A few hours before President George Bush delivered his State of the Union address to the nation this week, Hyde Park Town Supervisor Pompey Delafield (D) presented a State of the Town address at the first regular meeting of the Town Board for 2008.
Delafield acknowledged “rumblings of rocky times” for the national economy, and outlined goals to improve the town’s tax base, provide better services and address the town’s infrastructure needs.
Assuring residents that the town is “indeed strong and fiscally healthy,” Delafield focused on three substantial projects that may serve to “build a better business climate for the town.” St. Andrews Village, a mixed-use development, has been approved by the board and will move to the Planning Board once the developer, Pierre Gagne, submits a site plan for review. A proposed central sewer district is tied into Gagne’s project, as Gagne has agreed to construct a sewer treatment plant at the development’s site on Route 9 and St. Andrews Road. The sewer is considered by many to be crucial to Hyde Park’s economic growth and residents have expressed concerned regarding the status of Gagne’s plan in light of the nation’s economic woes. At Monday’s meeting, Delafield expressed confidence that the project is moving forward.
“The only outstanding issue at this time is the developer’s assurances that the design of the system by the town and county can proceed without impacting the district taxpayers until after the developer has planning board approval,” he said.
Another large project on Hyde Park’s horizon is The Club at Hyde Park, a mixed-use development geared toward senior living to incorporate estates, villas, townhouses, a hotel with spa and restaurant, assisted living facilities, medical and professional offices, an outdoor performance amphitheater and educational center for seniors. Developer Saratoga Associates is “anxious to move forward and we are working with the developer to get approval from the DEC that will allow them to proceed,” said Delafield.
A proposed Tourist Welcome Center is another big piece of Hyde Park’s economic pie. Planners for the tourist-based center, to be built adjacent to the Hyde Park Drive-In on Route 9, are addressing issues of ownership of the land and are also seeking a tourist-based partner to provide an economic component to the tourist hub. Delafield stressed that large-scale projects such as these typically experience “a couple of years delay between the approval process and beginning to realize the tax and economic benefits” to residents.
Projects and services planned for 2008 include a new skate park at Hackett Hill, road improvements, more trail systems and several quality-of-life issues including removal of derelict cars and addressing abandoned homes. At Monday’s meeting, the board unanimously approved a resolution to authorize advertising to seek bids for construction of the new skate park at Hackett Hill.
Recreation Director Kathleen Davis said that blueprints are completed for the poured concrete skate park, and the project is set to go out for bidding. “We’ll award the contract at the end of February, start construction in April and have the skate park completed by June 30 in time for summer camp,” she said. The skate park, said Davis, will be constructed with longevity in mind. “I think we’re going to have a really nice skate park,” she said. “It will be well-constructed and will last a really long time.”
The town highway department is slated to receive two new trucks in 2008 and road improvements, which are expected to take place over the next two years, are planned for Mill Road, Bennett Road, and Coleman Road in Hyde Park and Old Post Road in Staatsburg. Delafield said the town is also working to improve and enforce laws to remove derelict cars, clean up abandoned homes, and protect the environment through zoning amendments. The town also hopes to improve river access for residents and complete a sidewalk project that had been stalled due to cost concerns and drainage issues. The sidewalk is slated to connect the town’s municipal parking lot near Town Hall down to the river at the Hyde Park Railroad Museum.
Police facility
Another key component of Delafield’s State of the Town address concerns the issue of police headquarters. Last July, voters defeated a $5.5 million project to build a new police and court facility in the town of Hyde Park, sending the police department back to their cramped, aging building on Route 9G. A citizen’s committee, said Delafield, is re-energized and researching other options for police headquarters.
“We are exploring any and all opportunities to find outside funding for this effort,” said Delafield, who urged residents to provide input on the project.
Emergency services
Delafield announced he has enlisted the assistance of Dewitt Sagendorf, retired head of Dutchess County Emergency Services, to assemble a committee to address consolidation of emergency services. Lack of volunteers has taken its toll on the abilities of local fire departments to serve the emergency needs of residents, he said.
“The ability to find and train volunteers for this work has been impossible and in some cases the departments have eliminated or cut down on their services dramatically,” said Delafield.
At the forefront of all planning is the need to hold spending and control costs, which is not an easy task to achieve. “No want wants more taxes, so let’s make sure together that the money we spend is used to control taxes, build the tax base for future tax control, and provide only the best quality of services” for citizens of the town, said Delafield.