Town awarded $175K for Carpenter Field improvements

The Town of Chester has been approved for $175,000 in community block grant funds from Orange County for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) improvements to Carpenter Field bathrooms and lighting for the parking lot. Supervisor Brandon Holdridge made the announcement during the Oct. 8 board meeting of the Chester town board.

The town applied for the funds for Carpenter Field facilities and received them through the block grant funding, which is given annually.

Councilman Tom Becker discussed how the town would provide maintenance for the new sidewalks in Sugar Loaf. Options for snow removal include leaving the responsibility with the property owners in Sugar Loaf or hiring a contractor to perform the task. There is a question of how to pay for the contractor if that option is chosen.

The board tabled a planning board request for $7,000 for MuniCollab software service, as board members wanted to explore other software options before committing to MuniCollab.

The board also tabled a planning board request to appoint Laura Mosher to the planning board. Councilman Larry Dysinger said he wanted the town board to interview any new board members before appointing them. The other board members agreed and they voted to table the request until the town board interviews Mosher.

The board approved an education request for four court justice clerks to attend the Association of Towns conference next year. Dysinger voted against the request, expressing concern about the lack of staffing for multiple days with four clerks all attending a conference. He said the training could be done online at a lesser cost and without the inconvenience of losing the clerks from work.

The board tabled a request from the Sugar Loaf Chamber of Commerce for use of the town billboard on Rt. 17 for Halloween advertisements. Councilman Tom Becker asked the town attorney to research whether the town is allowed to let outside organizations advertise events on their billboard, as it was his understanding that it could only be used for public service announcements and town-sponsored events.

The board voted to allocate $5,000 toward the creation of new parking lot spaces at the senior center. The board also voted to accept a $10 increase in the hourly rate of the town’s labor attorney, with the rate rising to $250 per hour.

Dysinger introduced a resolution to make a currently unoccupied full-time park attendant position into a part-time position. He said he had an agreement with the supervisor that he would vote to approve a new full-time position on the condition that when the employee resigned from the other full-time position, the board would make it a part-time position. Town Supervisor Brandon Holdridge disputed Dysinger’s claim and the board agreed to discuss the matter during budget hearings the following week.