Nelsonville Briefs

By Michael Turton

No one can accuse Nelsonville political leaders of dragging out their meetings. The village board for Cold Spring’s closest neighbor held its monthly meeting on Monday, August 16 and it was a brief affair to say the least. The meeting started at 7:30 and was adjourned by 7:43. Peter Tomann, one of the three elected members was unable to attend, leaving Ande Merante and Mayor Tom Corless to handle the extremely light agenda. 
       In his verbal report, Corless reported that the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has returned the village’s application for approval to install a “dry hydrant” in Foundry Brook near the corner of Bank Street and Peekskill Road. The hydrant will provide an additional source of water for area fire departments. The need for the hydrant was underlined when a Christmas Eve fire destroyed a large home on Main Street next to the Philipstown Town Hall. Water had to be transported from the Hudson River to the scene of the fire. 
       Corless said that even though the application had been filled out completely, DEC is now requesting additional information including GPS coordinates for the location of the hydrant. Nelsonville’s mayor said he hopes the hydrant can be installed during low summer flows in order to minimize disturbance of the brook. The village began discussing the project with DEC in January of this year. 
       Clerk Pauline Minners told trustees that the Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS) fund stands at just slightly more than $40,000. The New York State grant enables the village to carry miscellaneous road repairs. 
       The only matter to come from the floor was a request by a Main Street resident to expedite inspection of his residential construction project. Minners indicated that the building inspector would be contacted the next day.  
       The public meeting was then adjourned at which time the village board went into executive session to discuss a legal issue. 
       The Nelsonville Village Board meets on the third Monday of each month at 7:30 at the Village Hall on Main Street.