Town of Plattekill officials are expecting that the contents of six mysterious barrels in the town’s transfer station will be tested soon so the barrels can eventually be removed.

Councilman Dean DePew Sr., who presided over the Aug. 17 Town Board meeting due to the absence of Supervisor Jennifer Salemo, said Clear Waters Environmental Services of Newburgh was planning to take samples from the barrels by the end of the week. Then the contents will be sent for testing.

“By the next meeting, we hopefully will have the total results,” DePew said.
DePew brought the issue of the barrels to the attention of the Town Board at its July 20 meeting. He said a private company left the barrels behind when the operation of the transfer station was turned over to the town.

The abandoned barrels may have been at the transfer station since 2014 or even longer, DePew said.

The board voted 4-0 to approve the low bid for testing the contents of the barrels from Clear Waters Environmental Services at its July meeting.

Once the contents of the barrels are analyzed, then it will be determined how to dispose of them, DePew said. It is the town’s responsibility to dispose of them, he explained.

In other news, DePew reported that the second annual “Music in the Park” series at Thomas Felten Park was a big success. Bands performed a variety of music over six nights.

“It went over very, very well,” DePew said. “I’ve heard nothing but compliments on that. A lot of people wanted it to continue. It was nice to see friends, neighbors, relatives and everybody get together for music every Tuesday night. We had a good mix of music and it was very well attended.”

The town’s application for a grant for the second phase of the Town Comprehensive Plan has been submitted by Barton & Loguidice, an Albany-based consulting firm. The application is for a $30,000 grant from the New York Department of State.

The town will kick in $3,000 to fund the project if the Smart Growth Application is successful.

The Plattekill Public Library Board of Trustees set the vote for its 2023 budget for Tuesday, Sept. 20 from noon to 9 p.m. at the library’s community room. The total amount of the budget is $478,113, an increase of 2.0 percent.

Town recreation director Kim Way reported that the town’s summer camp program drew 68 campers. She said that was a good turnout, especially considering there was no camp for two years due to COVID and registration for the 2022 five-week camp got off to a slow start.

“It was a really, really good five weeks,” she said. “Parents were very pleased with how the program went. A lot of the parents would actually like to extend the camp next year. I don’t know if it’s possible, but it’s something to keep in mind.”

The Town Board also presented a plaque to Dawes Septic and Repair of Modena in recognition of being in business for 70 years. Carl, Chris and Becky Dawes were on hand to accept the plaque.

“It’s phenomenal that you could stay in business for so long,” DePew said after the board had posed for photos with the Dawes contingent. “Obviously you have a very good business model and it’s a very needed business.”