The board’s recent accomplishments, said McKenna, who is a building contractor, included the long-delayed renovation of Town Hall — as the council’s liaison on town facilities, he played a central role in overseeing the project — and the waterfall park. McKenna observed that the town had employed energy-efficient technology in its construction of the highway garage and, more recently, the Town Hall project. “I have enjoyed serving the town for seven and three-quarters years and hope to serve for another four years,” he said.
The candidates responded to questions posed by residents on a variety of topics, ranging from energy and emergency management to tax revenue and cellular and cable services.
County sales tax. Wilber reported that he had written to Governor Cuomo urging that the State Legislature return to session in time to authorize Ulster County’s proposed extension of an additional sales tax of 1 percent beyond its scheduled expiration date of November 30. The supervisor’s letter asked the governor to approve such action if the legislature takes it. In a complicated scenario, the expiration of the tax could put a dent of approximately $79,000 in the town’s budget, reflecting a loss of about $39,000 in Woodstock’s share of sales tax revenue for the three-month period of November 2013 through January 2014 and a roughly equivalent increase in the town’s contribution to the countywide Safety Net welfare program. (In further support of action by the legislature, the Town Board on August 20 unanimously adopted a like-minded resolution, introduced by McKenna, which will be forwarded to the governor.)
Energy. A question about the town’s energy policy and initiatives prompted answers that focused largely on the board’s consideration of proposals to build a solar array, or “farm,” that would generate electricity for the wastewater treatment plant and possibly other town facilities. The Town Board in February abandoned a plan to construct a 750-kilowatt array at the treatment plant, following scrutiny of the proposal by a subcommittee composed of Magarelli and councilman Jay Wenk and research by councilman Ken Panza that cast doubt on the venture’s economic feasibility.
“The solar project would have been costly to taxpayers,” Magarelli told listeners at the forum. “We would now like to start creating an RFP (request for proposals) for a smaller solar project.” The councilwoman added that the current availability of thinner solar panels has reduced the projected cost of such projects. McKenna acknowledged that he had supported the original project but now believes that a smaller-scale undertaking would be “more manageable.” Said Wilber: “The basic reality is that if you are going to go deeply into solar energy, it is not going to save you money, but I personally don’t mind paying more (in order) to reduce carbon emissions.” A town-owned solar farm — a possibility, but not necessarily a leading option, for Woodstock — would result in a threefold increase over the price that the town currently pays for electricity, the supervisor maintained.
Elsewhere on the subject, Wilber noted that Woodstock, through a recent amendment to its zoning law, became the first community in Ulster County and one of only a handful in the state to ban hydrofracking. Meanwhile, he added, the Town Board is exploring other energy-related initiatives, including an upgrade of lighting devices at the wastewater treatment plant and the installation of LED (light-emitting diode) lights on Woodstock’s streets and at municipal properties.
Cellular and cable service. While an expansion of cellular service to the western part of town remains elusive, residents may be able to receive an effective signal at their home by obtaining a “network extender” device from a provider such as Verizon, said McKenna, who lives in Shady, which is part of the unserved area. “Residents should demand cell service” by contacting providers and elected officials including the governor, the councilman added, noting that the Lake Hill and Wittenberg fire companies have shown little interest in building cell towers at their firehouses. Although the problem of limited service is unsolved, the town has generated a revenue stream amounting to $50,000 annually from the rent paid by the three carriers who provide service from the town-owned tower at California Quarry, according to Wilber. On the subject of cable service, the supervisor repeated his hope, expressed at recent board meetings, that the Public Service Commission will direct Time Warner Cable (TWC) to make the local public access television outlet, Channel 23, available to all cable subscribers at its standard location, with no need for viewers with analog equipment to secure a digital adapter. He added that, although Woodstock’s franchise agreement with TWC is nonexclusive, it was unlikely that another company would expend the resources required to compete with TWC in the local market.
Revaluation. The assessor’s office is taking preparatory steps for a townwide property revaluation, or “reval,” which would take a year to conduct and would take effect at the beginning of 2015, Wilber reported. The resolution authorizing the adoption of the 2013 budget included a provision for the revaluation, said the supervisor, who deemed the procedure “a good idea” and described the town assessor, Marc Plate, as shrewd and capable. “The goal of a reval is equity; fair treatment for everybody,” Wilber observed. Woodstock residents will save money in the long run through reductions in the amount of taxes that they pay to the county and to the three school districts within the town’s borders, he said.
Emergency management. Woodstock has refined its plans and procedures for coping with emergencies, which typically involve hurricanes and similar storms, said the supervisor. While few if any residents require shelter, the town maintains and updates a list of “shut-ins,” which is kept at the assessor’s office and distributed to the fire and police departments. Wilber cited power outages and their effects, especially water shortages and a lack of refrigeration, as the most serious storm-related emergencies. McKenna, Magarelli, and Wilber noted that the Community Center — including its parking lot, driveway, and adjoining Andy Lee Field, which offers additional space for parking — serves as a central point for the distribution of emergency supplies such as dry ice. Meanwhile, the town plans to collaborate with the Good Neighbor Food Pantry and other organizations to provide for the refrigeration and storage of perishable food and medications. Toward that end, the council members observed, the renovated Town Hall can be powered exclusively by a generator during an outage. The Community Center would be similarly equipped if its proposed renovation proceeds.
