A huge thank you to Town departments, fire departments, and residents in handling and surviving this weekend’s early spring storm.  Dispatchers fielded well over 300 calls from residents about power outages, downed trees, blocked roads, and more.  Highway crews made four separate runs starting overnight to clear roads of ice and snow, and remove fallen trees and limbs to allow first responders and power company crews to reach neighborhoods and businesses.  Police and fire departments provided invaluable service managing the power outages, streets closed by downed trees and wires, and canvassing houses for outages and undisclosed downed wires.  More details are below.  

Town News & Announcements

In response to the extensive damage to trees caused by the recent ice/snow storm, the Highway Department is deploying front loaders to expedite the removal of accumulated storm debris that is placed on the edge of the road.  Please make sure to keep the debris off of the road’s paved surface and do not allow debris piles to block flow to stormwater drainage grates. 

On Tuesday, April 16 at 7pm, the Town Board will hold a public hearing on a proposed six-month moratorium intended to support draft recommendations raised during the ongoing public process of updating the Town’s Comprehensive Plan.  The moratorium on new applications for larger residential developments will allow the Water Department to consider steps to address primarily water capacity caused by dramatically increased water usage by single-family homes during summer months and also allow the Planning Department to propose ways to promote affordable housing options.    

On Monday, April 8 at 11am at Town Hall, the Guilderland Garden Club is holding its first meeting of the year, with a presentation by Amanda Dillon, Field Ecologist and Entomologist at the Albany Pine Bush Preserve, about the Karner Blue Butterfly’s ecology and habitat restoration.  Guilderland Garden Club is celebrating its 60^th year anniversary.  

A reminder that, due to drier and warmer winter weather (at least, that’s the norm), DEC has a statewide ban on residential brush burning that started on March 16 and runs through May 14.  The regulations allow backyard fire pits and campfires less than three feet in height and four feet in length, width, or diameter and small cooking fires but with only charcoal or dry, clean, untreated, or unpainted wood.   DEC’s Fire Danger Map for the 2024 fire season shows each region’s potential fire risk. 

Please remember that dogs must be on a leash at all times in all Town parks and open space.   The exceptions to this rule are the dog park at Nott Road Park and the new dog park behind EMS Station 1 in Westmere.   Please remember that, when Western Turnpike Golf Course opens (likely not until mid-April), that the winter access for walkers on cart paths are not allowed during the golf season.  

A reminder that Western Turnpike Golf Course has adult seminars for persons learning or improving the playing of golf.  PGA Professional Joe Lavigna teaches the classes that take place once a week for four consecutive weeks in May, June and July.  The program focuses on swing fundamentals and short game aspects.   WTGC also has a junior program for children age 7 to 17 years.  

The deadline to sign-up for next week’s Spring Break Fun N Games camp is Monday, April 1.  The program runs from Tuesday, April 2 to Friday, April 5 from 9am to 11 am at Guilderland Elementary School.  Families should drop off their child at the back of the building near the gym.  

Parks & Rec’s Bird Walk’s second spring session runs from Sunday, May 5 to Sunday, June 9, with the exception of Mother’s Day, May 12.  Jeanette Roundy, a local bird expert, will lead the outings in the Town’s Community Gardens, and in the Albany Pine Bush Preserve and Schodack Island State Park.  The program will use Ebird, a free downloadable app sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, to keep track of bird species.  It is also a fun app to use in backyards and other places as birds become more active with warming weather.    

Tomorrow at 12:01am, Parks & Rec is opening registration for the very popular 2024 Summer Camp.  The dark grey-colored 2024 brochure is now available online and is being delivered by backpack mail this week.  The 2024 summer camp will run from Monday, July 1 to Friday, August 9.  Parks & Rec also has opened registration opportunities for entry level summer camp counselors.   You must be 16 years of age and older, and while previous experience as a counselor-in-training, teacher, childcare, or related field is preferred, it is not required.  Parks & Rec is also accepting applications for lifeguards, lifeguard managers, and pool booth attendants at Tawasentha Park pool, and seasonal laborers in Parks & Rec.   

