BERNE — Some board members expressed concern over aging or disabled residents living on a portion of Stage Road closed for the winter, while highway Superintendent Randy Bashwinger defended his decision, saying it was a dangerous intersection to plow.

During the highway superintendent’s report, Bashwinger brought up the road to specify that it was not closed, it was seasonal, and to reiterate the dangers of entering the exiting the intersection of Stage Road and Route 443. Going back and forth, he and a highway worker in the gallery told a story of almost hitting a truck at the intersection.

“If you moved it back, would you be able to see?” asked Crosier of the embankment at the intersection. Bashwinger said no.

Councilwoman Karen Schimmer emphasized that a 90-year-old person lives on that section of Stage Road, asking Bashwinger if there is a way to ensure help could reach the elderly resident if needed. Earlier in the meeting, the board had read a letter from a home-health aid who was caring for someone on Stage Road and was concerned about access to the home.

“Everyone recognizes, they’ve seen the snowbanks, it drifts closed,” Schimmer said, referring to the intersection.

The all-season portion of Stage Road is paved, the seasonal portion is dirt.

Bashwinger said the dirt road section gets just as much drifting snow.

Schimmer asked again if there were something to be done to remediate the problem.

“Sure,” said Bashwinger. “We’ll hire a part-timer; he can stay right on Stage Road,” he added, with laughter coming from the gallery.

“That might work,” replied Schimmer.

Bashwinger added that two people had spent eight hours plowing Stage Road and seven other nearby roads during a February snowstorm.

“We get to it as fast we can,” he said. “We have 96 roads.”

“It’s not a criticism of you,” said Schimmer. “We’re elected to try and help people.”

Crosier made note of a petition that he said 20 residents had signed and brought before the town board, stating that the problem brought up by the residents had not been remediated.

A petition submitted last fall was signed by 27 residents, including nine residents of Stage Road, asking the state’s department of transportation to consider the possible dangers and illegalities of closing the road.

Bashwinger told Crosier that he had spoken with the owner of the land of off Stage Road, Glen Willsie, who according, to Bashwinger and another highway employee, said there was “no way in hell” he would give up land to remediate sight distance. Crosier responded that Bashwinger was not authorized to conduct land deals, and that the town would have eminent domain if it were for safety’s sake.

Willsie’s wife, Shirley, confirmed that her husband said this, saying that he was upset because it would ruin their hay fields.

Newly appointed Councilman Jim Cook, citing a warning from George Washington about the dangers of political parties, said he would like to keep politics out of the argument. He proposed to Bashwinger that the board bring engineers from the state or county look at the road again, to which Bashwinger emphasized that he had had the state conduct a sight test.

“You’re new here!” shouted someone from the gallery to Cook, “You don’t understand what his job is?” the citizen asked, stating that it is Bashwinger’s job to have the state test the roads.

The meeting had already had heated remarks earlier that evening, after resident Dennis Palow asked the board — among a number of other items — why Bashwinger had not received a raise. Crosier responded that a local law would have to be made to raise his salary now, since pay raises are set in November.

When Palow asked why the board would not do that, Crosier responded that Bashwinger wouldn’t get a raise until he “learns to behave a little better.” At that point, a man sitting in the gallery stood up to reveal he was wearing a gold T-shirt with the slogan “Crosier must go.”

“This is for you for November,” said the man.

Crosier, a Democrat on an all-Democrat board, had clashed with Bashwinger, a Republican, a year ago when Crosier has laid off two of the six full-time highway workers while Bashwinger was out of state. The dispute was over Bashwinger instituting four 10-hour work days while Crosier preferred five eight-hour work days. The laid-off workers were reinstated but the dispute over work-day configuration continues.

Joel Willsey, whose father lives on Stage Road, had sent the town board a document he prepared on sight distance at the intersection of Stage Road and Route 443 earlier that week, stating that recontouring and re-grading nearby land would improve sight distance and mitigate the problem with drifting snow. Willsey is employed by the State Department of Transportation, but stated he was not representing his employer in this case.

Speaking to The Enterprise, Crosier said that Cook would likely reach out to the county to conduct studies on the intersection. He noted that Willsey was likely concerned because his father lives on Stage Road.

Willsey and Bashwinger have had an ongoing argument over making the section of Stage Road seasonal, which escalated when Bashwinger recorded a conversation between himself and Willsey about the road, and then posted it online.

Zoning board appointments

The board moved to appoint three new members to the town’s zoning board of appeals. Samuel Clayton was appointed to a term ending Dec. 31, 2018; Denise Manning was appointed to a term ending Dec. 31, 2020; and Donald Bauer was appointed as an alternate.

World Lymphedema Day

A proclamation was made at the meeting to declare March 6 as World Lymphedema Day, as proposed by Berne resident Tiffany Detlefsen and her daughter, Emma, who is afflicted with the disease.

Lymphedema is a condition in which blockage in the lymphatic system causes swelling, particularly in limbs. There is no cure, but treatments are available.

The 8-year-old Berne-Knox-Westerlo student has been lobbying for further research on the disease and fundraising since she was 6 years old. She stood with Schimmer and Councilwoman Dawn Jordan while the proclamation was made. The superhero cape she normally wears for such events was traded in for a hairbow that night.