Sue Putnam Resigns As Grafton Town Secretary

by Alex Brooks
At the Grafton Town Board meeting on Monday, January 23, the Board accepted a letter of resignation from Sue Putnam from her position as Town Secretary, in which she has served for 25 years. Supervisor Ray Darling thanked Putnam for her long service, and the audience responded with a standing ovation for her. Sue Putnam will continue in her elected position of Town Clerk, and the Board appointed her to a new four year term as Registrar of Vital Statistics by unanimous vote.
[private]The Town is currently accepting applications for the Town Secretary position.
The Board appointed Noelle Goyer to a one year term as Youth Director, by a unanimous vote.
Grafton Elementary School
The Board received a letter from the Berlin Central School District letting them know that the District is seeking to “dispose of” the properties that formerly housed the elementary schools in Grafton and Stephentown. The letter said the District anticipates selling the properties for “well below market value.”
Rescue Squad Report
The Squad responded to ten calls in December – one mental health, one structure fire, one chest pain, four falls, one unknown problem, one laceration and one difficulty breathing.
They logged 54.4 volunteer hours and traveled 267 miles.
The Squad held its annual election of officers at the December meeting. Donna Baldwin was elected Captain, Sharon Lecce 1st Lieutenant and Jon Hasbrouck 2nd Lieutenant. Beth Wagar was elected Treasurer and Secretary, but she subsequently resigned and Joe Allain was voted in to those positions.
Tyler Baldwin was elected Sgt. of Arms. Marge Littlejohn was elected President and Tom Sullivan Vice President.
Three membership applications were received, which the investigative committee will review, and a vote on them will be held at the January meeting.
Website
The Board expressed a desire to develop a Town web site and agreed to seek proposals and cost estimates for it. Councilman Rick Ungaro had already received one proposal from a web developer in Connecticut. Cathy Goyer asked if anyone had contacted Matt Kirchner, who made and maintained the Town web site for the previous administration, to see if something could be worked out to transition his site to the new administration. Supervisor Ray Darling said he would contact Matt.
Public Comment
Cathy Goyer said she attended a meeting of the Grafton Rescue Squad which was open to the public, but she said it was followed by a Board of Directors meeting which was not open to the public.
Both Councilwoman Barbara Messenger and Councilwoman Marie Claus said the Board of Directors meeting should also be open to the public.
Correspondence
The Town received a letter from the NYS Dept. of Transportation informing the Town that the 45 mile per hour school zone speed limit on Route 2 near the Grafton Elementary School has been repealed because it is no longer a school.
In Memory
The meeting was adjourned in memory of Miriam Friedman and Charles Hamill.[/private]