Village of Cherry Valley Board Meeting Minutes
Tuesday November 18, 2025
The Village of Cherry Valley Board of Trustees meeting opened at 6:30 PM by Mayor Stiles with the Pledge to the Flag. In attendance were Mayor Jeffrey S. Stiles, Trustees Ian M. Feulner and K. Don Brigham, DPW Superintendent Wayne B. Valentine, Clerk-Treasurer Melissa F. Gregory, and Attorney Jill A. Poulson, Esq. Also in attendance were the following: Lisa Gerdin (Village resident); Angelica Palmer (CVCFC Board Member); Dustin Lewandowski (Village resident and business owner); Adam Critti (Division Manager at Oneonta Casella; Destiny Felter (Dispatcher at Oneonta Casella); Jamey Minich, and Greg Noonan (Village residents).
Approval of the October 21, 2025 minutes was made, as members received in final written form. It was upon motion of Trustee Brigham, seconded by Trustee Feulner, unanimously carried, to accept the minutes as written.
Treasurer’s Report
It was upon motion of Trustee Brigham, seconded by Trustee Feulner, unanimously carried, to accept the Treasurer’s Report as given.
GUESTS:
Mayor Stiles opened this portion of the meeting with a reminder of the time limits and expectations from guests.
Mr. Adam Critti, Division Manager at the Oneonta Casella branch, along with Ms. Destiny Felter, Dispatcher at the Oneonta Casella branch, attended the meeting to confirm the current status of residents’ utilization of the refuse services, as well as their view on how the new refuse trucks are working. Mr. Critti noted that their drivers’ time in the Village has reduced from about three and a half hours down to just about one hour only. He reiterated the safety concerns for their drivers and how the new refuse trucks seem to be helping greatly with this concern. Regarding the upcoming holiday season and the concern of many residents in terms of having extra refuse during this time. Mr. Critti assured us that there would be two drivers during the holiday season to account for extra refuse and, as stated before, so long as the extra refuse does not become a weekly occurrence it is no problem. Ms. Felter added that any residents with questions can call her directly at 1-607-242-8948 or the front desk at 1-607-353-6672.
Angelica Palmer, who is a Village resident, and also a board member with the CVCFC (Cherry Valley Community Facilities Corporation) , attended the meeting this evening to discuss portions of the upcoming “First Friday” / “Holiday Weekend” from December 5-7th. She asked if Trustee Brigham would be Santa this year, to which he agreed. She also inquired about the Christmas tree regarding the tree-lighting ceremony that will be held on December 5th. Ms. Palmer wanted to ensure the tree would be prepared for the ceremony and asked about having volunteers in the Village help to decorate the tree. The board discussed that this could be “advertised” on Facebook. On a separate note, Ms. Palmer noted that MVEDD (Mohawk Valley Economic Development District) would be meeting with her and other businesses in the community, on Monday December 1, 2025 at 1pm. They’ll begin at the CVCFC cafe and proceed on with their walkthrough of the Village.
Dustin Lewandowski, Village business owner of “Dustin’s Automotive” , attended this evening’s meeting to further inquire about the status of the discussions surrounding his business. The Board noted that the issue(s) have not been dropped. Attorney Poulson inquired directly to Mr. Lewandowski regarding updates he may have for the Board, and he responded noting that he is constantly moving vehicles as he can. He also noted that, regarding the official complaint that was received, the view for the complainant has been resolved.
Village resident, Greg Noonan, came to the meeting to inquire about the Village driveway that leads to the water tank atop the hill off of County Road 54 (across from house #209). He wanted to know about the “right of way” regarding this driveway and asked the Board if they could work with him to adjust that for him to better access his property. Attorney Poulson stated she would look into the details of this further and report back at the next meeting on December 16, 2025. Mr. Noonan and DPW Superintendent Valentine agreed to meet and mark the area out.
