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Cooperative Extension Provides Year In Review For Supers By Rosie Cunningham DELHI - Delaware County Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) and 4-H provided an overview of the agency’s highlights during the Oct. 9 Delaware County Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting. Delhi Town Supervisor Mark Tuthill stood in for chairwoman Tina Molé during the meeting as Molé was attending the disciplinary hearing for Social Services Commissioner Dana ScuderiHunter. CCE Executive Director Jeanne Darling introduced herself and staff members and provided a slide show of CCE accomplish-
At the October Bovina town board meeting further reports were heard on issues with the ongoing arsenic filtration project and ran through the tentative 2020 budget before making a motion to move the budget to “preliminary” status. Bovina’s projected tax increase for 2020 came in at 1.86%, below the mandated 2% tax cap. Also the town board heard complaints from a resident upset about a possible threat to his septic system. Trace amounts of naturally occurring arsenic had been detected in the town’s backup well, and for months the town board has been meeting with experts to discuss the options for how to mitigate the arsenic situation to make the water safe should the backup well ever be needed. Tom Suozzo and Brian Suozzo from Cedarwood Engineering outlined the latest developments. The board members have been leaning toward using a cartridge filtration system called Isolux, which Cedarwood has suggested as the best solution. The Cedarwood engineers explained that Isolux cartridges must be replaced periodically and the manufacturer of the cartridges is going out of business. Tom Suozzo said that the Isolux company was going to continue to make them through
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ments in a year-in-review format. CCE provides an annual report to the BOS yearly. “We want to look at how we can keep small towns in business,” Darling said. “The problem we have on the federal level is that they are looking at just big farms and efficiency and to keep food reasonably priced. We want to make sure there is a future for farms here in Delaware County.” Darling outlined the program during the slide show - “Growing Healthy Families,” to get markets together and to plan for the Walton Farmers’ Market which is run in conjunction with the Walton Chamber of Commerce. Every See CCE Review page 2
Bovina Advances Preliminary Budget, Tackles Water Quandary By Jesse Hilson
Special Section
another avenue, but the vulnerability of the supply as well as the lack of control over price for the cartridges would become an issue. The other option for handling the arsenic, according to the Cedarwood experts, would be to use “greensand” technology to filter the arsenic. Brian Suozzo discussed a system known as AdEdge that would do the job but with significant drawbacks: the cost of the AdEdge greensand system would be $75,000 whereas the Isolux system would be $12,000, and the AdEdge solution would require installing an additional “backwash” wastewater treatment facility with the well, including a holding tank and the need for a septic hauler to truck the waste away to be disposed of elsewhere. Finding locations to dispose of such waste created by the AdEdge system would be problematic, Suozzo said. Cedarwood will submit plans for the Isolux system and the particulars of Bovina’s backup well to the New York State Department of Health for review. Brian Suozzo said this review could take 30 days or more, and the outcome unpredictable. If DOH approval is given, Cedarwood will move forward with the Isolux system. Bovina’s bookkeeper Joe Hanley led the town board through an explanation of the tentative budget for the year 2020 before it was moved to preliminary status. Hanley said that with three exceptions, all employees got a 3% pay increase. Hanley explained how the tax levy was at 1.86% with this budget, below the 2% tax cap. He cautioned that in future budgets, taxpayers could not expect to use its fund balances in a way similar to the 2020 budget without raising taxes beyond the 2% cap. The ongoing well project was touched on in Hanley’s explanation of the budget, as he discussed how 2020 will be the final year of the $9,720 See Bovina Town Board page 4
Photo By Paula Ryan O’Brien
These young gentlemen were ready for fun as they rode in the 2019 Walton Central School Homecoming parade on Saturday. From left to right, Christopher Caffery, Jackson Backus, Shaun Simpson, Tripp Taylor, Tyler Reed, Parker Cash and Elias Bayne. The boys were representing Walton Booster Club’s Senior Football traveling team.
Walton, Mural-Town By Lillian Browne WALTON - Walton’s third, large-scale mural, titled “Walton Rising,” was unveiled on Saturday, Oct. 12 at 164 Delaware Street, in conjunction with the Walton Chamber of Commerce’s Leaf Peeking & Antiquing, Walton Central School’s Homecoming football game, dance and celebration and Columbus Day weekend. The mural was a collaborative, community effort spearheaded by the West Branch Artists with participation from Walton Central School students. The community art project has See Mural Town page 3
Lillian Browne/The Reporter
The Walton community turned out to celebrate a ribbon cutting ceremony for the “Walton Rising” mural on Oct. 12. Pictured are: Amy Oles, Lara Fassler, Supervisor Joe Cetta, Mayor Steve Condon, Walton Chamber President Tara Vitti, Delaware County Chamber President Ray Pucci, Deborah Hughes, Kathleen Hayek, Anne Marie Peeters, Martin Penrose, Caroline Fay, Ryan Silveira and Maia Fassler.
Moon Worked With DelCo Personnel To “Dethrone” Scuderi-Hunter, Witness Says Disciplinary Charges Revealed On Day 6 Of DSS Commissioner Suspension Hearing
By Lillian Browne DELHI - After months of being kept secret, the allegations against Delaware County Commissioner of Social Services Dana Scuderi-Hunter, who was suspended with pay on July 9, were revealed on Oct. 9, the sixth day of testimony in a disciplinary hearing. There are seven charges, detailed in 19 pages, comprised of: • Engaging in conduct unbecoming an employee of Delaware County; • Conduct unbecoming an employee of Delaware County including insubordination, misconduct and a breach of duty or loyalty; • Misconduct, conduct unbecoming and mismanagement; • Insubordination, misconduct and a breach of trust; • Misconduct, insubordination and conduct unbecoming; • Insubordination, acts of disloyalty, making false statements to employer and conduct unbe-
coming, and • Insubordination, misconduct and conduct unbecoming. The allegations stem from alleged conflicts between ScuderiHunter, County Attorney Amy Merklen, Probation Director Scott Glueckert, Community Services Director Cynthia Heaney, Public Health Director Amanda
File Photo
Former Delaware County Commissioner of Social Services William Moon.
Walsh, Personnel Director Linda Pinner and former DSS Caseworker Angela Barnes. The substance of the allegations are that Scuderi-Hunter alienated other department heads and belittled and demeaned various employees thereby impairing the effectiveness and efficiency of county operations. A component of the alleged violations is that Scuderi-Hunter “disagreed as to the proper disposition for any juvenile delinquency or petition for violation of probation” and for the past five years has been antagonistic, disrespectful, overbearing, and disruptive of a collegial and collaborative work environment.” Disloyalty was demonstrated, according to the allegations brought by attorney Frank Miller on behalf of Delaware County, by Scuderi-Hunter failing to advise the probation department or the county attorney’s office of her “position” with regard to the See DSS Commissoner page 10