Coming into office, I quickly realized how hard our Town staff work and how long they have been without tools needed to do their jobs. We updated accounting software, and caught up on three of the five years our Town was delinquent with financial reports to the State. We are on track to be up to date by the end of the year. The company that had been contracted to service and update our computer network suddenly went out of business this year. We were able to retrieve our data, replace broken computers, and enhance cyber security. Board liaison Kneissl and the Building Department reviewed programs to streamline building, ZBA and Planning Board applications, with a goal of implementing one this year.
The Town Hall building is in decay because maintenance was put off for years. Our facilities are in the floodway and need to be moved. But, deferred maintenance caught up this year. The furnace failed during the coldest streak of winter, and since then we’ve steadily patched leaks and rot. Following a staff training at the Marbletown/Rosendale town hall in May, workers returned to our building a bit envious. Nevertheless, our staff works hard with what they have, and the community support—despite a facility that’s not easily accessible—has been heartwarming. HUGE shout out to John Valek, who volunteered to help us out with urgently-needed roof patches a couple of weeks ago. This year we were awarded funding from the CWC to do legal and environmental reviews, and to subsequently purchase a property on Route 28 near Shandaken Inn that’s entirely out of the floodplain.
Relocation of Town Hall is just one of over a dozen current flood mitigation projects happening throughout Shandaken—in addition to floodplain permits being considered. The Town Board appointed Rob Stanley Floodplain Administrator and he’s been a valuable addition to our building department. Flood mitigation projects were determined by Local Flood Analyses (LFA) on Shandaken/Allaben, Pine Hill, Phoenicia and Mt. Tremper. Chichester is undergoing its LFA now, with a public presentation of a draft slated for late September. Community input was key to the success of these analyses and has resulted in lots of funding for mitigation projects. Thanks to all who volunteered their time to keep our Town safer in floods. Town Board members Drake and VanBlarcum monitor our Community Rating System (CRS), to improve our rating, which has lowered flood insurance rates for Shandaken residents.
Shandaken is a healthcare desert, a food desert, and has related public transportation challenges. I met with the head of Margaretville Hospital this Spring about doing mobile screening clinics in Shandaken. Our ambulance provides life-saving Advanced Life Support (ALS) medical care that’s essential for our residents, and for neighboring towns. But this year costs surged and we had administrative challenges. The Board made changes to our ambulance leadership structure to stabilize ALS service, and I meet regularly with County and State agencies and representatives about our stabilization efforts and to request financial help for our strained capacity. I’m also working with our operations chief, Mike Williams, to improve billing.
The food pantry also had leadership changes. Thanks to Jane Todd for all her years of service, and to Sophie Grant and Gisi Vella for taking over. The number of people served has more than doubled in a few short months, and now includes families because of a new partnership with the Catskill Alliance for Housing and Preservation. The Good Company Club expanded from Phoenicia to also serving Pine Hill now. I met with Supervisors from Greene and Delaware Counties about the possibility of Pine Hill Trailways doing local stops to fill inter-county gaps. Trailways agreed to create regular stops at Town Hall.
Our Town runs on volunteers—the majority are full-time residents. So many of the challenges we face hinge on the lack of affordable housing for people who live here full time. This year we initiated a partnership with RUPCO to develop the former Phoenicia Elementary School for affordable housing. They were the only organization interested in the small-scale development appropriate for that neighborhood. And, after years of creative fundraising, the Wellington affordable housing project in Pine Hill breaks ground this year. The Town’s Housing Smart Committee recently achieved Silver status, which will help the Town secure more funding for affordable housing. Updating our zoning to reflect community priorities is a key component of creating housing that people who work here can afford. We secured a grant from the DEC for zoning consultant(s).
A final draft of our Comprehensive Master Plan was submitted to the Board at the end of July (and is posted HERE). The document reflects hundreds of Shandaken residents who volunteered their time to dig into shaping the future of our Town. Part of our agenda for the August Town Board meeting is to set the first couple of Public Hearing dates for the Comp Plan. We received funding for and engaged volunteers to contribute to the Natural Resource Inventory, which will also guide smart land use planning.
