Public servants recognized at Chester town board meeting

Former Councilman Larry Dysinger, who passed away in December, and longtime Court Clerk Kathy Moran were both recognized at the April 8 meeting of the Chester town board.

The board voted to name a tree and install a plaque at town hall in Dysinger’s honor. Resident Tracy Schuh praised the board for the move. “Larry remains a source of inspiration,” she said during public comments. She noted that she hoped the dedication could coincide with Arbor Day.

Moran was honored on the occasion of her retirement with a proclamation from the town board for 34 years of service. Her family was on hand to acknowledge the honor. Town Justice Sharon Worthy-Spiegel said to attendees, “Behind every good judge is a really good clerk. I’m going to miss her.”

During reports Councilman Tom Becker noted that the county has taken down the main building at Camp LaGuardia, which encompasses three municipalities including Chester, and plans to build a park there. The future of the site had been the subject of interest for many years following the county’s purchase of the property and buildings.

Becker also said he would like to see the board move on instating an opt-out fee for those who did not want to install cellular end point technology on water meters. He suggested a $20 fee per quarter. Later in the board meeting he made a motion for the $20 fee. Supervisor Brandon Holdridge and Councilman Robert Courtenay both said they would like an explanation for how Becker came up with $20 and suggested he hold off on his motion until the April 22 meeting. Becker then withdrew his motion.

The board voted to extend the town’s building moratorium through June 22. They expressed optimism that this will be the final extension of the moratorium as they expect the comprehensive plan and zoning amendments to be ready by late May.

The board voted to sign a $6,000 window replacement contract for the highway department. This was under the budgeted amount of $10,000. The board also voted to release a notice for open seats on the preservation plan committee.

The board voted 4-1, with Councilman Giuseppe Cassara voting no, to grandfather Andrew Contarino and Kayla Leight into employee handbook provisions. The board authorized the return of $57,122 for the tree cutting escrow fund at the Davidson Drive project.

The board voted to accept a $24,500 bid for the fireworks and drone show on July 4 holiday from Star Flight Drone Shows. This is the same company that won the bid in 2025. The next lowest bid was $27,000.

The board voted to withdraw from a contract with an energy purchase company because the company never signed the contract agreed with by the town and completed no work.