Undersheriff will replace McConville on ballot

The Putnam Republican Committee chose on Thursday (Aug. 28) the county's recently named undersheriff to replace the late Kevin McConville as its candidate for sheriff in November.

Brian Hess received the party's endorsement during a meeting Thursday evening, according to the committee, a day after Our Lady of Loretto in Cold Spring hosted a funeral for McConville, a village native and resident who died on Aug. 22 at age 68.

McConville, whose service drew hundreds of law enforcement personnel from the Hudson Valley and New York City, had ended in June his bid for re-election to a second 4-year term as sheriff due to an undisclosed illness. But his name had to remain on the November ballot because state election law prevents political parties from replacing a candidate except if they die or are disqualified.

McConville announced on Aug. 13 the appointment of Hess, a lieutenant with the Westchester County Police Department, to oversee Putnam Sheriff's Office operations as its new undersheriff, after the retirement of Thomas Lindert. Hess has more than 25 years of experience in law enforcement, according to the Sheriff's Office, and founded the Westchester-Putnam Real Time Crime Center to enable intelligence-sharing between more than 65 local, state and federal agencies.

"Sheriff Kevin McConville's service and dedication will never be forgotten, and Brian is ready to continue that legacy of keeping Putnam County safe," said County Executive Kevin Byrne. "He has my full and complete support in this year's election."

There is no Democratic candidate, but Hess will face Larry Burke, a Cold Spring police officer and former officer-in-charge for the village who is running as an independent on the Serve & Protect party line.

Had ended campaign for re-election because of poor health

Putnam County Sheriff Kevin McConville, who had decided against running for a second term in November because of poor health, died at his Cold Spring home on Aug. 22.

McConville, 68, was elected as a Republican in 2021, defeating Democratic incumbent Robert Langley Jr. with 57 percent of the vote. The sheriff began his career in law enforcement as a Cold Spring police officer and rose to become chief of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority police force. He ran unsuccessfully for Putnam sheriff in 2009 as a Democrat and in 2013 as a Republican.

Following the sheriff's death, County Executive Kevin Byrne ordered flags flown at half-staff. A funeral service was held at Our Lady of Loretto in Cold Spring on Wednesday (Aug. 27).

Andres Gil, chair of the county's Republican Committee, said earlier this month that although McConville ended his re-election campaign in June, his name would remain on the ballot because state election law prevents political parties from replacing a candidate except if they die or are disqualified.

Photos by Ross Corsair

With McConville's death, the party had 10 days to file a certificate with the Board of Elections naming a new candidate. On Thursday, the Republican Committee announced it would submit the name of Undersheriff Brian Hess, who was appointed to the position by McConville on Aug. 13, following the retirement of Thomas Lindert. There is no Democratic candidate, but Larry Burke, a Cold Spring police officer, is running as an independent on the Serve & Protect party line.

Statement from Undersheriff Brian Hess

It is with deep sadness that the Putnam County Sheriff's Office announces the passing of Sheriff Kevin J. McConville on Aug. 22, 2025.

Sheriff McConville began his tenure on Jan. 1, 2022, after being elected to a four-year term. Prior to becoming sheriff, McConville had served with the MTA Police Department for 30 years, beginning as a patrolman and rising through the ranks and retiring as the chief. He worked during the 9/11 terror attacks and served as chief during the London and Madrid bombings on their commuter transport system, implementing plans and responses in incident reduction and management.

A lifelong resident of Putnam County, as sheriff he worked diligently to improve the working conditions for the men and women of the department so they could better serve the residents of the county. His accomplishments included achieving DCJS (Division of Criminal Justice Services) state accreditation in law enforcement, obtaining a new records management system, improving radio communication systems to greatly reduce areas of poor reception and obtaining newer vehicles.

Sheriff McConville devoted his life to serving others with integrity, courage and compassion. Our hearts are heavy as we stand with the McConville family, but we will honor his legacy with pride and continue the mission that we have to serve and protect Putnam County.