The Parks & Rec Committee has done so much this year! Their energy, led by Samatha Awand, Autumn Brookmire, and Board liaison VanBlarcum is what brought me to public service. This year, updates to Big Indian Park, plans for Rockcut Park in Mt. Tremper, and the new playground at Glenbrook owe their success to the sweat equity of many generous people who planned, fundraised, shoveled, built structures and planted. Parishioners from St. Frances de Sales helped with the Town’s plea to keep Parish Field out of the hands of developers and retain it as park space. I spoke with the Archdiocese in July and they agreed to extend our lease another year.
This winter was a huge challenge for our water districts. The Phoenicia and Pine Hill water committees are planning for long-needed infrastructure updates. We’re so lucky to have Kyle Steen running operations. He addressed winter water emergencies with resourcefulness, yet still kept his eye on planning for the future needs of both districts. Kyle and I secured low-cost loans for urgent repairs and for updates that will save future costs.
Our Highway Department had an equally challenging winter: even unable to procure salt at one point. I’m grateful to Superintendent Hofmeister and his staff for working with me to secure new County funding for next year. I made an emergency proclamation on July 29 to help offset flood-related Highway expenses due to washed out roads, failing culverts, and eroded areas throughout Shandaken—though Route 214 was definitely hit the hardest.
A project to install EV charging stations, spearheaded by the Conservation Advisory Council, will advance this year—with a change in the plan. Rather than a hard-to-access spot on the ambulance building, there will be a station at Glenbrook Park—easily accessible to ambulance, police and highway. The CAC is implementing BearWise, a program that reduced DEC nuisance complaints by 96% in seven years in Woodstock, where one bear was euthanized in 2025, compared to twelve in 2022.
I’m working on the 2027 budget now, and costs for fuel, insurance, and utilities have steeply risen. We changed our insurance broker, which brought us from a projected 18% increase to a projected 7% increase—but that’s still almost double previous years. The Board created a Filming Permit law to both regulate activities and increase income for Shandaken, an increasingly popular location for movie shoots. Our Town’s challenges reflect the challenges businesses in Shandaken face. New business owners and creative ideas provided storefront activity this summer in the commercial hamlets of Phoenicia and Pine Hill. But, long-term vibrancy of the commercial hamlets requires robust representation.
In July, Board member Drake and I advocated in a hearing on NYC’s upcoming Filtration Avoidance Determination (FAD) for Phoenicia to be allowed back into the New York State Department of Health program that could provide a hamlet-wide sewer solution for Phoenicia. I will continue to reach out to Federal, State and County representatives to advance your safety, economic, and environmental concerns.
Social media misinformation is a challenge to our Town. There aren’t enough hours in a day to counter the inaccuracies. One recent post stood out for its sweeping recommendations for our Town—all made with little awareness of what Shandaken has achieved and what we are working on. The post claimed that the Town needs plans—for floods, for housing, for balancing economic development with back yard peace. Please know that every year dozens of volunteers and staff work on and update plans for our Town. In fact, in February alone plans to mitigate flooding, create housing, and to chart courses for scaled growth advanced significantly. The Chichester Flood Advisory Committee (ChiFAC) held its first meeting, with a goal of completing a Local Flood Analysis that will result in funding for mitigation projects in that area. We met with the State Department of Transportation (DOT) about their plans to update Route 214 and to strategize how to work together on Phoenicia’s flood mitigation plan for Main Street. I had several highly encouraging meetings with the Catskill Watershed Corporation (CWC) about their willingness to help us build a safer, more vibrant community. The Board will vote this month on whether to authorize me to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with RUPCO to create housing at the shuttered Phoenicia Elementary. Staff and I made a plan to move to accounting software in March that will enable more accurate financial snap shots, with a follow up plan for a mid-year budget update. And, the Comprehensive Master Plan Committee circulated a final draft of the plan, which will guide Shandaken for years to come. Further, completion of the Comprehensive Master Plan and updating our accounting will enable us to secure funding desperately needed for infrastructure projects. So, thank you to all of you who serve on volunteer committees and boards, and to our staff and departments for the planning that you do to better Shandaken.
