State DOT confirms plans to close Route 17 exit 127

The NYS DOT plans to proceed with its vision of closing Exit 127 to Sugar Loaf and Warwick on Route 17 as part of its upgrade to I-86, Chester Supervisor Brandon Holdridge said at the March 26 meeting of the Chester Town Board.

Holdridge and Deputy Supervisor Tom Becker, along with representatives of the Village of Chester, met with the DOT recently to discuss the project and reiterate their request that Exit 127 remain open.

The DOT said it will be upgrading Exit 126 in Chester as part of its plans and won’t close Exit 127 until 126 is renovated.

The DOT also told Holdridge they plan to install a “peanut shaped” traffic circle at the intersection of Lehigh, Kings Highway and 17M as part of its upgrades.

Holdridge is working to hold an open house town hall meeting with DOT representatives sometime in May or June, so Chester residents can share their concerns about the changes directly with the state.

Holdridge also met with the DOT about the 17M bridge, which the town wants done faster. The current timeline is for construction to begin in 2027. The DOT also said it is moving and expanding the town’s park and ride to the field at the end of West Avenue.

Public hearings

No members of the public spoke at any of the three public hearings held at the meeting.

A law clarifying a discrepancy in town code regarding the length of time a firefighter need serve before qualifying for tax exemptions was first on the docket.

In 2023 the board had voted to make it two years, but code stating five years was also still on the books. With this 2025 law, the board has clarified that it is indeed two years that a firefighter must put in before qualifying for tax exemptions.

The board instituted a 5 percent occupancy tax on hotels, motels and Air BnBs, which Holdridge said was mainly targeted at the burgeoning Air BnB market and making sure they “pay their fair share.”

This law required an act of the state Legislature and would need to be renewed by the state in three years.

In the last of the public hearings, the board adopted best value pricing as its official policy for accepting bids. This allows the board to take into account other factors besides lowest bid when awarding contracts.

Other business

The board passed a resolution correcting the retirement paperwork of Officer Lee Weinstein. The board had been given permission by an act of the state Legislature to open up the books for Weinstein, who will receive $52,400 every year for 10 years to redress the balance owed to him.

The planning and zoning boards finally began to receive new candidates with Councilman Larry Dysinger reporting that four persons interviewed for the three planning board vacancies and the board appointed one new member to the zoning board.

Kadeen Simpson received the nomination to fill the vacancy at the zoning board.

The town is also looking for members of the Parks Advisory Council as several members resigned in order to start a new non-profit that will raise funds for improvements to Carpenter Park playground. Town entities are barred from fundraising, so the members had to resign to pursue their goal.

The board voted to hire Kathy Scalia to a temp position as part-time town assessor clerk at $29.29 per hour filling in for JoAnn Maraglino, who is on a leave of absence. Scalia has experience in the role making her the perfect candidate to fill in.

The board voted to set a public hearing on April 23 to opt-out of the 485B tax exemption, which grants businesses generous tax exemptions. This law dates back to 1976 and state Senator James Skoufis has been an advocate of allowing municipalities to opt-out of the tax break.

The board passed a resolution to request the NY DOT to reduce the speed limit on Hambletonian Avenue to 25 miles per hour. The village portion of Hambletonian is already 25 and it was noted that students walk on the road to and from Chester Academy.

The board passed a resolution to increase water rates for Walton Lake, Surrey Meadows, Sugar Loaf and Lake Hill Farms water districts to $10 per 1,000 gallons. It was announced that the fire district vote would be held April 8 from 6 to 9 p.m. at 1408 Kings Highway in Chester.

The Kiwanis spring cleanup will be held May 9 a.m. to noon, Tom Flynn announced. The rain date is May 17. Cleanup will be followed by lunch. He asked the town for support from the police department and DPW. He will be hanging sign-up sheets in pizza shops, as well as advertising for the event.