McConville was a lifelong resident of Cold Spring; his late father, Ronald, served as mayor. According to an obituary posted by Clinton Funeral Home, McConville graduated from Haldane High School in 1975 before earning bachelor's and master's degrees from Marist College (now Marist University). In 1982, he married his high school sweetheart, Janice Brigati, and they raised their three children in the same house he grew up in.

McConville worked for 30 years for the MTA Police Department, beginning his career as a patrol officer and rising to become chief in 2005. During his tenure, he created the Interagency Counter Terrorism Team, worked with the FBI and members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force and created a 50-team K-9 unit. He managed the MTA Police response at Grand Central Station on Sept. 11, 2001.

After retiring as chief in 2008, McConville served for 12 years as director of security at what is now NewYork-Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital in Cortla...

Beacon hopes to take ownership of property

Linda Richards knows camp magic firsthand.

For eight years the former schoolteacher and education director for Hudson River Sloop Clearwater has led Beacon's Camp at the Camp at the 51-acre University Settlement property along Route 9D. There, Richards and her team unplug all devices and use song, art and woodland exploration to bring an immersive, exhaustive summer camp experience to children ages five to 12.

This summer, the camp served 180 children, expanding for the first time to three two-week sessions. "They're outside all day long and they love it," Richards said. "Now we've got counselors in training who were there when they were six. That's the magic, that they keep coming back."

After its launch in 2017, a decade after the University Settlement House in New York City closed its sleepaway camp there, Camp at the Camp quickly became the Beacon Recreation Department's signature offering at the property, an expansive, wooded campus at the foot of Mount Beacon. Owned by New York State since 2007, the site is managed by the city through a 20-year, no-cost lease that runs to November 2027.

The lease can be renewed, but Beacon officials earlier this year asked the state to convey University Settlement to the city. Linda Cooper, the director for the Taconic Region of the state parks department, said the state is reviewing the request.

The city has been reluctant to prioritize spending at the site, putting Recreation Department dollars toward the recent $893,000 rehabilitation of South Avenue Park or $400,000 in upgrades planned at Memorial Park next year. State ownership "makes it harder and creates some uncertainty" for the city to invest in the property, Mayor Lee Kyriacou said.

If Beacon were to take ownership of University Settlement, that could change.

Settlement Camp History

According to the Beacon Hebrew Alliance, Eliza Howland, the widow of Civil War hero Gen. Joseph P. Howland, in 1911 donated her family's 250-acre estate to University Settlement House, which had been founded 25 years earlier by the New York Society for Ethical Culture to serve Jewish refugees living in tenement housing on Manhattan's Lower East Side.

The Settlement House eventually sold the land west of what is now Route 9D, including the mansion that would become the Craig House psychiatric center, keeping 51 acres at the base of Mount Beacon.

In 1914, Charles B. Stover, a landscape architect and member of University Settlement who had been New York City's parks commissioner from 1910 to 1913, took over the site to run it as an idyllic countryside camp. Stover designed the landscape and supervised construction of the main building, dormitories and an Olympic-sized, concrete pool that is now Beacon's municipal pool. The structure now used as offices for the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater was housing for summer staff.

By the 1950s, folk singer, activist and future Clearwater founder Pete Seeger built his family's home nearby and became deeply involved with the camp, often leading camp-fire singalongs. Seeger's father-in-law, Takashi Ohta, was at one time the camp's gardener.

University Settlement House ran the summer camp for 90 years before selling the land to New York State, which added it to the Hudson Highlands State Park Preserve, in 2007. Pat Freeman, the property's longtime caretaker, is credited with helping to convince the Settlement House to resist selling the land to developers.

Richards would love to add a weeklong winter camp. Recreation Director Mark Price envisions a walking trail along the perimeter of the woods and a primitive camping site. The municipal swimming pool, which reopened in 2015 after several years of dormancy, needs a new fiberglass lining to replace the current one, which dates to the 1990s and "is well past its useful life," said Price.

While the Recreation Department's operating budget has grown from $304,000 when Price was hired full time in 2014 (he started as a part-t...

District has four options to fill vacancies

Two Beacon school board members resigned this week, leaving the nine-member board with vacancies nearly a year before the next election.

