New Tannersville Administration Holds First Public Sessions

TANNERSVILLE – The setting was familiar, but there were several new faces at the Village of Tannersville's April 7 regular board meeting — the first to be held under the newly elected administration.

The meeting marked the return of Mayor Lee McGunnigle, who reclaimed the office after losing his previous term by just one vote in 2023 to David Schneider. In the recent election, McGunnigle defeated former Deputy Mayor David Kashman for the mayoral role.

Three new village trustees were also present: Kody Leach, Rebecca Fitting, and Gil Adler. In one of David Schneider's final official acts as mayor, he swore in Leach. Although Leach lost his election bid, Schneider appointed him to fill the vacant seat of Trustee Greg Thorpe, who resigned just one day after the election. Former Trustee Dylan Legg chose not to seek re-election.

Early in the meeting, Mayor McGunnigle motioned to approve village vouchers, which passed without issue.

McGunnigle then addressed the ongoing hydrant flushing in the Village, which is temporarily affecting water quality. The final day of flushing was April 22. "The main consideration is the school," McGunnigle said, emphasizing his efforts to minimize disruption to residents. Trustee Fitting expressed concern over the timing of the flushing during the Easter holiday, but McGunnigle stood by the schedule. Hydrant flushing will be over by a few days when this article goes to print.

A bid to repair the Village's skid steer was approved, followed by updates on the Upper Lake Park redevelopment project. McGunnigle reported that the project — funded by a $1.3 million grant through the $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI), which he had helped secure with the Hunter Foundation — is once again underway. So far, $236,000 of the grant has been disbursed, with more than $808,000 still pending.

Blue Spruce Nursery, the project contractor, has resumed work, and the mayor and village officials plan to meet with Studio A, the project's engineers, to ensure the work meets specifications. McGunnigle noted a potential issue with concrete poured at the end of last year's construction phase.

Originally, part of the $1.3 million grant was intended to pave the entrance road to Rip Van Winkle Lake's Upper Lake Park. However, McGunnigle said rising construction costs have made that goal difficult to achieve within budget. "We took some of the sidewalk conductivity funds from the DRI and added them to the upper lake project," he explained. "This is going to happen this summer."

He hoped that paving, lighting, and overall park improvements would be completed in time for summer visitors and residents to enjoy the space. He added that working with the state to streamline the award and review process would be key to opening the park on schedule. "This DRI project was supposed to revitalize Tannersville," McGunnigle said, "and we cannot have this turn into a bureaucracy that doesn't do what it was intended to do."

McGunnigle's comments reflect his campaign criticisms of the previous administration's project handling. The Schneider administration had paused certain initiatives, citing delays from the state — something Schneider publicly attributed to state-level procrastination rather than local issues.

Looking ahead, McGunnigle said he hoped the Tompkins Street and South Main Street entrances to the park would be completed by summer. Planned improvements include road widening and new sidewalks to ensure "safe access to this park" for all.

The mayor also introduced the Village Municipal Solar Project, which will bring solar power to municipal buildings including Village Hall and the RVW Lake Tanners Boathouse. The project's accepted bid was $497,000, and McGunnigle proudly noted it came in under budget, leaving about $40,000 in surplus. He said he's in talks with Hudson Valley Solar about using the extra funds for additional panels.

Although the solar initiative is not a matching grant — meaning the Village must front the full amount before reimbursement by the state — McGunnigle said he is exploring creative financing options to cover the gap and avoid passing interest costs on taxpayers. As a precaution, he introduced a bond resolution, which passed unanimously.

McGunnigle appointed Trustees George Kelly and Kody Leach as park commissioners to improve communication between the Board and the public on the Upper Lake Park project. McGunnigle named Fitting and clerk Robin Dumont in charge of events. He also named Kelly as the new Deputy Mayor.

"Thank you for the opportunity," Kelly said. "I hope to prove myself well."

McGunnigle's Board approved a motion for 17 new streetlights on Tompkins Street, Park Lane, and Spring Street in the Village due to a "historic outcry" for safer lighting, according to McGunnigle. The new street lights will be LED lighting. 

McGunnigle then brought up the Village's Sewer Law, which was recently amended back to 250 feet from a residence from 100 feet. The 100-foot law curtailed development on several parcels in the Village. McGunnigle said he was approached by the head of the NYC DEP to discuss any changes in this law before they go into effect. McGunnigle says the meeting with DEP will be in late May at the latest.

The next Village Board Meeting is at 5:30 pm on May 8 at 1 Park Lane.