Shawangunk gets four opioid emergency kits

By RICK REMSNYDER
Posted 2/21/23

The Town of Shawangunk has acquired four opioid emergency kits that will be placed in three locations in the town.

Police Chief Gerald Marlatt addressed the board at its February 16 meeting and …

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Shawangunk gets four opioid emergency kits

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The Town of Shawangunk has acquired four opioid emergency kits that will be placed in three locations in the town.

Police Chief Gerald Marlatt addressed the board at its February 16 meeting and discussed securing the kits from Ulster County.

Following the meeting, Marlatt issued a press release stating that two of the opioid kits will be located at the Town Hall. One will be placed in the town hall’s lower-level community room and the other on the main floor near the town court.

The third kit will be situated at the schoolhouse in Walker Valley and the fourth will be provided to the Wallkill Public Library.

All four kits will be placed in public access buildings in the town.

Marlatt said that board members Brian Amthor and Robert Miller, who both serve as town board liaisons to Marlatt, became aware of the life-saving resource being offered by the Ulster County Mental Health Healing Communities Division and asked Marlatt to reach out to secure the boxes for the town.

“Once the boxes were secure, Detective Albert Babcock of the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office/Opioid Response as County Law Enforcement (ORACLE) was contacted and graciously provided pouches and NARCAN to supply the boxes with the means necessary to combat an opioid overdose,” Marlatt said. “The kits have been set up in such a way that everything needed, including PPE and instructions, are inside a grab and go bag. Opioid overdose is an issue that we cannot ignore.”

In other news, the board voted 5-0 to approve the purchase of a new highway truck for $342,000.

The board also voted 5-0 to approve the hiring of Mary Ann Longano as a secretary for the planning board and the highway department. Her starting salary will be $17.05 an hour with a raise to $18.36 in six months.

The late Mike Croce received the Dick Parker Community Service Award. The award goes to a town resident in recognition for the many contributions he or she has given to the community.

The award was accepted by Croce’s wife Barbara.
Croce passed away at the age of 63 on December 20, 2022. Croce retired as the Regional Sales Manager for Freihofer Baking Company in 2018 after 40 years in the route distribution service.

Croce, who was nicknamed “Big Mike,” served in the volunteer fire service for over 40 years. His initial time was spent in Modena where he grew up.

He later transferred to Wallkill Hook, Ladder & Hose Company where he served as a fire commissioner.

Croce was also past president of the Wallkill Lions Club. He also served on the Board of Directors of Wallkill Valley Federal Savings and Loan.

In his retirement, he helped at the Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry.

“Michael was bigger than life,” Barbara Croce said in a statement she read after accepting the award on behalf of her late husband. “You knew it when he walked into a room. It’s just the way he was. He loved his community and involved himself in many, many ways that brought people together.”