Anthony White, the longest-tenured board member, and Kristan Flynn, who was serving her third full term, each said the Monday (Aug. 25) meeting was their last.

The Wallkill Central School District in Orange County announced in May that White, who was elected to the Beacon board in 2014 and was in the midst of his fourth 3-year term, will succeed Superintendent Kevin Castle, who is retiring in October. White has been the Wallkill district's assistant superintendent of educational services since 2021.

White said Monday that he hopes today's students will learn the value of volunteering. "I was always taught volunteerism gives back more than you give it, and it's true," he said. "I tried to give my all, but I got back 10 times fold."

Flynn, a market research executive, said that a new job she started last year has not left her with enough time to continue as a board member. "It's hard to feel half-in, half-out," she said. "I wanted to finish this term [which ends in May] but it's feeling like I'm stretched too thin."

In an email to the community on Tuesday, President Flora Stadler said the school board has four options, which it will discuss at its Sept. 8 meeting.

The board could leave the seats open until the election in May; make appointments to fill the seats until the election; ask Jodi DeLucia, the superintendent of the Dutchess Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), to make appointments until the election; or call a special election.

On Monday, Flynn, who was appointed in 2016 to fill a vacancy and elected for the first time in 2017, called the election process cleaner. "It sets you up for more success if someone is really interested in being on the board," she said. "They can come to meetings and get the feel for things and be a part of it before they're a part of it."

The board in 2020 was criticized by some community members who said it was not doing enough to diversify itself when appointing members to fill vacancies.

Appointing someone "becomes personal even if you don't want it to be personal," Flynn said. She noted that her appointment felt urgent at the time, but "everyone [on the board] is capable of bringing the work forward" now.

White was in his first term in 2016 when Barbara Walkley, the eighth superintendent to hold the job in 10 years, resigned. As a parent group, the Advocates for Beacon Schools, began organizing, White represented "a glimmer of hope that there was someone on the board who cared enough about kids and the impact on kids and teachers that gave our parent group the idea that we could actually make some change," said Meredith Heuer, the board's vice president.

Stadler also praised Flynn, who was a member of Advocates for Beacon Schools. In a time of uncertainty, "you brought clarity and data to the conversation, but you also had this insistence that things should and could be better," Stadler said. "We all know how much time and attention and emotional labor goes into doing this job. You've made this district better."

Superintendent Matt Landahl thanked White and Flynn, who were both board members (with White being the president) when he was hired in 2017.

"I would call Anthony about hiring stuff and budget stuff" during the transition, Landahl said, while he completed his duties in the Ithaca City School District. "But I would also be like, 'Who's your cable provider?' Because we weren't from here. That first president who you work with, you have a connection with because so much goes into that transition."

About Flynn, "the word that comes to my mind is the level of thoughtfulness that you bring," Landahl said. "When I say 'thoughtfulness,' I mean smart, deep thinking about every aspect of the community and the district and our kids and our staff. That was from Day 1 all the way to now."

If being born in Butterfield Hospital defines someone as a true local, Jim Myatt more than fits the bill.

Myatt, who turns 100 on Saturday (Aug. 30), was one of 21 babies born at the newly opened hospital in 1925.

A century later, and 32 years after the hospital closed, Myatt is going strong. He has lived in Nelsonville for a century.

Seventy years ago, Myatt built a home on Wood Avenue. He still resides there, along with his partner, Marie Gargano. They met about 10 years ago at the Philipstown senior center when it was in the American Legion on Cedar Street.

"He chased me all over town, and I was like, 'What does he want?' " recalls Gargano, 87, with a laugh. "Eventually he gave me his card and said, 'Call me when you're ready.' "

She called and they've been together for seven years. "He's kind, patient and never complains about anything," Gargano says. "He's just a great guy."

Although Myatt suffered a stroke in December and has less than perfect hearing and eyesight, he remains active, including tending to his lawn on a riding mower.

He makes breakfast every morning, a menu that usually includes coffee, V8 juice, scrambled eggs, hash browns and English muffins. He and Marie spend their weekday lunch hours at the Philipstown Friendship Center and on weekends they often enjoy watching NASCAR while sharing a single Miller High Life. Up until a few years ago they liked to drive go-karts at an indoor Poughkeepsie track that has since closed.

They were also regular moviegoers until recently. One of Myatt's favorites is the 1980 comedy Hog Wild, and he loves pretty much any Western. The couple doesn't care for most of the latest Hollywood offerings.

As a boy, Myatt loved hunting and fishing more than sports. He was a member of the Coon Hollow Bowmen, an archery club that had a course in the woods and trails near Breakneck Ridge. He also belonged to the Philipstown Rod & Gun Club and has fond memories of swimming in the Hudson River.

When he was 14, he and a friend answered a Macy's ad that would be unusual today. "They were selling day-old baby chicks," Myatt said. "My friend bought 15 and I bought 25." He remembers his first car fondly, a used 1932 Chevy.

Myatt was unable to serve during World War II because he suffered from asthma. "I had quite a few jobs working for town folks during the war," he said. He worked for the Allen Coal Co. in winter, drove a truck for the Percacciolo Co. in the summer and also worked for the local highway department.

In 1945, Myatt married Jeanette Maddox. They had three children: Jackie, Jamie and Joan, 11 grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild. They divorced in 1972. Myatt married twice more, to Velma "Teddy" in 1975 and Ruthie in 1996. He has outlived all three wives.

Myatt has always been involved in village life. He helped build the Nelsonville firehouse in the early 1950s and served as fire chief in the early 1960s. The fire company was disbanded in 2001, and the building now serves as a substation for the Putnam County Sheriff's Office.

He ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Nelsonville Village Board in 1958. Beginning in the late 1960s, he was an officer with the Nelsonville Police Department for 10 years; the department disbanded in 1984.

For the past 50 years, Myatt has been a member of Masonic Lodge No. 236, which occupies the former Hickory Grove Academy where Myatt attended school. He was also a founding member of the Cold Spring Boat Club when it was established in 1955.

"In the 1960s, we had a cabin cruiser, and we'd go anywhere from the end of Long Island all the way up to Lake Champlain," his daughter, Jackie, recalls. "We were out on the river all summer long."

Myatt worked at IBM for 35 years, retiring in 1987 as a senior model toolmaker. He still enjoys tinkering with the metal lathe and drill press in his garage. "He can still pull a car engine apart and put it back together," Jackie says.

On Thursday (Aug. 28), the Philipstown Friendsh...

Cold Spring asks residents to move cars

The Village of Cold Spring has asked residents near the Clinton Funeral Home and Our Lady of Loretto to move their vehicles for the wake and funeral of Putnam County Sheriff Kevin McConville, who died Aug. 22.

The wake is scheduled for 4 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday (Aug. 25) at Clinton at 21 Parrott St. To accommodate the family and visitors, there will be no street parking all day at these locations:

Pine Street, both sides, from Pearl Street to the end of Grove Court

Parrott Street, both sides, from Maple Terrace to Bank Street (the length of the street)

Main Street, both sides, from Cedar to Orchard streets

For the Mass and burial, which is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Wednesday at Our Lady of Loretto, there will be no on-street parking until after the funeral procession at about 1 p.m.:

Main Street, both sides, from Route 9D to Stone Street

Cross Street, both sides, length of street

Garden Street, both sides, length of street

On Wednesday, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., there will be no deliveries allowed. The following streets will be closed to traffic:

Fair Street, from Northern Avenue to Main Street

Cross Street

Railroad Avenue

Editor's note: Beacon was created in 1913 from Matteawan and Fishkill Landing.

150 Years Ago (August 1875)

About 400 Black residents of Fishkill Landing, Peekskill, Cold Spring and other nearby locations had planned an Emancipation Day excursion for Aug. 11 but were left disappointed on the dock. The steamer Echo was going to take the group and two bands to Poughkeepsie, but the captain said the pickup had to be at 7 a.m. because it had other engagements. According to a news report, he waited until 8:30 a.m. before leaving, but not everyone had arrived, and the affair was postponed.

