Winter Coming and Prices are increasing - News from October 10 Town Board Meeting

The October 10 Town Board meeting, held on a Tuesday in the Town Hall's Senior Center because the 9th was a holiday and the ZBA was holding their meeting in the Meeting Room, was a lengthy meeting in part because of the presentations by Town Departments to help with the preparation of the Town's 2024 Budget.

The meeting began with a public hearing regarding the purchase of property on Route 9D, adjacent to Reese Park. There were no comments from the public and the public portion of the meeting was opened.

An Attorney representing the Nature Preserve Home Owners Association introduced himself and explained that the Home Owners Association would like to pay the buy-in fee to connect to the Town Water Line over a 6 year period (in addition to the connection fees etc). The town attorney then commenced to explain the pros/cons and recommendations on how best to manage this, including that there might be a water district formed in the future which would include the Nature Preserve. The net is that the County Health Department is looking for a letter from the Town explaining that the Town is in agreement to the Nature Preserve connecting to the town's water system. (Please remember that the Nature Preserve's wells failed in the first week of June of this year). This prompted a thorough discussion about the urgency of getting all of this done quickly -- because Winter will soon be here, and the complications to the temporary line as well as installing the permanent solution (along with the anticipated ordering process etc). The Town Attorney was asked to please have the tenancy agreement prepared by the next board meeting, communicating with the board members ahead of time to get their feedback - the agreement to include the fees to be paid, the schedule by which they will be paid and how the fees will be collected (including all the details on home owner's charges, if they sell the property etc.).

A Representative from the Senior Garden Club then requested that funding be included in the 2024 budget for their work at Town Hall and if possible some expansion. Kudos were provided to the club for their work.

Judith Subrize reviewed the status of four properties, which have been discussed in previous. Town Board Meetings, that have been deemed unsafe. She reported there has been progress made on all four properties and was satisfied with the progress and would come back to the board if there were any issues with the progress in the future.

Fredrick Awino reviewed the logistics for going ahead with Bonds, previously approved, to pay for Highway Garage improvements and required equipment.

The Wappinger Historical Society has received a grant to fund an Historical Marker explaining the significance of Spook Hill Name - and there will be a ceremony unveiling the sign on October 28th at the Spook Hill Park at 10:00 -- the public is invited.

Mr. Tompkins - who owns an auto body shop and 3 family house at 1222 Route 9 received a tutorial on the process to request a water connection to the Town's Water System. (There was no decision made by the town board at this meeting -- and all of the information could have been provided to Mr. Tompkins in a prep meeting, allowing him to get all the required information/tasks prepared ahead of time, so that the town board would have the facts required to approve the request - which will now be included in the October 23rd Town Board Agenda).

Budget Discussions (Details of their submissions can be found on the Town Website)

Mike Tremper from Camo Pollution Control presented the status of the Town's Water/Sewer Systems - emphasizing the aging of the infrastructure, the changing standards of the DEC (including PFOA contamination) and the difficulty of managing the efficiency of the electrical usage with Central Hudson's new billing system which is impossible to discern. The net is that the budget request is a 5.8% increase from last year's budget.

Mike Sheehan presented the plan for the Highway Budget - noting that prices for supplies are increasing, that he manages over 2500 of the Town's Storm Basins, rebuilding 200 a year, that there are a lot of dead trees that need to be removed - requiring both his team's efforts as well as contractors. He will soon have the list of roads scheduled for 2024 repaving available for the town board.

Steve Frazier reviewed the requirements for Buildings & Grounds - mentioning that the cost of paint has increased more than double last years prices - affecting some of the plans for park maintenance and his need for an additional vehicle (he's identified a candidate vehicle from a Fire Department in NJ).

Jessica Fulton walked through the Recreation/Youth/Sr. Center Programs and her requests for 2024 funding - pointing out throughout her presentation, that costs are increasing - including the county's charges for Dial-A-Ride services. There was a discussion about the difficulty of having to cancel the Community Day parade because of the nasty weather (wind & rain) -- and the inability to have a "rain date" because of prior commitments by those marching. Everyone agreed that safety was paramount and the right decision had been made. Council Member Beale then suggested that when planning for next year's Community Day -- that alternative dates be considered because of the early onset of dusk during October. This led to a discussion about planning for the Town's 150 year anniversary in 2025 -- and that planning would have to begin in 2024, requiring funding to begin the planning.

Resolutions

The much tabled resolution covering the Payment in Lieu of Taxes Agreement with Old Myers NY LLC - after a painful discussion of the financial details - was passed by the board.

The resolution authorizing the contract and funding to purchase the Property on 9D adjacent to Reese Park (the funding including some dollars for an assessment/demolition of the building on the property) was passed.

A resolution to re-levy the unpaid 2023 Sewer and Water charges was passed.

New Items included a moment of silence suggested by council member Beale for the victims of the Hamas attack in Israel, a reminder that an Emergency Preparedness Seminar is scheduled for October 25 at Town Hall, and a note of thanks to the emergency responders/members of the public who assisted with a recent motorcycle accident on Route 9 - with gratitude for the survival of the injured person.

The Board then went into executive session for a "personnel matter".