Mayor appoints Cynthia Hand to fill vacant trustee seat

The Goshen Village Board now has a full governing board: four trustees and a mayor.

Joining Trustees Chris Gurda, Scott Wohl and Jonathan Rouis is Cynthia Hand, appointed to fill the trustee seat vacated by Tony Scotto, who recently stepped down from the position.

As this is a mayoral appointment, Mayor Molly O’Donnell announced Hand’s appointment at the Monday night, May 8, 2023, Village Board meeting.

During the public hearing, at the request of Goshen resident Reynell Andrews, Village Attorney David Donovan offered information on the Community Block Grant. Donovan explained that the grant has limited use and only for certain areas of the village as it’s geared for municipal use, mainly for infrastructure projects, like water and sewer systems, roads or sidewalks.

The purpose of the public hearing was to gather input from residents as to what projects they would be interested in seeing in the village. After examining a submitted proposal to see if it qualifies and fits, the next step is for the village is to submit the proposal to the Orange County Development Office for County approval.

“It takes about a year for a project to begin; it has to be submitted, then approved and then funded—all determined by the county, state, and federal governments,” said Donovan.

“We are just collecting information,” Mayor O’Donnell said. “We’re going through the process in order to be able to apply for this grant that the County is offering. This is just the beginning phase; we’d love to have your feedback. We’ll look at any area of the village to see if it meets the specifications of the grant.”

Fishing and bear reminders

A reminder from Village of Goshen Police Chief James Watt: If you’re interested in fishing in Goshen reservoirs, along with a New York State fishing license, you must obtain a fishing permit from the Goshen Village Clerk. All boats are prohibited in the reservoirs.

In response to the number of complaints coming from residents on North Church Street regarding bears, the Chief advises to keep lids on your garbage pails fully secured and to take in your bird feeders, at least until the bears move on. If you should see a bear, loud noises will usually scare it away. If not, call the police and they will come to scare off nuisance bears.

Other Village news

· The board approved the adoption of Local Law #2, which amends the existing Table of Use Regulations and Bulk Requirements applicable to the Office Building Hospital (OBH) Zoning District.

· The board also approved the request for Village property for Memorial Day, Monday May 29. Parade lineup on Erie Street is at 10 a.m., with step-off at 11 a.m. The parade will conclude at 12:00 p.m. at the Everett Monument with services conducted by the Veterans of Foreign War Post #1708 and the American Legion Post #377

· The 2023 recipient of the Goshen Scholarship - $2,000 award to a Goshen High School graduate - was announced. The name of the recipient will be kept confidential until the high school announces recipient awards.

· A request was made from former mayor Kyle Roddey, on behalf of Board of Directors of Illuminate Goshen, for use of Village property: Spring Art Walk, Friday, June 2; Summer Concert Series on Wednesdays from July 12-Aug. 30, at 6:30-8:30 p.m.; and the Fall Festival on Saturday, October 14.

· A request was made from Orange/Ulster BOCES for use of Village property on June 20 for graduation ceremony at 8:30 a.m.

· A request was made for use of Village property by the Goshen Historic Track to erect signage for the following events: Car Show & Food Truck Festival, May 21 (Rain Date: June 4, 2023); Grand Circuit Races, July 1-3; and Community Crafter Yard Sale in September.