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"Working HARD For You ..."
Welcome to TheFirstWard.org!
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| Councilman William H. Beale |
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| Councilman William H. Beale was sworn in for the second year in a row on January 1, 2008 by the Honorable James D. Pagones, Judge of the Surrogate's Court of Dutchess County |
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Councilman William H. Beale was first sworn into public office on Tuesday, January 2nd, 2007, by Dutchess County Supreme Court Justice James Brands. Mr. Beale originally ran for Town Council in 2005 resulting in a deadlocked tie forcing a run-off in 2006. On November 7th, 2006, William H. Beale officially unseated the nineteen year incumbent, giving new representation to the first ward for the first time in nearly two decades. Councilman Beale was re-elected in 2007 with 62% and again in 2009 with 67% of the vote. Most recently he was sworn in by Dutchess County Family Court Judge Peter Forman on January 4, 2010. Beale is currently serving a two year term ending on December 31, 2011.
William H. Beale was originally appointed Deputy Supervisor of the Town of Wappinger on January 1, 2008 and reappointed on January 4, 2010.
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Hello Neighbors -
Summer is officially on! We have finally recovered from the unprecedented snow storm event in February, and all town, county, and state roadways have been cleared of the brush that was left at the curb. It definitely took some time, but Graham Foster and our Highway Department did an excellent job.
Welcome to everyone that is visiting the site for the first time. I have a summer newsletter in the works. If you do not receive one, you will be able to click on the link above for a copy.
This website has been up and running since January, 2007, when I first took office and it has received many visits. I update it regularly, however, things often happen very quickly, so it's tough! Feel free and visit the Town of Wappinger's newly designed website at www.TownofWappinger.us.
As always, I encourage you to attend our Town Board Meetings held on the 2nd and 4th Monday Nights of the month at 7pm. The Town Hall is located on on Middlebush Road.
* You can now view Town Board Meetings LIVE or ANYTIME by visiting the Town's website at www.TownofWappinger.us ... just click on the video camera.
As always, if you need anything at all or have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me at (845) 224-4082.
Be Safe,
- Bill
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TOWN OF WAPPINGER
COMPREHENSIVE “MASTER” PLAN
“What’s All The Fuss About?”
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The Comprehensive Plan, also known as the “Master Plan,” serves as the blueprint of our town’s land use. It defines the areas of the town which are designated for residential development, as well as the areas that facilitate commercial or industrial projects. This is all laid out on a map in specific areas known as “zones”.
Within these “zones,” in addition to land use, density is defined. For example, certain areas of our residential zones are designated 1 or 2 acre zoning, and other areas are ½ acre zoning. The density is defined taking many variables into consideration, including, terrain, environmental sensitivities, and availability of municipal services such as water and sewer.
Our Route 9 corridor, in my opinion, should be a commercial corridor, where we as a town try to attract quality businesses that can benefit the residents of the town. There were areas, under the previously adopted plan, that kept certain parcels zoned residential on this highway. This has been addressed in the new plan.
The plan also takes into consideration the character of certain areas of our town and strives to preserve view-sheds and historic aspects.
It is generally recommended that the Comprehensive Plan be reviewed every five years. Ours hasn’t been updated for many more years than that. I have worked hard to ensure this new plan is adopted without delay. It has been ‘under review’ since 2003.
It’s time we get this thing done!
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At the Regular Meeting of the Town Board held on Monday, January 22, 2007, the Town Architect made a presentation on the structures at Carnwath Farms, our 99 acre town park in the Wheeler Hill Historic District. After listening to the architect's report, I voiced concern with the structural integrity of two of the buildings on the site, the mansion and the carriage house. Due to the fact that the Dutchess County Sports Museum is within close proximity to the mansion, my first concern is the safety of the public, especially since virtually all visitors have to walk within 10 feet of the mansion to visit the museum.
