Chester sends Sugar Loaf sidewalk project out to bid

The town of Chester set forth its plans for a new sidewalk and raised crosswalks in the hamlet of Sugar Loaf. The project is being funded by a $400,000 state grant and $40,000 in town funding.

The sidewalk will begin at the brick walkway in front of the SLPAC and be laid on that side of the road until the Scott’s Meadow crosswalk where a raised crosswalk will lead pedestrians across the street. The town estimates the crosswalk to be 3.5 inches high.

The sidewalk ends there until it picks up again by the Methodist church, where there will also be a raised crosswalk. The sidewalk will lead to Wood Road and a striped but not raised crosswalk will lead pedestrians to Cancun Inn.

Highway Superintendent John Reilly expressed concern about the impact raised crosswalks will have on snow removal. The board directed him to work his concerns out with town engineer John Queenan.

The board approved the project to be sent out to bid pending the meeting between Reilly and Queenan. The town will advertise the bid for 30 days and then select a winner. They hope the bid process will over by April 23.

During the public hearing on the sidewalk project the town received mostly positive feedback from the community with some dissenting voices also heard. The Sugar Loaf Foundation provided a list of business owners and residents along Kings Highway in Sugar Loaf who supported the project.

Supervisor Brandon Holdridge addressed concerns that the raised crosswalks would slow response times of emergency vehicles. He said he spoke to the EMS, fire, and police departments and all three said there would be no issue.

Laroe land

During public comments a member of the Laroe family reiterated his family’s desire to sell a 100-acre parcel of open space to the town, asking that the sale be put up for a vote via referendum, providing a petition with over 200 signatures of local residents supporting the move.

Knapp’s View

Tracy Schuh of the Conservation Advisory Council said the town’s debt on the Knapp’s View land is sunsetting this year, offering a perfect opportunity to invest new money into open space.

Medal of Valor honor

The town board read a proclamation honoring FDNY Lieutenant John Vanderstar, a Sugar Loaf resident, for his heroics which earned him the Medal of Valor bestowed by President Joe Biden this January. In 2022 Vanderstar rescued a toddler from a fire in New York City.

Other business

The town board set a March 26 public hearing for a new local law establishing an occupancy tax on motels, hotels, and short-term rentals like Airbnb. They did not mention how much the tax would be. Councilman Robert Courtenay noted he had found out that the town has 60 operating Airbnbs within its borders.

The board also introduced a local law and set a public hearing of March 26 to legislate “best value pricing” as its norm for awarding contracts. This gives the board greater flexibility in awarding contracts as sometimes the lowest bid is not the best bid.

The board passed a zombie pole law incentivizing companies to remove obsolete utility poles from the roads in town.

The board accepted Dot Wierzbicki’s resignation from the planning board. This leaves the planning board with only four members. Councilman Larry Dysinger noted the town has been slow to receive applicants to join the planning board and would consider advertising in local newspapers for new members.

The board voted 4-1, with Dysinger dissenting, to move the day off for Lincoln’s birthday from Wednesday to Monday for members of the highway and water departments. The union members had long been taking this day off on a Monday and wanted it codified in town law. Dysinger argued they’d been in violation of their contract and acting against the spirit of the holiday by taking a three-day weekend instead of celebrating on Wednesday as they should have been.

The board appointed 20-year resident James Donovan to the Chester Conservation Advisory Council. He is an earth science teacher in the Suffern school district.

The board agreed to charge Warwick Performing Arts $10,500 for each of three uses of the SLPAC on April 2 through 6, May 14 through 18 and June 18 through 22. They are waiting for a new fee schedule to be implemented and had to approve the schedule piecemeal.

The board followed up on a public hearing at the last meeting regarding a potential unsafe building order at 19 Cardinal Lane. They voted that units 2a, 2b, 3c, 3d, and the barn were unsafe and would be sent a vacate notice effective March 31. Tenants have the right to appeal the order by filing an Article 78 in court.