Marjorie Block
Village historian
You have served as village historian for the last five years, run the Kiersted House for the last six, chaired the last two Bed Race events, ran last year’s Holiday in the Village event and serves on the committee that runs the Mum Festival. That’s a pretty impressive resume.
Whew. I really enjoy volunteering my time. It’s what my father, Bill Fallows, taught me. [So did] my brother.
What’s going on this year?
It’s going to be a great year for the Kiersted House. It’s my first love. There were more than 1,700 visitors to the Kiersted House during the Holiday in the Village event.
Any special exhibitions?
There will be an exhibit of the work of Frank Hughes, who was a famous artist, depicting the history of Saugerties in the 1940s and ’50s. The Hughes family is making many of his drawings available for the exhibition.
There will also be an exhibition of the work of Peter Sinclair, who was the foremost authority on Dutch architecture and his post and beam drawings will be on display.
We will also be doing a History of Folk Music in the Hudson Valley [presentation] at the Kiersted House in association with the Hudson River Folk Music folks.
How about the old Dutch barn?
Work will continue on the old Dutch barn, which had its roof finished this past fall. Next up is its floor and siding. It will be ready to hold events this summer, even if I have to hammer the nails myself (laughs).
And the Bed Races?
Now in its third year, the Bed Races promises to be bigger and better. For the first two years, only Partition Street where the races took place was fully closed off. This year Main Street will be closed to traffic as well, because it will be full of local street vendors selling their wares.
The Bed Races will also have a co-sponsor for 2013. We will be receiving some funding from the Ulster County Department of Tourism. And the annual Chamber of Commerce auction of art objects, this past year Adirondack chairs decorated by local artists, will continue to be auctioned off at the Kiersted House.
Why do all these things in the village?
We want people to come here. We want them to know what a great place Saugerties is, and we want our businesses and artists to thrive and prosper.
-Robert Ford
William Murphy
Village mayor
What are you looking forward to this year?
We’ve done a good job keeping our spending down, and added to our savings so hopefully there will be no tax increase. However, we have not heard what the health insurance and retirement benefit costs will be for the 2013-14 fiscal year. But we’ve been able to save, so I don’t see any big issues for the village this year.
How goes the village?
When I look out over the village, I see a thriving community. There is also police presence now that keeps residents safe.
Why do you say the village is thriving?
The festivals keep getting bigger and better. This year the annual Sawyer Motors Car Show will be a two-day event as it combines with the fire department’s July 4th parade, and the Kiwanis club’s carnival and fireworks.
And while the annual festivals bring tourists and their dollars into the community each year, I believe the village has hit its tipping point as to what it can handle without inconveniencing local residents with traffic and congestion. We have hit our max with the five events we have. With the Bed Races, the Zombie Crawl, which brings more than 2,000 walking dead to the village, the Holiday in the Village, the Car Show, and the Mum Fest, thousands of people flock to the village to have fun at the events, shop in the stores, and eat in the restaurants…I think we are at our peak right now.
How about the business community?
Businesses are also thriving. Look at Mirabella’s, whose owner is in the process of renovating a building damaged several years ago in a fire, so that he can relocate his popular restaurant there. The First Friday nights are very cool, and business is picking up for that event.
Any final predictions?
When it comes to Saugerties sports, I’m a huge basketball fan, and I was one of the founders of the youth basketball program. I predict that the high school boys’ team will win the Mid-Hudson Athletic League Championship this year – You can take that to the bank.
Steve Aaron
Developer, principal in Birchez Associates
How does the housing market look for 2013?
It’s all about the economy. When the economy is sputtering the way it has, the need for quality affordable housing is even more. More and more people fall into the income bands that would make them eligible for the type of housing we’ve been building, in particular our seniors, who are living longer, who want to maintain their independence and quality of life longer. As we get closer to 2015 – the senior tsunami as we refer to it – the need for this kind of housing will be more and more center stage.
Would you say this area has an aging population?
Yes, the demographics of this area specifically, and throughout the country… It takes what we do to another level, [we] partner up with supportive service providers who can help with what we call the aging in place concept of senior housing.
So these issues will become more important each year?
Clearly. And there’s also a significant shortage of accessible housing for folks that are not seniors. [Meaning housing for the disabled.]
What do you think about recent opposition to PILOT (Payment In Lieu of Taxes) agreements in Saugerties? Opponents say the town gives too many tax breaks.
It’s become a controversial subject. The PILOT concept has been around affordable housing since its inception…I think the most important aspect of this is there’s no point building affordable senior housing and then ten years from now, because of runaway costs, it’s not affordable anymore. So one of the things that the PILOT does is it helps with maintaining affordable [rents, because the agreements specify allowable rents as well as tax payments per unit].
Also, [public] funding for this level of housing over the years has become so competitive…only a third of the projects that apply get funding. You have to demonstrate community support. So if you say you want this level housing for your seniors, for your grandmother, for your aunt, for your cousin, you don’t want them in a nursing home prematurely, you don’t want them to have to leave the area, you’ve got to show that you want it. And one of the ways that you show that is to make some level of contribution. The PILOT is an expression of community support.
Do you think there’s more community support for senior housing than affordable housing for younger people and families (so-called workforce housing)?
Communities that we talk to typically prefer senior housing, but the state has looked at it, and there’s now a shortage of the family housing, there’s a shortage of supportive housing, so when it comes time to fund, you’re going to see more of that type of project being funded.
Read other selections from our 2013 predictions list
