News
Greenville's dogs have their day — and a trail of their own
By David Gordon
GREENVILLE — The Greenville Town Board will allow dogs to run off their leashes in the portion of the Town Park north of the airfield where the Greenville Barnstormers fly radio-controlled model airplanes.
“Melissa Rosa (the dog control officer) and Brian Mulligan met here and the other day so they could delineate a line,” said Town Supervisor Kevin Lewis. “On the existing Town Park sign they will delineate a line just past the airstrip. They will put a line on each of the metal signs so people will know where the area is. I think it will work.”
The board passed a leash law last month prohibiting dog owners from allowing their animals to run off their leashes in the hamlet areas of the town and in town parks. The law allows for a designated area where dogs can be allowed to run free, and Rosa has suggested a fenced “dog play” area at some time in the future.
Rosa and Mulligan will take on the job of altering the signs, Lewis said. “There will be a red line on the signs along the trail indicating where dogs can be let off their leashes. It should be pretty simple to follow.
The board set new hours for the town recycling center as a result of a request by the operator, Ron Duncan, to shorten the afternoon hours. Councilman Richard Bear said Duncan told him that very few people used the center in the late afternoon, and it did not make sense for him to keep it open. The center is open from 9 a.m. to noon on Monday, and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday and Saturday. However, Bear said, Duncan has reported that few people bring recycling to the center after 2 p.m. The board voted to change the hours to 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on all three days. The additional time on Monday would give Duncan time to clean up after a busy weekend, Leroy Bear said.
“He has to be commended very much, with his time up there he has kept it cleaned up very well,” Richard Bear said. The shorter hours will save the town a small amount of money, he added.
The small gas cylinders used for cooking appliances are recyclable, Bear said. They go right into the metal recycling bin. However the large 20-pound gas cylinders must be handled separately, and there is a $3 fee for recycling them. They are returned to Greene County for disposal, he said.
The three variable frequency drives at the water plant that were damaged in a power failure last month have been repaired, facilities director Leroy Bear reported.
“We had a gentleman from Hudson come in to make repairs, and the guy was pretty sharp. The three drives that were down because of the electrical failure have been replaced, and our claim has been submitted to the insurance adjuster.”
The drives were damaged when a car crashed into a power pole, cutting off electricity and causing the variable frequency drives to burn out. Water service to the town continued without interruption using water from the tower, which is distributed by gravity.
A new sand filter for the sewer plant has been delivered, Leroy Bear said. Sand for the new filter and for the existing filter has also been delivered, and building plans for the sewer plant expansion have been completed. The plant will be enlarged by about 16 feet to accommodate the new filter. Bear said he hopes the town can have the concrete foundation poured during the summer, so the plant can be constructed in the fall. Bids on the concrete work will be advertised soon, Lewis said. He hopes to have them in time to open at next month’s meeting.
The Greene County Sheriff’s Department has moved into quarters in the Pioneer Building, which also houses the Greenville Town Hall. The phone line has been installed, but the computer connection must still be completed, Leroy Bear said. Extension 8 on the Greenville telephone system will be the sheriff’s line, he added. However, the new extension won’t be added to the town hall recorded announcement until the sheriff’s department has provided a voicemail message.
The designation of a dog run is not the only new signage proposed for the Town Park. The board voted to prohibit smoking in children’s play areas. The Rip Van Winkle Tobacco Free Coalition will provide the signs, said community advocate Ruth Gutman. She provided a list of towns and cities that have voted for tobacco-free children’s playgrounds. Lewis started to read the list, but stopped after the first dozen or so towns - the list is three pages long.
Gutman said the coalition is asking all the towns in Greene County to make places where small children play smoke free.
Deputy planning board chairman Peter O’Hara said the board will be holding public hearings on two minor subdivisions at its next meeting on August 26. He asked that the board remove Jim Kudliak, the current chairman, as he has not attended meetings for some time. Attempts by Town board members to reach him have been unsuccessful, Town Board members have reported. The board scheduled a hearing, required before a member can be removed, for 7 p.m. on September 4.
“We provide all the signs free of charge. The coalition conducts regular surveys, and in the 2006 survey some 70 percent of Greene County residents agreed that smoking should be banned in public playgrounds.
