More sidewalks for Callicoon

By TOM KANE

HORTONVILLE, NY — Residents will be stepping out onto new sidewalks in the hamlet of Callicoon by the summer, according to town supervisor Bill Moran.

The building of new sidewalks on Upper Main Street was approved by the town board at its meeting on April 16.

The town received a $9,600 grant through the office of State Senator John Bonacic. The money is funneled through the Upper Delaware Council.

“We’ll pave the section from St. Gregory Street up to the Callicoon Theater,” Moran said. “Then, skipping the movie theater, paving will continue along the street as far south as funding will allow.”

Last year’s $62,000 sidewalk project was funded through a Bonacic grant.

“We may not be able to do the entire block,” Moran said. “It will depend on whether we have enough money left from the grant.”

The work will begin as soon as the bids come in, he said.

Kelly Engineering of Liberty will do the engineering at no additional cost since this engineering work was included in last year’s project.

In other board business, Town Clerk Tess McBeath has decided not to seek to change the term of her office from two to four years.

“I tend now to agree with those who say we don’t want to be shackled with someone who’s incompetent for such a long time,” she said.

The board also supported a request by Highway Superintendent Bill Eschenberg to purchase a new one-ton truck with $48,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for two big storms that hit the town this winter.