Time to break out the Saugerties weed harvester
As the first millfoil and water chestnut plants begin to show at the Esopus Creek, the village’s harvester is being readied to start harvesting them, trustee Donald Hackett reported at the Saugerties Village Board meeting on May 3.
“John Mullen is going to take care of having the harvester greased and ready to go. I contacted Richie [public works superintendent Richard Forbes] and when it is ready, Richie will pick it up. I’ve got people keeping an eye on the creek; I just got an email a while ago before this meeting saying that they’re starting to get some signs that the water chestnuts are coming up.” While Hackett has not seen any weeds yet, “it must be the upper section of the creek where the weeds are starting to show, so we have to be moving along pretty shortly on that.”
County to distribute food to needy in Saugerties on fourth Friday each month
Ulster County held its first Saugerties food giveaway at the Senior Center on Thursday, April 30. The distribution was organized by Ulster County Community Action. “In the first hour, they had 93 cars,” Mayor Bill Murphy said. “We had a lot of volunteers; Michelle Hinchey showed up … all the volunteers did a great job.”
Trustee Donald Hackett said he is looking forward to the distribution next month. He is a member of the county-wide committee that is involved with the distribution. The group distributed 8,000 pounds of produce in about an hour and a half, Hackett said.
Saugerties Village Board discusses the return to in-person meetings
The Saugerties Village Board, like many other organizations, wants to get back to live meetings. The meetings are now conducted through Cisco Go To Meeting, which members find frustrating as pictures of the speaker appear and disappear and occasional static can make it difficult to hear what an individual is saying.
At Village Board meetings, trustee Vincent Buono frequently joins by telephone, and at the regular meeting on Monday, May 3, trustee Donald Hackett also joined by phone because his computer was running an update.
“I would like to see us get back to live meetings,” said Mayor Bill Murphy at the opening of the meeting. “I’m thinking maybe starting in July to try to get back to live meetings. New York is supposed to be open 100 percent on July 1.”
Trustee Vincent Buono suggested that the meetings could be held earlier at the Saugerties Senior Center, where the meeting room is large enough for people to spread out, so meetings could be held there even earlier, a hope trustee Terry Parisian also expressed. Murphy said he would not favor using the town’s building, as the village firehouse, where Village Board meetings have always been held, is large enough.
“Let’s think about it and we can discuss it at the next meeting,” Murphy said.
Saugerties sewer plant upgrade would cost $4.7 million
The cost of necessary upgrades to the Village of Saugerties sewer plant is $4.7 million, Saugerties village trustee Donald Hackett said at the Village Board meeting on May 3, with village treasurer Paula Kerbert providing the number. Hackett said the estimate on the work came in at $5.3 million, and it was worked over to reach the lower figure.
The upgrade includes a major overhaul, with a new roof, replacement of valves, settling tank and dechlorination, Hackett said following the meeting. The dechlorination equipment is not necessary to meet current requirements, but the state is likely to require higher standards in the future and the equipment is almost certain to be more expensive.
“The project will have to be bonded, he said. Alex [special projects coordinator Alex Wade] and Mike [grant writer Mike Karashay] are continually looking for money — grants or Covid money, or whatever we can get — so hopefully we will be able to get some help there,” Hackett said.
The next step would be to have plans reviewed by the village attorney, which should be done by the next meeting or so, Hackett said. After that it has to be published in the newspaper for 20 days “and then we can go out to bond for it,” Kerbert said.
Donation to Esopus Bend
Francine Kolbinski, the owner of Lux Hair Studio on Partition Street in Saugerties, hosts a fundraiser for a different cause each year on Earth Day. This year, the $500 she raised was donated to the town for upkeep and improvements at Esopus Bend Preserve.
Kolbinski said that his year’s donation to the preserve was especially satisfying, as she and her family visited the preserve as many as three times a week during the pandemic.
“My family and I live across from the preserve,” she said. “We’re always impressed with how well it’s taken care of.”
Councilwoman Leeanne Thornton, who received the check on behalf of the preserve, said visitors are respectful of the preserve; “they take their trash back with them.” She also commented that the preserve is particularly popular with bird watchers.
Kolbinski agreed that people really want to preserve the wilderness of the place. She is offering the donation to help maintain it as a beautiful getaway, especially in this period of isolation.
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