By Buffy Calvert

At a meeting chaired by Andes Supervisor Wayland (Bud) Gladstone and attended by Councilmen Shayne Moshier, Tom Hall and Ritchie Gabriel, Code Enforcement Officer Al Mohr, and Buffy Calvert from the Gazette as well as Clerk Kim Tosi on ZOOM.

The Town Board approved a motion to authorize Highway Superintendent John Bouton to advertise for a back-up generator for the highway garage. The Board requested more specificity in the ad but all were for it. It was suggested that the federal infrastructure monies voted by Congress might cover the cost.

Supervisor Gladstone reported that he is seeking a company to furnish cell service from the towers. Verizon is not interested. AT&T might be.

He has ordered signs for the Transfer Station and is talking to DOT to get the signs for “No Overnight Parking on Street” during snow storms.

He brought to the Board’s attention a lengthy resolution giving the Town of Andes support to the County Supervisors’ opposition to a new move by NYCDEP to extend its power to acquire by purchase and easements authority over land and streams in Delaware County. The four and a half page resolution is headed:

“Whereas on October 27, 2021, the Delaware County Board of Supervisors passed Resolution No. 162 entitled Delaware County Requests that a MORATORIUM on New Purchase Contracts for Fee Title and DEP Conservation Easements be implemented in Delaware County pending a Comprehensive Review of the Land Acquisition Program to identify the need for the continuation of Land Acquisition, the Benefits of Land Acquisition, the Impact of Land Acquisition on Community Sustainability and the Other Tools Available to Achieve MOA (Memorandum of Agreement) Land Acquisition Objectives.

“Whereas the Andes Town Board has reviewed Resolution No. 162 in detail… by this resolution [it] is indicating its support and its adoption of the facts and principals set forth therein…”

In the discussion on the resolution, it was noted that while in 1997, the date of the current MOA (between NYC and the Watershed), 11% of the land in Delaware County was in the control of NYCDEP, by 2020 DEP controlled 28.4%. Of particular concern is a move by the City to extend the Stream Acquisition Program (SAP) from the Schoharie Basin to our watershed with a new Long Term Land Acquisition Program for the period 2023-2033.

Gladstone commented on its potential effect on our Andes Flood Mitigation program, “It’s vicious!”

The resolution was passed with one abstention.

The only comment during the Privilege of the Floor was a shout-out to the Board, “Good work during trying times!”

The 2022 Organization Meeting of the Board will be held on January 4th at 6 pm.~