Bridge could be named after former sheriff
KINGSTON, N.Y. » Shandaken officials have asked the county to rename the bridge that carries Bridge Street over the Esopus Creek after town resident and former county Sheriff Michael LaPaglia.
The Shandaken Town Board unanimously adopted a resolution in August requesting the county Legislature dedicate the bridge, now known simply as the Bridge Street bridge, in LaPaglia’s honor.
LaPaglia died in May 2017 at the age of 85.
Later this month, county lawmakers will consider a resolution setting a public hearing on the request.
Shandaken Supervisor Robert Stanley said the Town Board voted to make the request after being approached by LaPaglia’s family.
“His family reached out to us and was looking for something where they could dedicate a portion of a road or a bridge to him,” said Stanley. “We just felt this was a very fitting tribute and thought it would be nice to do for the family.”
Although LaPaglia lived in the Greene County town of Greenville at the time of his death, he spent much of his adult life in Shandaken, moving there full-time after spending several years vacationing in the area.
As a member of the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office, LaPaglia in 1976 established and headed the Ulster County Sheriff’s Department Special Investigations Division and was promoted to lieutenant and subsequently captain.
He left the department in 1981 and became administrative chief of the Shandaken Constabulary, a position he held for two years. He served on the Shandaken Town Board from 1983 to 1986.
He was first elected Ulster County sheriff in 1986, a position he held until his retirement in 1998.
Stanley said that naming the Bridge Street bridge after LaPaglia would be fitting because the bridge is an integral part of the community.
“It’s something that people enjoy,” he said. “People fish off it, the tubers pass through there, people swim under it. It’s something the community does activities around.”
“We’re very proud and honored to have this property and to provide this to the family, and we certainly hope this resolution passes through the county,” he added.