Wallkill Valley Times Dec. 23 2015

TIMES WALLKILL VALLEY Vol. 33, No 51 3 WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2015 Gingerbread Houses December golf Page 36 Page 37 A proposed goat farm on East Searsville Road may soon be able to construct a 100foot wind turbine under an exemption granted by state law. According to Town of Montgomery Zoning Board of Appeals, if the turbine is for a farming operation, the proposal does not need their approval, or the planning board’s approval. Instead, the applicant gets to skip the usual process and go straight to the building inspector. Neighbors of the project made their opinions quite clear during the public hearing on Monday. $1 www.WallkillValleyTimes.net Windmill fate rests with inspector By RACHEL COLEMAN 3 “We don’t want it there, period,” said Jeff Donnellon, of East Searsville Road, adding that by allowing one couple in the neighborhood to build a 100-foot tower, the zoning board was not looking out for the “greater good” of the community. A variety of concerns have been Continued on page 2 The magic of model trains GARY M. AYD Robert Sandbothe displays his model train collection, Saturday, at Walden’s Josephine-Louise Public Library. For many of us, the trains help rekindle childhood memories. Story on page 2. Walden strengthens parking laws By TED REMSNYDER Motorists considering illegally parking in a handicapped spot or fire zone in the Village of Walden better think twice after the Board of Trustees took the first step in strengthening the village’s parking laws at its bi-monthly meeting on Dec. 15th. The board unanimously adopted a local law last Tuesday that will allow easier enforcement of handicapped parking regulations by village police. State law currently makes it difficult for police to target small strip malls and give out tickets for parking in a handicapped space or designated fire zone. The law passed by the board aims to close that loophole. “Presently, the Village Code could be interpreted to address handicapped parking on only certain specific public streets,” the new legislation, which is effective immediately, reads. “This Local Law gives the Village of Walden Police Department the authority to enforce handicapped parking violations in circumstances wherever a designated handicapped parking space is required by law.” The first conviction for parking illegally in a handicapped spot will earn the offender a maximum fine of $100 or a 15-day prison stint, with the penalties escalating from there for repeat abusers of the law. The board also discussed the possibility of adopting a local law that would allow for simpler enforcement of fire zone parking infractions, but small changes to the law required an additional public comment session at the board’s next meeting on Jan. 5th before the law could be passed. Deputy Mayor Sean Hoffman, Continued on page 5 SERVING CRAWFORD, GARDINER, MAYBROOK, MONTGOMERY, PINE BUSH, SHAWANGUNK, WALDEN AND WALLKILL