to the village Planning Board. He replaces David J. Fenlong.

Four other members of the Planning Board resigned last month over ongoing differences with the village board and were replaced. Mr. Fenlong has sold his house, Mrs. Vorce said.

"He resigned without malice," she said.