The Mamakating board meeting on April 1 was the first since Wurtsboro had an election. Frank Sisco was reelected village mayor, and Charlie Corrigan reelected trustee.

The meeting started out with a lengthy and detailed presentation from the Pine Bush Central School District, given by Amy Brockner, superintendent, and Joseph Lenz, assistant superintendent. The proposed budget aims to maintain program stability with a few targeted additions. The district is still waiting on final numbers from the state budget, making some aspects tentative.

The district has become an approved early childhood and special education provider due to a shortage of external providers. The aims of early childhood and special education are to preserve 12 full-day pre-K classrooms (196 students currently), with a strong focus on early learning readiness and mandated services (speech, OT, PT) for 3- and 4-year-olds.

Some new staff positions are proposed. The district wants to hire one special education itinerant teacher (pre-K services), one business teacher to expand career and technical education (CTE), and one special education teacher (grades 3–5) to comply with mandated student-teacher ratios due to increased special ed enrollment. There are 265 students currently in BOCES (Board of Cooperative Educational Services) programs.

The plan is to continue partnerships and expand in-house CTE, including, advanced manufacturing (second year), and a new business program (state-approved for CTE credit). The new business teacher will support this expansion.

The extracurricular expansion proposes two new middle school math teams (Crispell and Circleville) modeled after the successful high school program. The cost of this will be about $6,200 total for coaches and competition fees.

The total financial impact will be $320,000 for the three new staff positions, and the total proposed budget will be approximately $149.85 million (up from $141.5M). The increase of $8.3 million will primarily be funded by $7.1 million in additional state aid, plus a 1.62% tax levy increase (about $1M). There will also be some revenue reductions, such as lower projected interest income.

The Universal Pre-K (UPK) funding is eligible for up to $2.1M in aid, but realistically can only access $1.75M due to per-student and per-classroom caps. There are currently 216 pre-K seats available, with 196 already filled and more expected.

The overall enrollment is projected to decline by about 150 students over the next 6 years. Elementary enrollment is stable (around 300 students per grade). However, students entering have greater special education needs, increasing demand for services.

The district is reallocating staff as needed, especially through retirements. Budget adoption timing depends on state budget approval. Public vote is scheduled for May 20 at two locations: the high school and Circleville Elementary.

Fire Department

Next on the agenda was the Westbrookville Fire Department contract renewal. “The proposed contract is for a five-year term, commencing as of January 1, 2025,” the town explains. “In the first year of the contract the FPD would pay the Fire Company $186,073.00 as consideration for the Fire Company's services, and in each other year of the contract, any increase above the prior year's payment shall not exceed two percent (2%) or the tax levy cap percentage, whichever is less. A copy of the proposed contract is on file in the Town Clerk's office.”

A public hearing is planned for April 15 at 6 p.m. All are welcome.

Work Around Town

Last year, $30,000 was set aside to get rid of a whole bunch of dead trees in town. The town supervisor said it went very well. The town is putting out another bid for this year. The opening bid date will be April 14th at 2 p.m.

The Highway Superintendent’s Report, given by John Ruffer, said that crews have been busy ditching and cleaning pipes around town. Town-wide sweeping begins this week. That said, April weather can throw curveballs from time to time, so plows will remain in effect.

The kayak launches are getting ready to be opened, April 26. Pickleball courts opened April 2, but there will be a grand opening for them in May. There are four pickleball courts at the Town Park in Bloomingburg, but two of them got damaged over the winter – somebody took a snowmobile out on the courts and scratched two of them up. They will be repaired in May, when it's warm enough to do night work.

New Hires

Virdanna Lawrence, the Town of Mamakating Historian is getting a new assistant, Dave Lewis. Lewis has been part of the Historical Society. He's got a large farm with a sawmill on it. He's got old trains and train crossings, a full-size caboose, plus an assortment of animals. The board is pleased with this new addition.

The town zoning board also got a new appointment, Matt Moriel.

There is an opening on the board of assessments. So, if anybody is interested, please reach out to the town to apply. The appointee will have to take a class before acting on that board.

Energy Savings and Initiatives

A few board members met with Art Meyer who is part of the Art Alliance. Meyer is interested in helping municipalities and residents save on energy costs. He presented two main ideas. First is a low commitment energy discount program, which would mean a 5% discount on electric bills for most town buildings; no contract required — opt-in with no strings attached, can cancel anytime. This would be funded by NYSERDA fees already on everyone's bills and managed by an outside company, which takes a small percentage. Homeowners and municipalities are both eligible.

Meyer’s larger initiative is a Tesla battery project. It was proposed by Orange & Rockland Utilities and is still in its early stages. The plan involves placing large Tesla battery units on leased land (100x100 feet). The batteries store cheaper nighttime energy and release it during the day to reduce peak costs. O&R has been exploring, effectively, pilot project for this program and Meyer believes Mamakating should be involved.

The town wouldn’t own the batteries, just lease the land (estimated $50K per battery in lease income). More batteries would mean more revenue (e.g., 2 batteries = $100K, 3 = $150K). The town has reached out for more info.

The desired result could offer significant long-term savings and income. A resident spoke up and shared he saved 10% monthly using Nexans, which offers a similar service, so he suggested the town look into that and any other options available. Michael Robbins, the town supervisor, agreed they would, to find the best savings for residents.

The board passed a resolution to approve the Rollins Way lighting district subject to permissive referendum. The notice was advertised. Now enough time has passed for the board to order the establishment the district.

The board wants to thank all the volunteers on the D&H Canal Bicentennial Committee. They were “very heartened to see the participation from across the town heading towards our 200th anniversary, to be celebrated on Sunday, July 13 in conjunction with our Founders Day. That's a very important date and should be a lot of fun.”

Next town meeting is April 15.