“None of these problems (cited) in letters has ever occurred,” said Wilber at the meeting, focusing on the charges related to the removal of asbestos from the two-story, 11,000-square-foot edifice at 76 Tinker Street, which was built in 1937 and opened the following year. “Why do people write these letters? I won’t impute a motive. The heating system is working and will be (further) tweaked by the contractor.”
Officials laud project
Husted, the town justice, and Keefe, the police chief, expressed their satisfaction with the renovation and gratitude to the council for executing a project that had languished for years on the drawing board.
“I am so thankful and happy about this building, which benefits the town’s employees and residents,” said Husted, who last November was elected to a fifth four-year term on the local bench. “There are still some minor warts in the building, but the Town Board has been totally responsive. The heat has been tweaked. It needs more, but it will be fixed. The amenities in the courtroom are greatly improved. I’m totally happy. It’s a wonderful thing that was done.”
Husted cited improved security as a major benefit of the renovation’s overhaul of the court facilities. “Security is a priceless thing,” he said, noting that a magnetometer had been acquired for the courtroom and a walk-up window installed at the rear of the building for the payment of fines. “Our court clerks now work in a secure place.” Husted added that sound panels on the ceiling and walls had enhanced the acoustics of the courtroom, which is available for use by community groups and advisory boards when the court’s needs don’t supervene.
Said Keefe, noting that Hamilton, the dispatch supervisor, shared his views, “The working conditions for the employees are one-hundred percent better. Our police officers’ morale has improved. Police and dispatch employees now have a secure working environment.” Laura Ricci, the deputy town supervisor, told listeners, “I’m delighted with what has been done with this building. It’s workable and it benefits the town’s employees. It’s not surprising that tweaks are needed, but over all, it’s magnificent.”
Other items on the meeting’s agenda included the following.
Protection for pollinators. Maraleen Manos-Jones, a Shokan resident and expert on monarch butterflies, asked the board to support a resolution aimed at protecting monarchs and other essential pollinators from threats including the widespread use of pesticides by individual property owners as well as “Big Agriculture.” She maintained that Iowa, for example, has lost 98 percent of its milkweed, which nourishes monarch larvae and relies on butterflies and moths for much of its pollination. Manos-Jones reported that the Town of Olive had adopted a pollinator-friendly initiative and urged Woodstock to follow suit. Board members agreed to consider the request. Information on the initiative and its rationale is available at the website pollinatorfriendlytowns.org.
Tree committee. Following recent deliberations on the proposed establishment of a tree committee, the board unanimously authorized the formation of such an advisory body. The committee’s mission, structure, and procedures are detailed in the agenda for the February 18 Town Board meeting, which is posted in the Calendars section of the town website, woodstockny.org. In a separate resolution the board voted to advertise for volunteers to serve on the committee, whose membership will consist of no fewer than five Woodstock residents.
Energy measure. With councilman Ken Panza abstaining, the board voted 4 to 0 to request the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to postpone indefinitely its order to create a so-called New Capacity Zone (NCZ) that would assign the Mid Hudson Valley to a region that includes Westchester County and New York City for the purposes of electricity transmission. According to the state Public Service Commission (PSC), said the resolution, the proposed NCZ would result in dramatically increased rates for electricity customers in the new zone. In opposing the move, Woodstock joins neighboring municipalities and the Ulster County Legislature, as well as the PSC. Panza explained his abstention by noting that the matter was complex — a view supported by the page-length single-spaced text of the resolution, whose 14 “whereas” clauses concluded with a list of officials and organizations ranging from Governor Cuomo to the AARP.
Councilman’s health. Citing “stories going around about my health,” councilman Jay Wenk reported that he had received a recent diagnosis of lymphoma, but feels fine and plans to seek another term on the Town Board in 2015. An oncologist informed him, said Wenk, who is 87, that his form of lymphoma is “mild and nonaggressive.” The councilman will seek a second medical opinion at a March 6 visit to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, in New York City. “Please don’t ask how I’m doing,” said Wenk. “I’m fine. I plan to run again in two years.”
OK.A friend of mine living in Shokan has problems with bears and garbage.Since the garbage is picked up at 5am,the home owner must put it out before they go to bed.So the bears have all night to hunt and peck leaving garbage all over.Perhaps others have the same problem.If only the garbageman could be persuaded to pickup at 9am that way people would put trash out on the way to work,leaving nothing for the bear. Thank you