Wallkill Valley Times Aug. 16 2017 | Page 3

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Wallkill Valley Times, Wednesday, August 16, 2017
Shawangunk seeks to honor Stewart Crowell
By MELANIE ZERAH
The Shawangunk Town Board
addressed multiple road projects and the
construction and naming of the Wallkill
Bridge.
Present at the August 9 meeting was
Ulster County Legislature Ken Ronk
Jr. who shared his thoughts that the
new Walkill Bridge, presently under
construction, should be named for
Stewart Crowell.
“After we have this bridge we can all
be proud of, I believe we should name it,”
Ronk said. “He was an amazing man who
lived in this town his whole life, and had
dedicated his life to serving the town.”
Ronk said that Crowell was
instrumental in many of the projects that
had been completed in the village such
as a used book shop for the town library
and the placement of a thrift shop. Kroll
also had operated a farmers market at a
financial loss just so the town could enjoy
a local market. The profits he did make
were donated to the town food pantry.
“The way I describe Stewart to people
who didn’t know him is that he died
trying to bring unity to this hamlet,”
Ronk said.
Crowell, a former teacher in the
Newburgh School District, served on the
Bank merger completed
Board of Trustees of The Wallkill Public
Library, the Shawangunk/Gardiner
Historical Society, and the Wallkill Valley
Federal Savings & Loan. He was also
appointed to the Collections/Historic
Houses Committee of the Huguenot
Historical Society in New Paltz. Stewart
volunteered for the Meals on Wheels
Program. He died in February 2014 at the
age of 72.
On behalf of Ulster County, Ronk asked
for a resolution from the town board
recommending the naming of the bridge,
which would precede a public hearing in
Kingston regarding the matter.
The board then unanimously passed
the resolution Ronk had requested. The
public hearing for the naming will be
held sometime in October, according to
Ronk, to name the bridge when it opens
in November.
Brian
Ackley,
homeowner
in
Shawangunk since 2009 expressed a
number of concerns he had with the
number of crosswalks in the town. He
shared his concurrence with acting on
the desire to make a “more salable and
business friendly” hamlet.
Ackley felt that there should be
crosswalks past the library going towards
Wallkill Avenue, and at the corner of
Main Street across Wallkill Avenue to
the Wallkill Valley Savings and Loan.
Ankles also asked the board to speak in
regard to the roads and sewage lines on
Second Street, Third Street and Buena
Vista where he felt the town has paid little
attention.
Town of Shawangunk Supervisor John
Valk Jr. said there had been plans to
repave these roads, but a considerable
amount of delays occurred due to the
rainy summer. He believes repaving will
begin in September at the earliest. Valk
also said that there had been work done
on the sewage lines, which had impacted
residents because of the placement of
catch basins, which may have caused
some disturbance to sewage during
construction.
Ronk also explained the complications
with adding crosswalks, due to parking
issues and traffic. However, he explained
that these concerns have been in the
attention of board members and himself,
as they are looking to explore ways of
mitigating traffic and pedestrian crossing.
Towards the end of the meeting, the
board resolved that Richard Barnhart will
serve the remainder of former planning
board member Heather Post’s term.
CELEBRATING 85 YEARS
E T H A N A L L E N E ST. 1 9 3 2
With all necessary regulatory
approvals received, Wallkill Valley
Federal Savings & Loan has officially
acquired Hometown Bank of the
Hudson Valley. The transaction closed
on Friday, August 11 and systems
conversion having taken place the
weekend of August 12, 2017.
The acquisition began back in
December of 2016 when both the
Wallkill Valley Federal Savings & Loan
Association and Hometown Bank of
the Hudson Valley signed a definitive
merger agreement.
At closing, the merged institution is
expected to have $320 million in assets,
$268 million in gross loans, and $256
million in deposits, with eight branches
in Orange and Ulster counties. The
merger means that Wallkill Valley
Federal Savings & Loan, which was
established in 1913, acquires branch
locations in Montgomery, Otisville,
Monroe and Walden, in addition
to its existing branches in Wallkill,
Maybrook, Milton and Highland Falls.
To kick off the merger, Wallkill Valley
Federal Savings & Loan is launching
a new campaign entitled, “We’re Your
Biggest Fan.”
Hometown Bank of the Hudson
Valley was established in 1919 as the
Walden Federal Savings and Loan
Association. It was renamed Hometown
bank of the Hudson Valley in 2011.
Michael Horodyski , Bank president
and CEO of Wallkill Valley Federal
Savings & Loan is excited to make their
community bank even stronger.
“The additional branch network in
Orange County will help expand our
presence while also making it much
more convenient for our neighbors to
experience our unique style of banking.
Together, we are stronger,” Horodyski
said. “We encourage all of the residents
to stop into our convenient locations
and see what it means when a bank
puts community first.”
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