By DAVID LEE
HILLSDALE–The Taghkanic Creek Old Road Society convened at the intersection of Rodman Road and Appletree Lane on Saturday, February 1, to make a show of support for the preservation of the remaining dirt roads of the area. A group of about 20 people gathered and, carrying pine boughs, walked the 1/2-mile extent of Appletree Lane as it traverses the farm fields from Rodman Road to to Rockledge Road.
According to a press release published by the Taghkanic Creek Old Road Society dated January 23, “Gravel and dirt roads are the fabric of their small town community and essential to their active outdoor lifestyles and agricultural pursuits.” The Town of Chatham underwent a similar discussion about dirt roads in 2022 and the Chatham Dirt Road Coalition is listed in support.
But there is among the county’s highway superintendents a desire to improve these rural roads to make them easier and cheaper to maintain, and safer to drive. The Taghkanic Creek Old Road Society press release says the Town of Hillsdale announced that two roads would be paved: Appletree Lane and Texas Hill Road, both located just north of Route 23 and Craryville.
This statement is disputed by Hillsdale Highway Superintendent Richard Briggs who said that all would be made clear at the next town board meeting on February 11 at 7 p.m.
He provided the following statement to The Columbia Paper:
“There are no plans to pave Texas Hill Road or Appletree Lane. Both will remain roads covered with gravel under the proposed upgrades funded by New York State Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS). I look forward to addressing the Town Board at the Town Board Meeting on Tuesday, February 11 to stress the public safety issues and to give details on the considerable savings to the taxpayers of Hillsdale. To reiterate, there are NO proposals to pave over any dirt roads in Hillsdale.”
According to Taghkanic Creek Old Road Society member Amy Davidson, the difference is semantic and centers on what is meant by the term “paving.” She says that what the town proposes is use of a surfacing material called chip seal which can be done in a variety of ways to make a road stabilized but with a gravelly surface. It is typically done on already paved roads as well as gravel roads providing the base is also stable. For The Taghkanic Creek Old Road Society it is still paving in all but its name.
At the town board meeting of January 14, letters in opposition to paving were submitted by more than 50 residents.
Information about board meetings is available at https://hillsdaleny.com
