The village board got a happy update from Elena Santogade of the Parks & Recreation Commission, announcing that the resurfacing of the ballcourts at Berme Road Park is completed.

“The surface must now complete the curing process. All the lines are in place and one tennis court has now been set out for PickleBall as well.”

Santogade added that someone would be going to the county soon to thank them for their grant funding. The county covered half the cost, with the village and town paying the rest, some in cash and some in services.

Dog Park News

The bad news from Santogade was about the village’s attempt to open a dog park. Since April, Parks & Rec has been working to establish a dog park near the Bob Mangels Botanical Gardens on the northern edge of the village. But now, Santogade said, due to pushback from residents, it has been decided not to place the dog park there.

“We did not want to force anything down anyone’s throat. So, we are looking elsewhere,” she explained. “When all the details are sorted, we will come back to the Village Board. We are not rushing it.”

In the meantime, Santogade said that Coalition of Forward Facing Ellenville [COFFE] has pitched in to help the process, and another potential location has been found.

“News,” she said, “will be ‘soon-ish.’”

Wawarsing Wassail

Wassail is coming – mark your calendars.

December 7 will be the date for this year’s Wassail, and for the Joshua R. Peters Memorial Electric Fire Truck Parade. The parade route will be the same as last year’s.

Winter Parking Notification

From November 15 to March, overnight parking on the streets of the village is forbidden and will be ticketed (a warning will be given to residents on a first offense). Chief Mattracion then said that with the holidays and potential visits by family and friends, residents should inform the police (845-647-4422) that they will be parking on the street for the occasion.

Of course, if there’s a snowstorm, then this will not apply. Mattracion said, “We will use discretion over the holidays.”

No Heat at Village Hall

Mayor Trent addressed the failure of the heating system at the village government building on 2 Elting Court. There is currently no heat in the building. He said that immediate repairs would be undertaken and that a longer-term solution is being sought.

Toxic Elements in the Sewage

A public hearing was set for Local Law #4 for 2024. This will amend Article III – Sewer and Sewage Disposal §222-44 concerning prohibited waste.

The allowed limits on many toxic substances would be lowered dramatically, and three new substances would be regulated. If passed, the amount of cadmium, mercury, and zinc allowed in the sewer system will be drastically reduced, and new regulation on aluminum, magnesium, and cyanide will be put in.

This will likely have no effect on average citizens but could impact industrial facilities. It’s possible this will require additional filtering equipment in the sewer system, but that has not been made clear. The public hearing will be held on November 25 at 6:15 P.M.