Former mayor passes
John Mull Robbins died peacefully Saturday, May 4 at Kingsway Arms Nursing Center in Schenectady with his family by his side. He was 84. The son of the late Austen and Grace Robbins was born April 4, 1929 in the Bronx. His family moved to Saugerties in 1931, where he resided until moving to Schenectady...
Lighthouse TV23 now streaming on the web
Not that long ago, if you wanted to watch a local program, you’d have to catch it when it aired on channel 23. This month, the channel added online streaming to its website, which allows anyone with an internet connection to tune in from anywhere. The system also allows storing programs on the cloud –...
Food truck quota mulled
“Food trucks are cool things,” said Marc Propper at the May 6 Village Board public hearing on a law designed to regulate them. Propper brings a unique perspective to the food truck issue, owning two village restaurants, Miss Lucy’s Kitchen and ‘Cue, both on Partition Street, and as the owner of a food truck that...
Opposition to Central-Hudson takeover
On the same day that U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer joined with Ulster County Executive Mike Hein to recommend the Public Service Commission (PSC) give the proposed $1.5-billion takeover of Central Hudson by Canadian power company Fortis more scrutiny, two PSC administrative law judges assigned to evaluate the deal wrote that the proposed merger’s minuses outweighed...
Vision of the future
After two years of work, the volunteer Comprehensive Plan Committee voted May 7 to adopt the third draft of a plan meant to serve as a vision of the future for the town and village. Since the first draft was released late last year, significant revisions have been made, particularly to sections relating to casino...
Police merger a success, says panel
For decades, Saugerties leaders talked about merging the town and village police departments, but it took a fiscal crisis in the village to make it happen. In the years leading up to the merger, which took effect Jan. 1, 2011, village residents expressed concern that the loss of the department would mean diminished service. Other...
Takeover will mean higher electric rates, say critics
The proposed $1.5-billion purchase of Central Hudson Energy Group by Fortis, Inc., a Canadian-based holding company, doesn’t have too many friends willing to speak on its behalf, if the April 18 public hearing held by the state Public Service Commission (PSC) in Kingston’s city hall was any indicator. All 27 people who spoke at the...
Enter the Dragon
The debate over the proposed demolition of a 19th-century mansion on the village’s southside heights has pitted communitarian preservationists against libertarian property rights advocates. But perhaps the more important question is entirely non-political, and its answer will dictate whether preservation is a realistic option: how much would it cost to fix? According to Don Snyder,...
Assessing the Saugerties police merger
The League of Women Voters will provide a forum for citizens to assess and discuss the process of consolidation of the village and town police forces, which took place in 2011, at the Frank Greco Senior Center on Wednesday, April 24 at 7 p.m. This is a chance for citizens to listen to and question...
Strict limits on food trucks this summer
Aiming to protect Saugerties restaurants against an influx of food trucks this summer, village trustees have introduced a law regulating where these vehicles or pushcarts can be located. “We don’t want these rampant through the village,” Mayor William Murphy said. “We want to make sure there is no competition with village restaurants, because they pay...
Police cut overtime, recruit volunteers
With a police budget overrun of about $120,000 this past year, Police Chief Joseph Sinagra needs to cut costs. This coming year will bring two changes: organizers of special events requiring a police presence will be charged for overtime, and a new volunteer police program will aim to bolster the ranks at no cost to...
Spring cleanup schedule
Spring cleanup in the village of Saugerties is scheduled for Monday, April 15 through Friday, April 19. Brush and yard waste only. Do not put anything out that is over six inches in diameter or six feet in length, and separate brush from leaves. Limit is seven cubic yards per household (one truckload). In order...