Saugerties Village Board backs stream management plan
The Saugerties Village Board agreed to support a stream management plan for the Esopus Creek at its regular meeting on Monday, October 7. The plan contains a selection of projects to enhance the river below the New York City reservoirs, and includes some funding for the enhancement projects.
The plan was presented to the board at its last meeting by Riverkeeper Patrick Landewe.
Trustee Don Hackett said he had read through the plans and “it looks pretty good.”
The plan was developed with a group representing the municipalities that border the Esopus. New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection has agreed to reduce muddy discharges into the lower Esopus by discharging clean water to reduce the turbidity.
The program agreed to by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection [DEP] and the state Department of Environmental Conservation [DEC] states, “New York City will also invest approximately $3.4 million to fund environmentally beneficial projects in the Esopus Creek Watershed. This program will include a stream management plan for the Lower Esopus and $2 million to implement that plan or related projects. Two major stream stabilization projects will be undertaken in the Ashokan Reservoir as part of a comprehensive program… to reduce turbidity and erosion at its source.”
Mary O’Donnell, who works with a number of environmental organizations, said Landewe has offered to further explain the program and the suggested projects if the board was not prepared to endorse it. She had a list of proposed projects for which some funding is available, though it would be necessary to seek grants to complete the projects. The list includes some 50 projects. “Some are watershed wide, some not — it’s a work in progress,” she said.
The board voted unanimously to accept a resolution backing the plan.
— David Gordon
Possible additional parking in the Village of Saugerties
A large lot behind Mirabella’s on Partition Street could provide additional parking in the village’s central business district, Saugerties Village Mayor Bill Murphy said at the village board’s regular meeting on Monday, October 7.
“About six months ago, the owners approached me asking about whether the village would be interested in purchasing it.” said Murray. “I said no, I knew what they were asking for it.” The owners then offered to lease the lot to the village. “Terry [trustee Terry Parisian] and I said send us an offer. The offer was outrageous, and we said no, we couldn’t afford that. We could put down gravel and create 30 additional spots.” The next step was the owners coming back with a tax bill for the whole property for $24,000 a year — including the building on the property. Murphy said he would consider a rental at $12,000 a year – that is, $1,000 a month.
The figures the property owners presented for their taxes included the entire property, with two buildings on it, Parisian said. “The value is the buildings, not the vacant land, so you have to go back to the original assessment. Board members agreed that the property, being close to the business district, would be a good addition if a reasonable rental could be arranged.
Trustee Andrew Zink suggested that it would make sense to have the lease begin in the spring, as traffic in the village and the need for parking, falls off in the winter months. This would bring it into line with the village budget year as well, assuming the owner would be willing to wait.
— David Gordon
Work on Saugerties sewer plant upgrade could start this spring
A planned upgrade of the Saugerties sewer plant could begin this spring, trustee Donald Hackett reported at the Village of Saugerties board meeting on Monday, October 7. Engineer Dennis Larios expects to go to bid for work under a $400,000 grant. The work could start in May or June. The village also has a grant for $800,000, bringing the total to $1.2 million, Hackett said.
Another question that has plagued the plant’s neighbors is odor. Since the village stopped taking in septic material from outside the village, odor complaints have declined somewhat, but have not been entirely eliminated, Hackett said. The village is still collecting data on the odor’s source. Trustees Vincent Buono and Terry Parisian both said the odors were bad during the previous weekend.
Some of the vendors who have had sludge processed at the Saugerties plant have contacted Hackett about possibly accepting their sludge again. Hackett said the possibility is still being studied. “I’m pro business. These guys have businesses, but also we have to abide by our SPDES [State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System] permit.” The ending of accepting outside sludge costs the village some $80,000 per year.
The source of the odors is still under study, Hackett said, and “it still may be a couple of months before we get all the data back.”
— David Gordon
Village of Saugerties ops into state Pro Housing grant program
The New York State program called Pro Housing covers a lot more than just housing. Virtually all the state’s funding programs for municipal improvement fall under this program, and communities that fail to adopt it are essentially shut out of all state funding.
At the Saugerties Village Board meeting on Monday, October 7, trustee Terry Parisian read off a list of state programs that would be unavailable to communities that did not adopt the Pro Housing designation: Downtown Revitalization, New York Forward, New York Safe Streets, Regional Council Capital Fund, Market New York capital improvement grants, Public Transportation Modernization and additional programs to be added in the future.” To ask for a grant you have to be a Pro Housing community Parisian said.
“My biggest gripe with this program is that [Governor Kathy] Hochul was holding communities and municipalities hostage when she passed an executive order. The Assembly didn’t do it,” Parisian said. “I don’t see there’s any harm in it, other than being a hostage to her.”
Board members agreed that the governor had placed the villages and towns in a bad position, but there really isn’t a choice. Murphy said that if the town agrees to join the New York Forward initiative it would be on the village agenda for its next meeting.
Trustee Jeannine Mayer suggested that the village board could vote to join the initiative, pending town approval. Murphy said it is a good idea, but would be meaningless unless the town ops into the program. Stephanie Bassler, a local architect said she had built on suggestions Kevin Brown presented at a discussion last week. She offered it to the board to support its application for funding through the program. Murphy said it would add to the list he was developing of village properties that could qualify for funding.
Parisian suggested the board pass a resolution to join the Pro Housing funding program, pending town approval, which it did.
— David Gordon
Opening for history or architectural buff on historical review board
Brian Wilson, the chairman of the Saugerties Historical Review Board, will be resigning at the end of this year, Trustee Terry Parisian reported at the board’s regular meeting on October 7. Wilson will be stepping down at the end of the current fiscal year and the board is looking for a new member.
“It needs to be someone who is in architecture or in construction, who has knowledge along that line,” said mayor Bill Murphy. The new member does not have to be a village resident, Murphy said. “It’s hard to find people with the background in architecture or construction.
— David Gordon
Vacancies on the Saugerties Democratic Committee
The Saugerties Democratic Committee has vacancies in two election districts. Any Democrat registered and residing in Saugerties is eligible for election to the committee.
For more information about the committee’s responsibilities and the process for joining, please email saugertiesdemocraticcommittee@gmail.com, or inform a committee member of your interest at one of its regular meetings. The next regular meeting of the committee will take place on Tuesday, October 22, 6 p.m., at the Saugerties Senior Center, located at 207 Market Street.
Join the family! 
