Carlisle Teen to Erect Blessings Box at Town Hall

Christiana Moak on the spot just outside Carlisle Town Hall where she plans to place a Blessings Box, her Eagle project for Scouting America. Photo by Chris English.

CARLISLE — Town of Carlisle teenager and Cobleskill-Richmondville High School junior Christiana Moak plans to install a Blessings Box just outside Town Hall at 541 Crommie Road.

The effort will be Moak's project that is part of her going for the rank of Eagle, the highest in Scouting America, formerly The Boy Scouts. The organization changed its name and started accepting girls in 2019.

Moak, 16, and her mother Darla Moak attended the Wednesday, April 1 Carlisle Town Board meeting to explain the project, get feedback and see if it was acceptable to the board. Comments from board members were encouraging and supportive.

"We look forward to seeing a model of it," Council Member Mary Tillapaugh said. Moak also consulted with Highway Superintendent Mike Broadwell on the best spot to place the box, which will be a covered area just outside Town Hall.

The Blessings Box will be a wooden box anchored in concrete and put up on supports, and divided into two sections. One section will contain books to take or donate and the other side will have hygiene products, non-perishable pet and human food and other items there on the same take some, leave some basis as the books. Christiana said she wants the books to be a wide variety— children's, Young adult and others— to accommodate a wide range of ages and interests.

In other news from the April 1 meeting, the board voted 4-0 to extend the town's moratorium on new solar energy projects for another six months. Town Supervisor John Leavitt and Council Members Tillapaugh, Robert Smith and Christine Kraemer all voted in favor. Council Member Katie Schweigard was unable to attend the meeting.

The moratorium does not include the Rock District 20-megawatt solar energy facility on Brown Road in the Towns of Carlisle and Seward. It has received a permit from the state but construction has not started.

In a related item, Leavitt had checked into rumors about the property where the solar project will be built being sold and those rumors are unfounded.

"Let's put that rumor to rest, it's not true," Leavitt said. He added there's been "no movement at all (on construction) as far as the solar company goes." Leavitt continued that he believes the ultimate fate of the project will depend on how big a tax break state authorities eventually grant solar energy facilities.

If the decision is to tax such projects at least 75 percent of their full assessed value "my guess will be that the land is offered to the highest bidder," Leavitt said. "We will see where it goes."

The Town Board accepted the high bid of $11,500 on a 2003 Mack Dump Truck after Town Clerk-Tax Collector Stacy Bruyette opened two bids, with the other being $6,290.

Broadwell said his online research placed a value of $9,900 to $15,000 on the old, well-used truck.

"It's about as fair as it can get, I'm fine with it," said Broadwell of the winning bid. He added the 2003 truck has 200,000 miles on it "and not easy miles."

Leavitt reported that highly-regarded Town Justice Richard M. Smith has resigned because of health issues and his duties will be covered by another Justice. Smith submitted his resignation letter along with his annual report on court activities, portions of which were read by Leavitt at the April 1 meeting. Smith had been Town Justice since 2011.

"It's been an honor to serve the Town and I have always tried to serve with honor," Smith stated in the resignation letter.

Leavitt further reported that requests to lower the speed limit at the intersection of Route 20 and Lykers Road have been denied at least for now by the state Department of Transportation. He said he believes the intersection is dangerous and warrants a speed limit reduction, but the DOT disagreed.

Leavitt said DOT officials told him the intersection has gotten improvements like pavement markings and updated signage, and there is a plan to install a flashing signal in late 2027 or 2028. However, Leavitt said the DOT officials told him that the "crash history does not merit additional improvements."