OLD BUSINESS:
Department of Public Works (DPW)
DPW Superintendent Valentine reported that Well #1 has been turned back on for use. He reported that the DPW successfully completed hydrant flushing on November 13th with very clean running waters as a result. Superintendent Valentine noted that along with hydrant flushing typically comes a few water leaks due to the pressure changes. That was, unfortunately, the case this time around as well and he noted that there was one leak so far that needed repair after hydrant flushing occurred.
Attorney
Attorney Poulson noted that the VFW did indeed receive their lease documents from her but a signed agreement has not yet been returned. She noted that along with the signed lease documents the Village will need to have a copy of the VFW’s certificate of insurance.
Clerk-Treasurer
Clerk-Treasurer Gregory reported that the water software (TAK Technologies) still has an outstanding invoice as we are waiting for other services to come to light. Trustee Brigham noted that he and his contact will be in the office Monday November 24th at 10:00 am, and that he would reach out to the company himself regarding the payment.
Clerk-Treasurer Gregory also reported the receipt of the second bill from Layne Christensen Company for a total of $37,825.00. The Board agreed to pay a portion of the bill ($20,000.00) at this time, with the remaining amount to be adjusted and then paid after a conference call with the company.
Other
Regarding the prior meetings’ talks on a Village Planning Board, and updating the Comprehensive Plan, the following was discussed. A review of old minutes would need to be completed to check the accuracy of the adoption of the “current” comprehensive plan. Based on the results of the review of old minutes the plan moving forward would be to either 1) start the process of creating a new comprehensive plan, or 2) retroactively adopt the comprehensive plan that we have written and work to start reviewing it and make notes. Specifically regarding the creation of a new Village Planning Board, further discussion is to be held. It was noted, however, that in the discussion/planning phases the Board wanted to keep in mind the following information: 1) How would we solicit/recruit people? - Through the website, Facebook, and postings in the Village. 2) What would be the requirements to be on the Planning Board? -They’d have to own land in the Village. 3) Clear volunteer roles will need to be established ahead of time and posted at the time of recruitment.
Trustee Feulner reported that he is doing further research into various funding opportunities including: the Wellhead Protection Program, the DWSPP (Drinking Water Source Protection Program). Ms. Angelica Palmer, guest, added that a water quality committee should be formed; this would help with funding opportunities including the NYForward/DRI Grants that she and Trustee Feulner are working together on in coordination with the CVCFC.
NEW BUSINESS:
Department of Public Works (DPW)
DPW Superintendent Valentine noted that regarding the visit from the Department of Labor on 10/31/2025, many citations have been abated already, including the full cleaning of the shop boiler today (11/18/25) by R.L. Parsons. Clerk-Treasurer Gregory is in contact with the insurance company for the Village to have someone come to provide an official inspection and issue a certificate of compliance.
Regarding the installation of the Village Christmas lights, Superintendent Valentine was provided information from Trustee Brigham on the possible availability of a truck with a boom lift for rent. It is anticipated that the DPW will be installing lights in early December.
Clerk-Treasurer
Clerk-Treasurer Gregory noted the insurance quote received from the Village’s insurance broker, Mr. Mike Hutcherson. The quote for the upcoming year’s premium is totaled at $14,691.00. This is currently 6% higher than the Village’s current total. Mr. Hutcherson was unable to attend tonight’s meeting but plans to attend the December 16th meeting to answer any questions the Board or anyone else may have.
Finances:
Audit of Claims:
After review by the board, it was upon motion of Trustee Brigham, seconded by Trustee Feulner, unanimously carried, to make payment on paid bills and budget modifications as follows:
Executive Session
The Village Board entered executive session at 7:44 p.m. upon motion of Trustee Brigham, seconded by Trustee Feulner, unanimously carried.
Adjournment:
The Village Board ended the executive session and adjourned the meeting at 8:38 p.m. upon motion of Trustee Brigham, seconded by Trustee Feulner, unanimously carried.
Respectfully Submitted,
Melissa Gregory, Clerk-Treasurer
December 1, 2025