As the Saratoga Special was passing through Dutchess Junction, late by 10 minutes, a broken bolt flew from the engine at the speed of a bullet. It passed between a couple, cutting the ribbon in the woman's hat, and struck the depot between two boys sitting there. After cutting a 1¾-inch hole in the iron sheathing, it rebounded and hit the station agent in the shoulder, ripping through his coat and causing a slight wound.

W.H Mase of Matteawan purchased eight shares of the National Bank of Fishkill at auction for $105 each [about $3,100 today].

After driving to Murphy's saloon on the Matteawan road, Theodore Hyatt offered two 7-year-old boys 50 cents [$15] to water his horse. When the boys approached the horse with a pail, it suddenly bit one of them in the face, shook him and threw him 4 feet. The boy suffered a severe wound to his cheek.

The Fishkill Landing Machine Co. was still using the 50-foot main belt installed 22 years earlier, when the plant opened. It was double thick and 12 inches wide.

Theodore Wood was going downhill toward the river when he rear-ended a wagon driven by Samuel Leith. Wood's horse broke its neck.

A watch stolen from Mrs. H.H. Hustis of Fishkill Landing was recovered at a jewelry store in Newburgh, where it had been sold for $8 [$235].

For reasons not reported, Robert Gibson, assistant superintendent of the Newburgh Water Works, fired a pistol at Alfred Post, president of the Highland National Bank, on the street in Newburgh on a Tuesday afternoon. The bullet grazed Post's neck; Gibson aimed for a second shot but forgot to cock the gun.

The Empires of Matteawan hosted the Kelloggs of Cold Spring for a Saturday afternoon baseball game, winning 24-23 in 10 innings.

125 Years Ago (August 1900)

Patrick Murray of Fishkill Landing was contracted to rehabilitate the Groveville Carpet Mills property for $8,000 [$300,000]. There were new roofs and about 1,000 panes of glass to be installed; the job was expected to take 20 men about two months.

George Moore of Fishkill Landing, with the assistance of a Washington, D.C, agent, received a back military pension of $806.93 [$31,000]. He had served during the Civil War with the 19th Regiment from Newburgh.

Mary Phelps retired after 30 years as the manager and operator of the Western Union Telegraph Co. office at Fishkill Landing.

The Matteawan Manufacturing Co. erected a tent on a Leonard Street lot to make hatboxes because of the lack of space in its factory. The firm had expanded its fur hat business, which occupied the former straw hat space, to include wool hats.

Andrew DeGroat, the ferryboat engineer, died at age 53 of mouth cancer. Fifteen co-workers attended the funeral at his home and then took his remains by ferry to Newburgh for interment. The ferry company contributed a floral arrangement shaped like an anchor.

School district residents in Fishkill Landing and Matteawan voted to provide free textbooks to students.

According to the Matteawan Journal, a freight train made an unscheduled stop at midnight at Fishkill Landing to unload a livestock car. Unfortunately, the 13 bulls inside had broken a thin partition and trampled the 51 calves, killing 11. The carcasses were removed, the bulls moved to a new car and the train continued to New York City.

100 Years Ago (August 1925)

The position of railway post office clerk on trains between Beacon and Pine Plains was eliminated be...

Sheriff Kevin J. McConville passed away peacefully in the early morning hours of Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. He was exactly where he wanted to be: in his bed, in his home, surrounded by his family. He was 68 years old.

McConville was a lifelong resident of Cold Spring. He was born on Jan. 31, 1957, and raised in the village, where he lived with his parents, former Mayor Ronald McConville and Marjorie "June" McConville, and his siblings, Barbara, Ronnie and Dickie.

McConville graduated from Haldane High School in 1975 and received both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Marist University. In 1982, he married his high school sweetheart, Janice Brigati, and together they raised their three children - Ryan, Kylie and Ilana - in the same house he grew up in, in the village he adored.

McConville was a man of devotion: to his family, his friends, his community and to his work. He was a proud police officer, a career he treated with unflinching reverence and respect. With more than 30 years of service in the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department, he began his career as a patrolman, rising through the ranks to become the first member from the agency to be appointed chief of police in 2005. Prior to becoming chief, McConville was first deputy chief, captain of the District 6 Command, captain of the Department Manual Development Team and held roles as sergeant, lieutenant and detective, as well as executive officer in various units.

