Hawthorne Valley Farm and Phudd HillHillsdale North Methodist Church WinterFence and Shadows

 
 January-February 2012
Town of Hillsdale Newsletter
Hillsdale, New York
 
Town of Hillsdale 
 
 Hillsdale Website
 
The Hillsdale website 
has a comprehensive list of departments, hours and town meetings.  Go to: 

Hillsdale Directory

 
Town Meetings

Third Tuesday of the month @ 7:30

 

Planning Board
Second Monday of the month @ 7:30

Zoning Board of Appeals
First Tuesday of the month @ 7:30
Committee Meetings
 
1/5: Friends of the RJ Library Meeting. 10:30 at the Library
 
1/8: Hillsdale Hamlet Committee Meeting
  9:00 am @ Town Hall

  

1/10: Trustees of the RJ Library Meeting.  7:00 pm at the Library

 

1/12: Green Solutions Group Meeting. 5:00 pm.

Town Events
Quick Links 

Click on an underlined event for full details.
    

  
  
  
  
Local News
The Columbia Paper

ccSCOOP

Register-Star

The Copake Chronicle

Archived Hillsdale Calendars and Newsletters

Local Calendars
Taconic Hills School District Calendar

CoCotodo.com
Transfer Station
Wednesday 7:30am-12noon
Saturday 7:30am-4:00pm
65 Holm Road
(518) 325-3844
 
Town Historian
Jay Rohrlich
[email protected]
518-325-4956

Volunteer in Hillsdale
You can help, meet people and have fun!

Roe Jan Community Library

Roe Jan Park
Taconic Hills School Aquatic & Fitness Center
Hours for community use

 

Monday-Friday

 

6:00-7:20 am
5:30-8:30 pm
Saturday 9:00am-2:00pm
Sunday 2:00pm- 5:00pm

more info 
Call 325.0432 for holiday hours and schedule updates
Nearby Natural Areas open to the public 
Roe Jan Park

Harlem Valley Rail Trail
 
 Columbia Land Conservancy Conservation Areas
 
 Bash Bish Falls State Park
 
Taconic State Park, Copake Falls
 
Lake Taghkanic State Park
 
Rheinstrom Hill Audubon Center and Sanctuary, Craryville
 
Mount Washington State Forest, Mt. Washington, MA
 
Mt. Everett State Reservation, Mt. Washington, MA
Local Arts
Ghent Playhouse
Hudson Opera House
Columbia Arts Team
Art Omi
PS 21, Chatham
Time & Space Limited
Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center
Resources
Cornell Cooperative Extension
(gardening, pest questions)
828-3346

Hawthorne Valley Farm
Blogs
Farmscape Ecology Program
Local Movies

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Greetings!   

 

Happy Holidays. We hope you're enjoying the season and pleased as we are to see Hillsdale looking so vibrant and sparkly.

 

The December 2011 Town Board meeting marked the end of two important terms. Julie Kane's 4-year term as our Town Clerk wraps-up this month. She was presented with a bouquet of flowers and a round of applause at the end of the meeting. Carmen Barbato, who has served the Town as Councilman for an astonishing 25 years, was presented with a plaque that reads: "In recognition and appreciation for many years of extraordinary service as Councilman in Hillsdale, New York." We wish Julie and Carmen well, thank them for their outstanding service to the Town and look forward to working with them in the future.

 

The new year will bring back Ruth Dodds as Town Clerk as well as a new Councilman, Steve Tiger. Both will be sworn in at the January 3 organizational meeting, as will Mark Cawley, our new Town Justice, and other recently re-elected officials.

 

Wishing everyone a joyful, safe and Happy New Year!  Our next newsletter will be sent out on February 24th.

 

The Town Board:  Art Baer, Carmen Barbato, Peter Cipkowski, Augie Sena and Jill Sims-Elster. (Steve Tiger joins the Board on January 3.)


PS Please note that some e-mail servers cut off the end of the calendar and the newsletter.  So if yours does not end with a little note from us, go to the very end and click on "view entire message.

News

Notice BoardHear Ye, Hear Ye! 

 

Since the ground has been late to freeze, we've added a Notice Board outside the town hall, located at the top of the walkway. Local builder Rich Bauer (right) and his occasional associate, Tye Pettengill (left), created the handsome, weather-proof structure following an old photo of one that stood in front of Hillsdale's former post office on Anthony Street way-back-when. The posts will be painted black this spring. Or maybe white. As always, suggestions and feedback are welcome here.

 

Speaking of communication, we're also determined to capture Town Board meetings on video. In fact, our December meeting (one of the longest in recent memory) is posted here (in three parts). Please note that due to the size of the files, the videos are most watchable if you have a high-speed Internet connection. We're looking into other compression and hosting options to make these videos as accessible as possible. Of course, meeting minutes are posted on the town website here.

Hillsdale Town Seal

New Town Seal

 

Commemorating our historic town hall, a fresh new seal was adopted at the December meeting. One resident described it as "bright and upbeat."  We think so - and hope you like it too. Designed by graphic artist Cathy Cahill, the design features the facade of our new town hall and the date Hillsdale was incorporated.  However, the vote was not unanimous, as is often the case but, at 3 votes to 2, this seal prevailed. Democracy is alive and well in Hillsdale!

 

The seal will appear on town correspondence effective immediately. It will appear on the town website early in 2012 and, later in the year, various town signs will be replaced, as will the seals on town vehicles.

