September 25, 2025

With fall’s arrival, several significant community events are in the next few weeks, including Drug Take Back Day and Household Hazardous Waste Day. Fall activities are in full swing in our community, with apple and pumpkin picking at local orchards and farms, and festivals and special events in local libraries and parks. Weather-dependent projects, like paving town roads, are heading toward completion and will likely continue into November. More details are below.

Town News & Announcements

The Highway Dept.’s calendar for vacuuming leaf piles is now available. Please remember to rake to the edge of your lawn, and not on the paved surface. Do not place leaf piles over storm drains and do not block the vacuuming truck with your parked car.

The Water Dept.’s replacement of over 9,500 water meters is well underway. The new devices will alert the Water Dept. of leaks or abnormal uses of water, and should save hundreds of thousands of gallons of water each year. You will receive a letter with instructions on how to schedule an appointment time. At the time of installation, the technician will need cleared space to access the meter and should take about 30 minutes, with a brief break in water service. This $4.85 million project will be financed with reserves. Please call Water Dept. with any questions at (518) 456-6474.

The Town is holding its first annual Tree Lighting celebration on Saturday, December 6 at 7pm near the clubhouse at Western Turnpike Golf Course. Before the tree lighting, there will be a holiday parade of decorated fire, highway, parks, and other trucks that will end at the clubhouse. Music, food, and warm drinks are planned. In addition to the lighting of a Town holiday tree, there will be 20 trees available for purchasing in memory of a loved one, as a symbol of peace & hope, or celebrating the season by pre-purchasing and decorating the tree. The trees will be secured in place by Town staff near the Town holiday tree. The cost of each tree is $75.00 which includes the cost of the tree, electricity, remembrance plaque, and a lead cord. You will provide LED lights (not incandescent), ornaments, and decorations. For more information, please contact Dave Jenkins at the Parks & Rec Office at (518) 456-3150.

The Parks & Rec Dept.’s 2026 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 March 27, 2026. If you have any questions regarding banners, please call the Parks & Rec Office at (518) 456-3150.

The Parks & Rec Dept. has fall programming offerings, including Youth Cross- Country for grades 3 to 8 on Mondays and Thursdays through October 27 from 5:30pm to 6:45pm at the Tawasentha Park’s upper field by the pool house, and Track and Field Fall Flight Camp for grades 7 to 12 on Sundays through November 9 from 10am to Noon at Guilderland High School’s track.

October 5, 2025

On Sunday, October 5, starting at 3pm, the Town’s American Revolution 250^th Anniversary Committee is hosting a “Spirit Walk” at the Guilderland Center Cemetery on Osborne Road. The event will have costumed members of the Committee’s Cemetery Committee who will talk about noted persons buried in the cemetery from colonial times to the present time. Cider and donuts will be provided. Please wear footwear for uneven ground and note that there are no bathrooms on site. The rain date is Sunday, October 12. If you have any questions, please contact Dave Jenkins at (518) 456-3150 or at jenkinsd@townofguilderland.gov.

On Monday, October 20 at 10am, the Guilderland Garden Club’s meeting will include a presentation of autumn floral design presented by Susan Cole, club co-President at Town Hall.

On Saturday, October 18 from 8am to 2pm, Household Hazardous Waste Day will take place in the Highway garage located at 6338 French’s Mill Road in Guilderland Center. Because the Town’s pays part of the cost, the event is open to Town residents only. No pre-registration is required. Please have the current Parks/Transfer Station vehicle sticker or proof of Town residency (tax bill, driver’s license). Please carefully review the lists of acceptable and non-acceptable items. Do not arrive before 8am, and when you reach the drop-off location, staff will remove the materials from your vehicle.

Drug Take Back Day

On Saturday, October 25 from 10am to 2pm, Drug Take Back Day will be held at the auxiliary parking lot at the Guilderland Public Library. This nationwide event is an opportunity for the confidential, safe, and responsible disposal of unused or expired prescription medications. Please note that needles are not included.

Please remember that, in all Town parks and open spaces, dogs must be on a leash at all times. Your dog may be very friendly, but other hikers and park patrons do not know that and the presence of an unleashed dog can be disconcerting. The exceptions to this rule are the Town’s two dog parks at Nott Road Park and behind EMS Station 1 in Westmere. When the Western Turnpike Golf Course closes for the golf season, the cart paths are open for walking.

The Senior Services Department’s September newsletter has information about classes and seminars, trips, medical and shopping transportation, legal aide, monthly meal calendar, games, and much more. On Wednesdays from 11am to 12:30pm, the Guilderland Public Library is the home for Seniors Connect!, where seniors can have a friendly chat on a wide-range of interesting topics.

