HUDSON SEEKS TO REROUTE TRUCKS New Route Would Push Trucks Out of Hudson into Neighboring Towns The City of Hudson is working to have the established truck route moved out of their city and into neighboring towns, including the Town of Claverack. This could mean significant impacts to the roadways, homes and businesses where the truck traffic would be rerouted. Among the proposals is to reroute all truck traffic up Route 9H/23 and onto Route 23B, through the hamlet of Claverack. This is unacceptable. Other possibilities in the study commissioned by the City of Hudson would move the truck route to Spook Rock Rd, a county road that is full of twists and turns. This too would be unacceptable. The City of Hudson invites community members to participate in a virtual public meeting on Tuesday, April 27, 2021 at 6:00 PM via Zoom. Registration is required for the event. I will oppose any plan to move the truck route, that largely serves the greater Hudson/Greenport commercial district, out of Hudson and into Claverack. I would encourage you to speak up and do the same! COUNTY COVID CASES CONTINUE TO DECLINE Help Available to Seniors and Homebound Residents The COVID-19 infection rate continues to be low in Columbia County with just 40 active cases reported countywide as of Friday, April 23rd. That's the lowest numbers we've seen since October 2020. That's very good news! This is do, in part, to residents being vaccinated. Over 45% of Columbia County residents have now received at least one shot of the vaccine. New York State is providing vaccine for CCDOH vaccination clinics for anyone who works or resides in Columbia County and is 16+ years old (Pfizer vaccine). Please check the CCDOH website for posted registration links. Columbia County seniors and/or homebound residents in need of assistance getting themselves registered for the COVID-19 vaccine are encouraged to contact the county call center Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The telephone number is 518-697-5560. NOTICE FROM TOWN ASSESSOR CHARLES BREWER Pursuant to Sections 506 and 526 of the Real Property Tax Law:
Notice is hereby given that the Tentative Assessment Roll for the Town of Claverack is completed, and a copy thereof may be seen at the Town of Claverack Office Building, 91 Church St., Mellenville, NY until May 15th, 2021. Notice is hereby given that an Assessor will be in attendance with the Tentative Assessment Roll for the Town of Claverack at the Town Office Building during the hours of 10 AM to 2 PM May 6th and May 11th, on the following two days May 13th, 6-8 PM and May 15th 10 AM to 2 PM. Notice is hereby given that the Board of Assessment Review for the Town of Claverack will meet to hear and examine all properly filed complaints in relation to assessments of Real Property at the Town Office Bldg., 91 Church St., Mellenville, NY during the hours 4 PM to 8 PM on May 25th, 2021. A publication containing procedures for contesting an assessment is available at the Assessor’s Office or the Columbia County Real Property Tax Office as well as online here. Charles W. Brewer
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FOUR FAMILIES HOMELESS AFTER PHILMONT BLAZE Donations being accepted. Four families are homeless after a huge fire ripped through an apartment building and a second home in the Village of Philmont. The fire was reported to Columbia County 911 Tuesday morning, shortly after 10 AM. The fire started at a row house on Block Street before spreading to a nearby home on Main Street. The Philmont Fire Company was aided by several surrounding fire departments, with others providing standby coverage. All told, over 20 fire departments were involved with additional public safety agencies providing support at the scene. The blaze left 14 people homeless. Various efforts have been organized to collect donations for those affected. More information on that below. On behalf of the entire Town Board, I'd like to thank the Philmont Fire Company, the Mellenville Fire Company, A.B. Shaw, Churchtown and the many other mutual aid fire companies who responded to this terrible fire. We also thank the local businesses - like Mcnan's Variety Foods, High Falls Pizzeria, Cumberland Farms and others - who came together, as they so often do, to support the firefighters as they worked to extinguish the fire. To help the families, consider donating in any of the following ways: Philmont Clerk/Treasurer Our Community Cares GoFundMe for the Wallace Family GoFundMe for the Khan Family GoFundMe for the Palumbo Family SKIP SPEED HONORED FOR YEARS OF SERVICE I was happy to join New York State Senator Daphne Jordan, incumbent Philmont Mayor Brian Johnson, Deputy Mayor Doug Cropper, past and present village officials and employees, and a host of friends and family to acknowledge and thank Philmont Mayor Skip Speed for his many years of service to the Village of Philmont at the Village's annual Organizational Meeting on Monday, April 5th. Senator Jordan presented Skip with a New York State legislative proclamation, and I was honored to present him with a proclamation from the Columbia County Board of Supervisors. Deputy Mayor Doug Cropper also honored Skip, on behalf of the Village Board, by handing over the blue sign that proclaimed his service as Mayor for years as you entered the village on Route 217. We thank you Skip for your years of service, and look forward to working with the new Mayor and Village Board on joint projects of mutual benefit moving forward. HOOKIE'S COOK'IN CHICKEN Advance sale only -- get your tickets by April 17th. Tickets are on sale now for the Claverack Republican Team Chicken Barbecue slated for April 29th at the Claverack Firehouse on Route 23. This will be an advance sale only (no tickets at the door) / take-out only event. Deputy Town Supervisor Steve Hook will be serving up his famous secret recipe barbecue chicken, complete with potato salad, coleslaw, dinner roll and drink. Pick up will be 4:00 pm to 6:30 pm on the 29th. This event will sell out! Order your tickets by April 17th online here, or by calling 518-813-2516 or 518-851-7570. TOWN ASSESSOR COMPLETES TOWN-WIDE REVALUATION What do updated assessments mean for you? Recently, Claverack property owners received a notice from Town of Claverack Assessor Charles Brewer regarding their new preliminary assessments. These assessments were the result of a town wide revaluation to bring all assessments up to current full-market value. It’s important that we understand what a revaluation does, and doesn’t do. I’ll try to explain. Read the full story here!
