The Union Vale Town Board met on Thursday, February 20th. Many residents spoke on behalf of signing the contract with the Mid-Hudson Library System to continue unrestricted services. No one spoke opposing the contract. Supervisor Moss said that, following the meeting she and Councilman Welch had with representatives of the four libraries and Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, and an exchange of a few e-mails, it was now up to the libraries. She expressed the hope that the libraries would understand and act on the Town of Union Vale’s “philosophical difference.” Supervisor Moss neglected to point out that the libraries have been responsive to some of Union Vale’s request-most significantly being the offer of a six-year contract, with an initial contribution of $77,935 (which has already been allocated in the town’s budget), and an increase every two years based on COLA. This cost is more than fair, based on what our neighbors pay for library services. We have the ability to have unrestricted use of four wonderful libraries within easy driving distance of our homes, along with all the services of the Mid-Hudson Library System. The libraries have not imposed any restrictions while they have patiently waited to settle the contract with the Town of Union Vale. In their letter to the Town Board, the libraries requested a response by February 21st, however Supervisor Moss did not acknowledge this request. The Town Councilmen offered no input to the discussion, nor did they vote on it.

If restrictions are placed on Town of Union Vale residents, Supervisor Moss proposed the following solution: Place a couple of computers in the Senior Citizen building, lease new books to loan to the residents and make video streaming services available. There was no mention of offering assistance on those computers or how often they would be available. There was also no mention of who would be in charge of the loaning services, nor the cost of these services. No mention was made of how they would replicate any programs that the Town of Union Vale residents may be shut out of if restrictions are imposed.

Please continue to speak up on this issue that is so important to Union Vale residents. It appears clear that Supervisor Moss is headed in the direction of building a Town of Union Vale Library, which will be very costly and completely unnecessary.

The Town Board and town employees are working on different ideas to bring more people to Tymor Park, which is a positive move. They have offered earlier registrations to the camp programs and the results have been good. They are also going to try different types of pool passes with some reduced fees to bring more families into the park.

The Town Board continues to discuss the use of the two houses on the property of Tymor Park. It will take money to investigate what improvements need to be done to both buildings, as well as the money to make the renovations. It is something to keep an eye on since it involves tax payer money and could result in anything from a soccer school, to a wedding venue, to an Air bnb.

Another proposal, was to set up a glamping experience in Tymor Park. They are currently investigating this with one company and the cost given was $6,500 for the initial set-up. Concerns about safety, vandalism and responsibility were aired.