Town Board updates
Ongoing board work and initiatives were the theme of the Town Board meeting on June 16.
The board appointed Councilperson Rick Werwaiss as chair of the Grants Appropriations Committee, approved a roster of committee members, and appointed a grant writer to work with the committee.
By resolution, the board formally asked the committee to focus on obtaining grants for public safety and traffic control technology, and health and safety equipment for town parks, including security cameras and garbage receptacles.
The board heard from NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) representative Ingrid Haeckel regarding a proposed Community Preservation Plan that would protect agricultural land, open space, woodlands and water sources, as well as other aspects of the rural character of the town of Chatham.
The plan has evolved through ongoing collaboration by DEC, the Chatham Agricultural
Partnership, the Columbia Land Conservancy, and Cornell University. Haekel said next steps are
to enlist the public and community stakeholders to give feedback and to refine the plan and
funding sources that can make the plan a reality.
The board is recruiting interested volunteers to work on a newly formed Conservation Advisory Council, which will continue to focus on the Community Preservation Plan.
The committee working on the Comprehensive Plan Update Review has completed scheduled focus groups and is continuing to collect survey data from residents and property owners. Committee chair Abi Mesick said that a brief survey focused on Youth & Young Families is still open for comments.
Parks and Recreation Committee chair Vance Pitkin reported that many community members and groups have contributed time, financial contributions and in-kind contributions to build and/or maintain facilities such as the pump track, fitness trail equipment upgrades, and the Children’s Garden. He reported that new baseball field dugouts and picnic tables are available at Crellin Park as a result of community volunteerism and financial assistance.
Pitkin requested volunteer assistance to set up and staff the Annual Crellin Park Day on
August 8, from 2 – 8 PM. Interested? Contact him at vpitkin@chathamnewyork.us to volunteer.
For details and other news, check out the meeting minutes on the town website.