It’s becoming rapidly apparent that the bi-monthly Town of Plattekill meetings under new Supervisor Jennifer Salemo will be a lot shorter than those under her predecessor Joseph Croce.

Unlike Croce, Salemo has decided to dispense with reading the monthly reports from Police Chief Joseph Ryan and from five other town departments. Each month, Croce would read Ryan’s report along with those from Highway Superintendent Robert Wager (who is charge of buildings and grounds), Assessor Matthew Sabia, Building Inspector Scott Mandoske, Recreation Director Kim Way and Dog Control Officer Andrew McKee.

Salemo made a motion to not read the monthly reports at Wednesday’s meeting and it passed 5-0.
They are made publicly available at the Town Clerk’s office, so anyone who wants to pick up a report is free to pick one up at their own leisure,” Salemo said in explaining her motion.

With that piece of housekeeping out of the way, the Town Board meeting lasted less than a half hour before it was adjourned.

In other business, former Zoning Board of Appeals member James Fazio was appointed to fill the vacant seat left by former ZBA chairman Wilfrido Castillo Jr., who resigned from the ZBA when he was appointed to the Town Board in December to replace Michael Putnam. Fazio will serve out the rest of Castillo’s appointment through Dec. 31, 2024.

Fazio, 64, previously served on the town’s ZBA in 2016 and 2017. He also worked as the town’s Dog Control Officer under former Supervisor Judy Mayle.
Fazio worked for Ulster County BOCES for 25 years, retiring in late 2020. A Modena resident, Fazio was a lead maintenance mechanic for BOCES before retiring.

Fazio said now that he is retired he feels he has more time to devote to civic duties.

“I feel it’s a way to keep an eye on the town and see what’s going on,” Fazio said. “I’ve been keeping up with the ZBA by reading the minutes, so when I saw that Willie (Castillo) left I thought it would be something I’d like to do.”

The board also appointed Darlene Ruscelli to the Town Planning Board for seven years through Dec. 31, 2028.

Ruscelli, who moved to Modena midway through 2020, has been working for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in cyber security for the last 35 years.

“I’m planning on retiring in a couple years and then I want to run for office,” Ruscelli. “That’s why I decided to try to get on the planning board to get my foot in the door and maybe become a councilwoman in the future. I’ve been trying to find something to do to volunteer and get involved in the community.”
Joseph Egan was also reappointed to the ZBA for a seven-year term through Dec. 31, 2028.

The Southern Ulster Rotary Club got approval to do an E-Waste drop-off at the Town Hall at a date to be determined in late March.

“People have televisions and computers sitting around in their homes and this is a great way to have all the community members bring their e-waste (electronic waste) here to the Town Hall and it goes to the transfer station to get picked up,” Salemo said. “It’s a very minimal charge since it’s a fundraiser for the Rotary Club. It was very successful last year.”
Salemo appointed Councilmen Larry Farrelly and Dean DePew Sr. to execute the annual audit of the Town Justice’s court records and dockets.

The board also approved a logging permit for Neil Struber of 1-2-Tree for the purpose of harvesting timber on property along the Huckleberry Turnpike.