Marbletown town board, for the first time in seven years, had a meeting with no resolutions. This gave the board ample time to present details from the Parks, Trails and Recreation Commission to discuss concepts for the spring, summer, and beyond.

The Commission's Klay Stack began by saying that his department “serves as a sounding board for the needs of our residents.” Easier walking trails and the needs of young families were major themes with these talking points applying to “all properties, not just the [Marbletown] Meadows.” Echoing a presentation he delivered in early September, he mentioned new team members, ideas currently being worked on and future visions to hopefully draw tourists to the town, along with local outdoor enthusiasts.

Marisa Sherry and Jonitha Keymoore are new members of Parks, Trails and Recreation. To begin, Stack mentioned that the huge number of new parkland purchases creates upkeep and oversight challenges. “We’re already struggling with the properties we have,” he lamented.

Stack brought up Marbletown Park concerns. He would like to improve this space with “better seating and supervision” to allow parents the best line of sight to observe toddlers and young children.

Additionally, possibilities such as an adaptive swing for wheelchair users and a mural inside the pavilion were mentioned. The presentation also mentioned pickleball. As a result of the racquet sport’s huge popularity, despite seven courts across town, athletes must sign up on Marbletown’s Google Calendar two weeks in advance. Marbletown and Rosendale residents can use the courts free of charge and visitors can pay using a drop box.

Stack also addressed the Marbletown Community Center (MCC). He advises “focusing on limited repairs to get the building back in service.” No timelines, estimates or project manager possibilities were put forward during this meeting, which zoomed in mainly on conceptual topics. On MCC, Stack concluded, “We’re eager to get that building back in service.”

The board didn’t get the grant for Marbletown Meadows improvements but they still talked about making this space more walkable and safer. The walkway is mostly mud and brambles so they’re interested in reapplying for grants. Supervisor Rich Parete and board member Daisy Foote mentioned that they’ve noticed many dogs off leash at these parks. While there are no leash laws, Parete says that “it’s common sense” to leash all dogs.

He suggested safety options like signs requesting leashed pets and patrolmen to keep park users as safe as possible. After a dog bite incident this summer, Parete wants to “lay the groundwork for future rules and regulations” and do so with distinct “signage and guidelines.”

Other presentation ideas included creating more activities for the 55-plus demographic and sidewalks to connect local parks. “We can use money from the Preservation Fund to purchase easement,” Supervisor Parete added. “It’s not very walkable.”

Daisy Foote would like to see the Preservation Committee and Parks and Rec meet regularly for further brainstorming. The board’s Tim Hunt added that some of these paths have rough drafts already. “There’s a wonderful connectivity map that’s already thought through,” he added. Although rare, gravel sidewalks were mentioned as a possibility.

A few additional topics were presented. High Falls will be flushing fire hydrants from April 21st through April 25th. Parete also mentioned that Columbia Utilities recently paid their fines. This community choice aggregation company failed to deliver the low-cost services they promised from 2021 to 2024. Thus, $50 checks will be distributed to about 3,000 affected households starting April 17.

There was a very brief, reserved exchange about the Marbletown Community Center. At the March 18 meeting, the board indicated that some of the existing heating infrastructure can be fixed without huge overhauls. The $79,000 grant has been extended until June, facing an unsure future with many people voicing concerns and holding awareness meetings.

Wendy Saul, who composed this grant representing Partners for Climate Action, talked about MCC creating “programs for young children” in the future. Like Stack, she wants town attractions to consider young families. Vivi Hvalsa, a frequent public comment participant, built on this by suggesting MCC can be used for youth arts engagement and humanities activities.

“Nothing for kids to do there,” Supervisor Parete said, citing MCC’s lack of basketball hoops and athletic field space. “It’s not great for a lot of kid’s programs.”