Village of Cherry Valley Board Meeting Minutes
Tuesday April 21, 2026
The Village of Cherry Valley Board of Trustees meeting opened at 6:31 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 ten guests.
Approval of the March 17, 2026 minutes, as well as the April 7 & 14, 2026 Organizational Meeting and Budget Hearing 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 *clerical errors in original reported numbers (black) and corrected numbers (red)*
It was upon motion of Trustee Brigham, seconded by Trustee Feulner, unanimously carried, to accept the Treasurer’s Report as given. *The updated numbers in red were provided to the Board, by Clerk-Treasurer Gregory, on 4/30/2026 at the final budget review meeting.*
GUESTS:
Ms. Cristina Van Valkenburg Mattey attended the meeting this evening to discuss concerns from the incident that occurred at the March 28th event at the main intersection of the Village. She noted that this was the second of similar incidents, the first occurring in October of 2025. She noted that the recent incident involved one man in a truck doing a burnout which created a great deal of smoke which in turn, affected the health of her father and others in attendance. She noted that the gentleman who did this continued on Facebook to brag about what he had done. According to Ms. Mattey, another gentleman also jumped into the comments and was making threats for the next similar event to occur. Ms. Mattey contacted the police and asked for presence at the next event, in which Mayor Stiles stated that he would follow up (after receiving dates from Ms. Mattey) to provide this via a request to the police.
Mr. Aaron Van Buren attended the meeting this evening to discuss updates regarding his proposed contract with the Village. He noted that he received documentation from Attorney Poulson that changed some wording in the contract and wanted her to explain this more. Attorney Poulson noted that the change from Van Buren’s contract to what she altered was wording certain items in a way so that Village is protected legally. She stated that a verbal agreement to accept the contract as is, with acknowledgement that minimal wording is being adjusted to keep the Village protected, is acceptable and binding until the final contract is produced and signed.
Motion was made by Trustee Brigham, seconded by Trustee Feulner, unanimously carried, to accept and approve the Property Care contract with Aaron Van Buren, as written, with acknowledgment of wording to be altered to protect the Village.
Mr. Van Buren also noted that he’s finding (and has encountered in prior years) conflicts with when he is trying to do work on the field and when events, such as Youth Sports and the Youth Summer Program, are taking place. Trustee Brigham stated that he would reach out to the Youth Summer Program coordinator to get calendar details so he can share them with Mr. Van Buren. Regarding Youth Sports, Mayor Stiles stated that he would follow up with Mr. Van Buren to provide a calendar of schedules (games and practices).
Mr. Van Buren also brought to the Board’s attention a concern regarding the stop sign at the end of the driveway on 2 Genesee Street (Community Center) by the post office. There is a large hole that is needing to be filled and CVCFC reached out to him regarding it. Mr. Van Buren inquired about the Village’s ability to provide one ton of cold patch for CVCFC to be able to fill the hole. The Board reminded Mr. Van Buren that the property in question in CVCFC property, but that DPW Superintendent Valentine will look at the spot for drainage improvement and will reach to Mr. Van Buren when he has done so.
Mr. David Lamouret attended the meeting this evening to discuss the American Legion’s lease contract with the Village, his primary concerns being with some of the wording. One portion he would like to see changed is the terminology of who the agreement is with, noting that the name needs to be changed so that if in the future one of the parties affected disbands, the other is still able to utilize the property. Mr. Lamouret referenced article five from the current proposed contract, noting that the way it is written, there is no way to segregate how the electricity bill is paid for (between the Legion and CV Artworks). He noted that currently the Legion provides a “donation” to CV Artworks which pays for a portion of the electricity bill. Referencing article six Mr. Lamouret noted his concerns regarding the wording referencing the “sale of building”. Attorney Poulson noted she was comfortable altering the wording to state the “attempted” sale of the building. Referencing articles eight and nine it is stated and understood that the occupants are to “take care of the building” however, when it states “uninhabitable”, Mr. Lamouret had concerns about defining what that means. Attorney Poulson noted that the word was somewhat vague and she could strengthen/clarify the wording within the document when he makes the changes.
Unrelated to the wording of the lease contract, Mr. Lamouret stated his concerns regarding the Legions’ lack of storage space within the building. He inquired about an in-person/44 Main Street meeting with Mayor Stiles and a representative from CV Artworks to discuss his concerns with the goal being to work out a more manageable agreement. Attorney Poulson noted that a “storage clause” could be added to the contract document. Mr. Lamouret also wants to confirm at this cooperative meeting, where exactly the sewage is being dispensed to for the building.
Regarding the finances of the Legion, Mr. Lamouret noted that he has had difficulty in the past when trying to work with CV Artworks to utilize their portion of the building when Artworks is not using it, to host more events to raise more money for the maintenance of the building. The Board noted that this was something that needed to be looked into and it could be discussed at the in-person cooperative meeting.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Business owner, Mr. Dustin Lewandowski, of Dustin’s Automotive, inquired of the Board, the “re-opening” of the “shared” access space between the Village property and his business. The Board stated there is no interest in re-opening that space as it is not his property. DPW Superintendent Valentine provided Mr. Lewandowski a photograph that shows access alongside the business’ building and the Village property that he could utilize legally, as an additional driveway. Mr. Lewandowski also inquired about the status of his FOIL request and it was noted that it is in progress.
Village resident, Mr. Mike Feulner, noted his frustrations with Mr. Lewandowski’s continued frequency of taking time away from the Board being able to have productive meetings and discuss other pertinent and important items.
OLD BUSINESS:
Terry Brant - pricing inquiry for “burial” of wife’s cremains
The Board continued discussion of the pricing for Mr. Brant regarding the burial of his wife’s cremains in an above ground bench/stone. Trustee Brigham stated that he is comfortable in decreasing the price of a cremation burial but would like to have some more information on what other cemeteries are charging for such burial types (as this is a first time request). The May meeting will provide updates from Clerk-Treasurer Gregory with such pricing and a final determination of price for Mr. Brant will be determined.
Riparian Buffer Planting
Clerk-Treasurer Gregory reminded the Board and those in attendance, of the Riparian Buffer Planting that is set to take place on Saturday May 2, 2026 at 10am. Those interested in joining and helping can meet in the parking lot behind the community center.
NEW BUSINESS:
Noelle Adamoschek - “Spring Into Summer” event
Clerk-Treasurer Gregory provided information from an email received from Ms. Noelle Adamoschek regarding the upcoming “Spring Into Summer” event on Memorial Day weekend. The email referenced the general events/vendors that will be in attendance and that she’d provide a final confirmation at the May 19, 2026 meeting. Her email inquired about the parking location of food vendors and the Board agreed that allowing them to park along the outer edge of the NBT parking lot was fine.
Deed Purchase - Supp (Section B2 Lot 63 Plots D,E,F)
Motion was made by Trustee Brigham, seconded by Trustee Feulner, unanimously carried, to approve the deed purchase from Melinda and Steven Supp.
Village Walkthrough
Mayor Stiles and the Board agreed to have the next Village walkthrough, open to all Village residents, on Wednesday May 6, 2026 at 6 p.m.. Those attending will meet at the NBT parking lot.
Budget updates/adoption
The Board will meet again to continue budget discussions on Tuesday May 5, 2026 at 6:30 p.m.
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:
Adjournment:
The Village Board ended the executive session and adjourned the meeting at 7:41 p.m. upon motion of Trustee Brigham, seconded by Trustee Feulner, unanimously carried.
Respectfully Submitted,
Melissa Gregory, Clerk-Treasurer
May 13, 2026
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