By RICK REMSNYDER
Since the Town of Shawangunk hasn’t received a request for a permissive referendum within 30 days of its vote to authorize $350,000 to purchase the Wallkill Fire District’s former firehouse, the town is moving forward with its plan to relocate its police headquarters there.
Following the July 14 town board meeting, Supervisor John Valk said he hadn’t heard of any request for the vote after the board’s June 16 unanimous vote to purchase the former firehouse property.
“I didn’t expect it,” Valk said of a public request for a permissive referendum. “People have been aware we’ve been planning to do that for a couple years.”
The Wallkill Fire District’s electors approved the proposed sale to the town at an election on Dec. 14, 2021. The fire district no longer needed the property since it moved into its new fire station on Route 208 in June.
Valk said the town will now look to sell the current police station, which is located just up the road from the town hall.
“That will be prime property on 208,” Valk said.
In the resolution authorizing the purchase of the former firehouse contiguous to the town hall, the board noted the funds will come from its cash reserves so there will be no need for financing the acquisition.
As part of the transaction with the Wallkill Fire District, the town entered into a lease with the fire district to enable the existing siren to remain in its present location. The siren, compressor and other accessories will be owned, maintained and insured by the fire district at an annual rent of $500.
In other news at the July meeting, the board voted 4-0 to set a public hearing at 7 p.m. on Aug. 18 for Local Law No. 5 entitled “Miscellaneous Zoning Text Amendments.”
“It’s miscellaneous things in our code,” Valk said. “We pass one zoning law and then the definitions are different. So, we need to clean some of the definitions up.”
Councilman Adrian DeWitt, head of the recreation committee, reported that the six-week Kids Summer Camp has been well attended and was “running smoothly.”
He said campers have enjoyed such activities as sports and karate, hiking, science projects, arts and crafts projects, water sports and field trips.
DeWitt said the three field trips were to the Ulster County Fair, a pool day and a trip to the Newburgh movie theater.
DeWitt requested that the board hire Zachary Tomkins as a junior counselor for the summer camp. The board approved the hire by a 4-0 vote.
The board also presented JoAnne Warren with the first Dick Parker Community Service Award.
In addition to her volunteer service to the Town of Shawangunk, Warren has been the longtime race director for the Wallkill Shamrock Scramble.