HAMLET HALLOWEEN HAZARDS!!!

New Street is Dangerous
 Town of New Baltimore Doesn’t Care
VanWormer H’way Dept. Ignores Requests

This is a Public Service Announcement in the Interest of Your Safety and the Safety of Trick-or-Treaters on October 31, 2018, who will be on New Street in the Town of New Baltimore.

HARD TO BELIEVE THAT AN ENTIRE YEAR HAS PASSED SINCE OUR LAST SAFETY ALERT AND THE TOWN OF NEW BALTIMORE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT AND THE TOWN OF NEW BALTIMORE SUPERVISOR JEFF RUSO AND THE NEW BALTIMORE TOWN BOARD HAVE DONE NOTING TO REMOVE THE HAZARDS!!!

County Legislator Pat Linger (seeking re-election on November 6th) and Greene County DA Joe Stanzione (also seeking re-election on November 6th), were also notified and kept informed of the problems but did nothing.
They don’t care.

Dangerous Conditions on New Street in the Hamlet of New Baltimore!!!

Parents, Accompanying Adults, Trick-or-Treaters along New Street in the Hamlet (National Historic District) of New Baltimore are still at serious risk of injury and accident due to the continuing dangerous situations caused by substandard roadwork and paving done over a year ago by the Town of New Baltimore and the New Baltimore Highway Department on New Street and other streets in the National Historic District of New Baltimore. Despite numerous requests and notices, the Town of New Baltimore has done NOTHING to ensure YOUR SAFETY and the SAFETY of YOUR CHILDREN.

Please be aware of the following serious hazards along New Street, which will be particularly dangerous after sundown.

At the corner of Madison Avenue East and New Street, there is a dangerous UNMARKED DROP-OFF. The Town of New Baltimore Highway Department has been asked numerous times to mark this hazard but has refused to do so. Please, when making the turn onto New Street from Madison Avenue East, MAKE THE TURN TIGHT!

On the river-side (East) just past the end of the guardrails, there is a dangerous UNMARKED DROPOFF for about 100 feet. The drop-off is about 18-24 inches and poses a real danger if someone steps off the street and falls; there is a steep slope after the street drop-off. The paving operations done in 2017 by the New Baltimore Highway Department supervised by Scott vanWormer, brother of ALAN VANWORMER, who is running unopposed (Thank you, Democrats) for Highway Superintendent, raised the old roadbed about 18-24 inches at this point, creating this hazard. The Town of New Baltimore and the New Baltimore Highway Department have been asked several times to mark the hazard or to correct the defects but they have refused. There is also the possibility of a vehicle’s wheels going over the edge and tipping over! Please be careful and watch children very carefully in this area.

This hump in the road at the top of the stairs can cause tripping and falling injuries. Please be careful and step carefully over it. Small children may be especially at risk.

At the front entrance of No. 18 New Street, there is a raised hump of blacktop above the top step. The Town of New Baltimore Highway Department placed a 7-inch high raised hump of blacktop at the top of the steps leading into the main entrance of No. 18 New Street. The hump was created when the Town paved New Street in June 2017, and residents have asked that it be cut down level with the street to avoid accidents or injury. The Town Highway Department and the Town of New Baltimore have done nothing to fix this defect and now it is dangerous to the children and adults trick or treating. Please also be aware that beyond the steps there is a 8-12 inch drop-off created by the Town’s paving operations. This can be dangerous and may cause falls and injuries if you are not careful. There is no really safe way to get to the entrances of No 18 New Street so PLEASE BE CAREFUL and watch children very carefully in this area.

Please be aware of this hole; avoid stepping into it or driving into it!