The Columbia County Department of Health has announced upcoming COVID-19 vaccination Points of Dispensing (POD) that will deliver over 1,600 vaccinations to eligible Columbia County residents. The first POD, scheduled for March 17th is already full. But fear not, there are others scheduled and we have the information on when and where to register! Three additional PODs are scheduled for March 18-20. All of these PODs are open to Group 1B, which includes 60+ seniors, residents with comorbidities, and Essential Workers including: public facing government and public employees, not-for-profit workers who provide public-facing services to New Yorkers in need, and essential in-person public-facing building service workers.
If you aren't sure if you qualify, check here. The links for these PODs will be released as follows: March 18th link will be released Tuesday, March 16 at 5 PM March 19th link will be released Tuesday, March 16 at 5 PM March 20th link will be released Wednesday, March 17 at 5 PM The links to register will be posted here. (Scroll down to "CCDOH POD Registrations.") For additional information, or assistance with registering, call the Columbia County Department of Health's hotline at 518-697-5560. If the forecast is right, we're facing our first significant winter storm of the season Wednesday night into the day on Thursday; and while we're used to these storms here in the northeast, the first snowstorm of the season can sometimes catch us off guard. That said, I wanted to give you a little heads up and layout the forecast, as it looks right now. The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for Claverack effective 4 PM Wednesday through 1 PM Thursday. It looks like snow will begin to fall here after 5 pm on Wednesday, so there should be (as it looks now) minimal impact on the Wednesday afternoon commute home. Snow picks up in intensity late Wednesday night and through the overnight into Thursday when snowfall rates could reach 1"-2" per hour. This will likely make for a very difficult Thursday morning commute. If you're able to go into work late on Thursday, or work from home, that would probably be best. Total snow accumulations of 12" to 18" is expected by the time the storm winds down Thursday afternoon. Again, heavy snow isn't new to us here, but please - since this is our first significant snowstorm of the season - plan to check on elderly friends, family and neighbors. Stay up-to-date by subscribing to my email list, Kippy News. If you haven't already enrolled in Columbia County's new emergency alert system NY-ALERT, now would be a good time!
The Columbia County Department of Health has scheduled a drive-thru COVID-19 testing clinic for December 15, 2020, 9 AM to 11 AM at the A.B. Shaw Firehouse on Route 23 in Claverack. You must be a resident of Columbia County to be tested at this clinic and you must pre-register. This is important information, and we'd ask that you consider forwarding this information to your friends and family.
Effective August 29, 2020, Columbia County is changing its mass-notification emergency alert system from CodeRed to the system provided by New York State known as NY-ALERT.
All Columbia County residents are encouraged to enroll in the new emergency alert system, NY-ALERT, prior to August 29th. Existing landline telephones will be automatically subscribed to the new service. Thankfully, our efforts to stay at home, socially distance and practice good hand hygiene have paid off. We've managed to slow the spread and flatten the curve, which helped avoid a healthcare crisis in our local emergency rooms.
