MORE LEGISLATURE STUFF - Mixing Mundanity and Merriment

CATSKILL - Amid the merriment that is the holiday season, the mundane must also be attended to by the Greene County Legislature.

Lawmakers, at a recent meeting, approved multiple resolutions including a measure amending the term of office on the county Ethics Board from a maximum of two consecutive 3-year terms to three, 3-year terms.  

Unlike many other entities struggling to find personnel, the motivation for the change is keeping the people already in the fold.

“It was brought up by [lawmaker Thomas Hobart]” (District 2, Coxsackie), legislature chairman Patrick Linger says.

“We have some very responsive and neutral members and want to give them, and anyone, an opportunity to stay longer, if they choose.”

The Ethics Board has three appointed members, one each representing the Democratic and Republican parties and one with no political affiliation.

In a similar action, lawmakers agreed to beseech Governor Kathy Hochul and other New York State government leaders to raise the age limit regarding police officers.

The local resolution states that, “police departments in Greene County and across New York State are understaffed and struggling with recruitment due to restrictive age requirements.

“Senate Bill S.8421 and Assembly Bill A.8949-A have been introduced in the State Legislature to increase the age of eligibility for provisional or permanent appointment of certain police officers from 35 to 40.”

Greene County has determined the twin bills, “will help open up recruitment opportunities for individuals, not just in Greene County but all across New York State.”

These potential candidates, even with the five-year extension, would be “capable of performing the duties of a police officer, serving and protecting the safety and welfare of {State] citizens.

Copies of the appeal will also be sent to Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie, State Senator Michelle Hinckey, Assemblyman Chris Tague and NYSAC (New York State Association of Counties).

Moving on to monetary matters, lawmakers declared a county-owned property at 370 Mansion Street in the town of Coxsackie “no longer necessary for public use.”

Further, the measure authorizes sale of the one-acre lot to the highest bidder, setting a minimum reserve price of $400,000.

The land, which includes a building, was purchased in January, 2020, as a temporary detainee holding and processing center for the county jail.

At that time, the new jail had been closed due to its deteriorated condition, awaiting the construction of the new jail, along Route 9W in Coxsackie, completed in the fall of 2021 at what is now known as Haverly Drive.

Haverly Drive, serving as the jail’s main entryway, pays tribute to deputy sheriff Kevin Haverly who died while on duty in the winter of 2017.

The 26-year-old Haverly was returning to base at the end of his midnight shift, around 6:15 a.m., when his patrol SUV swerved off the road and struck a utility pole in the mountaintop town of Ashland.

Haverly, formerly a Corrections Officer, had served with the county sheriff's office for four years, at the time leaving behind his wife and three children.

Lawmakers awarded bids for the printing of the 2025 Greene County Travel Guide and Vacation Maps, having earlier advertised for bids in the county’s official newspapers, the Mountain Eagle and Times Union.

The lowest responsible bidder was Lure Creative Design, based in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, for an amount not to exceed $64,007.43.

Breaking it down further, the 64 G’s covers 85,00 Travel Guides and 20,000 Vacation Maps with ten bids offered overall, ranging from the Lure Creative awarded submission to a high of $115,000.

Lawmakers received three bids for the removal of refuse at several county facilities, awarding the job to County Waste, based in Clifton Park, for a recurring monthly fee at the following locations:

—Buildings & Grounds Lower Lot in Catskill ($519.60), County Office Building in Cairo ($194.85), County Sheriff and Jail ($259.80);

County Sheriff and Jail, (Recycle, $155.88), Rivertown Department for the Aging Nutrition Site in Athens ($259.80);

Rivertown Department for the Aging Nutrition Site in Athens (Recycle, $77.94), Department for the Aging Nutrition Site in Coxsackie ($75), Department for the Aging Nutrition Site in Catskill ($75)

Emergency Services Fire Training Center in Cairo ($75…$225 to empty plus $130 per ton (as needed), Catskill Point in Catskill ($259.80).

Greene County Buildings and Grounds superintendent Craig Seaburg recommended the awarding, noting the per month total is $1,952.67, showing an increase of $316.09 from a year ago.

And lawmakers authorized the county highway department to enter into an agreement with CDM Smith for rehabilitation of the Platte Clove Bridge, spanning the Plattekill Creek in the town of Hunter.

CDM Smith, based in Latham, will be paid a sum not to exceed $208,858 for engineering design services on the historic, architecturally stunning overpass, a federally and locally funded project.