By Mary A. Crisafulli
MIDDLETOWN - Middletown Board members struggled to find solutions to increase enrollment in the emergency alert system, Rave Alert.
The town entered into a three-year contract with Rave in April and has since had at least 90 people sign up. The system provides critical updates on power outages, boil water advisories, road closures, and more via text message, email, or phone call.
Councilmember Robbin Williams noted several system bugs that need review. One issue is that some individuals who have signed up are not receiving the alerts. The last alert was issued in October, notifying participants of a burn ban.
Clerk Sarah Hubbell said those who are not receiving notifications must be re-registered through a system override that the town must perform.
While this was ultimately determined to be a fix for Rave, the council discussed other sign-up methods to address the issue in the meantime.
The bulk of the discussion focused on ways to increase registrations.
Councilmember Colleen Martin noted that the board allocated funds to initiate the system after identifying a need and should make efforts to increase participation.
The board landed on a mass mailing to residents, which Hubbell will research.
Interested individuals can sign up by visiting the town website at middletowndelawarecountyny.org, texting 77295 to MIDDLETOWNALERT, or contacting the clerk at 845-586-4566. Paper sign-up sheets are available at town hall at 42339 State Highway 28, Margaretville.
In other business, Supervisor Glen Faulkner requested a moment of silence in memory of James William “Jim” Todd, who passed away on November 28th. Todd, 86 of Fleischmanns, was a long-time employee at the transfer station. Todd also served the Fleischmanns Fire Department for many years.
In another discussion, the council reviewed the Board of Assessment Review (BAR).
The resignation of Ernest Steiglehner was accepted. Hubbell noted that he resigned after many years of service and felt ready to move on. She added that there might be an interested party to fill the BAR vacancy.
The board further appointed Cindy Bramley to BAR for a term ending September 2030. Bramley will fill the vacancy left by Dennis Metnick.
Hubbell noted that there is one more potential resignation in the near future.
The county DPW submitted the council's request for two speed limit adjustments on County roadways to the state. County Route 3 was asked to be reviewed through a traffic engineering study, and County Route 6 was requested to have the 30-mile-per-hour speed zone extended past the New Kingston hamlet boundary, both east and west.
The deadline for employment applications for the code enforcement officer position has been extended to January 15th.
The council agreed to table discussions on transitioning from an oil-heating system to an electric system until 2026.
The organizational meeting is scheduled Wednesday, Jan. 7, at 6 p.m. The annual audit will take place Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 6 p.m.
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