Christmas Eve brouhaha in Cochecton

LINDA DROLLINGER
Posted 1/4/17

LAKE HUNTINGTON, NY — After tending to last-minute year-end bookkeeping, the December 28 meeting of the Cochecton Town Board focused on 2017 and beyond. A letter from Mildred Meyer of Cochecton …

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Christmas Eve brouhaha in Cochecton

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LAKE HUNTINGTON, NY — After tending to last-minute year-end bookkeeping, the December 28 meeting of the Cochecton Town Board focused on 2017 and beyond.

A letter from Mildred Meyer of Cochecton Center, advising the board of icy conditions at the Western Sullivan transfer station on the morning of December 24, prompted discussion of that facility’s present maintenance and future outlook. Per Supervisor Gary Maas, Cochecton Highway Department response to a 9:45 a.m. request from Sullivan County Department of Public Works (SCDPW) for sanding and salting of the facility came too late for those hoping to drop off refuse and recyclables before its early closing for the Christmas holiday.

That in turn prompted SCDPW to close the transfer station even earlier than the planned early closing, an action board member Paul Salzberg said should be taken whenever unsafe conditions at the facility warrant it.

Maas defended Highway Department Superintendent Kevin Esselman’s actions, saying that town road maintenance must take precedence over conditions at the transfer station. Said Maas, “Let’s face it; if roads are not maintained, how can anyone get to and from the transfer station?”

Maas also remarked that, in many places throughout Sullivan County, roadways were just wet that day, luring drivers into a false sense of security and tempting them to complete pre-holiday chores in spite of the weather. Maas said he would call Meyer and apologize personally for her harrowing experience, noting that even in good weather the transfer station can be a hazardous place for seniors like Meyer.

That comment led Keep Cochecton Clean chair Jerry Yavarkovsky to observe that traffic volume and dumpster configuration make it hazardous for seniors, children and quick-witted, able-bodied adults alike. Sight lines hampered by dumpsters and a constant stream of pickup trucks backing up and turning around within the limited confines of the facility, and absent traffic direction, have made it an accident waiting to happen.

Board member Sean Nearing asked which party would bear responsibility in the event of an accident due to inclement weather conditions: the county or the town. Informed by Maas that it would be the town, Nearing said Esselman should probably dispatch the highway department’s pickup truck with sander to the transfer station whenever a winter storm occurs on one of the facility’s two weekly operating days. To which Maas replied, “Storms seem to occur only on the transfer station’s operating days.”

Maas thinks county foot-dragging with regard to the 2017 transfer station lease agreement between the Town of Cochecton and Sullivan County is symptomatic of a rift between the county and its towns, particularly those in the county’s western half. As evidence, he points to the county’s unwillingness to share sales tax revenues derived from the casino now under construction. “Thompson will benefit directly and adjacent towns will likely benefit indirectly, but western Sullivan will be lucky to see even marginal benefits,” said Maas.

Although the county has committed to operating the Western Sullivan Transfer Station through year-end 2017, Maas believes that will mark the end of the county’s agreement with Cochecton. So he and the town board are exploring viable alternatives to the county-operated transfer station. Among them are a new or existing facility to be operated jointly by the several towns currently served by the county-operated facility, a new commercial transfer station soon to open in Jeffersonville, or private operation of the existing facility. Maas said, “I don’t want the Town of Cochecton to operate the existing facility.”

The meeting recessed to January 3, 2017 at 6:30 p.m. for annual reorganization.

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