Farther down New Street, opposite the Green House at No. 11 New Street, there is a deep hole approximately 30 inches across, 30 inches long and 15 inches deep. There is also a sharp-edged vertical grate installed in the hole. This hole was created by the New Baltimore Highway Department for totally unknown reasons (all other drains in the area are horizontal). This large hole presents a serious hazard to pedestrians and to vehicles. A person can break a leg and a vehicle can lose a wheel in this hole. The sharp edges of the grate pose another serious danger. Residents have repeatedly asked that the drain be redone so that it is flat with the road or at least that it be marked so that it is clearly visible. The Town of New Baltimore and the Town of New Baltimore Highway Department have refused to mark the hole and so it continues to be a serious danger to persons and vehicles. Please be careful and watch children very carefully in this area.

When driving down New Street this ditch will suddenly appear. Your vehicle’s wheels can end up in it and your vehicle left hanging.

As you approach the end of New Street there is a deep unmarked ditch on the right side of the street.  Because the ditch is invisible and filled with weeds and leaves (failure of the Highway Department to maintain it), it’s particularly hazardous. This ditch will come up on you suddenly if you are driving, and if you’re not real quick, your right wheels will be in the ditch and your vehicle hung up. On Halloween night after sundown, this ditch will be very difficult identify unless you know beforehand that it’s there. Again, the Town of New Baltimore and the Town of New Baltimore Highway Department created this hazard when paving the street in August 2016 and in June 2017. They have been asked a number of times to fix this defect or at least to mark it. They have ignored all requests. Please be careful and watch children very carefully in this area.

We are publishing this information at the request of residents who are seriously concerned about the safety of trick-or-treaters, parents and children, on New Street this Halloween. The Town of New Baltimore and the Town of New Baltimore Highway Department, Mr Scott VanWormer and Mr ALAN VANWORMER, have been made aware of these hazards a number of times, and have been asked to correct the defects or at least to mark them to ensure safety and to protect the public. They have refused and so now it’s necessary to provide this WARNING to motorists and pedestrians.  Please make your children and other adults aware of these serious hazards along New Street, which will be particularly dangerous after sundown, and be alert for similar hazards in other areas of the Hamlet of New Baltimore, especially in the National Historic District!

This situation has been ongoing for at least 2-3 years and the Town and the Highway Department have been notified numerous times and haven’t lifted a finger to fix the damage they have caused. Now they are asking voters to put the very people in office who created the damage in the first place. They are asking you to vote for ALAN VANWORMER as New Baltimore Highway Superintendent, the same guy who sat by and kept his mouth shut when they were creating the botched up roadwork, and now want to make him Superintendent. The think that’s a done deal because VANWORMER is running UNOPPOSED and you have no choice, no voice, no vote. VANWORMER has won by default! That’s WRONG. THAT’S DIRTY POLITICS. 

[Editor’s Note: At about 7:30 a.m. on October 30, 2017, the Town of New Baltimore, Supervisor Jeff Ruso and the Town of New Baltimore Highway Department, and the Town of New Baltimore Clerk were  AGAIN notified of these hazards and dangerous conditions on New Street, and were provided with the link to this posting.]

Please Watch Your Step on New Street in New Baltimore!!!
Happy Halloween!
The Editor & Friends of the Smalbany Blog

Editor’s Update

At about 10:45 a.m. on October 31, 2017, the following message was sent to New Baltimore Town Supervisor JEFF RUSO, New Baltimore Town Deputy Supervisor NICK DELLISANTI, Town Clerk BARBARA FINKE (for the purpose of records), and Town of New Baltimore Highway Superintendent SCOTT VANWORMER. Copies were sent also the Town Attorney Tal Rappela (Tal Rappelea Esq/RappeleaLaw) and to the attorney for the Town’s insurance company, Crystal R. Peck (Bailey, Johnson, DeLeonardis & Peck P.C., Albany, New York), Greene County Legislator for New Baltimore PATRICK LINGER (running for re-election this November), and Greene County District Attorney JOSEPH STANZIONE (running for re-election in November) to ensure that OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS and their ATTORNEYS are fully informed in the event of accident or injury.

Dear Mr RUSO, Mr DELLISANTI, Mr VANWORMER, Mr LINGER, Mr STANZIONE, Mr Rappelea, Ms Peck: