By Rob Sample
Work is proceeding on Marlborough’s Community Recreation Center – and on September 25, the Marlborough Town Board approved a resolution allocating $41,275 to be spent on new exterior doors for the building.
In its move, the Town Board accepted the recommendation of Bell Engineering – the project’s engineer – to select a bid from Diversified Glass & Mirror of Peekskill. Town Supervisor Scott Corcoran pointed out that while it wasn’t the lowest bid, the one that was did not include electronic strikes, a wiring harness, center bar, door closers and an automatic door opener.
In response to a question from councilman Manny Cauchi, Corcoran noted that the bid did not include a sum for a construction bond. “The goal is to get the exterior buttoned up by the time winter hits,” Corcoran noted. “We’re pushing the clock here.”
Corcoran said once the exterior work is complete on the Center, work can proceed on the interior. His hope is that the building will be ready for use by next spring.
In a related resolution, the Town Board approved a settlement agreement of $380,257.91, which it had negotiated with New Jersey-based Arch Insurance. The town’s claim resulted from the Center’s previous contractor– WND Construction – abandoning the job last spring. Arch Insurance was WND’s underwriter for the project’s bond, covering the financial loss to the town for WND’s not finishing its work.
The Board also scheduled a town meeting for November 13 to air a zoning-change amendment requested by SDL Marlborough LLC. SDL is the developer of the new townhomes being constructed along Dock Road.
The proposed amendment would involve Section 155-30(B) of the town’s Zoning Code, specifically with respect to multiple dwellings. SDL’s proposed change would apply to properties of 20 acres or more. It would call for a 15-foot minimum distance between structures with foundations in situations where there are two or more structures on a single lot.
On a different matter, the Board approved the hiring of the Poughkeepsie law firm of Van DeWater and Van DeWater, LLP, for an injunction in Ulster County Supreme Court against a Mount Rose Road homeowner, Adam Broza. Broza is alleged to be in violation of zoning rules by operating a business involving large trucks from his home.
David Diaz, who also lives on Mount Rose Road, spoke in support of the action. He noted that he and his neighbors have experienced a marked increase in truck traffic along Mount Rose Road as well as vehicles frequently blocking their driveways.
Corcoran and councilman Dave Zambito noted that home-based businesses can be allowed, but they must be reviewed and approved by the Marlborough Planning Board and are possibly subject to the public-hearing process. In the hearing neighbors can air concerns about issues such as traffic, noise and large trucks on their street.
During the meeting, Veronica Evanega, president of the Marlborough Arts Coalition (MaArCo), announced two upcoming MaArCo projects. MaArCo is sponsoring an exhibit by area artists at the historic Milton Train Station, which will run from October 17 through 21 and again on October 28. The exhibit has been timed to coincide with October dockings by the American Cruise Line and Seastreak Cruises.
The former offers multiday journeys up the Hudson River while the latter is a “day trip” cruise company with departures from Belford, New Jersey and Lower Manhattan. Cruise customers will visit Milton Station, viewing and possibly purchasing works of local artists.
Evanega also spoke about a longer-term project MaArCo aims to launch, called an “Apple Parade.” It would not be a parade in the usual sense of the word, but an apple-themed graphic arts exhibit at multiple sites throughout town. It is akin to graphic-arts parades featured by communities such as nearby Port Ewen, which features artwork of barges, and the city of Buffalo, which uses its namesake animal as its theme.
Evanega said the apple was chosen as representative of the Town of Marlborough, and each apple shape would be customized by a local artist. “We want to work with local businesses and farms, to place them throughout our community,” she said.
Among other developments the Town Board approved the following hiring decisions in the town’s Police Department:
• Brian Levy as part-time police officer;
• Daniele Erichsen as part-time police dispatcher;
• Emily Aldrich as full-time police dispatcher. Aldrich had previously served as a part-time dispatcher.