The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation announced last month that it will convert the state’s Office of Children and Family Services’ training facility at Camp Cass into a new state park police academy.  Many residents had objected to its use as a detention center for juveniles in trouble with the law.  In years past, the Park Police had held its 26-week training academy in Utica and had rented space.

Last Thursday, Robert Kuhn, the State Parks’ assistant regional director for the Saratoga/Capital District region, outlined the agency’s immediate and future plans and answered residents’ and officials’ questions.  Kuhn is the assistant director of an 11-county region, which has 20 parks and historic sites. 

Control of the 31.4-acre parcel of land was transferred from OCFS to the Park Police on Feb. 12, said Kuhn. 

“The purpose of the transfer is for State Parks to take over the facility and convert it, primarily, into a training academy for park police recruits,” Kuhn said.  The training facility, he said, will be the primary function of the facility.

In addition to being the agency’s training academy, Camp Cass will also house the Park Police’s office of internal affairs and quartermaster’s office, from where it will issue all of its supplies, uniforms, and other materials to park officers throughout the state.

“Longterm, it’s also the agency’s intention to expand the use of the training facility beyond the Park Police,” Kuhn said. 

The Park Police will use the facility for about six months and Park Rangers will go there for their two-week training every year, he said. 

“But that still leaves a number of months when the facility is available for other training opportunities,” said Kuhn.  “It’s our intention to reach out to other state agencies — perhaps county, municipal agencies — who have a need for a place to train, for a training facility, to enter into a cooperative agreements with those other agencies so the facility is being used fully, to its maximum extent.”

For the first year, the Park Police will focus on getting the place up and running for the first State Park Police training academy, which it hopes to begin in November.

“It’s important to note, at this point in time, that the agency has no potential plans for the use of the property as a public park,” Kuhn said.  “We do not have any intentions, at this point in time, to open it up for recreational purposes or for use by the public as a park.”

Although the Park Police has taken over the facility, OCFS’s staff is still in place at Cass and will be there until mid-May.  The Parks Police is determining which OCFS staff will transfer to State Parks and what jobs it needs to fill. 

Kuhn said the Park Police is about to embark on a major construction project to retrofit the facility and will do major renovations to the inside of the building; the majority of construction will be inside the building except when the agency is expanding and resurfacing parking lots. 

James Warwick, the chief of the Park Police, told the residents, “At the academy, we will train approximately 50 recruits at a time.  There’s not going to be hundreds and hundreds of recruits,” he said.  “And you can be between the ages of 20 and 29 to get on the State Park Police.” 

Residents’ and officials’ questions

“The gymnasium up there — is there any possibility of you letting the town of Rensselaerville use that for the youth and the seniors?” resident Bob Bolte asked. 

“Well, one of the reasons we’re here is because we want to be a good neighbor,” said Kuhn.  “So those are issues that certainly we can explore.”

Kuhn said that, if the town approached his office to use the facility for youth recreation or training, they would be open to having discussions. 

“While the recruits are there, I think it’s unlikely that we would entertain having other groups in,” Kuhn said, “but they’re only there 26 weeks out of the year.”

A resident asked whether a shooting range would be at Cass.

“We’re going to be using a range at Thacher State Park,” Warwick said.  “No intention to build a range at Camp Cass,” Kuhn said. 

Another resident asked if there will be any jobs available to local people or if the Park Police will be bringing its own people.

“Half and half,” Kuhn said. 

He said the Park Police has met with the staff currently at Cass. 

“To a certain extent, where there are employees at Camp Cass now, who we feel fit into the needs of our agency, we are going to try to make a priority to bring those people from OCFS over to our side rather than see them lose their jobs,” Kuhn said. 

He said there will be three or four support staff jobs — a park worker, a keyboard specialist, and a custodian — and that the agency will likely post and advertise for the positions.  “We haven’t received approval through Civil Service to post those positions yet,” Kuhn said.

Warwick said he’s glad the academy is in Rensselaerville. 

“Some of you recognize me,” he said, “because I’m your neighbor.  I live right here in Durham.  I was on the Durham Town Board for 13 years.  I was a Durham town judge for three years.  I’ve got a personal interest in the success of Camp Cass.”

