MAMAKATING –– During the last town board meeting on February 7, Mamakating’s town board discussed a couple projects they had in mind to improve the town park. Town Supervisor Mike Robbins and Councilman Tyler Wood noted that they were looking to install a 30X30 pole barn with 12-foot ceilings and one garage door for the Parks and Recreation Maintenance crew. Robbins stated that currently materials are being left outside because there isn’t enough storage space. 

Wood said he calculated that the project would cost approximately $46,000, which includes the entire cost except electricity, which could be done internally. 

Deputy Supervisor John Rufer asked if electricity is readily available where the barn would be built. Wood responded that he was welcome to feedback because the town could put the barn near the closest meter near the pavilion or run a new service. 

Currently, Wood said he was thinking the barn could be near the tennis courts. Currently, there are piles of mulch and other materials outside near the tennis courts at the town park. Rufer also expressed that even though board members only have two-year terms, they need to think about the longevity of these projects and have a vision for them. 

Robbins also announced that he had early plans for a fenced in area, so the maintenance crew can lock up trailers and other equipment. 

Robbins also announced that the State has denied Mamakating’s request to reduce the speed limit from 55 mph to 40 mph on Mamakating Road. 

The road passes the town park and goes to the Village of Bloomingburg. Wood said that he spoke to two people, and New York State is planning to redo the study for the speed limit, and he was told it probably won’t change the outcome. 

Wood stated he was told lowering the speed limit would produce too many speeders. Wood continued to say that the Department of Transportation was more concerned with ticketing speeders over the safety of residents on the road. 

Littering Problems

Highway Superintendent Thomas Morrow gave his report and noted that the “amount of junk being deliberately thrown on the side of the road has gotten exponentially worse and bigger and brazen.” He gave an example of someone dumping all the construction debris from a home renovation onto Ferguson road, and someone left an entire bathtub/ shower insert on Yankee Lake Road.

Morrow said they clean these areas up as they are able and have been working with New York State about the garbage off Exit 115. He noted that he would like to see a local law that could hold someone accountable for the dumping in the future. 

He gave an example of being able to attribute someone’s litter to an address or name found in littered garbage bags. Morrow noted that the highway department does look through garbage and can attribute garbage with a name a lot of the time. 

Annexation Hearing

The board voted to hold a joint public hearing with the Village of Bloomingburg on March 15 at 6 p.m. at Mamakating’s Town Hall and via Zoom. The petition is for Bloomingburg to annex a .924 acre property on High Street. 

Robbins stated that the current property line runs through the property owner’s garage and would like to annex it into one lot since he owns the lot next to it. Robbins said that there are no issues with water or sewer and “supposedly no other reason than that.” Robbins also added that it doesn’t sound like there are other plans for building on that lot, “but you never know.”

During public comment, former Town Supervisor Janet Lybolt expressed that the board should hold the public hearing during a regular town board meeting. Robbins responded that this issue is going to be a “huge issue that will take a lot of time,” and he didn’t want to do town business on the same night. The hearing will be on a Wednesday night, and that is also not Bloomingburg’s regular meeting night either, Robbins said. 

She stated that the property starts out on High Street, and the back of the property ends next to 20 Church Street, which is in the Town of Mamakating at the end of a dead-end road. “That would give access to building to that parcel on both ends.”