I originally made a recommendation that the Town Board visit the park on the following Saturday to take a look at the various structures on the site. After further discussion at the meeting regarding issues with buildings and the possibility of snow, I asked the architect if he felt confident that the two structures were not in danger of collapse. The architect stated that he did not feel confident about the buildings. At this point, I asked for a structural engineer to take a look at the buildings prior to us going any further.
The structual engineer did a study of the two buildings on that Thursday and found that both buildings were unsafe in a state of imminent collapse. The Town Board was called into session for an emergency meeting on Saturday, January 27th in which the future of the mansion and the carriage house were debated for 4 hours.
The cost to demolish the 31 room structure was estimated at $500,000 by the engineering professionals. After much discussion, the Town Board decided to authorize emergency reconstruction repairs to the mansion to prevent collapse at a cost of no more than $150,000 per floor plus the ceiling of the third floor. The emergency repairs are not to exceed $600,000.
The fate of the carriage house was to be determined after a more comprehensive study of it's structural integrity. In the meantime, both structures have been fenced in and the Sports Museum will remain closed until the adjacent mansion is structurally sound.
At the Regular Meeting of the Town Board on Monday, February 12th, a more complete report on the carriage house was given. The structural integrity of the building was reported as poor and the exterior facade is unstable. I recommended any and all town equipment be removed from this building with the assistance of a contractor, being that a foot of snow was expected the following Wednesday. The structural engineer and architect will be putting together a list of costs for necessary repairs, listed by priority. This information will be forwarded to the Town Board at which point the Board will decide the fate of the carriage house.
-WHB 2/13/07
At the Regular Town Board Meeting held on February 26th, the Architect to the Town presented a detailed analysis of the options for the carriage house. The options were discussed at length and the Town Board was advised by Supervisor Ruggiero that under the emergency pretenses, the structure would be stabilized at a cost of $88,800. This cost was significantly less than the $200,000+ to demolish the structure.
- WHB 3/1/07
Progress was slowed on both the mansion and the carriage house due to the recent snow we received. The carriage house work is now well underway and the mansion work continues. Shoring is in place at the carriage house and I plan on visiting the site very soon to take a look at the interior work. The mansion emergency work is expected to be complete by mid-April. The next step for the mansion will be to start looking at options for a new roof. The roof needs to be completely replaced to protect the work that has been done to date. This process is not considered an emergency expenditure and must go out to bid and be voted on. The replacement of the roof has been discussed over the past three years, prior to my arrival on the Town Board. The architect expects the roof plans to be complete during the June-July time period.
- WHB 3/27/07
The mansion is now stabilized and came in under budget. The focus has turned to the carriage house. The work is expected to be complete within the next couple weeks and also be under budget. My priority throughout the project has been the safety of the public. Now, I would like to get the park open and be able to allow the Dutchess County Sports Museum to re-open as soon as possible. A report is expected at the Regular Town Board Meeting on May 14th. As always, I encourage the public to attend.
- WHB 5/12/07
I am happy to report that Carnwath Farms is now open. The buildings are now stabilized, however, the work is far from over. I have just been advised that Mr. Alexander Reese of Hughsonville has donated $30,000 towards the restoration project. THANK YOU!
There will be proposals regarding replacing the roof on the mansion being presented in the upcoming months.
- WHB 7/18/07
The roof proposals were received. The bids are all in the one million dollar range. There was much discussion about the expense and the potential usage of the buildings on site. The bids were tabled for further discussion.
- WHB 9/24/07
After much discussion with the public and fellow board members, the bids were rejected. The majority of the Town Board is suggesting that the public weigh in on the project with a Public Referendum at a later date.
Meanwhile, the Carnwath Master Plan, which has been on file since 2004, was adopted. The Master Plan will be used as a guideline for the future of the property.
I firmly believe that we need to have a realistic, phased plan, which includes a total cost for the project. We also, in my opinion, need to know exactly what the building will be used for. At this point, there are too many unanswered questions for me to vote in favor of putting one million more dollars into the mansion, which requires extensive interior renovation, in addition to the roof.
- WHB 10/18/07
Currently, the mansion remains closed until the warmer weather arrives. Access to the sports museum has been limited due to the construction area. We are currently discussing creating an access road from the upper parking lot to the administration building.
The Board is expecting to hear from some golf course developers in the near future to see if a golf course is an option.
I believe a task force needs to be created to look at this project in it's entirety again. Something needs to be done before next fall.
- WHB 3/29/08
Recent discussions about Carnwath have been centered around the cost of heating the buildings at Carnwath. With fuel costs at all-time highs, I have serious concerns about keeping the heat on in the buildings this winter season. Preliminary figures point upwards to $70,000 for the heating season.
-WHB 9/9/08
On Saturday, January 31st, the Town of Wappinger held our first "Winter Fun Fest" at Carnwath Farms. About 300 people attended the event which was sponsored by The Town Recreation Commission, the Adirondack Mountain Club, and the Friends of Carnwath. The event was a huge success and it is my hope that it will lead to other family-friendly events at Carnwath.
A Carnwath Event Committee has been set up and we are currently having exploratory meetings to bring a concert and possibly fireworks to Carnwath!
-WHB 2/2/09
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| ... Miscellaneous Items ... |
TOBACCO FREE PARKS and PLAYGROUNDS - I sponsored a resolution designating ALL town parks and playgrounds as tobacco free zones, making the Town of Wappinger the first town in Dutchess County to have smoke-free parks and playgrounds townwide. Smoke-Free Dutchess has since recognized our town for proactive efforts and awareness.
Ambulance Notification Law - Our Town is extremely lucky to be served by a reliable ambulance provider, Transcare of the Hudson Valley. When someone reports an emergency and calls 911, the Dutchess County 911 Center dispatches our Ambulance service. Depending on the severity of the call, a "PRIORITY" level is determined. If the emergency is life threatening or potentially life threatening, the fire department is also dispatched with their emergency medical personnel, lifesaving equipment including heart defibrillator. A police agency may also respond, depending on their location. This is called a multi-tier response; in which multiple levels of care are sent to assist a patient. Recently in at least two cases, another ambulance provider has been responding to emergency calls within our Town. This ambulance provider has been receiving calls via their 7 digit number, by distributing business cards within the Town of Wappinger. This is wrong and defeats the purpose of having 911 system. By circumventing 911, there is no multi-tier response to life threatening emergencies. The Town should not tolerate this. A local law was created to regulate this unethical behavior. As an emergency medical technician who previously worked for Sloper-Willen Ambulance and the current emergency medical services lieutenant for the Hughsonville Fire Department, I will make sure that our residents receive the highest quality in patient care.
I sponsored this legislation and it is was adopted unanimously.
Tow Truck Law - I have spearheaded an initiative to create a town law that will improve the process by which disabled vehicles are removed from roadways within the Town. Some recent changes to the draft law now keep the rotational list under the auspices of the Dutchess County Sheriff's Office and the New York State Police. The object is to make sure tow trucks are on the scene of incidents within 20 minutes of notification. The law also prohibits tow operator solicitation and prohibits tow operators from coming within 500 feet of an incident prior to being called. The law specifically requires tow operators to pick up all the pieces of the vehicle in the roadway. An Informational Meeting was held.
I introduced this legislation and it was adopted.
Local Government Television Channel - Under the terms of the new Franchise Agreement with Cablevision, the Town of Wappinger will have the ability to have a cable television channel dedicated to town activities (Channel 22). Meeting schedules, Town functions, and even Town Board meetings could be broadcast to town residents on this channel, improving access to our town government. The Town Board authorized the Supervisor to sign the agreement and I'm hoping we can get the channel up and running without further delay... "STAY TUNED!"
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Do You Have Ideas, Issues, or Concerns?
I want to hear from you. Fill out the form below and I will contact you. If you prefer, you can always contact me at (845) 224-4082.
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(c) 2007-09 William H. Beale, Webmaster
BillBeale@aol.com
No Tax Dollars Were Used In The Creation Of This Site
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