The Village of Saugerties recently went through with the purchase of a weed harvester to remove invasive water chestnuts and Eurasian milfoil from the Esopus Creek. The harvester will work in three areas: around the village beach, off the town’s shoreline, and on property belonging to John Mullen that abuts the creek. The cost of the machine, training and expenses associated with the harvester were split three ways, with each of the three putting up $25,000.
Difficulties have come up with the operation of the machine, which has only been in use for a short time this summer. Village trustees have acknowledged that owning and running the harvester is a more complex task than they had envisioned.
The machine pulls weeds up by the roots, reducing their ability to grow back in the following season, rather than simply cutting off the tops.
“The weed harvester has been in the water, but it’s out this week,” trustee Terry Parisian told his colleagues at the village board’s most recent meeting. “We’re looking to hire two people to run it, we can have more time in the water. It’s hard to keep that boat running with the DPW [Department of Public Works] crew because the two guys that are running it are working with the DPW helping out Rich [public works superintendent Richard Forbes]. We need manpower and maintenance on it.”
Mayor William Murphy has discussed the matter with Forbes. “I said we need to get it out a few days this week, and he committed to me it will be out this week.”
Forbes had been confident that his department could handle the weed harvesting, but it is becoming apparent that more manpower is needed to get the full value out of the machine. Parisian, who oversees the public works department for the village board, was concerned about the need for additional attention to it. He noted that residents have complained of street potholes that need to be filled. The workers are needed for that job.
The beach is more of an environmental matter, which should be shared between the village and the town, Parisian said. The town could be stepping in and working with the village.
Trustee Donald Hackett, whose responsibilities include the harvester, said he has met with Forbes, and after discussion with Forbes and Murphy, “it has been worked out that we are going to hire at least two people. We’ll make a schedule for the harvester, it could be out there with whoever we hire. They would have to have boating experience and mechanical experience.”
At the time the harvester was purchased, some board members had doubts as to whether the DPW could handle the job with the department’s existing staff, Hackett said. With experience, the village has learned that more help will indeed be needed. With the additional manpower, the weed harvesting would still be under the auspices of the DPW, Hackett said.
A number of volunteers have come forward to help, Parisian said. Hackett cited insurance and liability problems that would make this solution impossible.
The harvester has to return to the beach area to unload the weeds it has collected and then return to the site where it was working. Could not the weeds be offloaded to a DPW vehicle that would return them to the village compost area? Some landowners who have offered to allow weeds to be placed on their properties. “We’ll have to get written permission from the landowners,” Hackett said.
Village treasurer Paula Kerbert said the village could have trouble if it started asking landowners to take weeds onto their property.
“We’re not asking people,” Hackett responded. “People are volunteering, and when they volunteer we’re going to get a written statement from them. It may not happen; I don’t know.”
People have been coming in to ask about the use of the harvester, Kerbert said, “so we do have some interest in it.”
The DPW had been excited with the idea of handling the harvester, Murphy said. While there have been “growing pains,” the village has gained valuable experience, and the operation should go more smoothly in the future. Murphy said he would like to see a second dock at the creek that would allow the craft to remain on the creek full-time so the operators would not have to bring it to the creek each time. “We’re working it out,” he said. “We will figure it out.”
Hackett noted that the boat had been docked on the creek the previous weekend. He agreed that there should be a second dock, “But that’s future,” he said. “That’s next year. We have, what, ten weeks left with the harvester, so we will try to get as much done as possible. Next year, we’ll jump right on it. Like Bill said, we’ve learned a lot, and it is a learning process for us.”
Join the family! 
