KNOX — The town of Knox has been servicing roads — Whipple, Malachi, and Helderberg — that taxpayers may or may not be responsible for. Whipple Road, for example, is partly private and partly town-owned and has been serviced and maintained for years by the town’s highway department.

Councilman Joe Best asked at Tuesday night’s town board meeting how the town had come to own half of Whipple Road.

Supervisor Michael Hammond said it’s a product of subdivision that goes back to the 1970’s.
"I don’t know if I should be maintaining these roads," Highway Superintendent Gary Salisbury said Tuesday night.
"We’ve been servicing them, using the taxpayers’ money, but they don’t necessarily belong to us," he said.
"We will continue to maintain the roads," Superintendent Michael Hammond told The Enterprise yesterday.

Other business

In other business, the town board:

— Changed the speed zone on Craven Road to 30 miles per hour;

— Learned that Carol Barber, who has taken the minutes for the planning and zoning boards, and Martin Strnad, a planning board member since Jan., have resigned from their positions on the planning board;

— Agreed to pay $26,637 to the Altamont Rescue Squad for coverage in part of Knox; the other part is covered by Helderberg Ambulance since Knox has no service of its own;

— Heard that the diseased trees at the historical society’s museum have been removed. Councilman Dennis Decker got National Grid to cut down the trees; Highway Superintendent Salisbury got rid of the debris, but one diseased tree remains. Board members discussed whether maples should be replanted to enhance the barren area;

— Heard about improvements that have been made to the town hall, which is used as a polling place. Soft ground has been hardened and a new door handle has been added to the building to comply with the Help America Vote Act;

— Discussed the problem of non-residents using the transfer station, which has been creating an overflow of garbage. The station is to be used only by current residents. Board members and townspeople discussed reissuing permits every few years, and measures which could be taken to reduce the influx; and

— Learned that on Monday, Sept. 11, the Knox Volunteer Fire Company will host a memorial for victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks.