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Wallkill Valley Times , Wednesday , November 23 , 2016
Shawangunk appoints new highway superintendent
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LoCicero was elected to the post earlier this month and would normally take the helm in January , but the board felt it made more sense to get him into the department as soon as possible , ahead of weather .
After taking care of a few last duties , Deputy Highway Superintendent Jim Barrett will be leaving the department in the hands of LoCicero .
Barrett attended the meeting on Thursday , taking the opportunity to thank the capable men that he worked with that were “ more than qualified ” to do all the work that needed to be done and who made his job a “ memorable experience .”
Town board members thanked Barrett for stepping into the responsibilities earlier in the year .
“ You were a good manager ,” said Town Councilman Adrian Dewitt . “ I commend you for it . You did great .”
The board voted to approve using some contingency funds to cover Barrett ’ s time to the end of the year handling a last few highway superintendent duties , for a total of ten hours at $ 25 per hour .
LoCicero will serve at the post for one year , finishing the interrupted two-year term won by former Highway Superintendent Ed Byrne last year . The position will be
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Blasko , “ but education , police visibility , and enforcement reduced accidents . We ’ re getting the message out about safe driving .
Education through schools and social media increased , as did police patrols and enforcement . Also important were new traffic control devices , he said , placed near Crispell Middle School on Route 302 and near Pine Bush Elementary School on Ulsterville Rd ..
“ Speed sensors work more times than not in getting people to reduce their speed without police patrols ,” said Dan McCann , Town of Crawford coordinator for safety and security .
The sensor displays the speed of an approaching car , and a flashing light at the center indicates when the car is speeding .
“ People don ’ t realize how fast they ’ re going ,” said McCann .
At about $ 1300 each , he said , the town had received a grant for one unit from the Safe Routes to Schools program through the Federal Highway Administration .
Blasko said police had also been doing more traffic back on the ballot in 2017 .
In other business , the board noted that the Ulster County Commissioner of Public Works has closed the Shawangunk Lake Bridge on Shawangunk Lake Road . It will be closed to all traffic for the removal and replacement of the deck and existing floor-system . The notice of the closure came just a week before it went into effect .
Supervisor John Valk also announced that the town has closed on 95 Viola Street , one of two properties that have been in limbo since they were damaged by severe flooding after two hurricanes swept the area in 2011 .
The parcel now belongs to the town of Shawangunk and Supervisor Valk said the town hopes to complete the demolition of the home within the next six weeks , if the weather will permit . A closing is now being sought for the second parcel . The holidays are almost here and members of the town board , along with other town officials , are putting together a holiday luncheon for members of the Wallkill and Walker Valley Senior Clubs . This is an annual event the town officials fund themselves as private citizens . Members of these senior clubs are encouraged to attend the event at the town hall on Dec . 7 at noon .
Conflict questions and code enforcement
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Hembury said of the conflict between the building inspector and the Lucianos , “ The board is happy with his actions and what he ’ s enforced . When enforcing the law , you don ’ t make friends . If behavior is a problem , we ’ ll address that . But when the whole neighborhood comes out , you have to address the situation . If there ’ s a problem , it goes to the village court .”
However , although many people had attended the board meeting when the Lucianos ’ next door neighbors , the Hortons , presented their concerns , Luciano said she had looked up the addresses of attendees who signed in , and only two , other than the Hortons , were from the neighborhood .
As for allegations that Yancewicz had offered to perform work in the village , Hembury said , “ The board thought that was a conflict of interest . If complaints are brought to the board , we ’ ll take action .”
The court date for the village case against the Lucianos is December 5 , at 6 p . m , Brescia said .
Crawford budget again falls below tax cap
enforcement near Routes 302 and 52 , including vigilance about whether drivers yield to pedestrians .
But asked by a board meeting attendee whether police increased enforcement with pedestrians , Blasko said , “ We ’ re not at that level .”
As for why arrests overall increased 30 percent . from 149 last year to 214 this year in the first ten months , Blasko said the results did not necessarily reflect a “ glaring area ” of crime increase , but rather multiple dynamics , including better communication between police agencies .
“ Calls for service are down , but warrant arrests are up from other counties ,” he said . “ There ’ s more proactive policing , less investigation . There are more DWI arrests , traffic warrants , and drug traffic arrests .”
Among recent proactive strategies has been the placement of a new drug drop-off box at Crawford Police Department , Blasko said . Since its installation on June 21 , they have collected over 200 pounds of drugs , Blasko said .
“ We get unused medicines from cabinets , so they ’ re not targets ,” he said .
Police Blotter
Town of Crawford
Jeffrey Weronick , 46 , of Montgomery , charged Nov . 6 , with : Criminal Mischief in the 4th Degree and Harassment 2nd . During an dispute defendant is alleged to have damaged property and harassed others . He was arraigned in Town Court and remanded to Orange County Jail on $ 5,000 cash bail to return to Town Court on December 6 .
Nathan Raven , 46 , Middletown was charged Nov . 7 , with : harassment in the 2nd degree and endangering the welfare of a child . He was arraigned in Town Court and released and to return to Town Court on December 6 .
Christopher Bartko , 38 , Middletown was charged Nov . 12 with Harassment 2nd and Disorderly Conduct . . He was released to appear in Town Court on November 15 .
Town of Montgomery Police
Phillip M . Young , 19 , was charged Nov . 20 , with criminal possession of a forged instrument 3rd , assault in the second degree , resisting arrest , Driving While Intoxicated And Driving While Ability Impaired .
Samer S . Tahabsem , 34 , was charged Nov . 17 with menacing , stalking in the third degree , harassment first degree and trespass .
Christopher Edward Barrett was charged Nov . 16 , with grand larceny 4th ( exceeds $ 1,000 ), criminal possession of stolen property 5th and criminal trespass 3rd .
Joseph F . Dinsmore , 56 was charged Nov . 15 , with stalking in the fourth degree .
Patrick L . Harold , 32 was arrested Nov . 14 on a bench warrant and charged with aggravated unlicensed operation 3rd degree .
Ulster County Sheriff
Members of the Ulster County Sheriff ’ s Office report the arrest of Michael M . Downes , 46 , of Wallkill .
Downes was charged with the misdemeanors of Driving While Intoxicated , Driving While Intoxicated with a Blood Alcohol Content in Excess of 0.08 %, Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated With a Blood Alcohol Content in Excess of 0.18 % and multiple traffic violations .
On November 14 , at approximately 1:40 a . m ., Deputies stopped a vehicle on Route 208 in the Town of Gardiner for a traffic infraction . Deputies allege that the driver , was operating the vehicle in an intoxicated condition .
The defendant was arrested and transported to the Esopus Substation . He was released on appearance tickets to appear in the Town of Gardiner Justice Court at a later date .
Deputies were assisted by the Town of Shawangunk Police Department .
A criminal charge is merely an allegation that a defendant has committed a violation of the criminal law , and it is not evidence of guilt . All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial , during which it will be the State of New York ’ s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt .