Recognitions mark final 2023 Board Meeting
Donna Staron, "Farmer of the Year,” and outgoing Town Board members Vance Pitkin and Abi Mesick hold their certificates of recognition. (Photo by Cindy Bobseine)
The final Town Board meeting of 2023 was filled with recognition and appreciation for those who have contributed to Board accomplishments in recent years.
Most notably, formal recognition went to Councilman Vance Pitkin and Councilwoman Abi Mesick, whose board terms end Dec. 31.
Supervisor Donal Collins listed their various assignments and lauded their accomplishments. He presented both with certificates documenting their work, and was joined by other board members and the audience in hearty applause.
During his tenure, Councilman Pitkin served as Deputy Town Supervisor, and co-chaired the Broadband Committee and the Parks and Recreation Committee. Councilwoman Mesick chaired the Communications Committee, the Comprehensive Plan Update Review Committee, the Invasive Species Awareness Committee, and the recently established Traffic Safety Committee. She also co-chaired the Housing Committee.
The board recognized Donna Staron, of Staron Farm, as the first honoree of the Town’s inaugural Farmer of the Year Award, established by the Agricultural Protection Plan. Supervisor Collins lauded Staron for her long commitment and contributions to the Town’s 2009 Comprehensive Plan and the 2023 Update, the Town’s 2009 Agricultural Protection Plan and 2023 Update, the 2023 Community Preservation Plan, and “decades of providing the Chatham, Columbia County and upstate New York communities with endless quantities for fresh fruits and vegetables.”
Supervisor Collins formally recognized and thanked the Honorable James Forster for his eight years of service as a Town Justice, culminating in his retirement at the end of 2023.
In other business:
The board unanimously adopted the 2023 Town of Chatham Agricultural Protection Plan Update prepared by the Chatham Agricultural Partnership.
The board agreed to wait until after the new Town Board is seated in January to populate the newly established Zoning Update Committee and the Community Preservation Fund Advisory Board. The new board will fill seats on other standing committees, as well.
The board authorized the purchase of a new road excavator under a proposal submitted by Highway Superintendent James Fetzer. The approved plan will allow the $88,000 trade-in value of four pieces of existing highway equipment inventory to apply to the $89,369 purchase price of the excavator.
Columbia County is offering COVID-19 updated vaccines at no cost. At-home tests are also available at Town Hall.
The 2024 swearing-in ceremony for newly elected Town Board members John Wapner and Angus Eaton will take place at 11 AM on January 1, 2024. Interested family, friends and the public can attend in-person at the Chatham Town Hall, 488 State Route 295; or go to January 1, 2024 on the calendar and click on the event.