Holiday Message

 

Veterans Day Message

 Gilbertsville has a strong reputation for always honoring, remembering respecting and thanking our veterans and their families for their continued sacrifices and ultimate sacrifices they have made in the name of freedom.  

During this time of the pandemic, I encourage our residents to show, in their own way, their appreciation to our veterans who have put their lives on the line to protect our country's freedoms.

It is our veterans who have made our United States of America the greatest nation in the world.  We are the future of hope, strength, and Democracy thanks to our Veterans.

Thank you Gilbertsville Veterans and all Veterans and their families.

Respectfully

Mayor Mark Muller

LAST DAYS for Leaf Pick Up NOV. 6 - 3:00 pm

 As temperatures fall, so do the leaves!  Our Leaf Pick Up Program for 2020 is ending.  Friday November 6^th at 3:00 pm is the last pick up. 

One of the traditions that we wanted to keep is our neighborhood trick or treat.  We are so happy that our children were able to dress up and enjoy this Halloween tradition.   We also want to thank everyone, and the participating residents that followed our safety protocols, in addition to following the state and county’s guidelines for social distancing, wearing masks and small gatherings of people.   

 Guess Who??  (Chris S.)

As always, thank you for your continued support of the Village and all our local businesses and organizations. The only way we can continue to get through these difficult times is by supporting and standing up for each other.  

Halloween in Gilbertsville 2020

The survey is in, and I want to thank everyone who participated.   

 

See entire survey here:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/results/SM-59WZDJWP7/

There is much discussion, and we are being asked by numerous people whether or not the Village is canceling Halloween in Gilbertsville. We are not.

In an attempt to make Halloween fun and safe...

Here's what we ask:

1. We ask that you consider wearing a mask (not the Halloween kind) if interacting closely with others.
2. Do not leave bowls of candy on your porch that multiple people will touch.

 

1. If you are uncomfortable with handing out candy, please do not turn on your porch light. Additionally, there is a printable page available to print (PDF) letting trick-or-treaters know you are not participating.
2. If you are uncomfortable with your children trick-or-treating, it is always your choice as a parent not to send them. 
3. We encourage everyone to practice social distancing to the extent possible...and IT IS possible when you're walking around outdoors.
4. Enjoy Halloween. Be safe. We can participate in trick-or-treating while still taking necessary precautions and respecting the concerns and decisions of others who may not be comfortable participating.

Halloween trick-or-treat hours for the Village of Glbertsville are from 5-7 p.m. on Saturday, October 31.

Halloween Survey 2020

Please take the 2020 Halloween Survey to help inform the Village.

2020 Village of Gilbertsville Halloween Survey

Or Scan

Leaf Pick-Up Information

 The trees are beginning to transition, the weather is getting cooler, and the days are getting shorter, little by little. In a few months, we may have snow on the ground. It is time for the Village to start picking  up leaves.  Please Put Leaves in tight rows curbside, and not in big piles.  Rows pick up much nicer, and we only have a limited reach with the suction hose.  The big piles make it much harder to do a good job.  We just had the leaf hose fixed and if there are stones and sticks in the piles,  we run the risk of  breaking it again.  So Happy Fall.

Repeat of First Water Bill with Key Information

 

Water Update 9/12/2020

New Water System is Fully Online

We are pleased to announce that the water treatment plant has been put into operation.  Thank you to Richard Gilbert, and Jack Dodson for their countless hours they have put into making the manganese plant operational.   Also, I would like to thank Clarissa Riker, our new village clerk for making a seamless transition to the clerk position.  Her understanding of the water billing program is a great asset to the village.   

We have made initial readings of the meters, and hope to make these available to the residents very soon, on the first quarterly bill.

To start the quarter billing cycle, residents will be charged the base fee of $45.00/7500 gal and $80.00 for the 2.3 million dollar loan that was taken out in 2017-18 for the project.  Remember, the $45.00 is for the first 7500 gallons used.  The next quarter billing there will be a $6.00/1000 gal over the 7500 gallons used. Please call the village office is you have questions:  783-2440 on Wednesday 12:30-3:00 pm, or Friday from 12:30 - 3:00 pm. 

Note:  A running toilet, leaky faucet, watering a garden,or washing your car, can, and will increase usage tremendously.  PLEASE check your house for leaks.

In the coming days I will be putting a virtual tour of our new facilities.

Water Project Update!!

In the next several days we will be flushing hydrants in preparation of opening up the new well and manganese removal plant.  You might experience low pressure or increased brown water.  NYS Department of Health has approved our plant and water service.  Please be patient as we prepare to open our new well and manganese removal plant.  Thank you in advance.  

If you do not receive phone calls from the Village Office about updates and information, please call our office at 783-2440 to be added to the list.   

Dear Village Residents:

Dear Village Residents;

I do not generally write about issues that happen in other communities. However, since the tragic death in Minneapolis, many communities throughout our nation have been impacted. As your Mayor, I would like to share some of my thoughts. First and foremost, my goal is to maintain the safety and security of everyone. I will continue to work with the outstanding Otsego County Sheriff's Department, as well as our State Police officials to achieve that goal. I do understand that many want to send a message for change. I hope the message is sent without violence.  I also hope as a village we can come together peacefully, and build up our community, not tear it down.

I hope that together, as the Village  community, we can emerge from the pandemic and the other tragic events  with increased compassion, understanding, respect, and dignity for one another, and a renewed commitment for decency and equality for all people.

I pray our world can be peacefully united, and our community can get back to some type of normalcy very soon. I am proud to be your Mayor, and proud of all our residents; in light of all the hardships, stress, and suffering, our “Village” remains strong.

Thank you

Mark

Village Office Hours Changing to Wednesday and Friday from 12:30 - 4:30pm

Due to several changes happening in our Village Office, we are changing our office hours to Wednesday and Friday from 12:30 - 4:30pm.  Also, I would like to welcome Clarissa Riker to the office staff.  Clarissa has been a village clerk in Sidney and Unadilla for several years.  Her experience and kindness is a welcome addition to our wonderful staff we have now.  Please welcome her if you see her. 

Correspondence from FEMA and Department of Homeland Security

Hello fellow residents,

 

In the interest of transparency to the village, residents should know that I have received the following notice from FEMA/DHS of an overpayment of $170,000.00 in 2010.  We are currently looking at the past records to find the overpayment.  FEMA is insisting that we remit immediately.  We are doing our best to find the discrepancy and resolve the issue.

 

Dear Mayor Muller,

 

I hope this email finds you well. This correspondence is a follow-up to a voice message I left you this morning regarding $170,000 in overpayments the Village of Gilbertsville received for the FEMA disaster, 1650 DR NY. Although we have attempted to reconcile this matter numerous times with your predecessor in the past, dating back to 2015, it is imperative that the Village of Gilbertsville remit payment of $170,000 to the NYS Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES) immediately. The disaster liquidation date was 3/30/20. The federal government has mandated this disaster be closed. NYS cannot meet this requirement until the Village of Gilbertsville returns this funding.

 

 

I have contacted our Representatives for assistance in this matter.  I will continue to keep you informed as we move forward.

 

Mark

Article by Leigh C Eckmair (Village Historian)

Goliath met David on the banks of the Butternut Creek

or

Lest We Forget & For Those Who Do Not Know -

 

 Gilbertsville, NY, at the S.W. end of the historic Butternut Valley in Otsego County, just celebrated the 44^th anniversary of (1973) National Register  of Historic Places recognition and the 34^th

anniversary of (1982)  N.R.H.P. recognition of the entire village as an Historic District.  When the recognition of the entire village as an

Historic District was awarded in May of 1982, it was reported to have been only the second such village (and the only one in NYS) to receive that honor.

 

            The National Register of Historic Places,  created by Congress in 1966, teamed up with the NY State Dept. of Parks and Recreation  to  call  attention to structures and sites worthy of  respect and preservation, by nominating them for inclusion in a national data base.

 

            In 1966, The Village of Gilbertsville, NY     [1960 pop.455]

and some of the best farm land in its township of Butternuts had been living for over fifty years with the very real threat of destruction from a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ flood control project.   One dam of the Upper Susquehanna River Watershed Project was to be built on the lower Butternut Creek at a spot known locally as “Cope’s Corners.”  That dam was to flood the valley behind it, including the village of Gilbertsville, to create a three-mile long lake.   Residents had been watching in horror over the years as communities in the nearby Catskills had become victims of similar projects and had vowed not to let that happen here.

 

            The dam project, originally proposed prior to W.W.I., met with very strong local opposition every time it was reintroduced. Delayed due to W.W.I. and the Depression, the project became a real threat after the 1935 flood did millions of dollars of damage to communities in the eight southern tier counties. Funding was appropriated but the project was then delayed because of W.W.II.

 

            The dam threat again became very real in the early 1950’s when Congress reauthorized funding for the project.  A tiny but powerful protest was organized locally to call attention, across the state and at the federal level, to the negative aspects of the project. The protest was very active and managed to grow and maintain enthusiasm through the 1950’s , 60’s and, amazingly, into the 70’s .

 

            During this time, several important studies of Gilbertsville and  Butternut Valley architecture had been compiled. These studies called attention to the fact that a number of well known architects  of  the late 19^th   and  early  20^th  century had been responsible for the design, building  and renovation of many attractive village structure.  As a result, a number of important architectural scholars became involved in protesting the dam project which would destroy this unique community. From that effort came the suggestion that several structures in the center of the village be nominated for inclusion in the new Dept. of Interior National Register of Historic Places.  It was hoped that National Register recognition would afford some protection for the village, on the state and federal level, from the proposed dams.

 

            The “Committee for the Historic Preservation of Gilbertsville” was officially formed to work with the N.Y. State Office of Parks and Recreation to prepare nominations, documentation and photographs.  Consultants came to inspect the nominated properties and observed that many other structures and sites in the village were equally worthy of nomination.  The suggestion was made that the entire village be inventoried as a complete Historic District and that the recognition of the entire village would be even more powerful protection from the dams.

 

            The little committee, headed by Anne Gilbert Mangold and Margaret P. Moore, called upon the community for help with the expanded project and were not disappointed.  This took a total of seven years but the full committee of 19 volunteer researchers, typists, “go-fers,” and photographers prepared a total of 194 individual structural inventory reports plus reports for each cemetery, park, bridge and five additional structures just outside the village incorporation.

           

            A 16 page pamphlet describing the importance of the Historic District, its setting and architecture, including photographs was prepared for the congressional committee reconsidering funding of the project.

 

            During this time and in conjunction with the National Register nomination an important detailed study documenting weather history of the Upper Susquehanna River Watershed during times of flooding on the lower Susquehanna was prepared by resident author Myrtie Light.  Her source for the documentary evidence was over 100 years of NY State and federal weather records beginning in the mid 19 ^th  century when those agencies first began collecting the data.  Analysis of those documents proved that no significant storms or rains had occurred in the areas drained  by the Butternut Creek and Unadilla River  during times of damaging floods on the lower Susquehanna River.

 

            The combination of all these efforts was rewarded when deauthorization of funding for the complete Upper Susquehanna River Watershed Project was proposed to Congress in 1979.  Within a  year the imminent threat of construction was removed.

 

            The U.S. Dept. of Interior National Register of Historic Places recognition of the entire village of Gilbertsville as an Historic District was awarded in May of 1982.

 

© Leigh C Eckmair, 2003. Rev. 2020

     Historian, Village of Gilbertsville & Town of Butternuts