VOORHEESVILLE — Brett Hotaling resigned from the village board in February to become the village’s superintendent of public works, like his father and grandfather before him. Village engineer Richard Straut stepped up to take Hotaling’s place on the board, and set aside his firm’s professional agreement with Voorheesville.

“He’s done a great job for the village,” Mayor Robert Conway said of Hotaling. “He was always an active community member before, and he continued to be while he was on the board. We are happy he is still with us as superintendent.”

Will Smith, the former superintendent, resigned in February after serving in the post since 1999. He previously served under Hotaling’s father, William, as assistant superintendent. William Hotaling served the village for 28 years as superintendent of public works.

“We knew Will was retiring,” Brett Hotaling told The Enterprise. “My résumé went in.”

Hotaling has been on the village board since 2011, and has been involved with re-opening Tork’s Hill for local sledding, the creation of the Pine Street pocket park, a Main Street enhancement program, the extension of the rail trail in Voorheesville, and the building of a pavilion near the rail trail, he said.

“I’ve got my hands into that,” Hotaling said of the pavilion project.

“I think Will Smith did a great job,” he continued. “I’ve got some big shoes to fill.”

His father took over after his grandfather, George Hotaling, had served as superintendent, he said.

“Rich Straut, another active community member, served the village wonderfully as a representative of the firm hired as the village engineer,” Conway said. Straut is a principal with Barton and Loguidice.

“I love being part of the village. I always have,” Straut said.

His wife, Diana Straut, is seeking her second term as a school board member for Voorheesville.

“When you get involved in the community, you’re busy all the time. I find that energizing.” Voorheesville, he said, “is the kind of community that has a lot of volunteerism. Busy is not bad.”

When the Strauts’ three boys were younger, Straut said, he helped as an assistant baseball coach for their teams. Now, his community service includes work on the board of directors of the United Way of the Greater Capital Region.

“I think they do good work,” he said. “They have good methodology and good focus.”

“He is very vested in the community,” Conway said. “We thought his engineering background...would be a great asset to the board. Barton and Loguidice will finish up any projects they’ve been contracted to do.”

Deputy Clerk Treasurer Karen Finnessey told The Enterprise that the village will use a different engineer, as yet unnamed, for any new projects that come before the board.

Conway said that the village would hire a new engineer in the next month.

Hotaling and Straut have new projects on the horizon, including the construction of a rail trail trailhead and sidewalk improvements.

“We’re excited,” Conway said. “We’re in the process of erecting a pavilion at the trailhead at the rail trail on Grove Street. It’s a community project.”

Sidewalks have been on the public-works list for decades: Hotaling’s father, who served as a trustee after his long stint as superintendent, campaigned on improved sidewalks in his first bid for office in 1999.

The village recently learned that it would receive grant money totalling $827,000 from the Capital District Transportation Committee, Conway told The Enterprise, “for several sidewalk projects that will, hopefully, begin this year and continue into the next two years.”

“Walkability of the village is important,” Straut said. With his knowledge of other engineering firms’ skill sets, he said, he will help the board find a new engineer.

He said that the new projects facing Voorheesville now include the creation of a quiet zone, for which residents have advocated.
“I love the culture of our village, and don’t want that to change,” Straut said.