Village of New Paltz residents will get to choose among several candidates for trustee when they head over to the firehouse to vote on May 7, but the incumbent mayor faces no opposition this year. Tim Rogers is completing his first four-year term as mayor. Don Kerr and Dennis Young are also seeking second terms, as trustee, and voters will be measuring their accomplishment against the promises offered by Alexandra Wojcik and Michele Zipp.
Town of Lloyd Town Clerk Rosaria Peplow will be retiring on May 5. Peplow has served as the town clerk
A New York City-based reporter is suing to stop construction on carriage roads and to create a new visitor’s center at Minnewaska State Park, saying that the land should instead be part of the State Forest Preserve where preservation is the priority over recreation. It’s instead part of the Palisades Interstate Parks Commission, created by an interstate company one attorney for the State says doesn’t need to comply with the New York constitution.
State transportation officials feel the intersection is now busy enough to justify it, and additionally want it built and paid for by the applicant. That’s a non-starter for Stewart’s executives, and village officials are in agreement.
The Ferris Woods proposal in New Paltz is for 48 units of senior citizen apartments built on 43 acres that would be accessed from the end of Brouck Ferris Boulevard, off South Ohioville Rd.
The engineer from McDonald’s may have thought the renovation of its New Paltz franchise would be a simple process. But planners have asked for parking lot connections and a design that would fit in with the community’s aesthetic. “New Paltz is not a strip,” said one planner. “We want New Paltz to be its own brand.”
Trustees Don Kerr and Dennis Young are running for second terms in the position and are being challenged by local activists Alexandria Wojcik and Michele Zipp.
Deputy Mayor KT Tobin said the salary should be raised to $55,450. “New Paltz is an expensive place to live and based on our own affordable housing eligibility thresholds, this salary does not adequately provide given the cost of living here,” she said.
The municipal ID movement seems to be building momentum in this area: they’ve been adopted or are being considered in Newburgh, Middletown, Poughkeepsie and Kingston.
It was a model that seemed to fit the disparate values of New Paltz residents: a dollar store run specifically to provide jobs for disabled individuals who often struggle to find employment, despite being qualified. It addresses both cost-conscious concerns and the desire to help people with a disadvantage to get a leg up. Unfortunately, Just-a-Buck has resulted in a loss on the books of Ulster-Greene ARC ever since it was opened in 2014, and that’s a loss which has been determined not sustainable.