by David Flint
Patty Gallup, nearing 16 years as Stephentown’s Town Clerk, has for personal reasons submitted her resignation to be effective the end of this month. The Town Board formally accepted her resignation with regret at the Monday evening Board meeting. A reception with cake and flowers and refreshments was held after the meeting to honor her for her years of service.
The Board passed a resolution to appoint Gallup’s Deputy, Stephanie Wagar, to the position effective September 1. Her term will last until the Board’s Organizational meeting in January at which time whoever is elected to the post in November will be sworn in and appointed for a four year term. Town Supervisor Larry Eckhardt noted that Wagar already has the skills and most of the knowledge needed for the job and Gallup, in her final two weeks, will assist in bringing her up to speed. Assistance from other Town Clerks is also available through the Association of Towns.
Highway Department Report
Highway Superintendent Aldy Goodermote reported succinctly that “Everything’s wonderful” at the Highway Department. He added that FEMA money in the amount of a little over $21,000 was received to pay for damage from the December 27 storm. Also, work to fix the recent washout on Round Mountain Road has been completed. He said he couldn’t believe how well the re-seeded grass came in there.
There was some discussion about the State Transportation Department’s closure of Route 43 to replace a culvert near Reno Road in the Town of Nassau. Some expressed surprise that it would take three weeks to replace one culvert. Councilman Bill Jennings noted that Wyomanock Road has also been closed the past week to replace a culvert. He reported, too, that he had heard that replacement of the bridge over the Black Brook on Garfield Road, originally scheduled to begin this summer, has now been delayed until next year, possibly so as to not have too many roads closed at one time.
Code Enforcement Officer Dean Herrick reported that DEC has insisted that the wing
walls be repaired on the old railroad bridge crossing West Brook off of Grange Hall Road near the old swimming hole. All necessary stream permits have been secured and work will start the week of August 22, paid for by the land owner. The work is not expected to block traffic on Grange Hall Road.
Speed Limits
Eckhardt reported that residents on Madden Road have requested that speed limit signs be posted. They want to slow down traffic that seems to be using the road as a shortcut between Route 22 and Route 43 heading into Massachusetts, all the while keeping up the same speed they were doing on Route 22. Highway Superintendent Goodermote said he thought the Town could put up signs costing about $65 each, but to do it right they would first have to do a traffic study. He said he would check with the Association of Towns to see what other steps would have to be taken.
Eckhardt expressed doubt about the Town being able to enforce speed limits but said he wanted to open up a discussion on the Board about speed limits, whether town-wide or for particular roads, considering the costs and other factors. Jennings noted that the County had put up speed limit signs on Garfield Road and he believed that most people were respecting them as the speed of traffic had slowed. He thought that speed limits would at least slow down the law abiding people.
Volunteers Wanted For ZBA And Planning Board
The Board in June passed a new law providing for alternate members for the Planning and Zoning Boards. Eckhardt said the new positions were advertised but so far no applications have been received. He thought that there must be people out there who would be interested but may not be aware that the positions are vacant, so the Board, he said, would re-advertise next month. In the meantime he asked that anyone interested contact someone on the Board. Eckhardt noted that in the early 1990s when full positions were advertised on these Boards, the Town Board received about 20 applications with resumes and a completed questionnaire indicating why they wanted to be considered. Now, 20 years later, he found it remarkable that apparently no one is interested in even serving as an alternate member.
Hudson River Valley Greenway
The Board wants to consider becoming a partner community in the Hudson River Valley Greenway. Eckhardt said they had received a request to join a year or so ago but had never acted on it. Apparently all of the towns in Columbia County and all but two towns in Rensselaer County are member communities. The two that are not are Petersburgh and Stephentown. Eckhardt said the Town may be missing out on some valuable grant opportunities. He asked that residents educate themselves about the Greenway and then come to a public hearing to give their input.
There is a lot of information about the Greenway on their website at hudsongreenway.state.ny.us. Regarding community planning it states that, “The Greenway works with communities on a voluntary basis to assist in the development of local land use plans and programs related to the Greenway criteria (natural and cultural resource protection, regional planning, economic development, public access and heritage and environmental education). The Greenway provides technical assistance and funding for these community planning projects. Greenway community planning projects can be undertaken by a single community to address local issues or a group of communities working together to address both local and regional issues.
“Interested communities pass a resolution supporting the Greenway criteria, thereby qualifying them for Greenway technical and financial assistance. Typical grants under the “Greenway Communities Grant Program” range from $5,000 – $10,000, with greater financial assistance available for projects involving two or more municipalities.”
The Board scheduled a public hearing to be held at 6:30 pm preceding the next regular Board meeting on September 19.
Madden Road Mess
Herrick reported that despite assurances given by the Bank of America to both himself and the County Health Department, there still has been no cleanup of the property at 151 Madden Road. He said he would now proceed to send a registered letter to the Bank demanding that action be taken by a specified date or the Town and County will do the cleanup and charge the Bank.
Insurance Refund
Eckhardt reported that the Town had received a refund of $2,142 from the Amsure Insurance Agency through the New York Municipal Insurance Reciprocal that the Town belongs to. He believed it was a rebate for membership in the reciprocal as well as for not having any large claims.
Deposits & Spending
The Town Clerk reported she had turned over the sum of $897.26 to the Supervisor for the month of July. The distribution from the office of the State Comptroller, Justice Court Fund to the Town has not been reported yet. The Transfer Station deposited a total of $6,322.
The Board audited and approved claims in the amount of $14,573 from the General Account and $24,783.06 from the Highway Account.
The Board set their next regular meeting for Monday, September 19, at 7 pm, to be preceded by a public hearing on the Hudson River Valley Greenway at 6:30 pm.