A group of Girl Scouts is buying and setting up biodegradable toilets in the park, and Leroy Bear reported that they have completed about 95 percent of the job. The girls coordinated with Highway Superintendent Richard Hempstead to dig a foundation hole. They put the building up over the past weekend.
“It’s a nice looking building with a roof, walls and a vent. They just haven’t got all the fixtures in yet,” he said. “You should go up and see it,” he added. The Girl Scouts are expected to report on their Gold Star Award project at the next Town Board meeting.
Bear said the town will run an electrical conduit from the announcer’s booth in the park to the new bathroom to provide a light and a pump if needed for cleaning.
The Highway Department has taken delivery on its new mower, reported Highway Superintendent Richard Hempstead, and it is working well. The improvement in the appearance of the town’s roads is clear, said supervisor Kevin Lewis. “You can see they are mowing a lot further out,” he said. “A lot of people have commented.”
The school water project is starting this week. The materials were delivered Tuesday, and “hopefully we can get that all buttoned up before school starts,” Leroy Bear said. The project involves connecting the high school/middle school to a water main that runs along Route 81. The new main would supplement the existing pipe that connects the elementary school, which receives its water from Route 32, to the high school. This would provide a more reliable source of water to the high school while increasing the flow in the Route 81 water main, reducing the need for flushing.
The board voted to support a Greene County Legislature resolution opposing a recent ruling by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation banning open burning statewide. The old regulations banned open fires in towns, cities and villages with populations of 20,000 or greater. That ban will now cover all cities, towns and villages. Farmers may only burn naturally-grown products on their land. Small campfires and cooking fires will still be allowed.
The Greene County resolution states that “residents Greene County rely on open burning for numerous purposes, such as agricultural land clearing and outdoor activities etc. This proposed change will have a huge negative impact on the residents of Greene County, not only being an inconvenience by it may also increase taxes due to transfer stations having to be upgraded due to the additional amounts of brush, debris, etc. and also the hiring of additional employees. Therefore, be it resolved that we, the members of the Greene County Legislature are in opposition to DEC’s proposed revision to ban all open burning due to the negative impact it will pose on all Greene County residents.”
The resolution passed 14-0, Lewis said. It was adopted July 14. The board voted unanimously to support the county resolution.
“Melissa Rosa (the dog control officer) and Brian Mulligan met here and the other day so they could delineate a line,” said Town Supervisor Kevin Lewis. “On the existing Town Park sign they will delineate a line just past the airstrip. They will put a line on each of the metal signs so people will know where the area is. I think it will work.”
The board passed a leash law last month prohibiting dog owners from allowing their animals to run off their leashes in the hamlet areas of the town and in town parks. The law allows for a designated area where dogs can be allowed to run free, and Rosa has suggested a fenced “dog play” area at some time in the future.
Rosa and Mulligan will take on the job of altering the signs, Lewis said. “There will be a red line on the signs along the trail indicating where dogs can be let off their leashes. It should be pretty simple to follow.
The board set new hours for the town recycling center as a result of a request by the operator, Ron Duncan, to shorten the afternoon hours. Councilman Richard Bear said Duncan told him that very few people used the center in the late afternoon, and it did not make sense for him to keep it open. The center is open from 9 a.m. to noon on Monday, and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday and Saturday. However, Bear said, Duncan has reported that few people bring recycling to the center after 2 p.m. The board voted to change the hours to 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on all three days. The additional time on Monday would give Duncan time to clean up after a busy weekend, Leroy Bear said.
“He has to be commended very much, with his time up there he has kept it cleaned up very well,” Richard Bear said. The shorter hours will save the town a small amount of money, he added.
The small gas cylinders used for cooking appliances are recyclable, Bear said. They go right into the metal recycling bin. However the large 20-pound gas cylinders must be handled separately, and there is a $3 fee for recycling them. They are returned to Greene County for disposal, he said.
The three variable frequency drives at the water plant that were damaged in a power failure last month have been repaired, facilities director Leroy Bear reported.
“We had a gentleman from Hudson come in to make repairs, and the guy was pretty sharp. The three drives that were down because of the electrical failure have been replaced, and our claim has been submitted to the insurance adjuster.”