New York State is slowly beginning to reopen, but unfortunately it will be some time before things return to "normal." That said, I regret to share with you the following cancellations: The Philmont Memorial Day Community service and parade have been canceled. The Minkler-Seery American Legion Post 252 will still honor those Veterans who gave their lives for us with a service at each cemetery and at the Village Memorial Parks, with a time and date to be announced. Chairman Jeffrey French is asking all Claverack residents to take a moment out of your day on May 25th to remember those service members who are no longer with us. All rentals of the Claverack Town Park have been suspended for the Summer. This includes any private parties, gatherings, concerts, etc. The park will remain open for walking and playing, but residents are asked to refrain from playing any contact sports (basketball, etc.). The Claverack Summer Youth Program at the Town Park has been canceled. The Town Board regrets having to make this decision, but we did not feel it was prudent to move forward with the program as State and County government have both discouraged summer camps and youth programs during this time. We look forward to having a program in Summer 2021. The Claverack Republican Club's Summer Concert Series has been canceled for 2020. In making the announcement, Club vice-president Charles Schram said, “there was simply no way to make it work given the nature of the venue and the close interaction required.” The club will begin planning for the 2021 season at the first of the year. Philmont Community Day has been canceled. Any donations, and all money from fundraising will be utilized for next year’s event. Anyone with questions or concerns can contact Secretary/Treasurer Brenda Baker by calling (518)-821-4481, or by email. For additional updates and announcements, please continue to check the town website. The Town of Claverack has received a limited amount of cloth face masks (not medical grade) from the County to distribute for free to Claverack residents who have been unable to obtain them elsewhere.
A limited supply of these masks will be distributed in the Claverack Library Parking Lot on Saturday, April 25th, from 12:00 Noon until about 2:00 PM (or until we run out). Masks are also available at McNann’s on Main Street in Philmont for those of you that live closer to Philmont. The masks come in packages of five, so we are limiting the distribution to one package per family. We encourage you to share any unneeded masks with someone who needs one. They are made of soft cloth and can be washed and re-used. Per the State social distancing guidelines, we ask that everyone maintain at least a 6-foot distance from one another if you come to get a package. Please note that if you cannot make it on Saturday, there will be a supply of these masks at the Town Office on Church St during the week. If you come to the office, our Town Clerk will come out and give you a package. We apologize for the short notice, but we just received these and wanted to get them out into the community without delay. Thank you, Claverack Town Board At the December meeting of the Claverack Town Council, the Town of Claverack became Columbia County’s first Purple Heart Community, joining other municipalities across the country along the symbolic Purple Heart Trail. As a Purple Heart Community, Claverack pays tribute to our nation’s military service members who have been injured or killed in combat. New York State Senator Daphne Jordan was on hand at the meeting to present the Town Board with a Senate Proclamation. “This is a special honor for Claverack to be able to formally thank and pay tribute to our wounded military members,” said Claverack Supervisor Kippy Weigelt. “I thank Senator Jordan for her support of this program and her leadership on this and other veteran programs and issues. Most importantly, I thank all of our Purple Heart heroes – living and passed – for their service and great sacrifice.” Senator Jordan’s office is working closely with local governments all across the 43rd Senate District in encouraging more localities to become Purple Heart Communities to help recognize the courage and sacrifice of the men and women of America’s armed forces. To learn more about becoming a Purple Heart Community, e-mail Senator Jordan’s office at jordan@nysenate.gov. The Town of Claverack has been designated a Clean Energy Community by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), recognizing its leadership in reducing energy use, cutting costs and driving clean energy locally. Announced by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo in August 2016, the Clean Energy Communities initiative supports local government leaders across the state by providing grants to eligible municipalities to implement energy efficiency, renewable energy and sustainable development projects in their communities. The Town of Claverack received the designation for completing four of 10 possible high-impact clean energy actions identified by NYSERDA as part of the Clean Energy Communities initiative. “We are so proud the Town of Claverack has achieved this designation. It will allow us to become more aware of energy efficiencies, lower are utility costs and take advantage of the technical support now available to our Town when working on future projects,” said Supervisor Kippy Weigelt. “Congratulations to the Town of Claverack for making this important step towards a cleaner and more renewable energy future,” said Alicia Barton, President and CEO, NYSERDA. To earn the Clean Energy Community designation, the Town of Claverack completed the following high-impact clean energy actions:
Clean Energy Community Coordinators are available at no charge to help communities develop and prioritize clean energy goals, access easy-to-use resources such as guidance documents and case studies, and take advantage of available funding and technical assistance opportunities. For more information on Clean Energy Communities, visit www.nyserda.ny.gov/cec. Local government officials or employees can find contact information for their respective coordinator here for assistance navigating the program. |
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