Main Street

Historic Preservation = Economic Development

 

In case you hadn't heard, the Town Board discussed and passed a resolution this fall designed to spur preservation and, ultimately, economic development, in the Historic District, comprised of 87 properties. The purpose of this resolution is to allow property owners to take advantage of a moratorium on the increased assessment they may receive when they make renovations to their properties. It calls for a moratorium for the full value of the assessment for 5 years and then 20% of the investment will be incorporated in the tax assessment for the next 5 years. The determination of the value of the renovations is prepared by the Town's Assessor. The moratorium will begin in the 2012 tax year. It's a small but highly symbolic step that the entire board supports. Read the meeting minutes here.

Rail Trail Raises Matching Funds


The Copake Hillsdale Rail Trail Alliance announced it has raised the matching funds required by a $121,965 New York State grant, putting the proposed extension of the Harlem Valley Rail Trail a big step closer to reality.

The grant from the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation totals $162,620 with the $40,655 matching amount raised by the community group. The money, which will be administered by the Columbia Land Conservancy, will be used to hire a firm with expertise in trail design to create a conceptual design and final construction drawings, as well as necessary supporting studies, for the five-mile extension. Read more here.  

Volunteer in 2012

 

The Hillsdale Town Board is accepting applications for the following positions. Click here for more information or contact the Town Clerk immediately.

  • Member, Planning Board ( 7 year term);
  • Member, Zoning Board of Appeals (5 year term);
  • Member, Zoning Board of Appeals (2 year term);
  • Member, Board of Assessment Review (5 year term).

Green Solutions Group Seeks New Members


The Green Solutions Group is the environmental committee for the Town of Hillsdale.  The Group is charged with determining the impact of alternative energies (i.e. solar, windpower etc) on the town and advising the Town Board on regulation and restriction of such technologiesMore here.

Stay Connected with the Farmers Market

 

The Hillsdale Farmers Market is looking forward to filling your new year with healthy local produce, meats and so much more.... Best of the New Year to everyone!  The annual vendors' meeting will be posted soon.  In the meantime stay connected with the Farmers Market on their Facebook page here. 

Events 

First Day Hike to Celebrate America's State Parks

 

Sunday, January 1

1:00 pm

Taconic State Park 

 

Start the year with a hike - all welcome, individuals, couples, families, pets, too! First Day hikers will meet at the new park headquarters in Copake Falls, wind through the campgrounds and on the trail to Bash Bish. The group returns to the headquarters over the same route and will be treated to a bon fire and hot chocolate at the park headquarters.  You do not have to register, just show up a little before 1 pm! This hike is hosted with the Friends of Taconic State Park's volunteers, part of a national movement - click here.

Town Organizational Meeting

 

Tuesday, January 3

3:00 pm

 

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Town Board of Hillsdale will hold its Organizational Meeting on Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012, at 3:00 pm at the Hillsdale Town Hall. The public is welcome to attend.

Quilt

Quilting Workshop 

 

Thursday, January 5

6:00 pm

Roe Jan Community Library


Have you ever wanted to learn how to quilt? Or perhaps you're an experienced quilter with a project you want to start or need to finish? Maybe you used to quilt but need some motivation to get started again? Whether you're a beginner or an expert quilter, here's your chance. Click here for more details.

Hope, Help and Recovery

 

Sunday, January 22

2:00 pm

Copake Methodist Church

 

A special workshop to learn about mental illness, where to find help, and family resources. All are welcome to attend for family, friends and neighbors. Presentation by the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Snowdate: Sunday, January 29 at 2:00 pm.

august garden

Think Spring: Plan a Garden

 

Saturday, January 28

3:00 pm

Roe Jan Community Library

 

Sponsored by the Hillsdale Garden Club and moderated by Tom Carty and Bart Ziegler, this conversation will focus on basic yet essential tips and principles of garden design including: choosing plants that have year-round interest; avoiding plants that require too much maintenance; making sure the plants you select fit in the space available; and the merits of perennial versus annual flowers. More details here.

Learn How to Make Cheese!

 

Saturday, February 18

12:00 pm

The Learning Center at Hawthorne Valley Farm

 

Come join Peter Kindel, the Hawthorne Valley Farm cheese maker, to learn how to make cheddar from start to finish. From milk to curd, you'll learn the steps to producing your own beautiful, homemade batch of cheese, followed by a discussion and tasting of some of the best cheddars available.  Class size is limited, so please book in advance.  Click here for details about this class and others.

Upcoming Programs at the Roe Jan Community Library

 

January 14, 2-3 pm, By George!  Harvey Granat will sing songs by the great George Gershwin.  Harvey is a singer, Broadway producer, music historian and Hillsdale resident who has appeared in leading clubs, hotels and other performing venues.  He also teaches the History of the Great American Songbook at Long Island University, CW Post Campus.

 

January 21, 11 am-noon, Puppetry Storytelling Program. Beth Adams and local volunteers, Jane and Ben Weaver, will perform a mini puppet show, "The Elves and the Shoemaker" by the Brothers Grimm.  Children of all ages are welcome.

 

Visit the library website for many additional offerings and details.

Dear Fellow Hillsdalers:
We want this newsletter to be useful to you, so please tell us what we can do better and tell us about your events!  Contact us at [email protected] by the 15th of the month before your event, or as soon as you know about it.

 

Sincerely,
Peter Cipkowski, Communications Chair, Town Board 
Christopher Ross, Editor


The Town of Hillsdale