Following a fire that destroyed the original structure, Shandaken’s Town Hall was rebuilt around 1947—predating energy-inefficient, flood mitigating, and accessible building. For decades, previous Supervisors achieved updates, plans, and new facilities to accommodate various Town functions. But, the need for a Town Hall remains. It’s critical we get Town Hall out of the floodway, create a facility that’s accessible for all, and lower energy and maintenance costs. Upkeep costs for old structures are significantly higher than for new ones. So, until we find a feasible property and identify funding to build a new town hall, the current building will be a bit of a money pit.
Our 30-year-old furnace had been repeatedly repaired the last few years, and failed in a big way the day before the storm that plunged our town into single digit temps and dumped two feet of snow. We contacted three companies for quotes: the consensus was we needed a furnace replacement. But, only one company could schedule the replacement right away. Highway and Town staff still spent most of the week working, in between blowing fuses with space heaters and turning water off to avoid breaking pipes. Kudos to all who came to pay taxes in the cold.
The Board is actively seeking a site and funding for a new Town Hall. The site needs to be out of the flood plain, avoid environmentally-sensitive areas like wetlands, and ideally have enough acreage to accommodate town offices, highway and ambulance. If you have an idea about a possible site—please reach out to supervisor@shandaken.gov.
Extreme cold also triggers water main leaks. Phoenicia’s new Water Superintendent Kyle Steen has been working hard to map lines to more easily find leak sources, and subsequently identified a leak on Route 214.
The snow storm also highlighted an interesting dilemma: the County issued a travel ban for January 25 and the morning of January 26—even as Belleayre Ski Center remained open. Presumably skiers were parachuting in from Delaware County to avoid the ban??
Our police and ambulance spend a minimum of 15% of their time responding to Belleayre calls and proactively helping to keep Belleayre skiers safe. At this month’s meeting, the Board will vote on this resolution, memorializing our request for $175,000 in annual funding to offset the Belleayre Ski Center-related costs that Shandaken shoulders. If you’re inclined to help, please email a letter of support to Joyce at townclerk@shandaken.gov.
Our March meeting is on the 2nd of the month, at 7:00 p.m.
I’m excited about the possibilities this year holds for our Town—and acknowledge all the people that teed up good things to improve the quality of life for Shandaken residents in 2025. A few of the things to look forward to this year are the:
- Debut of our Comprehensive Master Plan
- Installation of the new natural playground at Glenbrook Park
- Engagement of consultants to help update our zoning codes.
Our Town has the most amazing volunteers—our Committees, Nonprofits, citizens, and most especially our dedicated first responders who put everything on the line to keep us safe.
This month last year Rich Muellerleile again asked inexperienced hikers to visit the DEC’s Hike Smart NY, and cited how winter conditions are harsh—not only for hikers for but would-be rescuers. His words sit heavy as we begin the year.
Michael Ryan passed in December while out rescuing a hiker. We are a small Town and the loss of Mike is felt everywhere here, but his lifetime of service and mentorship extends well beyond Shandaken. The Board sends our deepest condolences to Debra Jo, Finola, and Mike’s entire family. Our Town was already reeling following the news that the Craig Family were in a serious car accident. I know we are all wishing much healing in 2026 for Kris, Heather, Laura, and Sarah. Our rescuers are stretched thin and they are serving increasing numbers of visitors. If you are able, please contact your local fire house about volunteering this year. As Kris Craig said at an emergency preparedness meeting in 2025, “there is something to do for just about anyone willing to help.”
After over 30 years of service, Rick Ricciardella is retiring as the Superintendent of the Phoenicia Water District. On behalf of the Phoenicia Water Committee and everyone in the hamlet of Phoenicia, thank you Rick. We deeply appreciate your decades of service keeping our drinking water safe. I also want to thank John Horn and Allen Shiner for their service on the Planning Board, Ernest Longhi for his service as a Line Officer for Shandaken Ambulance, and Hank Williams for his service on the Zoning Board of Appeals.
My office will operate with an open-door policy. I value hearing from you and encourage you to visit Town Hall to share your thoughts, questions, and ideas. This year, you will see monthly Supervisor Updates on the Town website. Together, we will continue to build a strong, vibrant, and welcoming community.
First meeting of 2026 is January 5 at 6:00.
Happy New Year Shandaken,
Barbara Mansfield, Town Supervisor