Town Board takes care of year-opening business

PORT EWEN, N.Y. » The first order of business for the Esopus Town Board in the new year was acknowledging that officials are not quite sure whether, during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, meetings will be held at the town hall or online.

Councilman Chris Farrell said during the board’s annual reorganizational meeting Tuesday, which was held online, that a routine designation saying meetings are conducted at the Town Hall should be amended to reflect the current situation.

“Given what we’re going through right now, I think we should probably mention that there will be alternate arrangements ... made in the event of pandemic,” Farrell said.

The board began holding meetings by videoconference last March under a state executive order that waived some provisions of New York’s Open Meetings Law.

In routine business Tuesday, the Town Board scheduled its regular meetings for the first and third Tuesdays of each month. Also, the board appointed:

• Town Clerk Holly Netter to be marriage officer.

• Melinda McKnight as town historian.

• Mark Jaffee as building inspector and code enforcement officer, and Salvatore Morrello as a parttime appointee in those positions.

• Jill Shufeldt as dog control officer and Kevin Hindmann as assistant dog control officer.

• Mark Ellison to chair the town Environmental Board and Cynthia McVay and Neil Russ as members.

• Roxanne Pecora as town Planning Board chairwoman for 2021 and Darin DeKoskie as a member for a seven-year term.

• Doug DeKoskie as chair of the town Water and Sewer Board for two years and George Post as a member through 2024.

• Jen Fuentes and Jack Saalweachter to the town Parks and Recreation Commission through 2025.

• Margaret Phalen, Eli Schloss, Mercedes Ross and Dale Wolfield to the town Waterfront Advisory Board through 2023. Ross was designated as chair for 2021.

• Karl Wick as chairman of the town Zoning Board of Appeals for 2021 and Jim Tomessetti and Frank Skerritt as board members through 2025.