The Plattekill Town Board was delighted to meet Patricia Peltier, a representative from the Wreaths Across America Organization at its March 20 meeting.

By adopting cemeteries around the country, Wreaths Across America works with volunteers to coordinate wreath-laying ceremonies for veterans.The wreaths, purchased by the organization through fundraising, are placed on the gravestones of veterans during a ceremony held in December. Having adopted the Plattekill Friends Cemetery, Wreaths Across America is seeking the Boards permission to also adopt the Plattekill Valley Cemetery.

Representatives are planning on fundraising at the upcoming Plattekill Historical Society’s Community Yard Sale on June 15, this years Plattekill Day, and other local events in conjunction with the Plattekill Veterans Committee. The Board was unanimously in favor of the adoption of the Plattekill Valley Cemetery by Wreaths Across America.

Though the date of the wreath laying ceremony at Plattekill Valley is still to be decided, the ceremony at Plattekill Friends Cemetery is scheduled to take place on for December 15, 2019 at 1 p.m. Those wishing to sponsor a wreath, or learn more about Wreaths Across America, can visit the organization’s website at wreathsacrossamerica.org., or the Wreaths Across America-Plattekill Friends Cemetery Facebook page for more information.

Plattekill Parks and Recreation Updates

The Easter Bunny will be arriving at Thomas Felton Park for the annual Plattekill Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 13. Rain date is April 14. Children are encouraged to bring their favorite easter basket.
While the dates are still undecided, spring T-Ball will be offered in Plattekill this spring.

Games will begin at 6 p.m. with a price of $15 for 4 sessions.

There is still time to register for Plattekill Summer Camp. The five week program costs
$500 and includes all trips and a t-shirt. Final payments are due no later than June 6.

Finally, the ever popular Plattekill Day will be held on September 21, with a rain date of September 22.

The park expansion committee updated the Board on how to inform residents about the park expansion project. After a consultation with a sign developer, it was determined that placing informational signs about the park expansion near the roadways would be dangerous to drivers. Therefore, a plan was presented to get price quotes on a 4x8 ft. sign to be placed at the flagpole in the park entrance. The committee will get price quotes with the Town Board’s permission. The park expansion committee is looking for residents to complete a short survey in order to provide direction to the project. These surveys will be available at local events and at the Town Hall.

Data Management for the Town of Plattekill
The papers are piling up at the Plattekill Town Hall. With most of the town documents stored on premises, with no back-up copies off site, natural disasters such as flooding or fires threaten to destroy valuable information.

To protect town documents, provide a back-up system, and to make some much needed space, Supervisor Joseph Croce has consulted Atlantic Data Management to explore the process of digitizing some of the town’s records. A representative from Atlantic Data Management and Docuware, a digital documentation software company, spoke to the Town Board about their digital storage options.

Board members were provided information on how to get years of records into the cloud, and what parts of the process may drive up cost to the town. The Town Board plans on discussing their needs, and reaching out to Atlantic Data Management to see what options will meet the town’s needs.

Medicaid Crossover Payments
In solidarity with other towns and communities, the Town of Plattekill Town Board carried a motion that the Town of Plattekill is opposed to the cuts in Medicaid crossover payments to ambulance companies. These claims allow ambulance companies to bill Medicare and Medicaid when transporting an individual who has both plans, at a lower out of pocket cost. Proposed cuts in the New York State Governor’s budget would result in the state no longer covering Medicaid crossover payments to cover ambulance services. This lack of revenue would force ambulances to raise the out of pocket cost, affect staffing levels which may increase response times, thereby decreasing the availability of timely medical attention for the residents of Plattekill. The Board’s motion will be sent to the Governor of New York and various other representatives.

The next Town of Plattekill Town Board Meeting will be held on April 3 at the Plattekill Town Hall.