MAMAKATING — The most recent meeting of the Mamakating Town Board focused a great deal on resolving issues from the past and addressing new ones between the Town and the Highway Department.

To start, the Town announced and passed a resolution for an inter-municipal agreement with the Village of Wurtsboro regarding street and highway services. The attorney for the town, Benjamin Gailey, told everyone that this agreement “puts in writing the informal arrangement” that has already been in place.

Cathyann Wishinski, a resident, came up to the podium to ask about the lack of discussion when it came to this agreement. She noted that it seemed “odd that everyone understands the contract” and “no one has questions” about it upon receiving it.

Janet Lybolt, Town Supervisor, in response addressed the board and asked if anyone had any questions. The board all replied, “no.”

Ted Brebbia, a resident, asked the board to summarize the agreement for everyone. Gailey told everyone that the town of Mamakating will help the Village of Wurtsboro with snow and ice removal if they cannot handle it and at the discretion of the highway superintendent.

In addition, Mamakating may provide snow/ice removal materials to Wurtsboro if the town has an excess. Wurtsboro will pay for the materials and for their transportation. If Mamakating equipment or employees are needed, then Wurtsboro will pay for their usage including any overtime pay for the employees.

In return, Mamakating can use village water for street cleaning if needed without charge. The board all voted in favor of the agreement.

Councilmen Gary Forthoffer and John Lacey also performed an audit for the town on February 14. Lacey addressed the meeting and stated that the contract with the highway department has remain unresolved for 5 years and a massive bill from the lawyers is now on Mamakating's shoulders.

Lacey repeated the figure of $107,248.41 twice for the meeting. He criticized the former board when he stated, “the previous administration has nothing to show” for this bill.

“Instead of putting the money in escrow to cover the raises [for the highway department,] we're still looking for the money.”

The highway department has a history of picketing and criticizing the previous board for not updating their contract.

Rob Hufcut, the current highway superintendent, made a plea to the board during the January 14th meeting. He said that as of January 5th, the highway department had not received a cost of living increase in wages.

He asked the meeting, “Are you driving on icy roads in the middle of the night?” and noted that “these men leave their families to make sure you can go to work.”

After Lacey's speech, Lybolt said that the board looks forward to having the new highway department contract signed during the next town meeting.

During the highway superintendent's report, Hufcut brought up a new issue to the town board: heavy dump trucks have ruined Fire Tower Rd, and the repair will cost tax payers approximately $40,000, according to Hufcut's estimates.

Hufcut noted that loggers in Mamakating have to pay a bond to ensure that the roads are being taken care of, and it is not fair that dump trucks that heavily travel the roads do not have to. Hufcut said he wanted “to do the right thing for the tax payers.”

Hufcut faced questions about punishing locals who may have trucks travel the roads only a few times. Councilman Thomas Morrow clarified that the issue is with tractor trailers that carry hundreds of loads on these roads all the time, not the homeowner that has a few deliveries here and there.

Brebbia offered his advice that the parameters for this resolution should not be based solely on the size of the truck. The damage related to the road also has to do with how the trucks are driven and how their wheels turn. Hufcut said he appreciated the advice and wanted to begin resolving the issue by taking this problem to the board to start protecting tax payers.

“Starting somewhere is better than not starting at all,” Hufcut said.