Schoharie’s DPW Head Retires

By Joshua Walther

SCHOHARIE - On Tuesday evening, the Schoharie Village Board officially received a resignation letter from Ken Bernhardt, the local Head of the Department of Public Works.

In response to the letter, Mayor Colleen Henry issued her own statement, noting how Mr. Bernhardt had long been a staple in their community.

“When he took over, it was seamless, and there’s something to be said about that,” she went on to say, further noting that it was with a heavy heart that she accepted his letter.

Nevertheless, the Board moved to accept his resignation, and Schoharie will be on the lookout for a new DPW Head to fill the vacancy after April 18th, Mr. Bernhardt’s last day.

In a similar vein, the Board was eager to appoint their new Codes Enforcement Officer after having a vacancy for some time.

David Knoop, a member of the Planning Board, has said that he is willing to take on the position while abstaining from any conflicts of interest that might arise.

Members of the Board enthusiastically appointed Mr. Knoop to his new role, stating that they believe he will do a great job.

In other news, the Board has received word that more sidewalks are going unshoveled than normal, and Mayor Henry warned that DPW will be taking pictures of any problem areas to bill the negligent property owners.

She reaffirmed that residents have twenty four hours to clean their portion of the sidewalks, and stressed that the Village must stay on top of the issue for safety, especially with the weather refreezing melting snow into ice.

Finally, the Board is revisiting their health insurance policy in their employee handbook.

Within the handbook, it states that any employee opting out of coverage payments can receive a $3,000 lump sum. However, the Board wants to change that lump sum to quarterly payments to be stretched out over the course of the year, being rolled out in March, June, September, and December.

The motion was passed with little discussion from the Board, and the new policy will take effect soon.