The Town is accepting letters of interest and resumes from candidates for a full-time Police Officer, Stormwater Management Officer, Laborer in the Highway, Parks and Water Departments, and Telecommunicator/911 Dispatcher.  

Covid-19 Update

The CDC reported this week that hospitalizations nationwide decreased over the past week by 20.9% and that the death rate was unchanged.  The CDC’s current map shows that all of New York State has, for the past month, a “low” rate of COVID-19 transmission.   The nation has just 2 counties or 0.06% with a “high” rate and 53 counties or 1.65% with a “medium” rate.   If you have not yet taken advantage of the Federal government’s program for free at-home COVID-19 tests, you can check your remaining eligibility online.  

Community Events and Resources

As we should know by now, on Monday, April 8, there will a total solar eclipse with a 97.1% eclipse in our community at 3:26pm.  Many schools, including the Guilderland Central School District, have announced early dismissal “to ensure the safety of students during the solar eclipse, which will coincide with dismissal when students are in transit.  While the Guilderland area is not in the path of totality, it’s anticipated that our local area will be significantly affected.”    

It is too early to forecast whether there will be low lying clouds or inclement weather that will impede view of the eclipse in our area.   If so, the University at Albany Atmospheric Sciences Research Center has a high-definition video camera at its field station on Whiteface Mountain which could be above low lying clouds.  The total eclipse there will take place between 3:25pm and 3:28pm.  No matter where you are, proper eye protection is essential.  

The Guilderland Public Library’s events monthly calendar is full of interesting activities for all ages.  On Tuesday, April 2 from 2pm to 3:15pm, the Library is offering a virtual presentation by Paula Johnson, a Curator at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, about the book Smithsonian American Table: The Foods, People, and Innovations That Feed Us.  The presentation will feature stories in the book including how immigration has shaped American tables, how food advertisements have influenced home cooks, and other interesting topics on how foods have influenced our nation’s history and culture. 

On Wednesday, April 17 from 8pm to 9:15pm, the Library is hosting a virtual talk with Xochitl Gonzalez, a bestselling author about her new novel Anita de Monte Laughs Last. a witty examination of power, love, and art in the rarefied world of the elite. 

The Albany Pine Bush Preserve’s spring calendar is full of activities for children and adults, including several short morning hikes during the school break week in different parts of the Preserve.  On Wednesday, April 17 from 7pm to 8pm, Community Science: American Woodcock Survey Volunteer Training, an online opportunity to learn more about the American Woodstock, whose numbers have declined since the 1960s, and help the Preserve monitor their presence.  

The Preserve’s website also details in-person and virtual programs, such as night photography and astronomy, and downloadable activities and nature craft instructions.  The Preserve also offers Community Science opportunities for volunteers, such as surveying for rare birds, identifying invasive species, and much more.  These vital services assist the Preserve to manage the impacts of our changing environment on the Preserve’s fragile ecology.

On Saturday, April 20 at 9am, the Preserve is recognizing Earth Day, with a volunteer clean-up effort in the Preserve.  The event takes places rain or shine so dress for outside work, and bring water and snacks.    All equipment will be provided. 

Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy has several early spring activities on its calendar including on Thursday, April 4 from 7pm to 9pm, when it is hosting Hike and Draw, an online drawing workshop, with step-by-step instructions by artist James Sisti.  

The New York State Library’s March calendar is also full of free and informative seminars and programs, online and in-person, on wide-ranging topics, and also walking tours.  The State Library is also offering The April 8th Total Solar Eclipse: When, Where and How to See It! an online tutorial on when, where, and how to watch the solar eclipse, and what you can expect to see if you are in totality.   It will also discuss NASA’s plans to enlist Citizen Scientists from across the country to learn more about the solar eclipse.

Today would have been opening day of the MLB season, but unfortunately, the NY Mets were rained out and fortunately remain in first place for at least one day, the likely highpoint of a 162-game season.   The rainy weather is causing havoc for games in East Coast cities and elsewhere, and likely will again tomorrow, which might suggest starting the season in April and having opening series in domed stadiums or drier locations.   

Please note that Town Hall will close tomorrow at 12:30pm for Good Friday, and the Transfer Station will close early at 11:30am on Saturday, March 30. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter.  

Peter G. Barber

Town Supervisor