WESTERLO — After recurring acts of vandalism and abuse of its facilities, Westerlo Town Park will soon be changing. Fees will be charged, and playground equipment will be added.

The town board held a public hearing Tuesday on the use and rules of its parks and voted, with one member dissenting, to charge renters of park facilities fees and to have them sign forms. Residents will pay $25 and non-residents will pay $50. The town has parks in the hamlet and in South Westerlo.

The board, after hearing a sales pitch from Liza Agresta, Marketing Manager of R.E. Woodson, voted unanimously to purchase new playground equipment totaling $25,545 for the hamlet park. The equipment, said Agresta, is at state contract pricing, on sale for $5,000 less than its retail price.

R.E. Woodson, based in Rochester, recently installed playground equipment at Norton Hill in Greenville, said Agresta.

The town will pay $15,000; Hannay Reels, the biggest employer in Westerlo, will donate $10,000; and the state will contribute $4,000 for the equipment, said Supervisor Richard Rapp.

Renters of park facilities will be given a list of rules and will have to sign a form saying they have read Local Law 3 of 1989.

The local law is very detailed and covers and prohibits a lot of activities, said Alene Galgay, the town’s attorney. By signing a form, Galgay said, users of park facilities will be held more accountable.
Most town residents, she said, don’t know the local law exists and that they have to follow it. Galgay also said that, in the past, renters have thought they were entitled to the entire park and that the public was not permitted to be on the grounds while they were there. "That’s not the case," she said.

People can only rent the pavilion or the softball field, she said. All other parts of the park, she said, remain open to the public while renters use those facilities.

Residents recommended having renters submit a damage deposit. Galgay said she had discussed the option, adding that it’s difficult to attribute who did damage. The fee, she said, won’t cover everything, but it’ll help.

Residents agreed with Galgay, saying some renting the pavilion might leave before their time has expired, and vandals may do damage after those who rented the space have left.
"A lot use it exactly as they should," said Rapp. But he also said that kids broke every panel at the pavilion and panels cost $30 a piece.

Several residents echoed Rapp, reporting many acts of vandalism at the pavilion.
Councilman Ed Rash said he was concerned about only catering to small children with the playground equipment. The town, he said, looked at purchasing skateboard equipment for older kids in the past, but prices were "outrageous." The town, he said, also tried to get donations from businesses. The idea, he said, was to get the kids out of the street and into the park, where they could have a sense of pride in the equipment.
Councilman R. Gregory Zeh stated earlier that the panels at the pavilion should be removed. Zeh voted against the requirements for renters, saying, "I’m OK with the form, but I disagree with charging people."

Other business

In other business, the town board:

— Opened bids for highway materials and uniforms for highway workers. Rapp made motions, which were carried unanimously by the town board, for John Nevins, the town’s highway superintendent, to award contracts to the lowest bidders;

— Appointed Councilman Robert Snyder to attend a meeting at on March 12 at the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Voorheesville, where officials will review the Albany County Right-To-Farm Law;

— Discussed dog control. The town is currently operating without a contract for stray dogs. Its contract with the Mohawk and Hudson Humane Society, based in Menands, expired on Dec. 31. Rapp said he contacted Knox, which uses the humane society on an emergency basis. Rash said he would contact Greene County, and Gertrude Smith, the town’s clerk, will contact Schoharie County about their policies; and

— Heard from Galgay that she contacted the town’s two banks for a $160,000 bond for a new highway truck. Coxsackie Bank would charge an interest of 3.95 percent, and Greene County Bank would charge 3.79 percent. Councilman Zeh asked Galgay to find out how long the percentage rates will be held.