The Philipstown Town Board conducted a walking tour of South Mountain Pass on Tuesday, June 30. Town Supervisor Richard Shea said the purpose was to give fellow board members the opportunity to see and understand conditions firsthand.
All five Town Board members participated in the tour, along with Philipstown Highway Superintendent Roger Chirico, representatives of the Old Road Society, which opposes paving, and area residents.
The Town Board recently approved drainage improvements along the winding and in places steep dirt road and is considering paving some 2,600 feet of its surface, a proposal opposed by some residents. All five Town Board members participated in the tour, along with Philipstown Highway Superintendent Roger Chirico, representatives of the Old Road Society, which opposes paving, and area residents.
Photos by Michael Turton
Garrison resident Leona Dushin (not shown) is against  paving the road and brought a mounted contingent to the meeting to highlight her opposition. Photo by Michael Turton
Good money wasted after bad? Mr. Shea has frequently said that paving South Mountain Pass in the new drainage area is justified to “protect our investment.” Unfortunately, “our investment” wrongly designed and built, is not worth protecting. It is an embarrassment, perhaps, to the Town Supervisor who agreed to fund it. It’s difficult to admit an erroneous decision, but this one is suspect. There are serious questions about its funding, about the democratic process employed by the Town, about the sensible “best practices” that seem to elude the Highway Superintendent, and about adequate fiscal control of the Highway Department by the Philipstown Town Board.