Notes from Cold Spring Village Board

The rain helped, but water restrictions still a must

More than 3 inches of rain has fallen on Cold Spring in recent days, raising the village reservoirs to nearly 70 percent capacity after a drought in July and August reduced them to about half their limit.

But, at the Wednesday (Sept. 14) meeting of the Village Board, Mayor Kathleen Foley said residents and businesses should continue to conserve.

“New York State has our region under a drought watch through October,” she said. “The village emergency order will remain in effect for [at least] two more weeks.”

The village recently cancelled a hydrant flushing and has been drawing minimal amounts of water from the treatment facility on Fishkill Road.

Village officials are concerned about having to request an emergency connection to the Catskill Aqueduct, which would be costly.

Unrelated to the drought, the village is closing in on an agreement with New York City for a long-term connection to the aqueduct so it can repair the reservoir dams, a project that has been in the works for years.

The mayor pointed out that although Cold Spring provides water to Nelsonville and a few Philipstown homes, there has never been a formal agreement. That agreement is being drafted in conjunction with the aqueduct connection.

At Wednesday’s meeting, the board accepted the low bid of $106,260 from Saks Plumbing and Heating of New York City to upgrade technology that transmits meter data to the water department. The existing system will reach its end-of-life at year end.

In other business…

• Larry Burke, officer-in-charge of the Cold Spring Police Department, said officers had seen an increase in calls related to anxiety and mental health and has worked with the Philipstown Behavioral Health Hub on where to direct people for help. He said he also wants to increase officer training. Burke said part of the problem is that most services are located in eastern Putnam. “People don’t want to leave their comfort zone, and I don’t blame them,” he said.
• CSPD responded to 60 calls for service in August. Officers issued 121 parking and 16 traffic tickets. There were no arrests. The Cold Spring Fire Co. answered 16 calls, including four runs to aid other departments, three activated fire alarms, three smoke investigations, two electrical hazards, two assists to emergency medical services, a propane leak and a motor vehicle crash.  
• The Village Board and Planning Board will hold a joint meeting on Sept. 28 to discuss strategies to provide input to the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail. Foley said village boards need to think about how they will gather public comment; once an environmental impact study for the trail is released, there will be just a 30-day window for submitting comments. Trustee Laura Bozzi has been meeting with Fjord Trail officials about plans to manage traffic and parking.
• The board approved wording for a sign at the Cold Spring Boat Club as required by its lease with the village. The sign will indicate the launch is available to residents at no charge and include information about membership.
• New signs at Mayor’s Park will identify it as being open to the community, rather than for “residents only.” Foley said she favored doing away with the permits required to bring dogs into the park but advocated requiring leashes.
• The board approved a law to allow its meetings to be livestreamed. No comments were received during Wednesday’s public hearing. Residents can attend meetings in person or by Zoom via the village website.