Cold Spring Village Board

Notes from Sept. 7 and 13

By Michael Turton

• Cold Spring’s annual senior citizens picnic will be held on Saturday, Sept. 17, at Mayor’s Park beginning at noon. Area businesses and organizations have contributed food, beverages and $500 worth of door prizes. All seniors are invited to attend the free event. If it rains, the picnic will move to the Cold Spring Fire House on Main Street.
• Mayor Dave Merandy said fees charged for the Seastreak and other boats using the Cold Spring dock will double to $6 per foot this fall. The Seastreak will now pay about $850 each time it ties up at Cold Spring.  The cruise company has also been asked to have its boats arrive 90 minutes apart when more than one vessel docks on the same day. The 500-passenger boats are a boon to Main Street business but cause heavy congestion and long lines at restaurants. Passengers spend about three and half hours in the village before the return trip to New York City and northern New Jersey. The excursions run each Saturday and Sunday from late September through late November.
• The Knights of Columbus Loretto Council No. 536 is planning a unique fundraiser to benefit the Philipstown Food Pantry. The Knights will give away 333 hot dogs, relying on a freewill donation jar. Trustees approved the event in principle; however, the proposed location near the riverfront bandstand and late September and early October dates may conflict with the cruise boat dockings.
• Merandy reported that there are serious structural problems along the stone wall on the north side of Wall Street just below Chestnut Street. St. Mary’s Church owns the wall.
• The Dale family has asked to place a plaque on the bandstand in honor of family members who have served the community since the 1880s. A letter from Faith Dale Supple explained that her grandfather built the original bandstand for the Cold Spring Musical Society in 1928. A Dale cousin also led a restoration of the structure years later. The family will pay for the plaque. Trustees were supportive and asked that wording and a design for the plaque be submitted for review.
• Village residents are again being asked to adopt water conservation measures. Superintendent of Water and Sewer Greg Phillips reported that Cold Spring’s reservoirs on Lake Surprise Road have fallen to 85 percent of capacity after only 1.6 inches of rainfall in August and continued dry conditions in September. Phillips also reported that the repair of a main near West Belvedere and Grandview Terrace stopped the loss of 20,000 gallons of water per day.
• Glenn Watson of Badey and Watson Surveying and Engineering asked the board for a letter indicating it will entertain a request from owners of the proposed Tiramura subdivision to connect two houses to the Cold Spring sewer system. The 10.6-acre tract is located in Nelsonville. Known as the James Pond property, it was purchased from the Haldane Central School District. Trustees approved issuing the letter, which is required by the Putnam County Department of Health. The board must also approve final plans for the hookup. The pond located on the property will remain available to Haldane for educational purposes.
• Deputy Mayor Marie Early  reported that the Main Street project is now “substantially complete” ahead of the end of September deadline. Tree planting and installation of area lighting are the only elements still to be done. The mayor thanked Early, village clerk Mary Saari and trustee Fran Murphy for the “Herculean” effort they undertook.
• Bob Flaherty, a member of the Philipstown Town Board, reported that the town hopes to seek bids for renovations to the Dahlia House by month’s end. The house is owned by the town and is located directly behind town hall. It will serve as an annex to the municipal building.
• Murphy had words of praise for 14-year-old Max Hadden, who recently volunteered at the village hall. Hadden, a student at Poughkeepsie Day School, scanned village documents and worked on spreadsheets summarizing results of a water usage survey. “He is a remarkable young man,” Murphy said.