HORTONVILLE – The Delaware Town Board held their re-organizational meeting on Wednesday, January 10 to begin their first regular board meeting of 2024. With the County Clerk, the Honorable Russell Reeves, not present, Town Clerk Tess McBeath did the honor of swearing in newly re-elected Supervisor Scott DuBois and re-elected Council Members Cindy Herbert and Christopher Hermann.

“I just want to reaffirm that, my goal is to try and put the taxpayer first,” DuBois said. “My focus is affordability and what’s affordable to the people of the Town of Delaware.”

Regarding old business, the town board discussed Michael J. Gallagher’s intent to open up a microbusiness on his property at 244 State Route 52A in Kenoza Lake. As the Democrat previously reported, the board read a letter from Gallagher last month, in which he requested the board’s approval of a Notice of Application to the Office of Cannabis Management. 

The permit application also requests for retail authorization. 

After discussing this proposition in December, the board asked Gallagher to attend this month’s meeting, but he was not present. By law, the board was allowed to ask for a 30-day extension, which they did last month. Any objections would have to be made known within the 30-day period, which ended on January, December 12. 

The board concluded that they are unaware of any reason why the license should not be issued.  

The main concern that the board has is whether Gallagher will have to go in front of the planning board. 

“I think it’s a special use because of the retail part of it,” Town Attorney Ken Klein said. “He’s not just producing and selling a raw product, either. He’s going to process it to a certain extent.”

The board decided that they will invite Gallagher back for next month’s meeting so they can get more of the details fleshed out. 

“He’s got to go through all the proper planning and zoning anyway,” DuBois said. “The zoning applies either way.”

Callicoon Water Project

Delaware Engineering’s Bill Brown gave another update to the board regarding the Hamlet of Callicoon’s water system project. 

“We’re finalizing the plans to go to DOH [Department of Health] for approval of the water project to build the well house,” Brown said. “We have some paperwork to support that submission.”

Brown said that the well driller has ordered the well casing and the screen, which he said they expect to come into town this month to begin drilling the wells on the site. 

“That will be followed up by some pretty extensive testing for the water,” he said, “to ensure that it is up to DOH standards.”

Brown said that the preliminary testing has passed everything and it is now moving up to the bigger well. 

“That will go concurrently to plan review for upgrades and then ultimately construction,” stated Brown. “I am hoping that in the next month or two to be asking the board to go to bid with the installation of the water wells and the well house. The construction project will be taking place over the summer.” 

Brown also said that they submitted the permit renewal paperwork to the DEC for the hamlet’s wastewater plant.

“That’s in the DEC’s hands and we’ll see if we can keep that down there,” he said. 

Other business

McBeath presented Superintendent of Highways, William Eschenberg’s report, in which he stated that they “survived” the latest snowstorm and that “everything is holding together.” 

Building Inspector Kris Scullion said that it has been business as usual and they have begun work on renewing short-term rentals. He said that the renewal fee of the short-term rentals is $125. 

“We started getting back on that, sending out letters, notices and emails,” Scullion said. 

Scullion also said that they ended 2023 with around 108 permits.

The board also re-appointed Warren Blumenthal to the Planning Board and appointed him as Chairman. They also re-appointed Thomas Gain to Zoning Board of Appeals and appointed Christian Bolduc to Board of Assessment Review to fill a vacancy. 

“[Bolduc] lives in Kohlertown, near Sal’s Pizzeria,” McBeath said. “He’s a fireman over there, he’s an Iraqi War Veteran and he’s just a nice guy that we thought would probably be good with his experience.”

McBeath said that he will fill the role until September 30, 2026, as it is a short-term replacement for Edward Raum.