Even though he’s announced he will not be running for another term as Saugerties town supervisor, Greg Helsmoortel says he hopes to move Saugerties forward in this, his last year in the top town office. “I want us to continue to work with as many organizations as we can to help market Saugerties to improve economic development, especially along Kings Highway,” Helsmoortel said.
He’s trying to move forward with the Winston Farm. The property is currently up for sale, and Helsmoortel would like to see it developed in a way that would bring in jobs.
He would also like to see his fellow council members continue to work closely with the town tourism committee to bring more tourist dollars into Saugerties. “We have a great working relationship with Marjorie Block (director of Saugerties tourism), and she has a great working relationship with the county department of tourism. “Working together, they should be able to continue to build tourism here,” said the veteran supervisor.
Shared services are also high on Helsmoortel’s list of priorities for 2017. This past year, the town entered into a shared-services agreement with the village to help with Saugerties highway and infrastructure projects. He would like to explore more ways to share services with the village.
Another big item on his list is to get as many town buildings as possible off the power grid and into solar energy. The town government is now looking at its third site for a solar farm. The first two didn’t work out. Helsmoortel believes the proposed site near the transfer station could provide enough power to run that building.
“We’re also going to continue to apply for grants to help cut the costs of services to taxpayers,” he concluded.
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