News & notes from Village of Saugerties

Village will continue to study Community Choice Aggregation for electricity

A company that offers potential savings in electric power costs for Village of Saugerties residents has the Village Board’s permission to send information about their project to residents. The board voted unanimously at its meeting on Monday, May 3 to approve Joule Energy as the administrator of the Community Choice Aggregation project. The board’s action does not commit the village to join the program, which would automatically enroll every resident to buying electricity through Joule unless they specifically opted out, but only allows Joule to continue to provide information to the board and to residents. It would require a second resolution after the information had gone out and public meetings held, to appoint Joule as the village’s electricity provider.

In-person village meetings could begin in July

The Saugerties Village Board is shooting for Tuesday, July 6 as the date for its first in-person meeting since the Covid-19 epidemic struck.  The meeting will be on the sixth because village offices will be closed on July 5 in observance of the Independence Day holiday 

“That’s five weeks away, and we should all be vaccinated by then,” Mayor Bill Murphy said at the May 3 board meeting.

Board members agreed they would all be looking forward to the return of in-person meetings.

Saad to oversee weed cutting in Esopus

Saugerties building inspector/code enforcement officer Eyal Saad has taken on the oversight of the weed harvesting in the Esopus Creek, formerly overseen by the village Department of Public Works. Saad said at a Village Board meeting that he hoped to have the machine in the water, with a trained crew, on Monday, May 24.  The harvester, purchased last year from Marine Diving Service owner Zdenek Ulman, also known as Z, was overseen by the village Department of Public Works. Saad said he expected to have the harvester in the water on Monday, May 26. The harvester is jointly owned by the village and town of Saugerties and contractor John Mullen. Trustee Donald Hackett, who has been active in the board’s oversight of the project, said he is happy with the choice of Saad to oversee the operation.

PTSA, Kiersted House give graduating seniors a celebration

With the usual end-of-year activities at Saugerties High School canceled because of Covid-19, the school’s Parent-Teacher-Student Association (PTSA) and Kiersted House arranged for graduates’ photos to be taken on Saturday, May 21. In describing the plans, Deputy Mayor Jeannine Mayer said the village had arranged with five restaurants and a number of village businesses to help make the day special. The participating restaurants offered $21.21 specials for the graduates, Mayer said the price is based on the graduation year. Puttin’ Plus offered free rounds of golf to seniors. The school’s regular commencement ceremonies have been canceled because of the coronavirus outbreak “and we wanted to do something for them,” Mayer said.

Alex Wade warns of possible power outages

Alex Wade, the Village of Saugerties special projects coordinator, said the Indian Point Power Plant is shut down and another plant had a fire. [The last of Indian Point’s three reactors was shut down on April 30, 2021. Following a fire in a steam-powered power plant, the Coney Island neighborhood in Brooklyn reportedly shut off power to the surrounding.] Warnings are being issued regarding possible power outages this summer, Wade said. He recommended that residents check their emergency generators to be sure they would “operate properly, just in case.”

Police: Saugerties man attacked woman and her parents

A Saugerties man attacked a woman and her parents during the course of a domestic dispute on Pine Street, according to Saugerties Police.

Police received the call early Sunday morning, May 23 at 12:38 a.m. Responding officers established that a physical domestic dispute occurred between Matthew J. Connors, 38, of Pine Street, and a female victim. During the encounter, police say Connors assaulted the victim, then placed her in a chokehold obstructing her ability to breathe. The victim struggled and was able to break free, fleeing the location in her vehicle. As the victim was driving off, police say Connors jumped onto the vehicle and ripped the side mirror off the car.

Police say Connors then entered the residence and confronted the initial victim’s mother and father and physically attacked both individuals, throwing them both down a flight of stairs. Connors is alleged to have attacked the male, punching him in the face and head numerous times.

The victim and her parents were transported to the WMC Health Alliance Hospital in Kingston for treatment. The male victim was subsequently transported to Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital having suffered serious physical injury.

Connors was arrested on the following charges:

Assault in the second degree (felony)

Criminal obstruction of breathing/blood circulation;

Criminal mischief fourth degree

Attempted assault third degree

Reckless endangerment in the second degree (two counts)

Connors was processed at Saugerties Police Headquarters and arraigned in the Town of Saugerties Justice Court, and remanded to Ulster County Jail.