New Lebanon Town Board Action – Town Board Meeting Moved To Town Hall

by Thaddeus Flint
New Lebanon finally has a new Town Hall. After years of deliberations, arguments, committees, plans, studies, searches and discussions the Town Hall was relocated to the Town Hall. The modest addition to the existing building, along with many improvements to the old structure, hosted its first Town Board meeting Tuesday night.
“The project is substantially complete,” said Town Supervisor Mike Benson. “I want to thank everyone that was involved.”
[private]Worries that the addition would not be large enough for Town meetings went unfounded, at least for this night, as only around fifteen residents were in the audience. A realtor might describe the new court room as “cozy” or “charming.” Legally, it can hold fifty people. The drunk drivers and speeders and vandals on court nights, though, might find it rather too intimate as they sit knee to knee. How the court will keep attendance to the legal limit – some nights in the old court building had close to a hundred people in the clutches of justice – remains to be seen.
In keeping with the history of Historic New Lebanon, the architects went to Darrow School to research a unique paint scheme for the room. “It’s more in tune with New Lebanon,” pointed out Councilman Bruce Baldwin.
“It’s very Shaker,” agreed resident Johanna Johnson-Smith.
The Town itself might also be seeing some new additions. Several businesses are thinking of moving in. Councilman Doug Clark said he had heard from the Lebanon Valley Business Association that businessman Ming Chou was successful in getting the needed financing together so that he might open a grocery store in the Midtown Mall. “It’s encouraging and a step in the right direction,” said Clark. But Clark has been let down before. “The way our supermarkets have gone,” he said, “I will believe it when I see it.”
A Downward Spiral?
Across the street from the Midtown Mall, where the New Lebanon Supermarket has sat vacant since December 2009, a Family Dollar is planning to move in, according to Code and Zoning Enforcement Officer, Kent Pratt. Family Dollar says they are “your neighbourhood dollar discount store, where you’ll find the products you and your family need the most at the lowest prices.” But will low prices be good for New Lebanon? Or is Family Dollar more a symptom of the “downward spiral” that Clark said New Lebanon was suffering back in February? Each store is corporate owned so profits would leave the Town and go back to headquarters in North Carolina, or communist China where a large part of Family Dollar’s products are made. Any new jobs created would most likely be at close to minimum wage.
A more pressing problem however might be the Subway that is planning to open right next door to Bucky’s Bagels. Subway says they are the “world’s largest submarine sandwich chain,” although anyone who has ever had a real submarine sandwich knows that this is not true; they are a chain but what they serve is not a sub. This is another business that seems to pop-up in places stuck in the “downward spiral.” True, Subway is a franchise, so, depending on the owner, some of this company’s money might stay local. But what will the end cost be? Can Bucky’s, which also sells sandwiches, compete with corporate prices? And across the street is the newly opened Blueberry Hill, which also has sandwiches on its menu.
“Subway will be her demise,” said Johnson-Smith of Blueberry Hill owner Melanie Hunt. And the demise of Hunt would also have economic repercussions on other businesses in the area because Blueberry Hill sells local milk, cheeses, breads, syrup and even Lebanon Springs’ soap. It would be a surprise to find anything from New Lebanon being sold in a Subway shop.
Around the corner from Bucky’s is the EZ Mart, owned by Sunny Kumar. Kumar is also worrying about increased competition. According to resident Dave Mieschonz, the Stewart’s shop just up the road from EZ Mart is looking to put in diesel and kerosene pumps. Kumar depends on his diesel sales to keep his business going. “He’s just a little guy with a wooden sword against an Abrams tank,” said Mieschonz.
Food Crisis
To some residents of New Lebanon, the question of where to buy food or fuel is not so important. Their question is how can they buy food and fuel? Some can’t, and most of them are elderly, pointed out New Lebanon Representative to the Columbia County Office for the Aging Kathy Murnane. “I’ve had more phone calls than ever,” she informed the Board. “I have never had this many people as I have had this year. I worry.” Murnane also said the local food pantry is itself in need as some grants did not materialize this year. “If you have some extra money floating around,” she informed residents and the Board alike, ”Charlie’s Pantry could use it.”
Ambulance Funding
Residents will have some extra money come tax time but then they won’t. New Lebanon’s expenditures will drop by $176,000, which was the amount the Town has paid in a lump sum at the beginning of each year to the Chatham Rescue Squad. Most towns in Columbia County have decided to turn this matter over to the County, allowing the towns to pay the County in quarterly payments. “We are one of the few towns still doing it [paying the lump sum],” said Benson. “I personally think we should let it up to the County with everyone else.”
Councilman K.B. Chittenden wondered if this would not then leave the Chatham Rescue Squad with some financial difficulties, seeing as how they wouldn’t be getting their lump sum like usual in early 2013.
“I tried to work out an agreement with Chatham Rescue,” said Benson, “and I didn’t get anywhere.”
A vote was taken and all were in favor of ambulance payments going to the County.
“It’s not going to save the taxpayers any money,” pointed out Chittenden. Residents will just be paying that $176,000 to Hudson instead by the end of the year.
New Position
Someone who enjoys the thrill of this type of bureaucratic finance juggling might want to head over to the Town Hall for an application. According to Benson, as of 2013 all financial matters of the Town Clerk will be moved to a new position of approximately 20 hours per week. Benefits include not having to work in an office with wind blowing through it; the Town Hall now has new siding, insulation and windows.
Winter Activities
As winter settles on New Lebanon, a new attempt to get a skating rink up and skating at the pavilion in Shatford Park will be made. Last year the attempt was thwarted by some vandals. “They threw some picnic tables on it and destroyed the lining,” explained Councilman Matt Larabee. A sledding hill, which was stymied last winter by lack of snow, is also in the works.
Residents who prefer warmer entertainment are invited to spend some quality time with their Town Board. The year-end meeting will be at 7 pm on December 27; the organizational meeting will be on January 2, also at 7 pm, and the annual audit meeting will take place at 5 pm on January 8, just preceding the normal January Town Board meeting at 7 pm. All of these meetings will take place in the new Town Hall.[/private]