If you are like me and love outdoor winter activities, we are unfortunately just missing a major winter storm this weekend.  There is chance for a few inches but not enough for skiing or snowshoeing.  The calendar says that there are still two more months of winter, and a lot can happen.  While there is not enough snow for winter sports, the Town’s parks and extensive hiking trail system remain open year-round.   More details are shared below.

Town News & Announcements

If you are a senior citizen (65 years of age or older by December 31, 2025), a person with a qualifying physical disability, and/or a veteran, you may be entitled to a partial exemption on your property taxes.  Please disregard this notice if you have already applied for these exemptions or are currently receiving them.  Eligible homeowners have until March 1 to apply for an exemption.  For more information, please visit the website, call (518) 356-1980, or stop by the Assessor’s office. 

The 2025 property tax bill has been mailed and is also available online.  Since the start of the State’s property tax cap in 2012, the Town tax has complied with the tax cap.  The Town’s total tax is less than 12% of the total property tax imposed by all taxing jurisdictions.  

The Hedge Bistro at Western Turnpike Golf Course is open this winter on Tuesday thru Saturday from 11am to 5pm.  The menu includes popular entrees, appetizers, pizza, burgers, tacos, and desserts. The golf course also remains open year-round.   When measurable snow finally arrives (not likely soon), the golf course will have groomed trails for cross-country skiing and paths for snowshoeing.  Town parks and Vosburgh Open Space Trails are open for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.  Sledding is available at the Winter Recreation Area just past Tawasentha Park.  Nordic ski and snowshoe rentals are available at the Parks & Rec Office.

You can now reserve Tawasentha Park’s pavilions for family and local business events.  The more popular summer weekends quickly fill up.  Walk-in reservations (with payment) take priority over phone, faxed or emailed reservation requests (with payment).  To request booking a pavilion, please submit a completed Request for Use of Facilities/Know the Rules and required payment (credit card, check or cash) to the Town of Guilderland. You can drop off the required forms or mail them to Guilderland Parks & Recreation Department at 181 State Route 146, Altamont, NY 12009, or faxed to 518-456-3156.   You can view the availability calendar for Tawasentha Park Pavilion Rentals.

Highway Department crews have begun picking-up discarded Christmas trees.  Please note that these trees are recycled as mulch so please do not wrap trees in plastic, and remove ornaments, tinsel, etc.  There is no hurry.  Highway trucks pick-up lawn bags and tied brush on a year-round basis.    

The Town’s 2025 Hometown Heroes Banner Program recognizes active duty and veteran service members, both living and deceased, for their bravery, courage, and sacrifice.  Each banner honors a current or former Guilderland serviceperson by name, branch of service, and photo.  The banners will be displayed at Tawasentha Park at a special event held at GPAC.  In late fall, the banners are made available to sponsors.  Banners may be sponsored by individuals, families, businesses or organizations at a cost of $150 per banner.  The deadline for applications is February 28.  If you have any questions regarding banners, please call the Parks & Rec Office at (518) 456-3150.

The Town’s Senior Services Department’s January newsletter has information about classes and seminars, tax preparation assistance, trips, medical and shopping transportation, next month’s book discussion, legal aide, monthly meal calendar, games, and much more.  Every Wednesday from 11am to 12:30pm, the Guilderland Public Library is the home for Senior Connects!, where seniors can have a friendly chat on a wide-range of interesting topics.  The prior topics included home downsizing, senior resources, hobbies, books, movies, favorite day trips, and local events.  No registration is required.

The Town is accepting letters of interest and resumes from candidates for Automotive Mechanic I, Police Officer, Telecommunicator/911 Dispatcher, and Laborer positions in the Highway, Parks and Water Departments. 

Please note that Town offices will be closed on Monday, January 20 for the Martin Luther King Holiday.  The Transfer Station, which will be open on Saturday, January 18, will also be closed on Tuesday, January 21.  

Upcoming Meetings at Town Hall

The following is a list of dates and times for currently scheduled meetings of boards and committees at Town Hall over the next 30 days.  Please check the Town’s calendars for the latest news about public meetings and community events, possible changes in agendas and cancellations, and the latest contents of agenda packets.  Unless stated otherwise, each of the listed meetings start at 7pm, and are livestreamed on the Town website, Verizon channel 34, and Spectrum channel 1303. Within days of the meeting, an indexed recording, with links to each listed agenda item, is also posted online.

