Trustee is accused of delaying sidewalk project on Prospect Street

Several Village of New Paltz trustees took their colleague William Wheeler Murray to task for delaying new sidewalks on Prospect Street by raising last-minute opposition to the removal of the remaining bluestone walks near Murray’s home. The project is being funded in part through a federal grant that was awarded about ten years ago, and is only now coming to fruition due to the complex rules and processes involved in its implementation. Murray has been a village board member since 2017, and on that basis Murray was told at the May 8 meeting that any issues with the sidewalk project should have been raised sooner. 

While bluestone will be used on Huguenot Street to preserve the historic character there, for streets like Prospect the plan involves a combination of new concrete curbing and asphalt laid over a stable base. Mayor Tim Rogers has championed this approach, saying that it’s the same one used on campus to create new footpaths there, and that it’s qualitatively different than the many blacktop sidewalk stretches already present in the village. Rogers has presented evidence that this approach will be much less costly than it would be to install new stone walks, and at the May 8 meeting asserted without evidence that it will also be less expensive to repair and maintain it into the future. 

Murray submitted a letter to Hudson Valley One, signed by 38 individuals, in which reads in part, “We, the undersigned, are unhappy that there has been no significant public notification of this plan, specifically the replacement of bluestone with asphalt, especially given bluestone’s beauty, durability and historic significance. No neighborhood meetings were conducted, or any outreach at all.” That observation about process highlights the fact that Rogers frequently takes pains to ensure community engagement, such as holding public hearings open for months on end, or scheduling public input and information sessions on the skate park despite not being legally obligated to take such a step. 

When it comes to process, though, most members of the board had a different view than Murray. “You haven’t reviewed the materials,” Rogers said to Murray. 

“When was it publicly announced?” Murray countered. 

“I have talked about sidewalks ad nauseum,” Rogers said. “Nothing nefarious is being done.” 

“We talked about this a lot,” said Stana Weisburd. “I understood what was going on. You had the same emails. If we had made this change for three houses, it would have cost $100,000. I’m not willing to do that. Our fiduciary responsibility is paramount . . . .It feels unfair of you to do this at the last minute like that. You stopped us from doing it when the sewers were done. It’s not been okay; it’s problematic.” 

That delay was because Murray raised the issue last month, and was given to the following meeting to come up with a different solution. Murray then missed that meeting for health reasons, and the remaining trustees voted to move ahead. Rogers said that Murray “went radio silent on the topic,” while Murray observed that it “wasn’t on the agenda.” 

Alex Wojcik characterized it as a failure by Murray to do the necessary research, saying, “Just do your homework, Bill.” Wojcik also said, “It’s Tim and I who put things on the agenda, and work on them, and get them done.” 

The request to preserve the Prospect bluestone was also framed as special treatment for Murray and the owners of two adjacent homes. Murray replied, “You’ve got to start somewhere.” The name of one of those other neighbors, Gerry Benjamin, was raised on both sides of this debate. Rogers has maintained for some weeks that Benjamin, who founded the eponymous policy think tank on campus, wants the Prospect sidewalks replaced. Murray said, “Gerry wants bluestone.” Benjamin was a signatory on the letter to the editor, along with others who do not live in neighborhoods with just sidewalks, including Neil Bettez, who was supervisor of the town at the time the letter was published, but has since resigned. 

Benjamin’s preferences notwithstanding, the sidewalks subject to the replacement plan are in places impossible to navigate in a wheelchair, and contain numerous trip hazards. Among the mayor’s arguments are that safety and accessibility must be improved. “Please vote me out of office, because if we are going to do something about sidewalks, we should do it in a way that’s pedestrian-friendly.” In a further reductio ad absurdum, Rogers said to Murray, “There’s a pothole by Starbucks because there are cobblestones. Do you want us to re-cobble the streets?” 

The mayor has largely dismissed preference for bluestone as “people are sentimental, or think it’s pretty. I prioritize safety and walkability.” 

Rogers also advised Wheeler that the stone walks in Stone Ridge — held to be an example of quality installation — are “already moving.” 

The conversation eventually petered out without anything changing; the vote had already been taken when Murray was not in attendance, and with three of the four who had voted for it chiding Murray’s resistance, the project’s scope was not going to be reconsidered at this late date. 

One point that the mayor brought up was aimed at residents who did seem to be accepting that this work would be done: despite the mayor opining that this bluestone can’t be reused and is likely to break when it’s removed anyway, it cannot be given away for free. Anyone who is interested in a piece of an historic New Paltz sidewalk will have to wait until it’s auctioned off. 

Consolidation consultants contracted

Village of New Paltz trustees passed a resolution hiring the Laberge Group for creating a reorganization plan for village and town governments. In a critical early test of the political will to try once again to consolidate New Paltz governments, town council members selected the same consultant for this task. 

Staff members at Laberge will create a plan for what a consolidated government could look like, which will then be subject to scrutiny by members of the public, who ultimately will be voting on its adoption. Mayor Tim Rogers remains hopeful that this vote could be held in November, but it remains to be seen if local leaders will all feel that voters have enough information to make a decision that soon. 

If a reorganization plan is approved, only then will an implementation plan to get from the present state of affairs to this new New Paltz be created. 

An application is being made to pay for this consultant using state funds.

Disclaimer encouraged

Village of New Paltz trustees are now encouraged to include a disclaimer whenever they post on any social media platform about village doings. Mayor Tim Rogers uses one that is somewhat vague, with the language that any opinions “are not necessarily” official policy, since some of what Rogers posts is, in fact, official. The mayor made this as a suggestion, and there are no plans to make this itself a policy.