LEGISLATURE STUFF - Never Too Early for Snow

Visions of white stuff are already dancing in the heads of Big Valley Trail Breakers Snowmobile club members out in the town of Lexington.

By Michael Ryan

CATSKILL - It is still the dog days of summer but visions of white stuff are dancing in the heads of winter lovers in the town of Lexington whose dreams come true with help from the Greene County Legislature.

Lawmakers, at a recent meeting, approved a resolution continuing a partnership with the Big Valley Trail Breakers Snowmobile Club.

The agreement, which has been in place for a decade and more, allows the Club to access grant money from the State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation agency to maintain a network of snowmobile trails.

Greene County merely serves as the liaison between the Club and State but, “we are very thankful for their support. We couldn’t do what we do without them,” Club president Glenn Howard says.

What the Club does is perform maintenance and grooming of existing trails in the elevated Bear Pen regions of the town of Lexington, stretching for a mile or so into Delaware County.

Shaping new trails or rerouting old ones is involved, as well, Howard says, noting the Club is responsible for 20 miles of mountainous pathways through the snow, receiving $3500 per year from the State grant.

“We also have gotten Speenburgh grants” from lawmakers, Howard says, referring to dollars dispensed for multiple projects in memory of Wayne Speenburgh, the late and highly respected legislature chairman.

Those funds have been used to purchase first aid equipment/supplies and an AED defibrillator. “That’s what our Club is really about,” Howard says.

“Yes, we are together because we all enjoy snowmobiling, but we want to help people in other ways too,” Howard says.

Formed in 2007, the Big Valley Trail Breakers Snowmobile Club contributes often to local youth programs, getting kids outdoors in all weather.

In other legislative business:

—Sticking with the wintry theme, lawmakers amended a resolution related to the purchase of two, single axle, two-wheel drive cab and chasis equipped with snow and ice control equipment.

The acquisitions were initially authorized in June, 2022, when the worldwide pandemic was drastically impacting the marketplace.

Since then, county highway superintendent Scott Templeton was informed the cost of freight has risen 6,457 dollars and 71 cents per truck.

That nifty increase ballooned the overall cost from $462,794.10 to $475,709.52, not exactly making lawmakers happy campers.

The trucks are being bought through Navistar Inc, in Loudonville, and while no one is pleased about the situation, there is a sunny side.

“The legislators were upset. I was upset,” Templeton said. “We had reason to be upset. It felt like they were holding our feet to the fire.

“We had an agreement, and it’s not like we could tell the dealer we’d like to pay less money. But it is what it is. We had two choices,” Templeton said.

“We could pay the money or cancel the order which would mean starting from the beginning. We felt that wasn’t an option,” Templeton said.

The county, in recent years, established a 5-year vehicle and equipment replacement schedule, replacing the old method of essentially running machinery, snowplows and trucks into the ground.

It has proven more efficient and cost effective, officials say, and not wanting to take a step backwards, they have chosen to bow to fiscal fate.

“When we weren’t replacing all these items on a five-year basis, we were ending up with a whole lot of maintenance expenses,” says legislature chairman Patrick Linger.

“The industry is already so far behind [in manufacturing and delivery]. We didn’t want to fall maybe two or three years more behind and in the long run, there isn’t much we can do about it,” Linger said.

Looking at the matter optimistically, Templeton said, “the flip side is, we will be getting a newer model,” getting Year 2024 rather than Year 2022 trucks.

“We have asked ourselves whether this is some kind of hidden cost for the trucks but with all the tariffs and everything else, this is the world now,” Templeton said, optimistically anticipating September delivery.