Mayor Joe D’Onofrio started the most recent Highland Falls Village Board meeting with a plea for fewer disruptions at the meetings – “I am committed to ensuring that future meetings are conducted smoothly and respectfully so that everyone’s voice can be heard.”

His comments were not discussed any further by the board or audience. The meeting lasted about two hours and had both board discussion and public comment.

In business from the session, the mayor asked for a moment of silence for longtime Highland Falls resident Bobbi Polak, a Main St. businesswoman and founder of the community group Vision, Town of Highlands. She was instrumental in decorating the town and village for the holidays, as well as hosting community events.

Bills and claims in the amount of $1,186,474 were paid. Trustee Dr. Melanie Guerrero voted no on paying the bills, as she typically does. When asked by an audience member later in the meeting why she votes no, she said she “doesn’t trust them” and hasn’t voted to approve them for the last 10 months.

Guerrero and D’Onofrio gave opposite opinions on FEMA payments to the village pertaining to the July 9, 2023 flooding repairs. Guerrero said the village “continues to be under investigation” by FEMA, while the mayor said “everything is okay with FEMA” and that “checks should start to flow again in two-to-three weeks”.

In other business:

• The board approved several upcoming community events, including The Center of Highland Falls Mental Health Day at Ladycliff Park on Saturday, Sept. 28; O’Neill High School’s Homecoming Parade on Main ST. at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 17; and the Town of Highlands Ambulance Corps’ Fall Foliage Festival on Main St. on Saturday, Oct. 5.
• For the Highland Falls Fire Department, the board approved a junior firefighter, Lorelei Pfaff of West Point; okayed the department’s participation in the Orange County Parade in Pocatello on Saturday, Sept. 28; and okayed a contract with Orange County to have the county’s Fire Prevention Trailer at the Fall Foliage Festival.
• Listened to public comment from Mountain Ave. resident Brian Frederickson regarding the Highland Brook. Frederickson’s home was significantly damaged in the July 9, 2023, flooding and he said before he makes $170,000 worth of repairs to the portion of the brook wall on his property, he wants to make sure the village is working on a plan to manage the brook. “I don’t want to spend that money only to be dealing with the same problem in a couple of years,” he said. D’Onofrio said he has met with state officials about getting help to clean boulders out of the brook which are obstructing water flow, but that price estimate is about $40 million. He said he continues to work on getting work done on it – “Highland Brook is my biggest problem,” the mayor said.
• D’Onofrio said the Highland Falls Police recently turned in over 100 pounds of unused/unwanted prescription medications that were dropped in a locked box in the department lobby. They were incinerated in Dutchess County as part of a regional program.

The board meets again for a work session on Monday, Sept. 30, at 7 p.m. at Village Hall.