LEGISLATURE STUFF - Neither All Work Nor All Play

CATSKILL - He didn’t need to stop in Catskill and fill the tank on his sleigh during his latest worldwide trip, but if Santa ever does in the future, the Greene County Legislature will have visible proof.

Lawmakers, at a recent meeting, authorized the purchase and installation of video surveillance for county fueling stations.

The cameras were recommended by county highway superintendent Scott Templeton, upgrading the current operation.

It will cost $48,463, tapping funds already set aside in the 2026 budget, and be done by Comalli Technology Systems, based in Albany.

Many agencies refuel at the stations including the sheriff’s department, the Greene County Emergency Medical Systems flycars and all county vehicles, using a card and pin number, now adding video.

There haven’t been any issues, according to James O’Connell, chairman of the legislative Public Works committee which oversees highway matters.

“We aren’t mandated to do this. It’s a better way of doing things in today’s world, a protection for the county and for the taxpayers,” O’Connell says, anticipating installation early in 2026.

Lawmakers also approved buying one set of four new 18,800 pound capacity mobile vehicle lifts, again taking their cue from Templeton.

They will be secured, with accessories, from Total Tool LTD, headquartered in Castleton, New York, carrying a price tag of $51,500, the legislative resolution states. 

Funding for the lifts is available from the completed and authorized sale of surplus property, resulting in proceeds totaling $52,166, the legislative resolution states, leaving a little in the kitty.

“This is based on safety,” O’Connell says. “These lifts are easier to use, more mobile and better for our workers.”

The new lifts, replacing aging equipment are good for single axle or tandem axle trucks as well as tractors, able to raise anything the county owns.

In other matters:

—Lawmakers authorized the purchase of one variable message board through the Department of Emergency Services.

Emergency Services was awarded grant dollars from the State Department of Homeland Security covering the $19,425 cost, including shipping.

The Ver-Mac PCMS-1500 is being bought from Traffic Lane Closures in Brewster, New York, following the required bidding process.

The unit is towable and can be utilized by all jurisdictions in Greene County as a, “deployable resource to strengthen emergency alert and

warning capabilities,” the legislative resolution states.

—Lawmakers, keeping with a longstanding tradition, authorized granting $40,000 to the Greene County Agricultural Society.

Those dollars are annually invested in continuation of the Greene County Youth Fair, the last free-of-admission fair of its kind in New York State.

“The fair’s origins trace back to 1949 when Alfred Partridge, leader of the Ashland Blue Ribbon 4-H Club, organized a small 4-H Club Fair,” their website states.

First held at the Sutton Hollow School in the mountaintop town of Ashland, the fair has steadily grown and is now held over four days in late July at Angelo Canna Park in the town of Cairo drawing thousands of visitors.

The fair celebrates agriculture, giving children the opportunity to showcase their projects to family, friends and the community.

“From these humble beginnings, the Greene County Youth Fair has grown into a vibrant celebration of youth and agriculture,” their website states.

—Lawmakers, and specifically legislature chairman Patrick Linger, okayed funding allocations for Department of Human Services Youth Bureau programming.

The funding flows from the NY State Office of Children, Youth and Family Services totaling $87,290 for Youth Development (YDP, $44,657), Sports and Education (SEF, $23,664), and Team Sports (TS, $18,969).

Funding is dispersed as follows:

—YDP  (Athens Cultural Arts Center $6,111.30, Boundless Arts $3,000, Cairo Summer Recreation $3,200, Common Ground Dispute Resolution. $5,000, Cornell Cooperative Extension $3,000, CREATE $5,537.59, 

Durham Summer Recreation $4,000, GC Youth Bureau Comm. Dev. $1,000, Greenville Library $2,280, YMCA, Healthy Kids, Enrichment & Fun with Friends) $2,928.60 and Town of Catskill Summer Recreation 8,599.51);

—SEF (Cairo Summer Recreation Sports Program $3,910, Durham Summer Swimming Program $5,000, Athens Recreation Association (Pool) $7,032 and Town of Hunter Mountaintop Youth Sports $7,722);

—TS (Pop Warner Football Cheerleaders $4,742, Coxsackie-Athens Little League $4,742, Greenville Soccer $4,743 and Catskill Little League $4,742).