LEGISLATURE STUFF - Spring (Necessary) Splurge

CATSKILL - As the Digital Age deepens, Greene County Legislature members have authorized a community paper shredding event.

Lawmakers, upon the recommendation of county highway superintendent Scott Templeton, gave the okay to solicit bids for the job.

Funds have already been set aside in the 2026 budget, and In anticipation of good numbers coming back from bidders, the document mangling is slated for May 9 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m at the Catskill transfer station.

A description of the work entailed is detailed on a TIME Shred Services website, stating, “shredding involves document destruction companies cutting paper into small pieces using industrial shredding equipment. 

“This process ensures that the information on the paper becomes unreadable and irretrievable, providing a layer of security against data breaches and identity theft,” the website states.

The mutilated paper is, “typically bailed by the shredding company’s bailer or transported to recycling facilities, where it will be bailed.

“A bailer is a piece of equipment that uses pressure and wire to make bails, which are large bricks of shredded paper that are easy to move. Then, the bails can be loaded onto a trailer and sent to a paper processing facility.

“The shredded paper moves on to the pulping stage. Here, the paper is mixed with water and chemicals to break it down into fibers. This mixture creates a slurry known as pulp.”

TIME Shred Services’ website states, “the pulp undergoes several cleaning processes to remove any contaminants and ink. A crucial step in recycling shredded paper is the de-inking process.

“During this stage, the pulp is treated to remove inks, adhesives, and other unwanted substances. This is typically done through flotation or washing. 

“Flotation involves using air bubbles to lift ink particles to the surface, where they can be skimmed off. Washing involves rinsing the pulp to remove ink and other impurities,” the TIME website states.

Another company, Shred Right, on their website, states, “you might have heard that all types of paper can be recycled the same way. 

“This is a myth! Paper is made of fibers and different types of paper have different fiber lengths. For example, printing paper is one of the highest grades while tissues and toilet paper are lower grades,” the site states.

“Both can still be useful and valuable to paper mills,” Shred Right states. “Without a solid recycling program, these materials would require more trees to be cut and these products to be made from virgin sources.”

In other highway department related matters:

—Lawmakers authorized the purchase of four, 4-wheel drive Ford F-250 crew cab trucks through the State Office of General Services.

A competitive bidding process resulted in buying the trucks for the sum of $201,136 from Schultz Ford Lincoln Inc. in Nanuet, with the greenbacks earlier budgeted, the legislative resolution states.

—Lawmakers said “yes” to a request from roads chief Templeton to acquire a pair of 2026 regular cab Ford F-600 XL trucks with dump bodies and plows, again through the State Office Of General Services.

“Funding for this purpose has been included in the 2026 budget,” the legislative resolution states, with Schultz Ford Lincoln, Inc. likewise emerging as low bidder at a total of $165,984.24.

—Lawmakers gave a thumbs-up to a request from Templeton to secure one, 4-wheel drive regular cab Ford F-250 truck.

Going through the mini-bid process of the State Office of General Services, the county was able to land the rig for $46,245.83 from Van Bortel Ford in East Rochester, tapping budgeted money, the resolution states.

In other matters:

—Legislature chairman Patrick Linger appointed Greene County Economic Development, Tourism and Planning project manager Kurt Goettsche as the county’s voting member on the Hudson River Valley Greenway Communities Council.

The Greenway website states, “the Hudson River Valley Greenway Act of 1991…created a process for voluntary regional cooperation among 264 communities within 13 counties that border the Hudson River.”

Their mission is to “facilitate the development of a regional strategy for preserving scenic, natural, historic, cultural and recreational resources while encouraging compatible economic development and maintaining the tradition of home rule for land use decision-making,” the site states

The Greenway Communities Council, “was established to coordinate with local and county governments the development and enhancement of local land use planning techniques and the creation of a voluntary regional planning compact for the Hudson River Valley.,” the website states.

“Appropriated funding to the Greenway Council makes available to Greenway Communities planning grants, compact grants and technical assistance through the "Greenway Communities Program.”