Conservation Advisory Council

Monday, January 13 (cancelled)

Traffic Safety Committee

Tuesday, January 14 (cancelled)    

Zoning Board of Appeals 

Wednesday, January 15 (cancelled)    

Town Board

Tuesday, January 21 

Planning Board

Wednesday, January 22 

Industrial Development Agency

Tuesday, January 28 

Town Board

Tuesday, February 4

Zoning Board of Appeals

Wednesday, February 5

Conservation Advisory Council

Monday, February 10

Community Events & Resources

Community Caregivers, which offers wide-ranging services and support for seniors and their supporters, is launching a new virtual education series that is designed to support caregivers.  The plan is to offer new topics.  Among its services, Community Caregivers’ volunteers provide respite time for persons caring for loved ones.  You can help with this mission by volunteering your time and/or making donations.

The Guilderland Public Library’s upcoming calendar includes this Saturday, January 11 at 11am, Realm Explorers, a book club that meets on Saturday mornings to discuss science fiction and fantasy novels. This month’s book is The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang.  A copy of the book is at the Library’s Information Desk, while supplies last, or borrow a digital copy from Libby.  On Wednesday, January 15 from 7pm to 8:15pm, the Library’s virtual author talk series will have New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune talk about his Cerulean Chronicles, with a special emphasis on Somewhere Beyond the Sea, the most recent book in the series.  

The Albany Pine Bush Preserve’s winter calendar of events is full of indoor and outdoor activities, including on Monday, January 13 at 4:30pm, Full Moon Hike at Kings Highway Barrens, when you can enjoy a full moon 1.2 mile hike and experience some of the unique features of the Preserve at night. 

The Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission and Friends of the Pine Bush Community are cohosting a lecture, in person and virtual, on January 16 at 7pm as a part of their Science Lecture Series at the Discovery Center. The first talk of the 2025 Science Lecture Series will focus on recent research conducted by the University at Albany’s archaeological field school in the summer of 2024. The field school conducted research on a mid-nineteenth century farmstead that was occupied by the Helme family to learn about what life was like on the outskirts of Albany in this unique environment.  Initial research indicates that it was occupied for perhaps over 50 years based on hundreds of artifacts recovered from the site and intact architectural features.  Many of those artifacts and early analyses of the site will be presented at this talk by professors Sean Rafferty and Chris Wolff.   Pre-registration is required

The Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy has opened 4-miles of trails in its Upper Bozen Kill Preserve, a 225-acre property at the end of Bond Road.  The new trail system also connects to the existing trail system at the Lower Bozen Kill Preserve.  The total trails are nearly 6 miles.  You can access the new entrance to the Upper Bozen Kill Preserve by continuing north on Westfall Road past the existing Lower Bozen Kill Preserve entrance and turn left on Bond Rd.  A parking lot and preserve kiosk is located at the end of the road.  The trail system is open year-round, and given its elevation, often has sufficient snow for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.  

On Saturday, February 15 at 10am, the MHLC is hosting Winter Wildlife Tracking, when Dan Yacobellis, a certified Level 3 Track & Sign facilitator, who has studied the animals of the northeast and their habitats for three decades, will lead a hike at the 208-acre Winn Preserve in Altamont.

The Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy and the Albany Pine Bush Preserve are partnering on two-part Winter Hike Series.  You will need to register for these events.  On Saturday, January 18 at 10am to Noon, at the Preserve’s Discovery Center, there will be an Intro to Winter Hiking & Snowshoeing: Part 1, when hiking guide Alan Via will cover the basics of winter hiking, including trail safety, traversing icy trails, and recommended clothing and gear.  On Saturday, February 8 at 9am, there will be Intro to Winter Hiking: Part 2, with a winter hike at the Bennett Hill Preserve in Clarksville.  

Parks & Trails New York has announced the opportunity to sign-up for two classic bike outings, including Cycle the Erie Canal, a 400-mile tour from July 12 to July 20, and Cycle the Hudson Valley, a 200-mile tour from August 4 to August 9.  These past events have proven popular.  

A reminder that the Federal government’s program, which allows residents to order four at-home COVID-19 tests for free delivery by the Post Office, remains available but could end with the new administration.  The FDA encourages checking its website to see if the expiration date for your at-home COVID-19 tests has been extended.    

Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter.  

Peter G. Barber

Town Supervisor