During his tenure as chief, he created the Interagency Counter Terrorism Team, worked closely with the FBI and members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force and created a 50-team canine (K9) unit. He managed the MTA's response at Grand Central on Sept. 11, 2001, coordinating alongside local and state police agencies to ensure Grand Central, railways and subway lines were safe and secure. He was chief during the London and Madrid bombings, where he assisted the MTAPD response and developed strategies and deployment plans that were instrumental to maintaining public safety and security. He was also a member of the Governor's Homeland Security Team.

After retiring as chief in 2008, he served as director of security at Hudson Valley Hospital Center (now NewYork-Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital) in Cortlandt until 2020. In 2021, he was elected sheriff of Putnam County, where he was incredibly proud to serve the community and county that he loved. Under his leadership, he improved working conditions for the men and women of his department by implementing safer, more efficient and appropriate services such as a new records management system and a new jail management system.

He ensured that a radio communication system, which was years in the making, went into effect and obtained new vehicles for officers. He routinely worked with schools and leadership teams to keep students and faculty safe and partnered with local mental health and domestic violence organizations to provide support, services and resources for those in need.

In December 2024, McConville and the Sheriff's Department achieved Division of Criminal Justice Services State Accreditation in Law Enforcement, a major achievement and benefit to all county residents. In addition, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office Response Team met the standards for SWAT Team Certification. The Sheriff's Department became the only agency in Putnam County to receive DCJS accreditation, let alone two certifications.

McConville was a public servant in every sense of the word, devoting his life to serving others with integrity, courage and compassion. He was a trustee of the New York State Sheriff's Association and a lifelong member of the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police, the New York State Fraternal Order of Police, Stephen P. Driscoll Lodge No. 704, the Hudson Valley 10-13 Association, Knights of Columbus Council No. 36318 and the Brewster Elks Lodge No. 2101.

His family was exceptionally proud of his professional achievements, but at hom...

Route 9D to Little Stony Point deemed 'unwalkable'

Sidewalks dominated the discussion at the Aug. 13 meeting of the Cold Spring Village Board. Concerns increased recently after a wheelchair-bound village resident tipped over along Morris Avenue/Route 9D near Hamilton Street, at the north end of the village.

The incident prompted a meeting at Village Hall at which the state Department of Transportation agreed to allow the village to replace the asphalt sidewalk between Whitehill Place and the Haldane football field.

Mayor Kathleen Foley said the project, being implemented "until there is a larger plan for 9D," will cost about $30,000. She said she hopes Putnam County, the Town of Philipstown and the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail will contribute financially. The work will be done "in kind" by local highway crews.

The "larger plan for 9D" relates to HHFT having identified Dockside Park as its preferred southern gateway to the 7.5-mile trail being constructed between Cold Spring and Beacon. Foley and Philipstown Supervisor John Van Tassel have advocated starting the trail at Little Stony Point, with a series of improved sidewalks leading there from the village. The final route is yet to be decided.

During the Aug. 13 meeting, the board voted 4-1 to pay Hahn Engineering up to $2,000 to estimate the cost of installing sidewalks on both sides of Route 9D from the northern boundary of the village to the Washburn Trail parking lot opposite Little Stony Point. The cost of the Hahn study will be split with Philipstown.

Foley said pedestrians along that route encounter "holes you can put your foot in, up to your ankle" and that foot traffic can be expected to increase as the fall hiking season begins. She noted that from May to July, visits to the Washburn and Cornish trails increased by 6.6 percent over last year. Along the entire corridor, where Breakneck and the Metro-North platform are closed for HHFT construction, usage is down 47 percent.

Trustee Aaron Freimark voted against the Hahn study, saying it would be spending village money on an analysis of a sidewalk that's not on village property.

Foley responded that the estimate will be used to negotiate sidewalk improvements with the Department of Transportation (DOT), state parks and HHFT. "It is in villagers' best interest to have a sidewalk there," she said.

