By Joshua Walther
SCHOHARIE - On Tuesday evening, the Schoharie Village Board informed the public that there has been a judgment handed down from the courts on the 326 Main Street property.
For a long time, local residents have thought of the property as an eyesore, as the exterior has allowed trash refuse, overgrown vegetation, and unmaintained vehicles to heap up on the lawn, driveway, and front porch.
For the past several months, the Village has pursued a court order to get the property cleaned, however they’ve run into several obstacles along the way, including a change in law firms and their attorney falling ill.
However, at the beginning of this month, a judge reviewed the case and has given the property owner, Jeremy May, thirty five days to clean the undesirable refuse from his property.
It was stated that the exterior must be cleared of trash and the vegetation must be trimmed, and all unmaintained cars must be removed with the exception of one, though it must not be “in a state of major disassembly.”
Beginning on November 5th, if Mr. May has not adhered to the court order, the Village may take appropriate lawful action to clean the property themselves, which may include hiring the services of a company and taxing Mr. May however much it costs.
“We apologize for the length of time it’s taken to get to this point,” said Deputy Mayor Peter Johnson. “We do intend to get that cleaned up one way or another.”
In other news, the Downtown Revitalization Initiative is hitting the next steps with the implementation of the Strategic Investment Plan. As part of this, the state was sent new projects so they may further consider how to split the award funding.
These new projects focus on bolstering the community, with such additions like the Mainbridge Commons, a renew and relocate for Farmers Beef N Brew, additions to Borden’s Creamery, the Schoharie Free Library, and the Fire House Park, a new ADA compliant bath house for the pool, and better sidewalk connectivity in the Village.
All of these projects were approved, however not all of them may be funded, as the state still has to abide by the grant’s 9.7 million dollar award cap, so one or more may be dropped in favor of better funding for something else.
Finally, the Board reviewed a motion for new 2026 contract rates with Fulton County Solid Waste.
The contract proposes a tentative rate of $77 per ton, which is an increase of $2, and with the Village only removing about 16 tons per year, the Board thought that it was manageable.
“This is a normal course of business,” said Deputy Mayor Johnson. “This is just something that we do every year.”
All members of the Board unanimously made a motion for an intent to sign a new contract once the tentative rate is locked in and confirmed.
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