Hillsdale Newsletter
January - February 2014
  Hillsdale Town Seal
Hillsdale's website has a comprehensive list of departments, office hours, and a full listing of local events.
Town Meetings
 

Third Tuesday of the month @ 7:00

  

Planning Board
Second Monday of the month @ 7:30

Zoning Board of Appeals
First Tuesday of the month @ 7:30

Local Services


Check out the list of useful links and businesses on the services page here.

Local News
The Columbia Paper

ccSCOOP

Register-Star

Archived Hillsdale Newsletters

Local Calendars
Taconic Hills School District Calendar

CoCotodo.com
Transfer Station
Wednesday:
7:30 am - 12 noon
Saturday:
7:30 am - 4:00pm
65 Holm Road
(518) 325-3844   
Volunteer

 


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 9:00 am - 2:00pm
Sunday 2:00 pm - 5:00pm

 
Call 325-0432 for holiday hours and schedule updates
Local Nature
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
Local Resources
Cornell Cooperative Extension
(gardening, pest questions)
828-3346


Hawthorne Valley Farm 
Local Blogs
Farmscape Ecology Program
Join Our Mailing List

 

 

 

 

Like many, we're grateful for how much progress Hillsdale made in 2013. With the careful renovation and quiet opening of Carrie Herrington's Home and Design in the historic house at the crossroads, Hillsdale's reawakening continues. Every Hillsdaler enjoys seeing the lights turned on in that great old building and everyone wishes her well.

 

This new business joins the many others that are already making people stop and take notice as they pass through Hillsdale, not to mention the ongoing renovations of other buildings on Main Street. 

 

The progress is reflected in basic building permit revenues (including title search fees, etc.) that were substantially higher than anticipated in 2013. Nothing wrong with that. More about the 2014 budget below.


Happy New Year!
 

 

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 

2014 TAX BILLS ONLINE

 

To access your tax bill, log into this website that has been set up to help you pay your taxes, thank you very much. Access your tax bill by entering name, tax bill number or property address. New owners, subdivisions, or property merges are not shown until the following year. Credit card payments (Master Card and Visa only) are accepted. Contact our Tax Collector if you have any questions.

TOWN HALL RESTORATION

 

Good old Flavia Bristol, who provided $30,000 to buy the land and build the library in the first place, would be very pleased.

 

Historic Hillsdale (HH) has privately raised a total of $60,000 to support the restoration of our historic Town Hall, the former library building. By the way, Historic Hillsdale is a great example of a public-private partnership established for a preservation project. After raising $20,000 ($15,000 from the Rheinstrom Hill Community Foundation and $5,000 from HH funds), the Town Board challenged HH to raise an additional $40,000. Requests to Hillsdale citizens were generously answered.

 

The final cost of the work on Town Hall is $140,000 (including architect fees and work on the annex). HH's contribution of $60,000, added to the funds that had been allocated by the Town's building reserve fund, have made it possible to do the job well including the use of a preservation architect.

EFFORT TO EXTEND TRAIL RECEIVES GRANT

 

The effort to extend the Harlem Valley Rail Trail to Hillsdale received some excellent news in early December: The state awarded a $375,584 grant for the effort. The funds will be used to pave the 1.5-mile section from Anthony Street in Hillsdale to Black Grocery Road in Copake, just shy of where the trail hits Route 22. The news of the grant came just two weeks after a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to open this segment of the trail to the public. Currently, this portion has a gravel and packed-earth surface suitable for walking, running, mountain biking and, this time of year, snow-shoeing and cross-country skiing. Eventually, the new trail segment will connect to the existing Harlem Valley Rail Trail in Copake Falls. But with the grant comes a challenge--the award requires a 100% match. Fundraising work is under way by the Harlem Valley Rail Trail Association, the volunteer group that oversees the trail. For more information or to donate please go to www.hvrt.org or facebook.com/HVRTA. 
A FEW FACTS ABOUT THE 2014 BUDGET

 

We haven't done this before, so we figured: why not? The Town Board receives a lot of questions about the budget. Since the Highway Department includes the largest percentage of the Town budget, the following outlines some highlights and a few comparative stats. Future newsletters will feature other highlights and other departments. 

  • 58 percent of the 2014 budget covers highway expenses including personnel, machinery, and roadway maintenance for 76 miles of roads.
  • The total highway budget is $989,333.
  • 42 percent of the 2014 budget is the General Fund, a total of $716,689. 
  • Of 18 towns in Columbia County, Hillsdale has the sixth highest highway budget.
  • Only three other Columbia County towns have a machinery budget larger than Hillsdale (Chatham, Greenport and Claverack). 
  • Hillsdale's General Fund is the fourth lowest in the County. 
  • Retirement, social security, and hospitalization insurance is nearly 15 percent of the General Fund, part of which covers the highway superintendent.
  • An additional $20,000 of the General Fund covers the general maintenance of town garage.
  • The Town has no debt on its balance sheet.
  • The only borrowing that exists relates to the Sewer District, which is separate from the General Fund and the Highway Fund, and generates income to pay its expenses.
  • Hillsdale also receives over $4,000 in rent for the old town hall.
  • Hillsdale received an unqualified clean audit from a major independent accounting firm (Bonadio Group).
By the way, financial statements are always posted on the website here.
ALL TOWN POSITIONS MUST BE ADVERTISED

 

At the December Town Board meeting, the following resolution was made and unanimously adopted:

 

"Resolved that the Town Policy shall be to advertise all vacant/open, paid or unpaid positions (defined as all town staff and members of essential town boards) in the Town's paper of record and on the Town website. This does not include members of Town Committees." 

