The last Comprehensive Plan for the Town of Plattekill was done in 2003 and new updates have been under way for a few years. Supervisor Dean DePew said Phase I of work on a new Comprehensive Plan that began in 2019 is now complete and was paid for by a $20,000 grant from the Hudson Valley Greenway. This has $7,500 cash and a $2,500 in-kind obligations from the town.

 

DePew said in July 2022 the town received a second grant to continue work on Phase II of the process. This grant came through the NYS Department of State Smart Growth in the amount of $27,000, with a $3,000 obligation to the town. The kick-off date for this phase is scheduled for a public meeting at the town hall on April 10 at 6:30 p.m., with the firm of Barton & Loguidice presenting a power point on this next phase. DePew reached out to the previous chair and members of a town committee for Phase I and all wish to continue working on this second phase of the Plan.

 

DePew said he expects the firm of Barton & Loguidice “will give us a blueprint of what we’re going to follow to achieve phase II.”

 

DePew said the town has applied for an additional grant for Phase II of $10,000 with a $3,000 obligation from the town, again with Hudson Valley Greenway. He said as Phase II moves forward he anticipates applying for a third grant in July 2024, “for opportunities as well as support, to update our zoning codes as well as tying it into our Comprehensive Plan by the end of 2025. It’s a little ambitious, but hopefully we can pull it off.” An amount for this grant has not yet been determined but the supervisor is hoping that any left over funds from the $10,000 grant can be used to update the town’s zoning codes.

 

DePew said the town will be installing a new playground at the Town Park. He said about a year ago the town applied for and received a $100,000 matching grant from Ulster County.

 

“With that $100,000 matching grant we have an opportunity for $200,000 to put into our park and replace our playground and bring it up to ADA compliance,” he said. “We are intending to remove the present playground, which is more than 30 years old, and a new one can hopefully be completed in a 6- to 8-week time frame.” In order to not interfere with summer camp, DePew said construction on this project would start on August 5, after camp is done. He is also thinking about installing nearby a couple of pickleball courts and a basketball court.

 

DePew pointed out that the town’s financial share of $100,000 will be tapped from the recreation fund. If it falls short, DePew said they will take it legally from other places in the budget.