The Town has openings for Police Officer, Telecommunicator/911 Dispatcher, and Laborer positions in the Highway, Parks and Water Departments.

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, and broadcasted on Verizon channel 34, and Spectrum channel 1303. Within days of a broadcasted meeting, an indexed recording, with links to each listed agenda item, is also posted online.

Industrial Development Agency

Tuesday, September 30 (cancelled)

Town Board

Tuesday, October 7

Planning Board

Wednesday, October 8

Traffic Safety Committee

Tuesday, October 14

American Revolution 250^th Anniversary Committee

Wednesday, October 14 at 3pm (neither taped nor televised)

Zoning Board of Appeals

Wednesday, October 15

Conservation Advisory Council

Monday, October 20

Town Board Budget Workshop

Tuesday, October 21 at 6pm (neither taped nor televised)

Town Board

Tuesday, October 21

Town Board Budget Workshop

Thursday, October 23 at 6pm (neither taped nor televised)

Industrial Development Agency

Tuesday, October 28

September 27, 2025

Community Events & Resources

There are several community events taking place this upcoming Saturday, September 27, including, from Noon to 3pm at Orsini Park, Historic Altamont’s ribbon cutting celebration of the new Altamont Community Kiosk marking the new “End-to-End” point of the Long Path, a 350+ mile hiking trail stretching from Manhattan and now ending in Altamont. It will promote outdoor activities, and bring new visitors to local businesses. There will be a block party event, with a tent, live music, ice cream, food and family activities.

From 10:30am to 5:30pm on Saturday, September 27, the University at Albany and the NYS Writers Institute are hosting the eighth Annual Albany Book Festival. The festival involves a wide-ranging list of local and regional authors, book signings, publishers, and literary organizations.

From 9:30am to 2:30pm on Saturday, September 27, the Guilderland Public Library is hosting a Fall Craft Fair, with talented artists and booths filled with handcrafted creations from cozy textiles to pumpkin-spiced-inspired décor. The event takes place inside in the Helderberg Meeting room.

The Altamont Free Library has a new Long-Range Plan of Service that will be shaped, in part, on a brief and anonymous survey on how you use the Library and how it can better serve you better in the future.

On Wednesday, October 15 from 6pm to 8pm, the Westmere Fire Department is hosting a free community seminar entitled "Seasonal Affective Disorder, What it Is and Ways To Emotionally Manage the Long Northeast Winter!". This timely seminar will be presented by Joe Germano, LCSWR, Executive/Clinical Director of Karner Psychological Associates. No pre-registration is required.

Lunchtime Chats

Community Caregivers’ upcoming weekly Lunchtime Chats includes tomorrow, A Christie Classic: The Plymouth Express. You can join and listen in on these one-hour chats by calling (518) 992-6661. Community Caregivers is looking for volunteer drivers who can transport seniors for medical and other essential trips, and help keep our neighbors in their homes. If you are interested or have questions, please contact Community Caregivers at info@communitycaregivers.org or by calling (518) 456-2898.

The Albany Pine Bush Preserve’s fall calendar includes welcoming Smokey Bear on Saturday, October 4, from 10am to 2pm, who will be visiting the Pine Bush Discovery Center to teach visitors about prescribed fire and wildfire prevention. There will be games, interactive exhibits, fire trucks and equipment to see, and Smokey Bear goody bags for visitors to take home. The Preserve is also offering times for Drop-in Bird Banding Observation on Saturday, October 11 from 7am to Noon; and Tuesday, October 21 from 7am to Noon. You can see wild birds up close and personal as Preserve scientists carefully fit them with uniquely coded leg-bands, before releasing them back to the wild. The bands are provided by the US Geological Society Bird Banding Lab to licensed banders so scientists can identify individuals, and also study how long birds live, where they breed, and when and where they migrate.

The Preserve is also offering Pine Bush Perspectives 2025, an opportunity to submit your photographs of what makes the Preserve unique. The submitted photographs will considered by judges, with selected photographs featured in a final exhibit and reception on December 5. The deadline for submissions is October 1.

October 20, 2025

On October 20 from 5pm to 7pm at the Chalet Pavilion in Tawasentha Park, Assemblymember Gabriella Romero is hosting a Fall Frolic, an opportunity to meet and engage with local representatives in a relaxed, community-oriented setting. There will be refreshments and lawn games.

Town Hall will be closed on Monday, October 13 for Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter.

Peter G. Barber

Town Supervisor