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Chatham likes chief, not category

In News, News - Columbia, The Columbia Paper
May 19, 2014
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CHATHAM–The Village Board hired Carissa Fair as deputy clerk at the regular meeting Thursday, May 8. The new position pays $15 an hour for 30 hours a week. The board also talked about the part-time police chief post and whether or not it should remain as a non-competitive civil service position.

The position of village police chief has always been classified as competitive. Mayor Tom Curran says that makes it harder for the Village Board to remove a chief from his position. The mayor described the permanent appointment classification, which comes with civil service protection, as “kind of a dinosaur.” He said he was advised to look into changing the status position by the village attorney and current part-time Police Chief Paul Volkmann. “It puts the village in a much better position,” the mayor said.

The board discussed the designation of police chief while Chief Volkmann was riding in the Police Unity Tour, a 360-mile bike ride from New York City to Washington, DC. Since he was not at the meeting the board did not make any changes to the job description.

When Chief Volkmann was hired last October, he said that he would take the civil service exam in March. Village Trustee Jay Rippel said that though he supported Chief Volkmann as chief, he questioned why the chief had not taken the exam.

Mayor Curran said the board would have to talk to the chief.

Trustee Lenore Packet said that it was good thing he didn’t take the test, because now the board could decide to change the position to a non-competitive position, which means that he would not get civil service protection for five years after being hired.

“It’s like a dictatorship,” she said of the competitive designation. She said that board members can be voted out of office and village clerks don’t have civil service protection.

Trustee Mike Wollowitz said he understood why the civil service law existed so as not to make the police chief position “a political football.”

Mayor Curran said the state Senator Kathy Marchione(R-43rd) is working on changing the civil service rules that affect the chief’s position.

Also at the meeting the board:

•Heard from Melissa Sarris about a community arts program called Re-thinking the Façade, where locals can work with a color digital photo she provides of the front of the Berkshire Bank on Main Street and put a new design on the façade. Printouts are available at the Chatham Public Library, Chatham Printing, on Park Row, and the Tracy Memorial. More information is at http://chathamartagency.blogspot.com/p/chatham-contemporary-art-reading-and.html

•Discussed a Village Clean-up Day on May 24 starting at 9:45 a.m. at the Morris Memorial. Garbage bags will be provided to residents interested in helping with the clean-up

•Opened bids for the landscaping at the traffic circle garden. The village received one bid from Wemple Landscaping for $13,060.55. “It would be beautiful,” said Village Clerk Barbara Henry, but she also pointed out it was well above what the board planned to send. The board did not accept the bid

•Passed a motion to accept a gift of about $13,000 of work done by MetzWood Harder to upgrade the tennis courts on Jones Avenue. The board agreed to do continuing maintenance on the courts.

The next Village Board meeting will be a special session Thursday, May 29 at 7 p.m. at the Tracy Memorial.

To contact reporter Emilia Teasdale email eteasdale@columbiapaper.com.

 

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GOOD NEWS!: Greenville has county’s veterans covered

In News, News - Greenville, The Greenville Pioneer, Veterans - Greenville
November 11, 2022
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By Melanie Lekocevic

Capital Region Independent Media

Members of the Greenville American Legion Auxiliary show off a no-sew blanket that will be given to a local veteran. Pictured, left to right, are Carole Bates, Jacquie Packham and Auxiliary President Dolores Rogers. Contributed photo

GREENVILLE — Greenville has the county’s veterans covered — literally.

Volunteers from American Legion Post 291, Girl Scout Troop 5503, the Greenville Central School District and the Legion’s Auxiliary teamed up to make 65 no-sew blankets that were scheduled to be delivered to veterans living in Greene County nursing homes two days before Veterans Day.

The project was the brainchild of Will VonAtzingen, a Greenville town councilman and member of the Sons of the American Legion.

“I went out and applied for a grant a couple of months back and worked with the local school, Student Council and National Honor Society, and Girl Scouts, making no-sew blankets,” VonAtzingen said. “Our local American Legion Post 291 and the Sons of the American Legion hosted a few workshops and got younger Sons of the American Legion members involved making the blankets, too.”

The blankets have — what else? — patriotic themes.

“They are all patriotic — red, white and blue, and camouflage prints,” VonAtzingen said.

Local Girl Scouts helped put together no-sew blankets that will be distributed to Greene County veterans. Contributed photo

The group worked with Michelle Black, from the county’s Veterans Services department, to identify veterans at nursing homes in the county so each can be given a blanket.

The project drew volunteers from all quarters of the community.

“We had kids from the age of 5 or 6 help tie and make them, and we had people in their 70s, make them over the course of the past couple of weeks,” VonAtzingen said. “I tried to get kids involved from the school to volunteer, and since it is for veterans, we’ve had a number from the Legion working on them, too. It’s been a real community experience.”

All told, about 60 people volunteered for the project.

Each blanket is 72-inches by 56-inches before they are assembled.

“A no-sew blanket is essentially two pieces of felt that you lay on top of each other,” he explained. “You take a 5-inch square at each corner and you discard it, and then you cut 1-inch strips and double knot them so the ends are like tassels.”

VonAtzingen spearheaded the project and acquired the funding to pay for the materials.

“I personally wrote a grant through a life insurance policy that I hold — I do a couple of these a year,” he said. “I am eligible to write up to three $2,000 grants a year for community involvement, so the funds came from them.”

VonAtzingen organized a similar project several months ago when he got a grant to pay for hygiene kits, which volunteers from the Legion and the community at large put together and were distributed to veterans at the VA in Albany.

He also organized a no-sew blanket project a few years ago, and those were distributed to the local food pantry and families in need.

“This time I had the veterans in mind, and I wanted to do something Greene County-specific,” VonAtzingen said. “Both of my grandfathers were veterans and any time they went into the hospital, they came out with a blanket or an afghan or some little token of appreciation for their service, and they loved them. It was something nice for my family, so I wanted to pay it forward.”

Community volunteers pooled their efforts to put together no-sew blankets with patriotic themes for area veterans. Contributed photo

Past Commander Don Savino at American Legion Post 291 said VonAtzingen has done similar projects in the past and Legion members were happy to support them.

“We don’t want veterans to be forgotten,” Savino said. “We want to thank them for their service and let them know that they are in our thoughts and prayers.”

Girl Scout Troop 5503 Co-Leader Aileen Rauf said Savino is a family friend and when he reached out to see if the troop wanted to help with the project, they were all in.

“We are always looking to help the community,” Rauf said. “We have had different events at the American Legion so when we heard the Legion was asking for some help, it was a no-brainer — we immediately wanted to help out. We love our veterans, so we jumped on board.”

Girl Scouts show off one of the blankets, adorned with eagles and American flags. Contributed photo

The girls worked with American Legion member Maureen Bennett to learn how to assemble the no-sew blankets and completed six in an hour and a half, and had fun doing it, Rauf said.

“It was a great experience for the girls,” she said. “They really understood the project well and when we explained it to them, they were really excited. Some of them were asking if they would be able to actually give them to the veterans. We participate in Memorial Day and any of the activities and events that the American Legion puts on, we are always there. We try to explain to the girls about patriotism and the importance of supporting veterans.”

Ongoing topics dominate New Lebanon Town Board

In News - Columbia, The Columbia Paper
July 30, 2024
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By DOUG LAROCQUE Capital Region Independent Media

NEW LEBANON–The future of the community center, walkable downtown and the Shaker Historical Preservation district were the major topics under discussion at the July 9 meeting of the town board.

First up was the Shaker topic. A report was received from the committee looking into a possible zoning change, that would take a three-tiered approach, as far as any future construction, rehabilitation and potential business is concerned. Under that proposal, no light industrial would be allowed, but small craft or artisan businesses would be considered. Any new construction or updates would require a site plan application that would be presented to the planning board for consideration.

The typical suburban approach to housing, large structures with significant amounts of land would also be discouraged in favor of more Shaker style homes, smaller in nature and with limited amounts of land.

Town Supervisor Tistrya Houghtling welcomed the committee’s comments but expressed a concern about current residents of the district and their point of view. She held to her belief that property owners should be in line with these proposed changes, saying, “We must have more public input and hear from dissenting voices.”

The committee agreed and indicated there is much more work to be done before any final recommendation is put forth.

Next up was the future of the current New Lebanon Community Center in the former New Lebanon Protective Association’s (LVPA) firehouse. The town must decide if they want to keep the center, and if so, can they purchase it from the LVPA? Supervisor Houghtling again detailed the many functions the center is currently providing. An engineering study of the building indicates there may need to be some asbestos removal in the front entrance way, and that a water treatment system would need to be installed if the kitchen were to be used for any cooking.

The supervisor also noted the senior citizens group currently meets there and without the center, they would have a tough time finding another suitable location. Ms. Houghtling added that the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office is considering renting space for a satellite office. She labeled this as very important, not only because of the revenue it could generate, but, more importantly, for public protection. She reminded all that the NYS Police are still considering closing their New Lebanon barracks and moving it to Chatham, something that has not happened yet, but remains a possibility.

The LVPA has represented they are willing to discuss a possible purchase with the town. Councilmember Elizabeth Kroboth expressed her concern about whether the town could afford the center and wondered if more cooperation with the school district might eliminate what she sees as possible duplication of services.

The meeting opened with several community members expressing their support for sidewalk and crosswalk in the “downtown area.” They cited the daily sight of pedestrians walking close to traffic along with people pushing strollers, riding bikes and even motorized wheelchairs along the side of the road. Several speakers indicated these proposed walkways were vital to the restoration of downtown.

Supervisor Houghtling indicated the town has been awarded a $1.999 million grant for the engineering feasibility and construction. She also spoke about what she perceived as the wisdom of tying the project to a proposed creation of a sewer and water district along NYS Routes 20 and 22 so installation of both the projects, if approved, would be undertaken simultaneously. Groundbreaking on either project would be geared toward 2027.

During the public comment period, many speakers feared if the town did not act to accept the grant, another town would.

Also at the meeting:

*A certificate of appreciation was presented to Daniel Lynch who has been delivering Meals on Wheels to housebound town residents since 2018. Mr. Lynch, in accepting the honor, noted he believes it is all about “neighbors helping neighbors”

*The board did not receive any bids for the tennis court bathroom renovation project, although the supervisor indicated a local contractor is interested but did not have enough time to submit a bid before the window to do so closed. The board voted to go back out to bid and will hold a special meeting on August 9 to consider any received at that time

*Board members decided to seek more input as to whether to reduce the number of town justices from two to one

*They debated the requirements and concerns over possibly making Old Ghost Road a town road

*It was announced that Music in the Park and a community picnic will take place at noon, Sunday, August 11 at the Shatford Park Pavilion.

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