The Berne Town Board promised to contact National Grid about residents’ complaints that the new LED streetlights being installed are too bright and emit at too broad an angle, allowing the light to get into their homes at night.
The law, which would have allowed ATVs and other recreational vehicles to use town roadways, prompted overwhelming criticism of the board and the law at a public hearing on Feb. 20, at which Supervisor Dennis Palow had a resident removed by police despite that resident not violating any rules. The resident’s attorney has since demanded an apology from the board and threatened a lawsuit if it’s not received.
Laura Ingleston, whose sister was killed by Westerlo resident Andrew Gibson in a drunk-driving crash in 2021, said that her family opposes the plea deal because it drastically reduces his sentencing potential.
The New York State-administered grant is intended to “enhance public safety through improving and modernizing infrastructure, addressing communications deficiencies, implementing national interoperability channels, and boosting regional connectivity between counties and systems.”
Although the Berne-Knox-Westerlo School District is dealing with the same economic burdens as schools across the country as well as its own cost increases in areas like insurance, Superintendent Timothy Mundell said that the district is in a good financial position due to its foresight in earlier budget cycles.