DOT estimates the project, which requires relocating power lines and constructing a retaining wall, will cost $1 million. The Hahn study will fine-tune that estimate.

Foley said DOT encouraged Cold Spring and Philipstown to apply jointly for funding through its Transportation Alternatives Program. Trustee Andrew Hall described the study as an "investment to unlock funding to improve the infrastructure of the village."

In other action, the board tabled a letter from the mayor addressed to state parks and HHFT about the "not safely walkable" Route 9 approach to Little Stony Point and the Washburn Trail from the village. A new draft will be considered at the Wednesday (Aug. 27) meeting.

The Philipstown Town Board approved a similar letter at its Aug. 7 from Van Tassel to state parks, although an accusation that HHFT was "directing the general public to walk along the shoulder of Route 9D" was removed. Board Member Jason Angell noted that advisories to pedestrians about construction-related closures do not use those words, and that other routes are available.

Foley reported that a Breakneck Closures Logistics Working Group has been formed with municipal representatives from Cold Spring, Nelsonville and Philipstown, as well as state parks, HHFT and the Haldane school district, which has raised concerns because hiking apps encourage people to park at the school and use the campus as a short cut to trails.

In other business…

Marjorie Gage was appointed as village clerk-treasurer through Dec 1. She will earn a pro-rated annual salary of $72,000; the position had been hourly. Greg Henson resigned as clerk-treasurer on June 10.

The boa...

Would deter commuters from South Mountain Pass

The Philipstown Town Board on Wednesday (Aug. 20) discussed installing gates at two spots on South Mountain Pass to deter commuters from using the road to bypass closures and congestion on the Goat Trail.

Supervisor John Van Tassel said that gates could be installed at South Mountain Pass Spur and Putnam Ridge, creating a "dead section" of road that has no homes. The section would be cleared of snow after storms and emergency responders would have access to the gates, he said, adding that the road is also used as a bypass if Route 403 is closed.

The idea is "very preliminary," said Van Tassel, and needs to be evaluated for its legality. Local engineer Badey & Watson is being tasked with staking out the town's right-of-way, and the U.S. Postal Service and Garrison school district still need to be consulted, he said.

Although the gates would create a "safe environment," he acknowledged there would be "some inconvenience" for residents. "If you live somewhere near South Mountain Pass spur and you want to go to Route 9, it's going to take you a longer time to get there," said Van Tassel. "If you're on the other side, and you want to go to 9D, it's going to delay your trip."

Theresa Orlandi, who lives off South Mountain Pass on Coppermine Road, predicted that her commute would increase by 15 minutes. She asked about options such as enforcing speed limits or installing speed humps.

Van Tassel said that the town has asked the Putnam County Sheriff's Office to conduct enforcement on roads, but it is residents who are getting ticketed. The town considered adding speed humps to paving planned on the Route 9 end of the road, but they present problems for plows, he said.

Orlandi said that "turning the road into one-way only for certain residents, that seems to be a completely unsatisfactory outcome. There's got to be something."

Alex Cucchiarella, who commutes from South Mountain Pass to New York City each day, said it was hard to "wrap my head around the reality" of the gates.

"The gate is a big issue if we can't get through," he said. "There are plenty of scenarios in this world where we can control the access, and I really ask you to look at that because it's a monumental lifestyle shift for all of us here."

Russell Dushin suggested the gate be timed so that the road only closes when the Goat Trail closes, so "people would get the message." If South Mountain Pass were occasionally closed, "they wouldn't do what they do today," he said.

Van Tassel said that delineating the town's right-of-way will also help identify where residents have "been encroaching" onto town property with fences and stonewalls, creating narrower sections of roadway. "Where people have encroached on it, we will be pushing back," he said.

In other business…

The board reappointed Brian Kenney as the part-time assessor for a six-year term that begins Oct. 1. Kenney is also the assessor for the Town of Orangetown in Rockland County.

Susan Kenney was appointed the supervisor's clerk after what Van Tassel called a "brief retirement" from her job as the town's assistant budget officer.

The board authorized the town court to apply for a grant of up to $30,000 from the state's Justice Court Assistance Program, which provides for expenses such as automation, technology, law books and training.