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Mid Hudson Times, Wednesday, January 23, 2019
Town honors EMTs, celebrates 2018
I n B rief
West End Fire Station
remediation approved
L - r: Police Chief Bruce Campbell, Officer Julia Haight, Officer Connor Stenglein, EMT Brian Pilus, Town Supervisor Gil Piaquadio
By LAUREN BERG
At the conclusion of the Town of Newburgh’s annual
reorganization meeting January 14, Town Supervisor
Gil Piaquadio shared the town’s list of accomplishments
from 2018.
In addition to concluding the year with a 2019 budget
that abides by the state’s 2% property tax cap, and
maintaining a Moody AA-2 rating, the town was able to
acquire several grants for town projects. Three grant
writers were hired this past year, and as a result the town
qualified for several grants, including a grant covering
the installation of a new water main at Colden Park for
$25,000.
The town also negotiated with the New York City
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to receive $1.8
million dollars towards improvements at Chadwick
Lake’s filter plant. The board approved the purchase
of property around Chadwick Lake to help continue to
protect the town watershed.
When a tornado hit the town in May, causing the deaths
of two Newburgh residents, the highway department,
police department, and volunteer ambulance core and
firefighters helped get the majority of the power back on
and roads reopened within three days. This with the help
of the National Guard, the Governor’s office, and New
York State Office of Transportation.
The town police department added six new officers
to the force this past year, promoting several officers,
as well as adding a bomb-detection canine unit. Also,
accident reports can now be found and requested on the
town of Newburgh’s online home page, at the cost of five
dollars.
Additional improvements included the passage of
a sign law regulating the use of signage in the town,
specifically on utility poles.
“Making our town look a little bit better, like it should,”
commented Piaquadio.
Finally, Piaquadio added that the Rockefeller Christmas
tree this year had come from the town of Newburgh.
“The town board will continue to strive to improve
the quality of life for our residents, and to provide the
necessary services while keeping our tax increases to a
minimum,” concluded Piaquadio.
“I want to thank all of our employees, because with
them we’re kind of overseers and advisors looking to
protect our residents. But without them in the trenches
every single day, we would be a lacking town. So I thank
all of the employees,” said councilwoman Betty Greene.
Specifically, councilman Paul Ruggiero thanked a
town resident for donating a new washing machine to
the town’s animal shelter. The town Animal Control
department entirely operates off of donations made by
town residents.
Improvements for 2019 include digitizing the Freedom
of Information Law process, currently fulfilled manually
with paper documents, which would greatly expediate
the process. In the next few months the town will work
to begin accepting credit cards, and hopefully get a grant
to scan all of the documents kept in the offices, which
include birth certificates, marriage licenses, and death
certificates that go as far back as 1880.
The town is also looking to fill an opening on the Ethics
Board and for the position of Town Historian in the near
future.
“These accomplishments weren’t just me,” stated
Piaquadio. “It has to do with all town employees, because
of their talent and dedication.”
Also at the town of Newburgh’s Jan 14 meeting,
the town board presented sergeant Theodore Brucato,
officers Julia Haight and Connor Stenglein, and EMTs
Brian Pilus and Eric Chatfield with Life Saving Awards.
These officers and EMTs were first responders to a
call on November 1, 2018 at a hotel off of 9W. A newborn
baby was found abandoned in a hotel room toilet, not
breathing. The first responders were able to provide
first aid and get the infant breathing, which was then
transported to St. Luke’s Hospital. The baby is reportedly
doing well.
Town Supervisor Gil Piaquadio presented the
officers and EMTs who were present with the awards,
commenting, “When you save an infant on the first day of
his life, you saved an entire lifetime, and I cannot thank
you enough.”
The West End Fire Station in the City of
Newburgh will be back in business sooner
than anticipated. Last Monday, City Council
unanimously passed a resolution to pay $30,785
to ACA Environmental Services for asbestos
remediation. The work is anticipated to take three
days to complete once all the necessary paperwork
is filed and complete.
“Once the documents are signed and they can
file their paperwork the work can be done, so
within two to three weeks they will be complete,”
said Jason Morris, City of Newburgh Engineer.
“This was the biggest obstruction to reoccupying
the firehouse, there are some other outstanding
issues related to other environmental concerns in
the building so the city staff is working with the
fire department to get through those issues.”
The remediation comes after the West End
Fire House was evacuated in September 2018
due to the discovery of asbestos. The displaced
firefighters were supposed to inhabit the Good
Will Fire Station in October, but after months
of negotiations with the city, a contract for the
temporary use of the space was never agreed on.
The firefighters are currently at 22 Grand
Street doubling their response times to fires in
some cases.
“Anything beyond the West End Fire Station
is an additional five minutes,” said Acting Fire
Chief Terry Ahlers. “Everything is coming uphill,
everytime the truck has to stop it takes time to get
back up to speed.”
Ahlers is excited to get the station running
again to get the proper service back to the west
end of the city.
- Katelyn Cordero
New Windsor Clerk office
to be open Saturday
Town of New Windsor Town Clerk, Deborah
Green and Receiver of Taxes, Susan Scheible
announce that their offices will be open on
Saturday, January 26, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon for
the convenience of those who can not get to the
Town Hall during normal business hours, 8:30
a.m.. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
In the Town Clerk’s office a Notary Public will
be available, E-Z Pass tags can be purchased, and
various licenses can be obtained i.e. Marriage
license, dog license, hunting and fishing licenses,
and handicap parking permits.
Receiver of Taxes Scheible, also a Notary Public,
will be open for the purpose of collecting 2019
County and Town Property Tax Payments.