Village of Cherry Valley Board Meeting Minutes Tuesday January 20, 2026 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 three guests. Approval of the December 16, 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, including adjustments from prior minutes/treasurer’s reports (attached at bottom). 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: Aaron Van Buren, owner of AA Property Care, came to discuss his upcoming year’s contract with the Village. Mr. Van Buren’s concerns in the cemetery are: 1) graves that have settled (mostly in the old section); 2) a couple trees by the creek that are dead and need removal; 3) a gravestone which does not have a foundation. Regarding his care of Alden Field his concerns are: 1) the ball field (mostly the driveway) has many ruts; 2) the lack of communication/follow-through regarding the ball field itself, in terms of the fencing that is placed each year. All of the above concerns were discussed with the board and potential solutions were recommended and are to be addressed in contract proposals to the Board. Ms. Leslie Berliant, new County Representative for District 7, came this evening to introduce herself and offer her assistance in any way possible. Mr. Dustin Lewandowski attended this evening’s meeting and spoke with the Board about updates regarding his Village properties, noting the progress he’s made per the Board’s requests. OLD BUSINESS: Department of Public Works (DPW) Superintendent Valentine reported this evening that currently he and Maintenance Worker Van Buren are working regularly to maintain streets and sidewalks from the increasing amounts of snow we’ve received lately. He continued with discussion of plans for the upcoming Spring season, noting the current most important projects such as sidewalk repairs and more tree removals. Superintendent Valentine noted that he and Maintenance Worker Van Buren are continuing to network with nearby Villages and Towns. He also mentioned that at this time, the emergency water repair trailer is restocked with the basic supplies. He and Maintenance Worker Van Buren will continue this week (1/21-23) to prepare as much as possible for the upcoming freezing temperatures and large snow storm that is arriving. Clerk-Treasurer Clerk-Treasurer Gregory made note that the water bills should be complete within the next week and ready to mail out with the newsletters within the following week. The request from Otsego County Soil and Water about planting trees along Alden Creek was reviewed and necessary documents were signed by the Board to be sent back to the County to show the Board’s agreement with the proposed plan. Other No new details were discussed regarding the current Comprehensive Plan and the potential for a Village Planning Board aside from noting that an invite has been shared for participation via the newsletter going out with water bills. The document from MVEDD’s walkthrough in early December has not yet been released for public viewing. NEW BUSINESS: Clerk-Treasurer Ms. Lorraine Bosma, not in attendance this evening, asked to have the Board discuss the potential for some handicap parking spots to be designated in the Village lot next to the Red Point building on Genesee Street. This inquiry comes in response to the need, currently unable to be met, for a school-aged child who utilizes a wheelchair and lives nearby, to have easier access to get on and off the school bus daily. At this time due to other frequently parked vehicles, the school bus is unable to get close enough to the child’s home for easy access for the child to get on and off. The board asked for further details to be provided and a follow up conversation would take place, noting that the general agreement is for the approval of the requested spaces (which would be more officially marked come the end of winter). A letter was received from the Otsego County Department of Planning and Solid Waste regarding the Board’s interest in the Village remaining a part of the Agricultural District. Guest and County Representative Berliant noted (as she has experience in this area and was just a part of a meeting discussing this topic) that nothing needs to be done on the Village’s part if we plan to stay as part of the district. Should the Board want to be taken off the list for being part of the Agricultural district then they would need to reach out and make that known. An email from NYCOM was received to remind municipalities about celebrating America250! The email made reference to various ideas of how each municipality could partake in the celebrations. The Board received a copy of the email to review before the next meeting. A young out of Village/Town resident (of a large family) recently passed and it was asked of Clerk-Treasurer Gregory by a local business owner to address the Board to request a waiver/decrease in the “out-of-town” fee for the burial in the Spring. The Board discussed and ultimately decided to not waive/decrease the fee for this family. It was suggested by the Board that this requesting business owner create a “Go Fund Me” type of fundraiser to help with offsetting the costs for this family. Clerk-Treasurer Gregory asked the Board about the budget for the upcoming 2026-2027 Fiscal Year regarding anything in particular they’d like the office to work into the budget/put more research into. The Board agreed that they’d like to see budgeting for a new DPW vehicle, replacement for the Kubota tractor, and a new plow for the DPW Dump Truck. Other: Trustee Feulner mentioned that he’s continuing his work/research with resident and CVCFC board member Angelica Palmer, regarding the NYForward Grant. His plan is to find a month-by-month planning layout document to help guide the Village as to each step of the application process. He also noted that he has come across a grant that is available (up to ~$200,000.00) for updating Comprehensive Plans. He will provide more information on this in the future. 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 7:52 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 8:54 p.m. upon motion of Trustee Brigham, seconded by Trustee Feulner, unanimously carried. Respectfully Submitted, Melissa Gregory, Clerk-Treasurer February 4, 2026
DRAFT 1/20/2026 Village Board Meeting Minutes
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