The drives were damaged when a car crashed into a power pole, cutting off electricity and causing the variable frequency drives to burn out. Water service to the town continued without interruption using water from the tower, which is distributed by gravity.
A new sand filter for the sewer plant has been delivered, Leroy Bear said. Sand for the new filter and for the existing filter has also been delivered, and building plans for the sewer plant expansion have been completed. The plant will be enlarged by about 16 feet to accommodate the new filter. Bear said he hopes the town can have the concrete foundation poured during the summer, so the plant can be constructed in the fall. Bids on the concrete work will be advertised soon, Lewis said. He hopes to have them in time to open at next month’s meeting.
The Greene County Sheriff’s Department has moved into quarters in the Pioneer Building, which also houses the Greenville Town Hall. The phone line has been installed, but the computer connection must still be completed, Leroy Bear said. Extension 8 on the Greenville telephone system will be the sheriff’s line, he added. However, the new extension won’t be added to the town hall recorded announcement until the sheriff’s department has provided a voicemail message.
The designation of a dog run is not the only new signage proposed for the Town Park. The board voted to prohibit smoking in children’s play areas. The Rip Van Winkle Tobacco Free Coalition will provide the signs, said community advocate Ruth Gutman. She provided a list of towns and cities that have voted for tobacco-free children’s playgrounds. Lewis started to read the list, but stopped after the first dozen or so towns - the list is three pages long.
Gutman said the coalition is asking all the towns in Greene County to make places where small children play smoke free.
Deputy planning board chairman Peter O’Hara said the board will be holding public hearings on two minor subdivisions at its next meeting on August 26. He asked that the board remove Jim Kudliak, the current chairman, as he has not attended meetings for some time. Attempts by Town board members to reach him have been unsuccessful, Town Board members have reported. The board scheduled a hearing, required before a member can be removed, for 7 p.m. on September 4.
“We provide all the signs free of charge. The coalition conducts regular surveys, and in the 2006 survey some 70 percent of Greene County residents agreed that smoking should be banned in public playgrounds.
A group of Girl Scouts is buying and setting up biodegradable toilets in the park, and Leroy Bear reported that they have completed about 95 percent of the job. The girls coordinated with Highway Superintendent Richard Hempstead to dig a foundation hole. They put the building up over the past weekend.
“It’s a nice looking building with a roof, walls and a vent. They just haven’t got all the fixtures in yet,” he said. “You should go up and see it,” he added. The Girl Scouts are expected to report on their Gold Star Award project at the next Town Board meeting.
Bear said the town will run an electrical conduit from the announcer’s booth in the park to the new bathroom to provide a light and a pump if needed for cleaning.
The Highway Department has taken delivery on its new mower, reported Highway Superintendent Richard Hempstead, and it is working well. The improvement in the appearance of the town’s roads is clear, said supervisor Kevin Lewis. “You can see they are mowing a lot further out,” he said. “A lot of people have commented.”
The school water project is starting this week. The materials were delivered Tuesday, and “hopefully we can get that all buttoned up before school starts,” Leroy Bear said. The project involves connecting the high school/middle school to a water main that runs along Route 81. The new main would supplement the existing pipe that connects the elementary school, which receives its water from Route 32, to the high school. This would provide a more reliable source of water to the high school while increasing the flow in the Route 81 water main, reducing the need for flushing.
The board voted to support a Greene County Legislature resolution opposing a recent ruling by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation banning open burning statewide. The old regulations banned open fires in towns, cities and villages with populations of 20,000 or greater. That ban will now cover all cities, towns and villages. Farmers may only burn naturally-grown products on their land. Small campfires and cooking fires will still be allowed.
The Greene County resolution states that “residents Greene County rely on open burning for numerous purposes, such as agricultural land clearing and outdoor activities etc. This proposed change will have a huge negative impact on the residents of Greene County, not only being an inconvenience by it may also increase taxes due to transfer stations having to be upgraded due to the additional amounts of brush, debris, etc. and also the hiring of additional employees. Therefore, be it resolved that we, the members of the Greene County Legislature are in opposition to DEC’s proposed revision to ban all open burning due to the negative impact it will pose on all Greene County residents.”
The resolution passed 14-0, Lewis said. It was adopted July 14. The board voted unanimously to support the county resolution.
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