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Wallkill Valley Times , Wednesday , May 10 , 2017
Walden to get new sidewalks
By Ted Remsnyder
Walden will soon be getting new sidewalks on State Route 208 between Route 52 and the Most Precious Blood School , as the Village Board approved a resolution at its meeting last Tuesday to appropriate $ 1,544,006 for the upcoming project . The village will be reimbursed for the funds through federal aid and the New York State Department of Transportation Marchiselli Program .
The village doesn ’ t have a timeline yet for the renovation of the sidewalks , as the project makes its way through the government approval process . “ It depends on the State of New York ,” Walden Mayor Susan Rumbold said . “ It hasn ’ t been done yet because it took so long for the paperwork to get processed .” Federal aid will cover 80 percent of the cost of the project .
Once completed , the sidewalk refurbishment should benefit the village both cosmetically and practically . “ The sidewalks are heaving ,” Rumbold said . “ There ’ s slate there now and we ’ re going to be replacing it with cement , as far as I know . They ’ re going to get bids for both the slate and for the cement . The state will only pay for the cement . If the village wants to do the slate , then we ’ d have to pay the difference between the cost of the cement and the slate .”
The May 2 council meeting began with a presentation from Dawn Ansbro , the Executive Director of the Orange County Film Office . Ansbro is making the rounds to local towns and villages to promote the agency ’ s efforts
Benedict farmhouse to be tested received from both the town ’ s planning board as well
Continued from page 1 as the Orange County Planning Board , ranging from a recommendation that certain setback requirements be increased , to the protection of areas designated as open space on clustered subdivision plans .
Town attorney Andrew Gilchrist noted that the local law also requires a “ decommissioning plan ” during the special permit application process and later , if approved , the operator has to file adequate security to make sure the decommissioning takes place .
Gilchrist said he would make the board ’ s changes and have the proposed law ready for their meeting on May 11 , 2017 , at which time the board could set a public hearing . improvements would need to be made to the small farmhouse , from fixing or replacing the aged wooden porch and plumbing , to making it handicapped accessible .
Hayes said the future of the farmhouse is still “ up in the air ” as it depends on how much they want to invest into it , what needs to be done following testing , and what can be done with it .
In other business , the board approved $ 3,000 for the excavation and repair of a chlorine tank at the sewer plant after a hole was found in the tank .
The town board also approved the memorandum of understanding for the police contract on Thursday , following an executive session . It provides for salary increases and changes to health insurance and weight differentials .
Supervisor Hayes stated that it took a little longer than expected ( they began working on it in the fall ) but overall it was fairly reasonable . The contract is in effect until December 31 , 2021 .
Montgomery tweaks solar law
As interest grows in harvesting solar energy , the Montgomery Town Board is working to get a local law in place that would regulate the “ installation and operation of all small-scale and utility-scale solar energy equipment systems .”
The board discussed comments and recommendations to draw more movie and television productions to the county . “ Walden is very film-friendly , so thank you for that ,” Ansbro told the board . “ It ’ s really a pleasure to work with you guys when it comes to film , and we ’ re always very happy to refer any film opportunities here .”
Gov . Andrew Cuomo signed legislation in November that sweetens the pot for companies interested in filming in a dozen upstate counties ( including Orange and Ulster ), as the bill boosts tax incentives from 30 percent to 40 percent so film productions can obtain tax rebates for their below-the-line costs . The program makes it enticing for studios to film in the region because they get a generous tax incentive on non-creative budget lines . The rebate increase is designed to attract union film productions to the area that might otherwise stick to New York City locations . “ It levels the playing field for us ,” Ansbro said .
The mission of the county film office , which is funded by the Orange County Industrial Development Agency , is to woo filmmakers interested in capturing the natural beauty of the Hudson Valley . By hosting productions , the village would also see a raft of new customers at local shops and restaurants when film crews descend on the area . “ Our goal is to encourage additional filmmaking to come to the county , so we ’ re promoting our locations , and we ’ re trying to promote our talent , our crew and our local businesses ,” Ansbro noted during the meeting . “ Any opportunities we have to connect them with the film industry we ’ re happy to do .”