A resident asked if it will still be called Camp Cass.

“That hasn’t been determined yet.  We’ll be putting the sign up out front, probably in the next week or two that says ‘New York State Parks Police Training Academy,’” Kuhn said.  “But we understand that the name ‘Camp Cass’ really has nothing to do with the OCFS facility.  He was a person that donated the land there many years ago so, historically, it seems to me, there’s a value.  And I can’t imagine it won’t continue to be called ‘Camp Cass’ although the official name out on the sign probably won’t say that.”

Councilwoman Sherri Pine asked about public trails near the facility and about raising a communications tower at Cass. 

Kuhn said he suspects most of the trails are on DEC land.  With trails that may cross into the Park Police property, he said, “I can’t imagine anybody’s going to object to hikers or joggers or what have you.  We do have a State Park policy against four-wheel vehicles, and we would not permit that.”

Kuhn said a communications tower is not on the agency’s agenda but that, if the town pursues a tower, there’s no reason why it couldn’t approach the agency, which would review it and consider it.  

“You’re, obviously, surrounded by about 2,600 acres of forest.  So what would you be doing with that?” Supervisor Jost Nickelsberg asked. 

“All of the focus between now and November is just: Get this construction project done, get staffed up, get prepared, buy all the equipment, desks, chairs, and everything we need to be open in November,” Kuhn said.

Bolte said, “We welcome you and we’re glad to see you.”  The residents in the crowded hall applauded. 

“We’re excited to be here.  The State Park Police has never had its own permanent training facility, so each year they’ve had to go out and find some place to rent to train in, and that’s never an optimum situation because it’s a facility that’s not really geared towards what they do,” Kuhn said.   Having a permanent home is something that the agency has wanted for years and years, he said.

Other business

In other business, the Rensselaerville Town Board:

— Heard from the town’s attorney, Joseph Catalano, that on Friday he will give final arguments on an Article 78 petition filed against the town by Rensselaerville Farmland Protection. [See Archives for Feb. 28 at altamontenterprise.com.] Arguments will either be in open court or in the judge’s chambers.  Catalano charges $150 per hour.  He told The Enterprise this week that final arguments are scheduled for 11 a.m. in Albany at the county courthouse;

— Voted unanimously to hire Paychex on Washington Avenue Extension in Albany to do the town’s payroll.  Currently, Rensselaerville has no bookkeeper.  Sarah Packard, who was appointed on New Year’s Day, resigned last month, and Brian Fitzgerald, who was appointed as the accountant to the town, did not accept the position. 

Last Thursday, G. Jon Chase, the town’s highway superintendent, asked the board if the town’s employees will be getting paid. 

Richard Tollner, the town’s deputy supervisor, agreed to pick up the checks on Friday morning at Paychex and sign them, and Chase agreed to meet Tollner in Albany.  Paychex is charging the town $46.75 each week;

— Heard from Catalano that he has drafted a procurement policy taken from the state’s Association of Towns.  Last year, the Republicans, who then held a majority on the board, adopted a policy that requires officials to seek three bids when making purchases of $200 or greater. 

“It’s a change in policy so you have to adopt it by local law,” Catalano said.  If any significant changes are made to the bill after a public hearing is held, Catalano said, the town would then have to hold a second public hearing.

The town board voted unanimously to hold a public hearing on April 10 at 7 p.m. at Town Hall before its next regular town board meeting. 

— Heard from Bob Bolte that he still has the town’s credit cards and the keys to Town Hall. 

“Who’s accountable for that?” resident Erika Wernhammer asked. 

Bolte, K.B. Cooke, and Randy Bates were hired by the town last year as part-time employees to complete projects at Town Hall. (See related letter to the editor.) On Jan. 1, the Democrats, who won a majority on the board, appointed Chris Heath and Steve Pfleging as foremen to town building maintenance. 

“Are we done?” Bolte asked.  “Are we fired?” and

— Heard from Kathy Hallenbeck, the town’s clerk, that a car-seat program for families with low incomes will be held at 10 a.m. on April 22.  In the program, attendees complete a two-hour class on car-seat safety and, after completing the class, car seats are given to those who need them.