“As soon as John Hall took his hand off the Bible, Doug stepped forward and asked to speak with him,” Newbold recalls of that historic day.

But it wasn’t just Hall who worked hard to secure the grant. The supervisor also thanked budget officer Bill Standish for filling out the forms and staying on top the grant as it went through its complex process.

“A lot of people were making sure that the Town of Goshen wasn’t forgotten,” Newbold said, noting how persistent the supervisor himself worked to secure the grant.

Hambletonian Park resident Dan Matteo thanked the board and Standish for all their time and effort. “As soon as John Hall got elected, you went to bat for us,” he said.

This grant signifies a significant savings to the people in Hambletonian Park.

“Don’t put grants in the mail. If you can’t explain it, you won’t get it,” Bloomfield offered as advice to others.

According to Standish, the money can only be used to pay off debt. The next due date is Dec. 18. The town received $382,000 of the $400,000 because the federal Environmental Protection Agency charged Congress $18,000 for processing the grant.

In an update on the Jessup Switch Road repairs, the supervisor noted that the promised $286,000 federal stimulus money hasn’t arrived yet. “But,” he said, “our planning is complete.”

The town’s original plan was to do road repairs this fall, but the supervisor is now anticipating the grant’s arrival in December, with the project going out to bid in January or February. Putting down the asphalt will probably have to wait until spring, he said.

“This is for a road we drive on. It’s not a bridge to nowhere,” Bloomfield said. “This will save Goshen people money.”

Town and village to meet on sewer bills

Getting to the bottom of why sewer and water fees are so high has proved slow, but town officials say they are still working on the problem.

Town attorney Dennis Caplicki said a panel of officials from both village and town officials are working to resolve the confusion that has plagued both municipalities since March, when the town held back $100,000 of owed sewer bill money from the village.

Sitting on this panel are Trustees Marcia Mattheus and Kyle Roddey from the village and Councilmen Ken Newbold and Lou Capella from the town. Caplicki explained that since 80 percent of the village trustees have jobs mostly out of the area, the panel’s main problem is setting up meeting times. He did say, though, that he and village attorney Dave Donovan have met to exchange information.

A village-town joint meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 2, at village hall, located at 276 Main Street. The agenda is yet to be determined.

In other business

Board members unanimously agreed to accept a conservation easement of 43 acres on Craigville Road donated by Margretta and Jerome Fatcheric.

The land will be left undeveloped, said Caplicki. The easement do not allow altering, destroying, cutting or filling-in the property. Restrictions include dumping, hunting and motorized vehicles. “It will be in perpetuity forever green,” he said.

“They should be congratulated for what they’ve done,” said resident Jerry Boss. He said he has 27 acres of open space adjacent to the 43 acres. “That makes 70 acres of open beautiful space for wildlife,” Boss said.

A public hearing for the 2010 preliminary budget is scheduled for Nov. 12, at 7:30 in town hall. The budget will be available in the town clerk’s office one week before the public hearing. The board will vote on the budget after the hearing.

“Town licensing of trash haulers is doing quite well,” said Deputy Town Clerk Priscilla Gersbeck, noting that the town has brought in close to $9,000 so far. Haulers are purchasing stickers to adhere to their trucks’ side windows for the police to see. At this point, police are giving warnings to drivers without stickers.

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