Esperance Expresses Thanks to Carlisle Highway Dept. During Monthly Meeting

By Heather Skinner

ESPERANCE- On October 16th, the Esperance Town Board held their regular monthly meeting. Officials and attendees typically gather at Town Hall, but for this meeting, everyone met at the Landis Arboretum Shelter (200 Lape Road). Town Clerk, Jessica Castle, said they try to hold one meeting there per year, usually during the Fall season.

In the Highway Superintendent report, Michelle Brust celebrated, “So, you came up Lape Road. Yay! It’s done.” Lots of work has been completed on Lape Road, most recently a 14-hour day of cold mix paving, cleanup of the nearby road where materials were located, and a single chip seal.

Brust added about Lape Road, “The Town of Carlisle came in and did the shoulders before the chip seal, which is perfect. There were just 3 of us. They had an attachment for their dump truck.” Collaboration with Carlisle’s Highway Department helped cut costs. Brust explained, “The cost for the shoulders by the Town of Carlisle and Larned came in at $4,000 under budget; mostly because we were able to use Larned Quarry, so we got a lower price. Town of Carlisle was short an employee, so we didn’t get charged for them and I just jumped in and was that employee, so there’s no charge for me, and the shoulder machine attachment really made for much quicker work.”

Town Supervisor, Earl Van Wormer III, and Brust both want a thank-you note sent to the Town of Carlisle Highway Department and (Carlisle Superintendent) Mike Broadwell. Brust said Carlisle didn’t, “have to do that. He just said, ‘Look, our work in Town is done and I’m just being a good neighbor.’” Adding, “Even though we paid him, we paid a lot less than we would have for going out to a contractor.”

Van Wormer detailed a history of cooperation with Carlisle Highway Department, who owns part of both Woodman Road and Sprakers Road. Brust said Esperance usually plows 300 FT. on Woodman and a few hundred FT. on Sprakers while they are there.

Regarding plowing, Van Wormer updated on budget in the Supervisor’s Report. He expressed to Board members when going over the Highway Town-Wide numbers, “Hope we have a really good October and November, and then we’ll be in really good shape. If not, and we have a bad November, I don’t see any snow in October, then we’ll have to dip into some of that reserve, which as you can see, we have plenty of reserve.”

In other accounts, Van Wormer reported things are in really good shape, CHIPS funding will be billed shortly for road repair reimbursement, and 2026 Tentative Budget Modification and review was up for discussion in New Business. Approving the Tentative Budget creates the Preliminary Budget and Van Wormer had updates for the Board before the motion for approval carried.

Central Bridge Fire District submitted their budget figure, which was reduced by almost $1,000, and will help offset amounts needed to fulfill a request from Cody Robinson-Bullock for a 2% increase to cover Schoharie Joint Youth Commission operations. Robinson-Bullock is Director of The Schoharie County Youth Bureau and Schoharie Joint Youth Commission.

Schoharie Joint Youth Commission is described on the SchoharieCounty-NY.gov website as an organization that, “Provides summer swim programs at the Schoharie Village Pool funded by the four participating municipalities (Town of Esperance, Town of Wright, Town & Village of Schoharie). This program offers swimming lessons, parent/tot swim, private lessons, competitive swimming clinics and open swim to youth and families. For more information, please contact the Village of Schoharie (518) 295-8500 SchoharieVillage.org Schoharie Community Pool Facebook page.”

Van Wormer thinks the increase makes sense with the amount of work that will need to be done on the pool, etc.

The only budget price that could change before the plan officially gets adopted is an estimated placeholder amount for the Central Bridge Light District. Van Wormer rounded up from what this year’s numbers were to $3,400 until the Central Bridge Light District Board creates their budget. Van Wormer explained that the Town of Esperance collects to pay them, while their Board oversees the operation of their Light District.

They scheduled a Public Hearing for November 6th at 5:15PM in the Town Hall before their Water/Sewer meeting.

Also during New Business, “NYSLR Standard Workday Resolution #10-2025 for Joseph Redmond,” motion to offer received all yeses in a roll call vote.

Esperance Town Board meetings are held on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 7PM in the Town Hall; next being on the 20th of November. Come in-person to look through their Correspondence folder (October’s included the SCCA Newsletter and updates from The Gathering Place, Iroquois Museum, and B.O.C.E.S.)

Your Esperance Town representatives are Town Supervisor Earl Van Wormer III, Michael Keller, Harold Conklin, Benjamin Gigandet, Barbara Sharpe, Deputy Supervisor Brian D. Largeteau, Town Clerk Jessica Castle, and Highway superintendent Michelle Brust.

They are still accepting applications to join the Comprehensive Plan Committee. They now have 6 applicants and are seeking interest from 10-12 total to represent a diversity of locations throughout Esperance. Call Town Hall at 518-875-6109, email supervisor@esperancetown-ny.gov, or attend next month’s meeting with interest.