- Mayor Dave Merandy said on Tuesday (July 28) that the Cold Spring Village Board would seek public input as part of an upcoming review of Police Department operations once there is “something solid to look at.” The review is planned in response to an executive order by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. A meeting of local police departments and Putnam County officials scheduled for July 27 to discuss how the review might be conducted was postponed until Aug. 6. After noting that the Town of Kent will conduct its own review rather than participate in a collective study, Merandy said Cold Spring would probably do the same.
- Officer Greg Naranca, a 15-year veteran of the Cold Spring Police Department, announced his resignation, effective Sept. 1. “With the current state of affairs in both my personal and professional life, I find it is time to retire from law enforcement,” Naranca wrote to the board.
- Putnam County Sheriff Robert Langley Jr. commended the Police Department for its assistance in a larceny investigation on July 19 following an incident on Route 9. In a letter to Officer-in-Charge Larry Burke, Langley praised Officer Ken Baker for his “diligent observations” that resulted in the identification of suspects also being sought by Peekskill police.
- The Village Board reviewed a proposal from Kieran Boyle, risk manager with the Spain Agency, to renew Cold Spring’s property and liability insurance for a year at a cost of about $94,000. The proposed coverage, which includes everything from damage to village-owned buildings, vehicles and fire hydrants, to public official and law enforcement liability, will be provided by the New York Municipal Insurance Reciprocal, a nonprofit that handles insurance for more than 900 municipalities. The board postponed a vote while Boyle researches the potential liability to the village of a plan to reopen the public restrooms near the pedestrian tunnel using volunteer monitors.
- Earlier this year, the board discussed measures such as one-way traffic and closing sections of parking lanes to allow restaurants to use parts of Main Street for seating. But on Tuesday, Merandy said any changes to parking and traffic flow are unlikely. “I don’t see how it would work having the train station and just one way to get there and to the river,” he said. Trustee Fran Murphy said no restaurants have asked the village about expanding outdoor seating.
Notes from the Cold Spring Village Board
