Delhi Skate Rink Opens Once Again - Shift for Delhi Council

DELHI - The skating rink at Sheldon Park, Delhi will open once again after a one-year hiatus. The rink, which was purchased and run by the town, sits on village property at 2 Sheldon Drive. The rink was not set up for use in the 2022-2023 winter season due to operational issues.

Council member Margaret Baldwin received a request from residents Rick and Missy Ackerly for the skating rink to be revived. Baldwin immediately contacted Village Mayor Jeffery Gearhart to organize.

The village has agreed to take over responsibility for the rink operations and has been permitted to use the town equipment.

Rick Ackerly sent out a message to residents looking for help getting the skating rink ready for use. "I threw it out to Facebook and in one day over 100 people responded," he said with a smile.

Highway Superintendent Daren Evans and his crew helped repair and patch holes in the skate rink liner that holds the water. Roughly $560 was donated by locals for the purchase of hay bales for the rink border. David Krzyston's SUNY Delhi technology and architecture students and SUNY Delhi Kappa Sigma Epsilon fraternity helped with setup.

The rink is ready to go and just needs to be filled up with water, reported Ackerly. Hopefully the community continues to support the rink when it needs shovelers, Ackerly added. The rink is weather-dependent for openings.

In another discussion, Baldwin thanked Supervisor Mark Tuthill and Councilmember William Cairns for their service to the town. Tuthill was not re-elected for a sixth term in the November elections. Democrat Maya I. Boukai will replace Tuthill in January. Boukai ran for election to improve transparency and communication between the community and elected officials. During the election, she said "The community has so many unique and talented people who want to make Delhi everything it can be. My goal is to engage the community by informing them and keeping them in the loop so they can be active participants in our Town and Village, should they choose to be."

"Thank you, it's been interesting, fun sometimes, sometimes not so much. I think we are leaving it in a pretty good position," said Tuthill. "Thanks to everyone on the board, we got along and worked well together. We occasionally had our disagreements but we got through them," he continued.

Republican Joshua Morgan was elected to the empty council position left by Cairns who did not run for re-election. "We've got an awful lot accomplished in the nine years I've been here," said Cairns.

The council approved a resolution to send Morgan and Boukai to the Elected Officials Academy training in Albany. The training will cost $50 per person plus room and board from January 17-19. Boukai will also attend the annual meeting of the Association of Towns in New York City. Councilmember Christina Viafore will also attend the academy and possibly the meeting in NYC. "I feel like it will be very helpful after having time on the board," said Viafore.

During November the code officer issued four building permits, held 10 inspection meetings, held six in-office conferences, issued four c/o letters, one certificate of compliance, and drove 87 miles.

Both Tuthill and Boukai will sign a letter for the insurance company stating that the highway department will and has been disconnecting the truck batteries when not in use. This is a fire prevention protocol, which, according to Tuthill, has been done by the department for years.

The request from Delaware County Economic Development for the Bramley Mountain Fire Tower restoration project to be exempt from town planning and zoning protocols was tabled. Tuthill tabled the issue for the new town board to handle.

The year-end meeting is scheduled Thursday, Dec. 28 at 3 p.m. The organizational meeting is scheduled Tuesday, Jan 2, at 6 p.m. Regular board meetings will be held on the second Monday of the month at 6 p.m. for the year 2024.