Board Members Present: Supervisor David Helsley, Deputy Supervisor Austin Sullivan, Council Member Kaare Christian, Council Member John Kukon, Council Member Brittany Dufresne
Staff Present: Town Attorney Corinne Smith, Town Clerk Joyce Vale, Highway Superintendent Anthony Cidras
Others Present: Community members
The August 11 meeting continued the public hearing on the town’s park law, advanced several ongoing projects, and was dominated by the aftermath of a severe storm that caused significant damage to town roads. The board also voted to pursue a temporary moratorium on large-scale solar development while it finishes revising the zoning law..
Public Hearing: Local Law B of 2026 – Town Parks and Facilities (Continued)
The revised draft of Local Law B now specifically names the town’s parks — Cheviot, Lasher, Palatine, Ice House Landing, and Theodore Robinson Community Forest — addressing the concern Council Member Christian raised at the July hearing about the definition of “park” being too broad. The board is still working on inserting facility-specific rules and regulations directly into the law rather than leaving them to future resolution; a possible new provision restricting e-bikes was also discussed. The town attorney will circulate a shared document for board comments, with a goal of finalizing a revised draft by August 28 so it can be posted in time for the next meeting. With no further public comment, the hearing was again adjourned without closing, to the board’s September 8 meeting.
Zoning and Subdivision Law: Planning Board/ZBA Workshop Set
The revised zoning draft has been sent to the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals. Those boards have scheduled a joint workshop for Saturday, August 22, from 9 a.m. to noon, to review the changes. The session is not a formal public hearing, but residents are welcome to attend. Comments are still requested back to the town board by September 1.
Salt Shed Solar: Direct Pay Application Continues
Supervisor Helsley and Council Member Christian plan to finish assembling documentation for the IRS Direct Pay application — which will provide the town a direct cash payment equivalent to the federal renewable energy tax credit for the salt shed solar array — during the week of August 18 or on August 22.
School Zone: Resolution Moving Forward
Supervisor Helsley reported hearing back from GCS Superintendent Beverly Meagher, who indicated approximately 451 students are registered for the coming school year. The board plans to adopt a resolution formally establishing the school zone essentially as it is currently posted — running approximately from Palatine Park Road to Route 9 — and to include the crosswalk near the school.
Big Towel Agreement Finalized
After reviewing year-over-year utility usage, Supervisor Helsley proposed adding a flat $125-per-month utility surcharge, covering both electricity and propane, to the previously approved Big Towel license agreement. The board had no objections, and the agreement was signed.
Storm Damage: Major Road Repairs Approved
A recent severe storm flooded roughly 48 homes — pumped out by the fire company — though no injuries were reported and caused significant damage to several town roads. Supervisor Helsley thanked the DPW and fire company for their response.
Two roads need the most extensive repair. Reuter Road will need an estimated $160,000 in work: milling and rebuilding the roadbed with new binder and surface material, and replacing drainage pipes undermined by the storm. Hunters Town Road, repaved only recently, will need an estimated $143,000 in repairs; rather than simply rebuilding what washed out, the town plans to install three four-foot drainage pipes in place of the two smaller pipes that were there, and raise the roadbed, in hopes of preventing a repeat of the damage.
The board approved spending the funds to begin repairs, with a formal budget resolution to follow next month. Columbia County has already met the threshold to qualify for FEMA disaster assistance; the state’s determination is still pending. If approved, reimbursement could cover up to 75% of costs, though the process can take roughly three years.
Two related items:
- A blocked culvert near the bottom of Anchorage Road, close to the railroad tracks, contributed to flooding there. The pipe may extend onto private property without a recorded easement, so the town has ordered a title search; in the meantime, the plan is only to clear the inlet, since the property owner has not returned calls.
- The town-owned dam separating the “big pond” from the smaller pond on Main Street continues to erode further with each storm. A full repair was previously estimated in the millions of dollars and would require extensive state and county involvement, including relocating fish before any construction could begin. The board isn’t pursuing that now, but Council Member Christian will check the county’s Hazard Mitigation Plan (updated roughly a year ago) for possible funding sources and cost estimates.
