WURTSBORO –– Mamakating’s Town Board has been anticipating the arrival of the funds from the federal government’s American Rescue Plan (ARP). These funds are intended to lessen the economic impact due to revenue loss from the COVID-19 pandemic. Mamakating has received $504,043.16 to use, and now it is up to the town board to decide what to do with it.

During the last town board meeting on August 17, Town Supervisor Janet Lybolt announced that to start, the funds would be put in a separate bank account to make it easier to track what is being bought with that money. The board voted unanimously to separate the money from the general fund (or any other fund).
The first thing to be purchased will be a new truck for Mamakating’s Dog Control Officer. Currently, Vicki Darnoboid’s truck is in bad condition, rusted out, and has an electrical problem, according to Lybolt. She also said that the board got an estimate from Robert Green of approximately $37,000 to purchase a truck.
Chris Leser came up to the podium during public comment to say that the truck that is being replaced was only bought four or five years ago. Leser also said that the highway department put a lot of work into the truck to make it usable. Leser said that he wanted to be sure that the board did not buy “a new piece of junk” that will need to be replaced in the near future.

Lybolt replied that the current truck should have never been purchased. She said the previous town board bought it knowing that the truck was used by another municipality prior. Councilman Thomas Morrow agreed with Lybolt. He said that the highway department knew they were putting equipment on a bad truck, but that was the prior board’s decision to do so.

Lybolt said that they are planning to buy a new truck since used trucks are closely priced to new ones due to the used car market being so high, and the dog housing unit will be placed on the new truck. She also stated that this resolution was only to decide to purchase a new truck with the ARP funds; the actual truck itself will be designated later.

In addition to the new truck, Lybolt stated that $180,000 of the funds will be put towards lost revenue, but the rest (approximately $320,000) can be used to improve the town. There are limited things that can be bought, and the town needs to make sure they are using the money according to federal guidelines which the town’s certified public accountant, Lybolt explained.

Lybolt opened it up to the board to discuss what they might want to use the money for but gave a list of options. She stated that they could look into installing a new ventilation system for town hall and the highway department. Since the seniors and meetings are in town hall again, it is important to protect the people that enter the buildings, she said.

She also suggested that Mamakating Aquifer designation could be paid for. Currently, the town is undergoing a hydrogeological study to have the town’s aquifer designated for protection.

In addition to these suggestions, Lybolt said that the funds could pay for new laptops for department heads and clerks (including the highway department) to allow them to work remotely in case of another shutdown to keep the town running smoothly and safely.

She also suggested that the town park could use fences around the playgrounds to keep children and parents out when the park is closed, and the tennis courts could also be resurfaced since they are becoming a trip hazard in their current condition. Lybolt also mentioned that the highway department needs a truck canopy to protect the trucks from the elements.

Lybolt and Highway Superintendent Rob Hufcut went back and forth about what the canopy might look like, and Lybolt showed him a preliminary sketch that she had drawn up. The goal is to eventually have solar panels on the canopy, she continued. Hufcut stated that her sketch was not what he had in mind. She told Hufcut that they do not necessarily have to follow the sketch, but it was an idea, and they could discuss it further.
She ended the discussion by telling the board she was open to ideas about how to use the money to improve the town.