Opt-outs for new water meter reading technology discussed

The Chester Town Board discussed providing opt-outs for the new cellular end-point technology to be deployed for reading water meters at their Sept. 24 meeting. Several residents requested that opt-outs be made law as there is fear among some about the increase in electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation due to the new meters.

Opt-outs will not be free. The proposed cost is $75 per quarter ($300 per year). A law was not passed on the matter at the meeting but it will be voted on at an upcoming meeting.

The board also voted to spend $14,200 to include stamping texture and bulb out additions to the raised crosswalk designs for the Sugar Loaf sidewalk project. Councilmember Larry Dysinger voted against the additional expense and councilmember Tom Becker abstained. It was mentioned that the town has spent about $15,000 in engineering costs on the project.

Also discussed was maintenance of the new sidewalks. No vote was held, but a consensus of board members favored giving the work to the Parks Department. The main issue will be shoveling snow during and after snow storms. Supervisor Brandon Holdridge suggested the Parks Department take the work, especially considering they will have extra hours available with the sale of the Performing Arts Center to the county. The town attorney said the other two options were to put the onus on residents to clean up the sidewalk in front of their properties or to create a special tax district for the cleanup expense. The matter will be revisited at a future board meeting.

The board also passed a resolution to approve a five-year utility rate contract with ENGIE Resources LLC at a mixed rate for $0.0972/KwH.

The board voted to divvy excess ARPA funds to various projects before the end of the year as the money will have to be returned if unused. They passed a resolution to allocate $6,413 toward security alarms for the senior center and for additional parking spaces at the senior center. This was excess money from the amount used to purchase a generator for the senior center.

They also voted to allocate $8,210 toward new furniture at the police department headquarters, which was leftover money from a project to repair the police building. They discussed a future potential expense of using leftover money from the security camera project to fix the town’s TV station.

An education request for four people seeking to attend the Association of Towns meeting in 2026 was tabled except for approval for town comptroller Neil Meyer. The board questioned why it was necessary for the other three town employees to go.

Additionally, the board voted to approve a Village of Chester request to install security cameras at the Nancy Lane water station.