If Mamakating’s lawyer approves some final details, visitors to the Basha Kill will soon be paddling through its scenic marshland in kayaks they’ve rented on site. The rental scheme got an enthusiastic thumbs up from all council members at Wednesday’s town meeting, after Supervisor Michael Robbins gave details and community members added comment. A contract with the rental company remains to be hammered out. If it is, the Mamakating Environmental Education Center – the MEEC – will host automated cages of kayaks that come with life preservers, paddles, and a price of $30 for the first two hours in the marsh, and $10 an hour after that.

The kayaks will be supplied by Rent.Fun, a Michigan-based franchise that has put its cages in small parks throughout the United States. The company operates in much the same way as city bike rental set-ups do. At the MEEC, a customer will download Rent.Fun’s app on their phone and create an account. Then they’ll enter data to automatically open a cage, and remove the kayak and its extras. After having fun on the water, the renter will return the supplies to the cage. Most parks have three or four kayaks, and customers thinking of visiting the MEEC will be able to use the app to check if one or more are available.

Mamakating will not have to pay maintenance costs for kayak upkeep: Rent.Fun will hire a part time local employee, Robbins said. The company will also cover liability expenses in the event of a lawsuit against the town because of claims of rental-kayak-related mishaps. The cost to the town for the setup will be $29,000 for a five-year lease, with an agreement to return half of the rental revenues to Rent.Fun. Robbins said that Mamakating can expect to recoup the $29,000 in two to two-and-a-half years. The Friends of the MEEC organization is offering $10,000 to help the town with the lease, announced Lorrence Green, the Friends’ treasurer, during public comment.

Bloomingburg Letter

Given the board’s practice of voting unanimously on almost all issues, a controversy arose during the “Announcements” segment of the meeting. That’s when Ward 6 Councilperson Tyler Wood suggested approving a letter, to be sent within two days, to 19th District Congressperson Marc Molinaro’s office. The letter would support a grant to the Village of Bloomingburg, to replace head works at its sewer plant and remove and upgrade all three pump stations, which are functioning poorly. Robbins said he supported the letter and made a motion to vote it up or down – even though the item had not appeared on the town board’s published meeting agenda.

Ward 3 Matt Mordas argued against approving the letter. “I’ve had off-and-on-again issues with the Village [of Bloomingburg],” he said, and further complained that its officials “behave in a very unilateral fashion regarding municipal law, 239 notifications, honoring FOIA requests – and all off a sudden we’re their buddies!” He claimed that Bloomingburg’s sewerage system operates well under capacity, and added, “I really don’t feel that taxpayers’ money should be spent on this. It’s developers operating in the village that are going to benefit.”

Robbins countered that Molinaro’s office has grant money for these types of improvements, and developers are being taxed more than previously. The board’s votes about sending the letter ultimately came to four in favor and one – from Mordas – opposed.

MEEC & Markets

The rest of the meeting went smoothly. MEEC is gearing up for warmer weather in other ways besides kayaking, and Mordas announced that on Sunday, April 14 it will host a Junior Biologist session. April 20 features a workshop on creating a pollinator garden, as well as a sale of native plant plugs, which continues to April 21. Also on April 21, visitors can learn “How to Grow Mushrooms in Your Backyard.” From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., they’ll inoculate logs with spores from shitake mushrooms, then take the logs home. The cost is $50. And this summer, the MEEC will hold an Earth Warriors camp for kids ages 7 to 10 years old.

Meanwhile, the Mamakating Farmers Market will feature a stellar line up of about two dozen vendors. Every Friday during the summer on the lawn of the Town Hall, they’ll be selling gourmet-quality, locally produced wines, cheeses, vegetables, fruits, fish, and even pet food and farmed and foraged mushrooms – as well as live music performances. More information is available on their website at mamakatingfarmersmarket.com/vendors.