Walden Library cutting services
The Josephine-Louise Public Library in Walden passed their budget Wednesday evening . Charlie Frank , who serves as president of the library ’ s board of trustees , advised the town board that the budget is under the state tax cap , however due to an increase in health care costs ( 12 %), insurance and other costs , they were forced to make some hard choices .
The library plans to cut 400 part-time staffing hours and decrease their book budget by $ 7,000 .
Frank said it was unfortunate they had to diminish their services even as the demand for them is increasing . He requested and received permission to display the library ’ s program posters in the lobby of the town hall , space permitting .
Police Blotter
WALDEN POLICE Victor Franco 25 of Middletown was charged April 24 with unlawful possession of marijuana . He is scheduled to appear in village court on May 10
Jude Thumann 35 of Walden was charged April 24 with trespass and criminal contempt 2nd . He was scheduled to appear in village court on April 26 .
Edwin Ortiz 30 of Pine Bush was charged April 26 with strangulation 2nd . He was arraigned and remanded to Orange County Jail .
Jeremy Doran 37 of Walden was charged April 26 with unlawful possession of marijuana . He is scheduled to appear in village court on May 24 .
Darryn Deans 21 of Walden was charged April 27 with criminal mischief 3rd and resisting arrest . He was arraigned in village court and remanded to Orange County Jail .
Joseph Williams 26 of Wallkill was charged May 1with trespass . He is scheduled to appear in village court on May 24 .
Princess Dickson 30 of Montgomery was charged May 3 with aggravated unlicensed operation 3rd and expired inspection . She is scheduled to appear in village court on June 14 .
A 19 year old male of Walden was charged May 4 with 2 counts of sexual misconduct / intercourse without consent . He was arraigned in village court .
Angela Smith 49 of Beacon was charged May 5 with operating a motor vehicle with suspended registration , operate a motor vehicle by unlicensed driver and use of a portable electronic device . She is scheduled to appear in village court on May 10 .
Priscilla Erazo 22 of Walden was charged May 7 with reckless endangerment 2nd and endangering the welfare of a child . She was arraigned and is scheduled to appear in village court on May 24 .
TOWN OF CRAWFORD POLICE
Michael Pondi , 19 , of Pine Bush was charged with driving with ability impaired by drugs , unlawful possession of Marijuana . He was issued traffic tickets and an appearance ticket to appear in Town Court on May 2 .
Michael Pilgrene , 26 , of Bloomingburg , was charged May 3 with robbery in the 3rd Degree and Assault in the third degree . He was arraigned in town court and remanded to Orange County Jail on $ 5,000 cash bail pending a future court date .
Jon Buckley , 52 , of Bloomingburg , was charged May 4 with : Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle 1st , Driving While Intoxicated and BAC greater than . 08 . He was released on $ 200 cash bail to appear in Town Court on June 6 .
Ariel Harvey , 28 , of Newburgh , was charged May 6 with Suspended Vehicle Registration . She was released to appear in Town Court on June 5 .
TOWN OF SHAWANGUNK POLICE
Jocelyne G . Tacuri , – 20 of Elizabeth NJ was charged Unlawful Possession of Marijuana and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance on April 30 and was released and is to appear in Shawangunk Justice Court on May 15 .
Latisha A . Taylor , 18 of Elizabeth NJ was charged Unlawful Possession on April 30 and was released and is to appear in Shawangunk Justice Court on May 15 .
William J . Maldondo , 21 , of Elizabeth , NJ , was charged Unlawful Possession on April 30 and was released and is to appear in Shawangunk Justice Court on May 15 .
Derick J . Salgado , 21 of Staten Island was charged with Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle and a moving violations on April 30 and was released and is to appear in Shawangunk Justice Court on May 15 .