Town Board meeting- December 4th (continued)
Under New Business, Supervisor Collins raised a request to begin publishing a regular newsletter to highlight employee, department, committee and volunteer activities. The previous newsletter was discontinued when there was disagreement about what the content should be, who would do the work of producing the newsletter, and how to keep it focused on news over perceived political messaging. Board Member Wapner suggested that this topic be addressed after the Board’s Organizational Meeting in January 2026. Supervisor Collins said he would make a more specific proposal for the newsletter concept at a future meeting.
The Board heard Supervisor Collins’ proposal to rename the “new pavilion” at Crellin Park the Joseph Rickert Pavilion, in honor of the Town’s previous Highway Superintendent’s years of dedicated service to the Town.
Public comment was heavy on the subject of a resurrection of the Town newsletter. Some speakers advocated promoting the work of the town staff and highlighting town resources and questioned why it had been discontinued. Others said they felt it had been overly long and yet had provided uneven coverage of the full board. John Breault, Chair of the Economic Development Committee, urged the Board to clarify what would be appropriate content for a newsletter, if the Board agrees to restart it. Also in public comment, one speaker supported renaming the pavilion in honor of Joseph Rickert, former Highway Superintendent.
In formal resolutions, the Board agreed on the following actions:
To schedule the 2026 Organizational Meeting at 5 PM on Friday, January 2, 2026. The meeting will take place in person at Town Hall and will be accessible online.
To authorize the Recreation Director to pursue two annual grants to support park maintenance and improvements: the Bank of Greene County Grant for Park Improvements and the Stewarts Grant for Park Improvements.
To authorize the Board’s Invasive Species Awareness Committee to apply for the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation 2025 Invasive Species Grant Program, which supports projects to address the impacts of invasive species.
To amend the professional services contract (originally signed in August 2023) with CT Male Associates for the design of the highway garage expansion. The amendment allows for an additional $7,250.00 for the contract, which originally stipulated a price of $135,350.00, due to “multiple factors” that have delayed completion of the work with resultant increases in costs.
To accept the financial abstract as presented to pay Town bills.
Following resolutions and public comment the Board approved a motion to rename the Crellin Park “new” pavilion the Joseph Rickert Pavilion.
The next meeting of the Board is scheduled for December 18, 2025, at 6:30 pm. Any member of the public and attend in person or by joining through the Google Meet link on the Town Calendar.