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Town wants county to aid heating fund

By Jim Planck

HUNTER — The Hunter Town Board has agreed to ask the Greene County Legislature to consider diverting some of its cultural funding money into public heating oil assistance for the coming winter.

The topic came up at the suggestion of Councilman Daryl Legg, who said he has had discussions on the idea with fellow Councilman Dolph Semenza, and that he also mentioned it to District 7 Legislator Larry F. Gardner.

Legg said that Semenza liked the concept, and that Gardner, although reticent about the proposed source, indicated agreement that preparing to help the public now with heating oil prices this winter is a good idea and should be looked at.

Both Semenza and Gardner were in attendance at Tuesday’s meeting and concurred that oil prices this winter are going to be extremely difficult for many sectors of the public.

“I think we should send a letter to the Legislature, asking them to suspend some of their cultural money,” said Legg, “so we could direct some of that money to the HEAP program, or a similar one.”

The HEAP program is a federally funded heating assistance program that is administered by the county. Its full name is the Low Income Heating Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, and is usually just referred to as the HEAP program.

Legg said that many people, not just those on fixed incomes, will have difficulty this winter providing other necessities, including food, besides heat.

“The price of fuel oil is getting so high, they’re going to have to choose,” said Legg.

Legg suggested the cultural monies could resume their normal path in the next year or two, after the oil cost problem is “straightened out.”

“It’s July now,” he said, “but it’ll start getting cold again in a few more weeks.”

Legg’s reference was to the fact that because of the Mountaintop’s elevation, residents typically have to start supplying some type of auxiliary heat, even if intermittently, as soon as August ends.

Hunter Town Supervisor Dennis Lucas agreed that there are only about six to eight weeks left on the Mountaintop before heating becomes a reality again, and said the idea of the county developing or supplementing a heating assistance fund bears discussion.

Gardner said that one of the items that has already been brought to his attention by a constituent is that HEAP is allowed to help tenants, but not landlords.

Thus, if someone rents an apartment and pays their own heating bill, they may be eligible for HEAP if they meet its income requirements.

However, Gardner said, that same apartment to the same tenant, but rented with the heat included, would then not be eligible for HEAP.

Lucas asked whether the county currently helps fund HEAP, above and beyond the federal money, and Gardner indicated it did not, but that the county does support assisting the public with heat-related matters through Greene County Community Action and its programs, such as weatherization.

“I would certainly support putting more money into those areas,” Gardner said.

Gardner said that how to allocate any such extra funds would then best be left to those who are most familiar with addressing the public’s assistance needs, such as the Greene County Social Services Commissioner and Community Action.

Lucas said the town will therefore send a letter to the county legislature supporting the concept of the county setting money aside for assisting the public with heat-related issues this winter.

Semenza asked if a letter could also go to the town’s state officials, Senator James Seward and Assemblyman Pete Lopez, noting that he had specific concerns regarding Seward’s upcoming funding of $500,000 to help complete the renovation and restoration of the Orpheum Theatre in Tannersville into a performing arts center.

Semenza said he believes that money would be better used to help the public prepare for the upcoming winter.

Semenza said he has had discussions concerning the oil prices coming this winter, and that it is his understanding that $5.00 to $5.29 per gallon is the local projection.

Lucas said that a copy of the letter will to the town’s state officials.

He added, however, that he feels Seward’s funding of the Orpheum is not necessarily something that the town can or should properly address.

Lucas said that each level of elected official is tasked with the need to meaningfully expend, when necessary and appropriate, the funds budgeted to that level of office, and that each level has a different picture, with larger and smaller needs.

“We would like them to respect our expenditures,” he said, “and we must do the same for theirs.”

“We will write this letter,” Lucas said, “and we will carbon copy all our elected officials, at both state and federal levels.”

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