Mid Hudson Times Feb. 14 2018 | Page 4

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Mid Hudson Times , Wednesday , February 14 , 2018

Road closure expected in early June

The busy intersection at Gardnertown Road and Gidney Avenue . The intersection will get a traffic light with the completion of nearby Gardnertown Commons .

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The project will include new railings and the reconstruction of approaches along Gardnertown Road and Gidney Avenue . The engineering firm of Clough , Harbour and Associates will design and oversee construction for the project .

The project is estimated to cost $ 937,000 . Eighty percent of the project is being paid for with funding from the New York State Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration , said Piaquadio . “ Twenty percent will come from the town highway budget ,” he said .

The town held a public information meeting for the project on Jan . 10 . “ Some people said they felt the town

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executive . “ These sales-tax numbers show that .”

Shortly after Neuhaus finished speaking , the firehouse alarm began to wail . Four firefighters geared up , in what seemed to be seconds flat , and sped off in a fire engine .

Paid for through a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response ( SAFER ) grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency , the 12 positions are funded through the end of July .

Citing the high cost of mandated work on water and sewer infrastructure , among other expenses , the city recently passed a Spartan 2018 budget that raised taxes on businesses and skipped funding for the positions . The budget also cut the fire department ’ s overtime budget by about half .

County Legislator James O ’ Donnell described the county sales-tax surplus as a fortunate “ windfall ” for county municipalities , including the city . “ It ’ s critical that those 12 firefighter positions are funded ,” he said . was doing all this to help the developer of Gardnertown Commons ,” the town supervisor said , referring to the housing project under construction nearby on Gardnertown Road . “ This rebuilding of the bridge had nothing to do with the developer . It was washed out many years ago and it needs to be replaced .”

Farrell Building Company will install a traffic light at the corner of Gardnertown Road and Gidney Avenue during construction of the housing project , Piaquadio said .

A final design is almost complete for the bridge project , Piaquadio said , but the town still needs to obtain an easement for the north side of the bridge . The town will monitor traffic flow during the road closure this summer , he said .

County asks city to use surplus sales-tax funds to keep firefighters

“ Those positions have a ripple effect outside of the City of Newburgh with other fire departments ,” he said , referring to mutual aid . “ You lose 12 positions , it ’ s not just the City of Newburgh , it ’ s the Town of Newburgh , it ’ s the Town of New Windsor , its every other town in Orange County .”

City Manager Michael Ciaravino , who was present at the event , stopped short of promising to use the money to save all 12 positions . “ We have a ton of competing priorities ,” Ciaravino said . “ We have to run it by the city council ,” but the funds will be “ considered strongly ” to save the positions , he said .

The surplus money is “ potentially good news for short-term funding ,” Ciaravino said , noting the money would cover the positions for several months only . “ We need to recognize a long-term , sustainable plan ,” he said , to secure the positions in the future .

Acting city Fire Chief Terry Ahlers said the city fire department would apply for another SAFER grant this spring .

In Brief

Man sentenced for running down gas station attendant

A Newburgh man was sentenced by Orange County Court Judge Craig Stephen Brown on Thursday to one and one-third to four years in state prison for a June 30 , 2017 incident in which he ran down a gas station employee killing him .

Milton Galdamez-Pena , 22 , pled guilty to the November 15 , 2017 felony of leaving the scene of an incident without reporting it . He admitted that about 4:30 p . m . on June 30 , he drove a car over the employee , Jaspal Singh , 21 , at the Shell gas station at 405 Broadway .

After Galdamez-Pena drove over the victim , police said he placed the car in reverse and backed over him . He then got out of the vehicle , looked at the severely injured man , and drove away without reporting the incident .

At the time of the sentencing , prosecutors recommended that he be given two and one-third to seven years in state prison .

Newburgh Man charged in January shooting

A Newburgh man is under arrest on charges of assault in a January 7 early morning shooting near 42 Liberty Street at the Untouchables Bar . The victim , who was shot in the leg , was transported to St . Luke ’ s Cornwall Hospital Newburgh campus where police said he was uncooperative . Tyshuon Patterson , 33 , was also charged with two counts of criminal possession of a weapon .

On Thursday , February 8 at 5:30 in the morning , a Newburg SWAT team executed a no-knock search warrant on apartments at 101 Overlook Place . A handgun and other evidence was recovered .

The shooting triggered the Newburgh City Police Shot Spotter program with investigators immediately jumping into action .

The case was investigated by the grant-funded Non-Fatal Shooting Task Force headed by a Newburgh city detective , Orange County District Attorney investigator and a dedicated crime analyst assisted by a city detective .

New Windsor extends Cold War Veterans ’ tax exemption

Cold War veterans will now have a permanent property tax exemption in the Town of New Windsor .

Until now , the exemption had to be renewed periodically by the town , but state law has changed that to make the exemption permanent .

In New Windsor , more than 70 town property owners are receiving the exemption .

To qualify , a homeowner must use the property for primary residential purposes and have been honorably discharged from service during the time period of 1945 to 1991 .