NEW SCOTLAND — Feura Bush Park was renamed Charley Houghtaling Park, after the long-time New Scotland civic and business leader at a ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 28.

“It’s only appropriate that we recognize the people who have been so instrumental in establishing our communities,” said Councilman William Hennessey Jr., who worked to have the park renamed.

Over the decades, Houghtaling has been: The owner-operator of Houghtaling Market in Feura Bush; a union carpenter; a member of the Onesquethaw Fire Department; a member of the zoning, assessment review, and town boards of New Scotland; and a member of the Albany County Legislature for 27 years — 15 as chairman.

“He brought a very calming voice to the legislature at times when you had some competing voices from different parts of the county,” said Hennessey.

Houghtaling is a perfect example of someone who did so much on the private level, when he owned his market, and then so much on the public level as a county legislator, says Hennessey. “Very few people do so much in both the private and public sectors, it’s important that we recognize those talents.”

Houghtaling, who is 84, said it was a complete surprise to him when heard that he was going to be honored.  

“It is really something — I’ve lived just about all my life in the town of New Scotland,” Houghtaling says.

“These are neighbors and friends, and people we met in our business, and people I know through politics. It seems so extraordinary, to me — to even be remembered. But it sure is nice,” he says, adding, “There’s plenty of people who have spent a lifetime and done a lot of things in the town. And if they thought that much of me, I do appreciate it, and it certainly is a surprise.”

Getting the original Feura Bush Park built was a family affair.

Houghtaling says his wife, Ann, took their youngest son and some of his friends to the town board to ask for a park.

“It takes years to get money, and a number of years went by before the park was built, but we know for a fact, because we live here on the street that goes towards the park, that a lot of people use it,” he says.

In an interview about a park being named after him — in recognition for all that he’s done for New Scotland, Houghtaling wanted to make sure someone else was recognized for the work he has done in town: Roger Augar.

Back in 1991, a veterans’ memorial sign in the village had deteriorated and needed to be taken down. A veteran himself, Houghtaling and some other volunteers put up their own memorial, not to any specific war, just a veterans’ memorial.

For the past 27 years, the flowers around the memorial have been maintained by Augar, Houghtaling says. “If you went by it today, you’d see how pretty it is. The guy has done it all these years — no big thanks, no questions, just, ‘Don’t worry about it, we’ll talk care of it,’” he says. 

“It’s just something that’s not mentioned, but I appreciate what everyone has done — it wasn’t just me.”