By DIANE VALDEN
ANCRAM—Though the evening was peppered with heated remarks and the Town Supervisor walked out, board members were still able to adopt several notable resolutions at the February 20 Town Board meeting.
Just before the start of the meeting, the board conducted a public hearing on Local Law #1 of 2025 which provides property tax exemptions to volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers. The amended and restated law, initially adopted in 2023, now extends the real property tax exemptions to volunteer firefighters or volunteer ambulance workers who provide services to a neighboring city, village, town, county or school district, not just the one they live in.
Councilmember David Boice, who also serves as Ancram fire chief, endorsed the amended and restated law, saying he knows Ancram has firefighters from other towns, “it’s only right…they meet the requirements, they are valued volunteers and we need to do that, I think it’s a good thing.” No one from the public commented on the law.
During council members’ reports section of the meeting, Councilmember Amy Gold gave an update on the State Route 82/County Route 7 intersection, noting that she heard from the State Department of Transportation (DOT) in Poughkeepsie that it has reviewed the proposal/analysis report done by the Greenman-Pedersen, Inc (GPI) engineering firm and the DOT has agreed to go forward with intersection improvement work on new signage, striping and changing the two-way slip in front of the Simons General Store into a one-way. The town enlisted GPI at a cost of $14,000 to study the problematic intersection and come up with ways to make it safer.
The signing and striping will take place pretty quickly, she said and the slip work will be paired with other future work. She said the DOT requires a resolution from the board to get started.
In his statements, Councilmember Boice said the board should operate on facts, not emotions. He said the board has a double standard with regard to conduct at board meetings, in particular, he cited the use of obscenities, confrontations, insults and offensive remarks. “This is not how we should behave at our board meetings…I am not going to live with it anymore.” He said the bad behavior comes from the people who champion the town’s Respectful Behavior Committee.
Mr. Boice then rehashed the confrontation that took place between himself and Planning Board Chairman Joe Crocco at the January meeting (see “Supporters rally to Crocco’s defense” in the January 23 Columbia Paper).
In her report, Councilmember Colleen Lutz said the town has received a $125,000 grant for the construction of a pavilion at Blass field and she was among those who met with a Rhinebeck architectural firm which was going to come up with a design. Councilmembers Bonnie Hundt and Ms. Lutz mentioned that the deed to the field was being sought so the town can provide a copy to “our funders.” Ms. Hundt said it is hoped that the pavilion can be completed in time for use by the summer camp program this year.
During the public comment section of the meeting Ancram resident and Ancram Hotel owner Donna Hoyt said she wanted to hear from each board member about which of the GPI proposals each of them favored. She said many of the proposals involve her property and she “has a right to know” which changes board members favor. She argued with Councilmember Gold about why the study was needed. She said the board already had all the information GPI provided and did not need to spend money on the study.
Even though Ms. Gold reported that the DOT will start the signage, striping and slip work earlier in the meeting, Mrs. Hoyt maintained that DOT will do nothing and the town is going to have to make the improvements itself.
Mrs. Hoyt then returned to a point she has made many times before, that the town “forced” her to remove a (dilapidated) building (the old Porter’s Store) at a cost of “several thousand dollars.” She wanted to know why the town doesn’t force the owner of the Tinsmith House, which is in great disrepair, to take that building down.
“All this town does is create paper, it never gets anything accomplished,” said Mrs. Hoyt.
As time went on accusations began flying about condemnation of the Tinsmith House and why that has not happened.
As the war of words reached a crescendo, Supervisor Jim MacArthur abruptly stood up, said “Somebody else run this meeting, I’ve had enough of this crap” and walked out the door, not to return for the remainder of the evening.
Soon thereafter, Deputy Supervisor Boice took over running the meeting and the following resolutions were adopted:
*The amended and restated volunteer firefighter and ambulance worker property tax exemption
*The appointment of Tom Ciano to the Conservation Advisory Council and to the Ancram Housing Committee
*Intersection Safety Improvements at the Ancram Intersection of State Route 82 and County Route 7 to convert the existing two-way slip in the center of town to a one-way slip, and to progress with signing and pavement marking improvements that will address safety concerns at the intersection. It is understood that the new slip ramp would not be addressed by department forces in the short term but would be added to a local project or permit
*Authorization of the Town Supervisor to establish an additional line in the 2025 budget for funding for the Blass Field Pavilion and Park upgrades in the amount of $125,000. The grant funding award will come from the Office of Assemblymember Didi Barrett (D-106th) May 18, 2025
*Granted the Town Clerk permission to attend the 2025 New York State Town Clerks Association Convention April 27-30, 2025 in Syracuse
*The recognition and appreciation of 38 years of service to the Town of Ancram by Fred Schneeberger. Mr. Schneeberger served on the Town of Ancram Zoning Board of Appeals for nearly three decades as a well-respected and dedicated member; Mr. Schneeberger also volunteered his time to town projects, most recently the Blass Park project.
Mr. Schneeberger, who was at the meeting via Zoom, said he appreciated the recognition and noted that he started serving on the Planning Board in 1988 to fill the seat left by the death of his stepfather Bill Gordon. He said he then served on the Master Plan Review Committee and then the Zoning Board of Appeals. He said it has been an honor and a pleasure to serve the town but that his volunteering days are over because he has cancer.
*The final resolution of the evening was the appointment of Darren Mosher as an alternate member of the ZBA, to serve through 2025.
To contact Diane Valden email dvalden@columbiapaper.com