Supervisor Helsley also plans to attend the county’s Public Works Committee meeting on August 19 for updates on the county-led reconstruction of Lower Main Street, estimated to take three to six months, and will keep residents on that stretch informed as information becomes available. Nearby Funk Road, while not yet damaged, has been added to the town’s FEMA application preemptively in case it’s damaged by the heavier equipment traffic expected once the Lower Main Street project gets underway.
New Business
Solar Moratorium: The town attorney recommended the board consider a temporary moratorium on new large-scale (“Tier 3”) solar development while zoning revisions — including new solar provisions — are finalized. Smaller rooftop or on-site systems (Tiers 1 and 2) would be unaffected. Because a moratorium longer than three months requires referral to the Columbia County Planning Board, and this month’s county referral deadline had already passed, the board opted for a six-month moratorium rather than three, to be enacted by local law. A public hearing was set for October 13 at 6:45 p.m., immediately before the regular board meeting. Any project not fully approved by the Planning Board by the time the moratorium takes effect (upon adoption and filing with the state, expected around October) would be paused, even if an application is submitted before then.
Quonset Hut Removal: Acting on last month’s request from the Recreation Committee, the board voted to declare the Quonset hut behind the Kellner Activities Building surplus and sell it at auction through Auctions International. The winning bidder will be responsible for dismantling the roughly 39.5-by-30-foot structure and providing insurance for the work.
Ambulance Sale: The 2004 Ford ambulance, declared surplus last month, will be sold by sealed bid, advertised locally as the town did with its retired fire truck. Bids will be accepted at the Town Clerk’s office during normal business hours through 11 a.m. on Friday, September 4, with the bid opening set for just before the September 8 board meeting.
Other Continuing Items
The Parsonage archaeology agreement with Hartgen/Bard College remains unresolved — still no word back from Bard since a July 17 exchange in which Bard indicated it would consult with a faculty contact and follow up. The NYSLRS Standard Workday resolution also remains pending.
Parks and Recreation Update
The town is still waiting on the state’s contract and paperwork for the roughly $200,000 pickleball court grant at Palatine Park. Once that arrives, work can begin on the required lot-line adjustments, an archaeological survey, and a water-management survey — the latter needed to redirect drainage from the ball fields toward the new court site. The current outlook is site work this fall, with construction beginning around mid-March 2027 if all goes to plan (asphalt needs about 30 days to cure), and a celebratory opening tentatively targeted for next spring or summer.
Other recreation notes:
- The Parks Commission is holding a fundraiser for parks and recreation on September 17 at the Nines restaurant.
- A pickleball pop-up on the temporary courts is planned for this Saturday, August 15, similar to last year’s community event.
- The haunted hayride is now scheduled for October 10–11, with setup at the Kellner building beginning the Friday before and the main event on Sunday, October 11; a haunted house will be added this year.
- Planning is also underway for a “Winter Glow” event; more details to come.
Comments from the Public
A resident asked the board to again close the road for Halloween trick-or-treating, which falls on a Saturday this year, as was done successfully last year. The town is also planning a new “candy trading post” at the gazebo across Main Street where children can trade candy. Supervisor Helsley will raise the road closure with the county at the upcoming DPW meeting; hours will likely mirror last year’s window of roughly 5 to 7 p.m., to be confirmed.
Upcoming Meetings
- Zoning/Subdivision Planning Board & ZBA Workshop: Saturday, August 22, 9 a.m.–noon
- Columbia County Public Works Committee Meeting (Lower Main Street update): Tuesday, August 19, 5 p.m.
- Regular Town Board Meeting (continued Local Law B public hearing): Tuesday, September 8, 2026, 7 p.m.
- Public Hearing on Proposed Solar Moratorium / Regular Town Board Meeting: Tuesday, October 13, 2026, 6:45 p.m.