 

The goal of this resolution is to ensure transparency and compliance with federal equal opportunity employment guidelines.

 

Some history: the Board passed a resolution in 1995 stating that all applicants for paid and non-paying positions, new or already serving, must be interviewed by members of the Town Board. It was modified in 1997 to state that the Town Board should interview applicants for positions "only if the Board deems it necessary." 

 

Though several highway jobs have been filled in recent years without the Board's participation, it has been the Town's policy for some 20 plus years that all candidates for open positions are appropriately advertised and carefully interviewed. The Board should always be included in the process.

HILLSDALE VOTERS

 

Check out these stats from the Columbia County Board of Elections. Hillsdale had generally had a pretty good voter turnout. Not so much in 2013.

UPCOMING EVENTS 

First Day Hike

 

Wednesday, January 1

1 pm

Taconic State Park

 

Friends of the Taconic State Park are hosting a First Day Hike to Bash Bish Falls on Wednesday, January 1.  The event is part of a nationwide initiative launched by the organization America's State Parks to encourage Americans to begin the New Year by rejuvenating and connecting with the outdoors. More here.

Notice: 2014 Organizational Meeting

 

Thursday, January 2

7 pm
Town Hall

 

Notice is hereby given that the Town Board of Hillsdale will hold its Organizational Meeting on Thursday January 2, 2014, at 7 pm at the Hillsdale Town Hall.

The Friends Bookshop 2014 Hours

 

Saturday, January 4, 10 am - 4 pm

Sunday, January 5, 1 pm - 4 pm
Roe Jan Community Library

 

The Friends Bookshop at the Roe Jan Library is open during regular library hours for browsing and buying. The Bookshop will be open the first weekend of each month this year.  Hope to see you there. If you're interested in helping to sort or have books to sell or donate, contact the library at 325-4101 or email [email protected].

Winter Exploration at High Valley Farm

 

Sunday, January 12
10 am - noon
High Valley Farm, Copake Falls
 

 

Join ecologists Claudia and Conrad Vispo from the Hawthorne Valley Farmscape Ecology Program for a winter hike through the fields and forests of this private land of exceptional beauty. We will learn how to identify plants in the winter and how to read the signs left by animals in the snow. More here.

Say Cheese: Mastering Mozzarella

 

Saturday, January 18
12 pm - 3 pm
Hawthorn Valley Creamery

 

Start the new year with a fun day of stretching mozzarella at Hawthorne Valley Farm. We will see the process from start to finish and taste what we make against some of the other mozzarellas out in the market. Space is very limited for this special workshop; please register in advance. More here.

Citizen's Climate Lobby Introductory Meeting

 

Saturday, February 1
Time and location tbd

 

Want to start the new year learning how YOU can make a difference in protecting your children from the havoc of climate change? No experience necessary!  We are forming a Columbia County chapter of Citizen's Climate Lobby, which teaches everyday citizens to take specific steps that will push Congress to finally take some action. On February 1, we will hold an introductory meeting for the new Columbia County chapter. More.

Winter Exploration on Hillsdale Rail Trail

 

Sunday, February 9
10 am - noon
Hillsdale Section of Rail Trail

 

Join ecologists Claudia and Conrad Vispo from the Hawthorne Valley Farmscape Ecology Program for a leisurely walk along a recently opened section of the rail trail, leading through swamp forest and to the edge of a large wetland. We will learn how to identify plants in the winter and how to read the signs left by animals in the snow. More here. 

Say Cheese: Making Cheddar

 

Saturday, February 8
12 pm - 3 pm
Hawthorn Valley Creamery

 

Winter is "cheddar weather." Come in from the cold and join Peter Kindel, Hawthorne Valley Farm's cheesemaker, for a day of hands-on cheesemaking. We will see the cheddaring process from start ot finish and taste a number of cheddars for fun. Space is very limited for this special workshop; please register in advance. More here.

February Town Board Meeting

 

Tuesday, February 18

7 pm

Town Hall

 

All welcome. Agendas for past meetings here; corresponding minutes and videos are here. Financials are always here.

The goal of this newsletter, issued by Hillsdale's Town Board, is to provide a summary of all the cool things that are happening in these parts. With more than 600 subscribers, the Hillsdale Newsletter is a great place to promote your upcoming event. Email details, suggestions or questions to [email protected]. 

Peter Cipkowski, Editor
Vivian deGeorges, Editor
The Town of Hillsdale, New York
www.hillsdaleny.com