Amenia board approves herbicide use at Troutbeck, awards painting contract

AMENIA — The Town Board approved two resolutions by unanimous vote at its Wednesday, April 1, meeting, including one authorizing herbicide use at Troutbeck’s spa and hotel facility.

The second resolution awarded a contract to paint the stage area in the Town Hall auditorium.

The herbicide approval follows a recommendation from the Housatonic Valley Association, which advised allowing controlled spot spraying and removal of small patches of invasive plant growth within the property’s conservation easement area. The organization assists the town by monitoring activities within Troutbeck’s easement acreage.

Larry Weaner Landscape Associates, based in Glenside, Pennsylvania, will perform the spot spraying work.

The painting project, initially suggested by resident George Bistransin, will apply black paint to the walls and ceiling surrounding the auditorium stage, enhancing the flexibility of the space to accommodate the needs of stage productions or other performances. Invitations to bid resulted in one bidder, Jaybird Painting of Wassaic, providing an estimate of $1,685 to complete the work.

The project will cover approximately 1,264 square feet and includes surface preparation, patching, application of matte black paint, protective masking and final cleanup.

During public comment, resident Ken Topolsky said his research into fair housing laws suggests the legislation may allow municipalities to prioritize local families for future affordable housing opportunities. He cited several regulations governing priority selection systems and urged the Town Board to review those provisions.

Topolsky said families of local workers could qualify for priority status under certain guidelines.

“All code elements have provisions for a point system as long as the system is not discriminatory,” Topolsky said.

People eligible to receive points are local volunteers in fire departments or EMTs, municipal or school employees and families with children in the local public school system.

“Unless it’s codified, it cannot happen,” Topolsky told the town board, urging them to study the legal citations and continue active discussion.

In other business, the board continued discussing how to allocate revenue generated from leasing its tower space to communication service providers.

“It should be used for a specific purpose,” said resident Judy Moran, urging that the revenue not be deposited into general funds.

The board agreed to discuss the issue further at its next meeting, allowing time for more research into how it has been used in the past and any restrictions on its use.