Village of Cherry Valley Board Meeting Minutes
Tuesday December 16, 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: Dan Sullivan (Richfield Springs resident) and Village residents, Chris Graham; Dustin Lewandowski; Noelle Adamoscheck; Angelica Palmer; Jane Sapinsky; Jim Donaldson; Olivia Porter; Matt Begley.
Approval of the November 18, 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:
Mr. Dan Sullivan, a resident of Richfield Springs, came to present on his Town’s work (in which he was an integral part) with the “NY Forward” Grant. A summation of Mr. Sullivan’s remarks are as follows:
He began by noting Cherry Valley’s push to community revitalization and commended us for such.
When applying for the grant, New York State wants to hear your story (“think elevator speech”) and that includes the area’s past, present, and future. The State is heavily focused on community connectedness and wants to help improve economic development and infrastructure of the community (not residential).
For this portion of the grant it is very important that the whole community is involved. The more “skin in the game” the better!
The State is looking to find out how each entity applying/each project plans to improve - they want specific details including pricing. Mr Sullivan noted that they prefer you to double the cost of what you’re asking for.
The NY Forward Grant awards $4.5 Million, so you would want to ask for $9 Million in project requests … he noted that the grant does expect there to be a percentage of the community that helps to fund the projects (again - “skin in the game”).
He noted that more often than not, the State will not award first-time applicants; however, this grant application ends up opening the door for many other grant opportunities. With this, it provides the ability to “stack” awards to fund the proposed projects.
The first and one of the most important pieces of the application is creating the “walkable boundary”. This is the area that the projects will be focused around and it typically is in reference to the area’s downtown space. The State wants to see revitalization of the area’s core space and they like to see that the projects are concentrated in such a way.
There are two categories of projects: Public and Private.
Private projects are where the community works together to choose the projects being presented for the application.
Upon being awarded the grant, the State does provide a project consultant for the community to work with.
The next step is to create a “Local Planning Committee (LCP)” … One can think of this committee as the Board that all project decisions go to and through.
In Richfield Springs, they have a committee of 12 people.
Some members will recuse themselves for decisions if needed due to conflict of interest.
The committee can consist of anyone in the Town/Village limits.
To apply for funding with the grant though, one must own a business/property within that initial “walkable boundary” that was created.
The State likes to see a push from the community to work with MWBE (minority and woman owned business enterprises). Depending on who is applying, that may be a difficult partnership to create simply due to lack of access to such businesses.
So long as the State sees that the community at least made an effort, that is good too.
Part of the funding includes a “Small Projects Fund” … this is a chunk of the full funding awarded carved out and approved by the LCP. This comes AFTER the biggest projects are awarded.
The Board thanks Mr. Sullivan for his attendance this evening and his willingness to share his personal insights and work with the NY Forward Grant.
Mr. Dustin Lewandowski was in attendance this evening as a guest as well. He asked for an update from the Board regarding their current stance in the matter of the prior complaints received. Attorney Poulson inquired about changes that he has made since the last Board meeting. Mr. Lewandowski claimed to be making progress on the movement of vehicles from both of his locations. Upon this note, Attorney Poulson requested to have pictures to accompany this claim, within two days of the meeting. Mr. Lewandowski also inquired about his FOIL (Freedom of Information Law) request and Attorney Poulsen noted that there was a disconnect in the meeting plans of the Clerk-Treasurer and herself, but that they would be meeting prior to the end of the month to continue working (as noted in the letter Mr. Lewandowski received on 12/11/25) on FOIL request and will touch base with him before December 25th.
OLD BUSINESS:
Department of Public Works (DPW)
Regarding the Department of Labor (DOL) requests, DPW Superintendent Valentine reported that they are currently waiting to hear from the insurance company for a date to have the boiler inspected/certified.
DPW Superintendent Valentine noted that the company in which the Village utilizes for sampling and testing the water (PACE in Ballston Spa, NY) has performed poorly in recent months when it comes to communication and following through with required testing by the Department of Health. He has reached out to a similar facility in Oneonta, NY to inquire about their pricing, policies, and working with new customers. An update will be provided at the January 2026 meeting.
DPW Superintendent Valentine discussed the difficulties they are having with maintaining sidewalks and roads during and after heavy snowstorms. Due to this, during and after heavy snowstorms, the DPW will be placing signs saying “Sidewalk Closed Until Further Notice” around the Village (particularly on Main Street between the Tryon Inn and The Triangle Tavern). This will allow them to keep residents safe from uncleared sidewalks while they work on clean up efforts. Upon completion of the storm(s) the signage will be removed until needed again. The plan is for them to be white signs with red lettering. He asks that residents comply with the signage and continue to practice patience while he and Maintenance Worker Van Buren do their best to keep up with all the needs of the Village.
Clerk-Treasurer
As a follow-up to a question from last month’s meeting, Clerk-Treasurer Gregory reported that the Village does have membership with the New York Rural Water Association (NYRWA).
Clerk-Treasurer Gregory brought to the attention of the Board the opportunity, via National Grid, for their LED Lighting Incentive of which the deadline to apply is December 31, 2025. The Board discussed and agreed that there were no projects in need of this incentive at this time.
The new/updated Village Insurance policy was shared with the Board ahead of the meeting, noting that the premium for the coming year will be totaled at $14,881.27. Clerk-Treasurer Gregory noted that a letter was received indicating that the Village does not currently maintain a Cyber Liability coverage. The Board discussed the necessity of such coverage and at this time decided it was still not necessary to add. Further discussion/review will be had this time next year when looking at the 2027 policy.
Regarding office software, Clerk-Treasurer Gregory reported that she met with Trustee Brigham and Ms. Wendy Wright (Village resident and professional that works daily with various office softwares) to discuss the current software (or lack thereof) troubles and came up with a soft plan to implement some changes. One of the changes will be with the water software system in which the Village will (currently) no longer be utilizing to create water bills (the next of which will be mailed by the end of December - barring any complications with software implementation). Trustee Brigham stated that he’d continue his conversations with the current software system regarding payments.
Regarding the Village website and email, Clerk-Treasurer Gregory has been in contact with Town Clerk Flint to discuss changes they’re implementing, such as creating their own website. The Town is also utilizing the “.gov” domain help from the State. As such, Clerk-Treasurer Gregory and Trustee Feulner will continue work to plan upgrades to the website. Regarding the Village’s old email address (cvclerk@nycap.rr.com), it is no longer able to receive messages. At this time, the Village will continue to use the new email (cvclerkny@gmail.com) until further updates occur, in which the Village will be made aware of.
Other
Following up on last month’s conversation, Trustee Feulner reported that the Comprehensive Plan from 2010 was indeed approved by the Board at the January 2011 Board meeting. The Comprehensive Plan itself was discussed (very generically) and it was decided that the current approved version was fine for now, but moving forward, as the opportunity presents itself with the creation of a review committee, reviews and updates should eventually be done.
More discussion was had regarding the creation of a Village Planning Board. At this time, it will be advertised in the January newsletter to look for volunteers to take part in forming this Board.
On December 1, 2025 the MVEDD (Mohawk Valley Economic Development District) met with Trustee Feulner, Angelica Palmer (resident and CVCFC board member), and others to do a walk-through of the area. It was a well-received “meeting” and resulted in a very detailed report. This report will be available for residents to view as soon as it has been fully completed and edited by MVEDD themselves. A copy will be in the Village office for viewing and the office will update when it is received.
NEW BUSINESS:
Department of Public Works (DPW)
DPW Superintendent Valentine noted that the Town of Richfield Springs will soon be offering CPR/AED training. A date is still to be determined, but the DPW plan to attend this training to ensure they are up-to-date with such critical first aid measures.
Clerk-Treasurer
Clerk-Treasurer Gregory noted the request from an out-of-Village resident to rent space on Alden Field for her daughter’s graduation party on June 27th, 2026. The Board agreed to this rental upon the completion of the Village’s agreement form. The Board discussed and agreed to change the form’s current money portion from the deposit of $300.00 with a return of $100.00 if returned to original state, to stating that the full deposit of $300.00 will be returned to the rentee upon final inspection of the park area and noting that it is in its original state.
Clerk-Treasurer Gregory received an email recently regarding the planting of trees along the Cherry Valley Creek. The inquiry for participation from the Village came from Otsego County Soil and Water. They inquired about our participation because a portion of the creek runs through Village property. The Board discussed and agreed to participate.
Clerk-Treasurer Gregory noted that a Thank You card was being sent (to be signed by Board as well) to Ms. Julie Barown for her incredible volunteer work in helping the Village secure funding for the emergency work on Well #1. Ms. Barown has been in contact and stated she is in the process of working through the USDA grant application for us as well.
January newsletter topics were discussed and will include the following: The Comprehensive Plan and Village Planning Board creation; resident thank yous; parking regulations; sidewalk closures; snow removal; website work/email; upcoming events (if any); water bills in July; resident updates via multiple measures; Casella; NY Forward Grant. The January newsletter is expected to be mailed to residents with their water bills.
Other:
Regarding the remaining (partial) payment to be made to Layne Christensen for their work on Well #1, the Board agreed, after discussions with Mayor Stiles, to pay the remaining due, in full.
Regarding the parking lot behind the Old School at 2 Genesee Street, Mayor Stiles stated he would like to speak with the Town about the very crowded and unsafe parking that is occurring during events such as Biddy Basketball (run by the Town - 2026 dates are Saturdays starting January 3rd through the second weekend in March). Mayor Stiles has suggested that the discussion focuses on residents/participants to utilize the Village parking lot next to the Red Point Building on Genesee Street as it would be not only more accommodating to the copious amount of vehicles involved, but also safer. DPW Superintendent Valentine stated he would like to look more into getting solar lighting on poles for that particular parking area.
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 8:31 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 9:00 p.m. upon motion of Trustee Brigham, seconded by Trustee Feulner, unanimously carried.
Respectfully Submitted,
Melissa Gregory, Clerk-Treasurer
December 22, 2025
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September 16, 2025 Board Meeting (reporting for August’s totals)
The date at the top of the posted minutes incorrectly stated “August 19, 2025”.
The minutes were updated online.
The requested budget account transfers (between NYCLASS and NBT) were listed in the posted minutes; however they were not listed at all on the treasurer’s report.
The original treasurer’s report received the updated note (below) with the correct transfer information.
October 21, 2025 Board Meeting (reporting for September’s totals)
The Trust & Agency portion of the treasurer’s report had incorrect totals (found when working to find discrepancies in the November - report for October’s totals - treasurer’s report).
This caused the minutes to be incorrect as well.
The appropriate corrections were made and 1) updated online; 2) attached to the original treasurer’s report (below).
Permission was requested for budget account transfers; these were noted correctly in the posted minutes, but those minutes failed to note the movement of money within NYCLASS accounts. The treasurer’s report incorrectly noted the movement of money altogether.
The minutes were updated to include the within NYCLASS movement of money.
The original treasurer’s report received the updated notes (below) with the correct transfer information.
November 18, 2025 Board Meeting (reporting for September’s totals)
The Village General & Water checking account (as was noted in the attachment to the original treasurer’s report) in the treasurer’s report was showing discrepancies between the software (Quickbooks) and our accounting (books). This caused the minutes to be incorrect as well as the treasurer’s report.
The minutes were corrected to show the correct totals.
The corrected totals were noted for an addition to the original treasurer’s report (below).
The original treasurer’s report had incorrect totals for the savings accounts - noticed upon doing the minutes (which were then done correctly other than a typo in Water System Repair Reserve) that the NYCLASS interest amounts were not updated.
The corrected totals were noted for an addition to the original treasurer’s report (below).
The code for the budget modification had a typo in the treasurer’s report (not the minutes). Money was moved from and to the correct accounts - simply a typo.
The updated treasurer’s report has the corrected code numbers.
In the posted (draft) minutes, the Finance section, Trust & Agency was not yet filled in.
The minutes were adjusted to include the totals spent in October for Trust & Agency (below).
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