Putnam Valley Working to Reopen Spur Beach
The Putnam Valley town board voted unanimously to spend $100 to begin the process of potentially reopening Spur Beach on Roaring Brook Road.
The funds will pay for the services of engineer John Carroll Jr., who is working with Putnam County to reopen the beach. The beach was closed by the county health department on Memorial Day 2014.
Health Commissioner Dr. Allen Beals said last year the beach was closed last spring because the town made major modifications over the winter and spring to the beach without getting the appropriate permits and observation by the health department. The second and larger hurdle is the beach slopes were not safe and did not match the code.
But last year town Supervisor Bob Tendy refuted Beals’ assertion that the lake poses a drowning risk, claiming the beach is not dangerous. He added when major modifications were done to Spur Beach before summer hit, the slope was less than ten percent, which means it was within the health department code, but severe winter weather led to changes in the grade, he said, as well as the rising water level.
Overall, the renovations to the beach cost approximately $35,000, Tendy said, adding to the frustration that it is currently closed.
At last week’s meeting, Councilwoman Jacqueline Annabi said Carroll was already speaking with health department officials in an effort to reopen the beach.
Yellow Dot Program
Also at last week’s meeting, Putnam County Sheriff deputy Michael Schmidt urged town residents to sign up for the New York State Sheriffs’ Association’s Yellow Dot Program.
Schmidt said the program assists emergency responders in providing prompt care in the event of an accident. Participants fill out forms with contact information; whom their doctors are and how they can be contacted; what their preferred hospital is; medical conditions, allergies, information about their medical conditions that could be helpful to emergency responders and a photograph.
Completed forms for each family member should be placed in car glove compartments and in home and yellow dot stickers should be placed on cars and in a home location, such as a refrigerator, to alter emergency responders that they have completed the forms.
The Yellow Dot forms are available in several public buildings in Putnam Valley, including town hall,
Verizon fee challenged
Also last week, an attorney representing Verizon challenged the fee being proposed by the building department for the company to replace 12 antennas on a pole at 7 Barger Rd.
Michael Sheridan told the town board the department was seeking to charge his client $18,000, but it was using the formulas to compile the fee incorrectly. The fee should actually be $720, Sheridan said.
Tendy told Sheridan he just received his June 15 letter and needed more time to analyze the situation before he could provide an opinion.
