HIGHLAND — The Town of Highland’s Constabulary could be seeing a revival in tandem with the beginning of anticipated repairs to the town courthouse in Barryville, spurred on thanks to the securing of State grants with the assistance of New York State Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther’s Office.

The outgoing legislator for the 100th Assembly District spoke before the town board Tuesday evening, where she announced the town’s awardment of a $250,000 State and Municipal Facilities (SAM) Grant intended for the aforementioned purposes. 

Gunther was joined by Jean Gallagher, Gunther’s Offices’ Grants Administrator, in announcing an additional $50,000 from the Office of Children and Family Services, which is expected to assist in the revamping of the town’s Community and Senior Center’s facilities.

“My job is to get your tax-payer money back to your community, and this is what it is all about,” Gunther said. “It will be put to good use.”

Town Supervisor John Pizzolato said that the renovations will be completed with the building’s historic value in mind, sticking within the county’s guidelines and working alongside the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). A walk through to assess the court’s needs in conjunction with the constabulary was performed by Buildings Committee Chair, Councilman Tom Migliorino and Court Clerk Patty Summa along with the Supervisor.

While there is no set timeline, Pizzolato estimates the repairs to begin next Spring as the application is “still in its infancy stages.”

In addition to the two other grants, the town succeeded in securing a NYSERTA Smart Energies Communities Program grant for $10,000. The grant is intended to replace the town hall’s split AC/heat pump system with a more energy-efficient one.

“The infrastructure of the Town of Highland was one of our biggest challenges going into office,” said Pizzolato, “and these grants will provide us with the necessary funding to complete Tom’s great work in addressing these projects.”

Constabulary call-back

The Town of Highland Constabulary was eliminated in February of 2023 following a total suspension from the town in April the year before in order to be able to further an investigation that was ongoing at the time. The dissolution moved the town into inking a contract with the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Department to provide services in order to fill the void.

Town Supervisor John Pizzolato told the Democrat that internal political complications in former town leadership heightened a dilemma with a member of the Constabulary, Marc Anthony. The Supervisor said that due to a lack of relevant policies in place, the force was squashed in totality.

Pizzolato said that for the past two years, the town has paid the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office $200,000 for limited coverage as compared to what a full-time constabulary would provide. Additionally, former budgets allotted the constabulary $77,000 per year, putting the town $23,000 over what they paid in previous years, according to the Supervisor.

“There was so much goodness in [the constabulary],” Pizzolato said. “The feeling of safety and neighborhood watch is no longer present [without them].”

While there are no outright bans for former members from joining the Constabulary, Pizzolato expressed interest in “starting fresh” with the signing-on of local retired law enforcement officers. However, he noted that leadership will still look to former Constable Chief Mike Walton for direction. Public input is also strongly encouraged, as the Supervisor noted Comprehensive Plan surveys will soon be dispersed to gather input on this and other topics.

“We want to bring it back in a grassroots way,” he explained. He went on to say that the town “wants to honor the past and move forward into the future.”