Village Extends Main Street Grant

The Village of Middleburgh will be closing out its NYS Main Street Grant over the next five months. The project was awarded to the Village in 2005 for an expected 2008 completion. By 2012, after six extensions, almost none of the money meant to improve Middleburgh's scenery and provide money for local business improvements was expended. Last year there was a dash to get out about $150,000 in money to most businesses on Main Street to cover flood damage and beautification efforts and a further $20,000 for Village efforts such as signage and parks.

Upon the Village's request, almost $70,000 in unused funds will be forwarded to the Village to help with reimbursing flood damage. Of that money, about $2,500 will be used to complete the new pavilion on Baker Avenue, the dog park, and a new mural on Main Street. The rest will be granted to some of the local businesses that had already participated in the previous program  to help cover flood damage or other repairs. Without the Village's work, all of this money would have been lost.

Middleburgh Hosts Dinner

Middleburgh hosted March's Schoharie County Village Officer's dinner on March 27th. The dinner was held at Pasta and Grill on Main Street. Representatives from Sharon Springs, Middleburgh, Schoharie, and Esperance spoke of their community's progress in the last several months. Barbara Van Epps from the NYS Council of Mayors spoke about the state's two percent tax cap law. Approximately $500 was injected into Middleburgh's local economy.

Next Village Board Meeting April 1

The next meeting of the Village Board will take place on Monday, April 1 at 7pm. The Board will be discussing the budget and park projects. Trustee Sheryl Adams will be sworn in for her second term as the Board reorganizes appointments and committees.

Next Library Meeting May 13

The next Library Board meeting will be held May 13th. This is the reorganizational meeting of the Library. Two Trustee seats are currently up for five-year terms. The Libary Budget vote is April 23 from noon to eight.

Neighbors Eating Together Dinner at the Dutch Reformed Church

The next Neighbors Eating Together dinner will be on Thursday, March 21 at the Dutch Reformed Church starting at 5:30. All are invited.

Adams Secures Re-Election

Trustee Sheryl Adams was elected to serve out the remainder of Mayor Matthew Avitabile's former Trustee seat. Adams has been serving on the Board since appointed last April. She has been the primary liaison between the Village and the business community and has helped on many projects, especially the Main Street Block Grant's stabilization funding for the businesses. The term ends in one year and new elections will be held in March of 2014 for her and Deputy Mayor Gruning's seats. The total tally was 40 for Adams with no opposition. Assistant Fire Chief John Shaw ran briefly on a pro-dissolution platform but did not turn in his nominating petition and received no votes.

Dog Park Proposed

On Monday, April 1 I'm going to the Board and proposing the construction of a dog park. Such a plan would require no (or very little) money out of the budget and will be added to Baker Avenue's Creekside Park. We hope to make it a carry-in, carry-out park and having it open by summer. Any volunteers or suggestions would be great. My email is avitmw@gmail.com.

SALT hosts press conference to announce matching grant award

From SALT:

Schoharie, NY – Mar. 5, 2013. Schoharie Area Long Term (SALT) is pleased to invite members of the media, elected officials and other interested parties to a press conference on Thursday, March 14 at 11:00a.m. at 177 Middlefort Road, Middleburgh, NY. The Wetsel family who owns this house is anxious to return home but needs assistance to make it happen.
SALT will be making an exciting announcement about the status of the matching challenge grant that was awarded by Fenimore Asset Management last fall. In addition, SALT staff will share preliminary results from a comprehensive assessment that was recently undertaken to determine remaining unmet rebuilding and recovery needs throughout the Schoharie Creek basin and surrounding areas. SALT will also be welcoming a new team of AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC).
SALT is a regional coalition and coordinating council that seeks to provide interfaith and inter-agency resources, advocacy, healing, and support as well as direct recovery assistance to those affected by flood and storm damage from the 2011 disaster. For more information please visit,http://saltrecovery.org.