By JEANETTE WOLFBERG
HUDSON–Eleven Warren Street, concern for people at risk for losing public assistance, a conservation area in Ghent, buses, opioid settlement funds, tax reductions for emergency workers, Columbia-Greene Community College, and road construction projects received attention at the Columbia County Board of Supervisors meeting February 12. All quotations are from the relevant resolutions and statements.
Columbia County is “completing the design” of 11 Warren Street’s interior for “several County departments.” The county bought the Hudson building in late 2023, with the intention of moving several departments into it. The new offices are to have an “open layout with cubicles and modular offices,” like the ones in other county office buildings.
On February 12, the board authorized an agreement with ROI Office Interiors of Troy, which has installed and furnished offices in other county buildings, to do the same for 11 Warren Street, for up to $275,000. It also authorized an agreement with Paul McCreary, PE, of Albany, to design a backup generator for the Board of Elections, which is one of the departments slated to move to 11 Warren Street. The generator will help assure a “fully functional” polling station in case of a power outage.
On another matter, Supervisor Michael Chameides (Hudson, 3rd Ward) warned that possible cuts to Medicaid and SNAP threaten many Columbia County residents with hardship. Therefore, he urged the county to oppose the cuts and, if they happen, help the people who will be affected.
The board granted permission for the construction of a bird blind in the Mud Creek Conservation Area in Ghent. A bird blind is a shelter used to observe birds and other wildlife without disturbing them, according to Wikipedia. High School student Brayden Skoda requested permission to build the structure in order to fulfill requirements for becoming an Eagle Scout.
The board also:
•Extended contracts to run public buses and authorized arrangements to pursue funding them
•Authorized the Department of Human Services (DHS) to allocate $80,000 in Opioid Settlement funds to Re-Entry Columbia for January 1 through December 31. Re-Entry Columbia helps people getting out of incarceration re-integrate into society
•Extended the firefighter and ambulance property tax reduction to people serving in cities, towns, or counties that “neighbor” the one in which they reside.
Board Chairman Supervisor Matt Murell (Stockport) issued and Supervisor Randall Martin (Hudson, 1st Ward) read a proclamation declaring February Black History Month, in recognition of the Black Americans who have “worked to create a” society with more justice, equality, and respect “for all people,” and to “deepen our commitment to eradicating racism and fostering a society that values diversity and inclusion.”
Meanwhile, Carlee Drummer, president of Columbia-Greene Community College, is retiring, and Mr. Murell appointed Supervisor Ron Knott (Stuyvesant) to the search committee for her successor.
In addition, the board authorized appointing the following individuals to the following positions:
•Katy Cashen, to the county Ethics Board, for February 12 through December 31, 2026, to replace resigning Robin Andrews
•Jeff Monkash and Gretchen Steams, both doctors, to the County Board of Health, for six years, from February 1 through December 31, 2031.
•Jamie Cerano Nordenstrom of Hillsdale to the County Climate Smart Communities Task Force through December 31
•James Niedermeier, associate superintendent of Questar III BOCES, and Chris Brown, Housing Coordinator, to the Columbia Greene Workforce Development Board, replacing Ronald Valentine and Jessica Gabriel
•Justin Knott of the Hudson Fire Department to the Columbia Greene Regional Hazardous Materials Response Team
•Dennis Greenwood of the Stuyvesant Falls Fire Department and Richard Juliano of the Ghent Fire Department to the County Fire Instructors per diem pool. The Fire Coordinator’s training program is “expanding”
•Reappointments: Dennis Callahan of the Taghkanic Fire Company, Steve Montie of the Stuyvesant Fire Company, and Craig Haigh of the County Fire Association to the Fire Advisory Task Force.
The Board also authorized:
•The Fire Coordinator to accept a donation of a trailer to be used for public education about fire safety from the Columbia County Fire Chiefs Association
•Leases with Repeat Business Services for Ricoh printer/copiers for 60 months for the Department of Social Services and the DHS
•Selling the following items at auction: A 2009 Ford Pickup that “is no longer operational” by the Solid Waste Department; and “surplus miscellaneous equipment, sanders, and obsolete vehicle repair parts” by the Highway Department.
It also authorized all documents and agreements necessary “for the implementation and funding of 100% of the cost of” the design and right-of-way incidentals of several road construction projects:
•Buckwheat Road Bridge replacement, over Roeliff Jansen Kill in Clermont and Livingston
•County Route 11 culvert replacement, over Hollowville Creek in Claverack
•Reconstruction of County Route 18 from Danita Drive to NYS Route 217 in Claverack
•County Route 7 superstructure replacement, over Punsit Creek in Austerlitz.
In addition, the board authorized a professional services agreement with Cusack & Company CPA’s for an audit of services associated with the replacement of the Valley View Bridge in Copake.
In total, the board approved 51 resolutions and one local law, while the chairman made one appointment.
