Delaware to get $30,000 grant to move chambers

By TOM KANE

HORTONVILLE, NY - With the opening of the new town hall months away, the Town of Delaware will move its town court from the second floor of the old town hall to the first floor. To do so, it will receive a grant of $30,000 to cover the costs.

The funds will come through New York State’s Town Court’s Assistance Grant.

With the court on the second floor, as is now the case, the town is not in compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) since there is no elevator to the second floor.

In fact, that is also the reason that the town council has elected to build a new town hall since people with disabilities can’t attend the town council meeting on the second floor as well.

“We must be in compliance with the ADA,” said supervisor Jim Scheutzow.

The second floor will be used to store the town’s records, which are now in storage at the Sullivan West High School in Lake Huntington.

As part of the building project, the sheriff’s sub-station, where inmates are fingerprinted, also located on the second floor, will no longer be housed in the town hall.

“I spoke to the sheriff’s office who agreed that the site was used so infrequently that removing it would not be a hardship,” Scheutzow said.

In other business, when a resident questioned why the fourth position on the town council hadn’t been filled after the resignation of council member Kara McElroy several months ago, Scheutzow said that the three remaining members could not agree on any of the names that were presented to fill McElroy’s vacancy.

“It’s difficult to discuss this in an open meeting since someone may have to say that they object to a candidate since he or she is an alcoholic, for example,” he said. “That would be objectionable. So, we have a problem.”

Scheutzow said that he would continue to suggest names in private to each member outside of a quorum meeting.

“It may come down to waiting until next November’s election day,” he said.

McElroy, in her new capacity as grant coordinator, has identified several grants for office equipment, the sewer plant and a possible grant from the scenic byway program.

Also, Upper Delaware Council representative Harold Roeder reported that the council was concerned that the reservoirs were at total capacity, which could create an emergency if flooding occurs.

“Remember a few years ago, when all the snow melted in one day! We may have another event like that,” he said. The Delaware River Basin Commission is still trying to solve the problem, but is finding a solution difficult to placate New York City, which always wants to avoid, above all else, not having enough water during a drought, he said.