T IMES
WALLKILL VALLEY
Vol. 35, No 19 3 WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, 2017
The major renovation of the Wallkill
Bridge is on track for this summer, as
Ulster County Legislature Chairman
Kenneth Ronk informed the Shawangunk
Town Board at its May 4 meeting that
the county hopes to begin construction
on July 1. The bridge could be closed
through the end of the year, as Ronk
noted that the project has morphed from
a regular rehabilitation to a larger job
that will widen the bridge and include a
concrete deck. The county bridge project
comes with a projected price tag of $2.2
million, and the D.A. Collins Construction
Company of Saratoga Springs will handle
the bridge work.
The project will include the installation
of an ADA sidewalk on the bridge, new
railings and the addition of decorative
lighting posts. As part of the construction,
a new water pipe will be installed, and
the Shawangunk board voted during the
meeting to appropriate $85,000 from the
Wallkill water district to pay for that
facet of the project. “When you go across
the bridge there’s a water pipe on the
ONE DOLLAR
Art show
winners Relay team
gets results
Page 24 Page 46
www .W allkill V alley T imes . net
Bridge project back on schedule
By TED REMSNYDER
3
sidewalk, and that’s the water district’s
pipe that services the houses on the other
side,” Shawangunk Supervisor John Valk
said. “They’re going to put that down
below, and the cost of the new pipe and
the installation, the Wallkill water district
has to bear the cost.”
Only the residents within the water
district will foot the bill for the new pipe,
which will be installed by the contractor,
with the cost being reimbursed by the
district. The town decided to use an eight-
Continued on page 5
Senior Citizens Day
Robert Curtis/Ulster BOCES
Crispell Middle School Grade 8 National Junior Honor Society student Ani Licata assists senior citizens Kathy Strock and Olivia Duerr with their
cell phones during Senior Citizens Day on April 28. Story on page 25.
Benedict
farmhouse
to be tested
By RACHEL COLEMAN
The aging farmhouse at Benedict
Farm Park in Montgomery will undergo
testing for asbestos and lead, as part of
an effort to preserve the structure.
At their meeting last week, the
Montgomery Town Board discussed
the report from Above Grade Home
Inspections, which recommended the
move after identifying possible issues
with tiles, paint and the basement.
The board agreed unanimously
to move forward with the testing for
asbestos and lead, which entails having
Above Grade send samples out to a lab.
Supervisor Mike Hayes explained
after the meeting that if either is found,
a remediation plan will be the next step.
If not, the board then moves on to a
decision on what to do with the building.
Possible uses include a community
center, rental property or base of
operations for the town’s recreation
department.
Hayes does not anticipate putting
employees into the structure, noting that
the building adjoining town hall still
remains vacant (offering more than 8,000
square feet).
He added that while the board agreed
to hire a part-time recreation attendant
following their executive session, the
town does not need the house for their
recreation department. The town does
not have a large recreation program as
they contract with the villages for those
services.
Regardless of the use, various
Continued on page 4
SERVING CRAWFORD, GARDINER, MAYBROOK, MONTGOMERY, PINE BUSH, SHAWANGUNK, WALDEN AND WALLKILL