Unpredictable Oil Prices Impact Town of Esperance Road Maintenance Schedule - Seeking Help to Locate Next of Kin for 82-Year-Old Esperance Resident

Art mentioned during the March Esperance Town Board meeting has started adorning the Town Hall Meeting Room walls. Information about the art was provided by Town Board Officials and are listed in no particular order: Spanish Lady - artist: Connie Partridge. For Butterflies and Flowers, a photo of the artist’s signature was provided by Town Clerk/Tax Collector, Amanda Fagan. Old Esperance Bridge - artist: Wendy Manus. Helderburgs From Landis - artist: Mary Beth Vought. Hope - artist: Patricia Brancaforte. Town Supervisor Earl VanWormer III would like to extend a special thanks for this Town Hall art exhibit setup to artist Patricia Brancaforte and to Town Historian Ken Jones for the historical pictures he put together.

ESPERANCE — Highway Superintendent, Michelle Brust, informed the Board during the regular Esperance Town meeting on April 16th, that when meeting with contractors about road maintenance pricing, they, “Are hesitant to give solid prices. What they’re saying in their quotes are, ‘We reserve the right to increase our pricing because of the oil situation.’” Brust’s report mentioned the price of asphalt has also increased.

A road maintenance project that would have cost $300 in the past, Brust explained, professionals in the field are thinking might go up as high as $800, “Which is more than double.” Brust added, “It’s going to be difficult to figure out what we’re doing this year.” 

Board Member, Benjamin Gigandet, shared, “Doing any major road work, I'm kinda hesitant to, with how expensive things could end up being if they’re not gonna lock in a price,” and that he would rather stick to the minor work for now.

Brust agreed while bringing up, “We don’t wanna lose any roads, though,” to which Gigandet voiced an agreement with Brust on.

“Johnstown and Amsterdam,” Brust cited, “They’re not gonna do any paving this year because they’re gonna take their CHIPS money, they’re gonna carry it over to next year hoping the price goes down.” Brust’s report mentioned, “We will not know our (CHIPS) funding until the budget passes,” and at the recent County DPW press conference mentioned during last month’s meeting, Chris Tague and Mark Molinaro were advocating for additional CHIPS funding; The Assembly recommended a $150 million increase for CHIPS, while the Senate has recommended a $310 million increase.  

Board Member, Harold Conklin, wondered how late certain road work projects can be started. Brust responded, “You can pave later. Depending on the weather you can chip seal a little bit later, but for upstate NY they recommend by the end of August. For ditching and culvert work, it’s whenever.”

Brust plans to meet with the Highway Committee to further discuss options. In the meantime, Brust explained contractors have been supplying daily quotes for jobs to have something to work with.

Brust also shared an announcement that NYS DOT Engineer, David Ferris, delivered at their monthly meeting for Highway Superintendents; “The exit numbers on I-88 are going to be changing soon.” Brust said they will be changing to match the mile markers and that this is something being done in many areas.

During privilege of the floor, Gigandet thanked Planning Board member, Mark Fitzgerald, for continuing to keep up with, and ask for updates about, the important PFAS moratorium status at each Town Board meeting. Another resident in attendance was unfamiliar with the reference, so Town Supervisor, Earl VanWormer III, explained it in full and gave the latest update, “There’s a company, Casella, who has a facility in another state and they’ve been making this product, selling it to people in Schoharie County, and apparently there’s a lot of heavy metals in it.” VanWormer expanded that once heavy metals get into the soil, they never leave, “And there are people who have had water wells contaminated.” VanWormer detailed the situation was brought up by a Middleburgh resident at one of their committee meetings; someone had bought a quantity of Casella’s human waste fertilizer that is being used on crop fields, let it sit out, and it led to more contamination after it got wet. To investigate, VanWormer said they put a moratorium on the product, then got the Schoharie County Health Department involved, who then looked into the process for testing, which is very expensive. VanWormer’s newest update is that, “We put another moratorium on it,” so it can’t currently be bought or used in the area for another three months. The State is also looking into the issue, so the Board has decided the best plan of action is to wait for the State to test, research, and regulate it because they have more financial resources for the testing and VanWormer doesn’t want to put regulations on when the State could have put stricter regulations in place. VanWormer made it clear he doesn’t want the fertilizer contaminating more wells and, “We don’t want it on crop land that is either growing for human or animal products because that then goes into them, goes into the milk, or the meat.”

Assessor for the Towns of Esperance and Schoharie, Erin Smith, provided the Board with an impact report, breakdown sample, and presentation on previously discussed changes to the senior exemption, which brings the maximum exemption to 65% from 50% for qualifying seniors who are financially unable to pay for taxes. It was adopted in Schoharie last week and became the Esperance Town Board’s Local Law #1 of 2026; the motion to adopt was made by Board Member Michael Keller and seconded by Conklin, and it will take effect immediately upon Secretary of State filing. VanWormer read, “Known as Town of Esperance Senior Citizen’s Tax Exemption Law and it's just exactly what she said is now the intent of the Town Board to increase the maximum tax exemption available to senior citizen taxpayers to 65%.” Smith shared that fourteen parcels received this RPTL 467 exemption in 2026 and five of those parcels are owned by taxpayers who would qualify for an exemption greater than 50%.

A caseworker from Albany Medical Center has reached out to VanWormer about an 82-year-old Town of Esperance resident who was found disoriented. They are trying to locate a next-of-kin family member to help with medical decisions for Hildegard Traphan of Bray Road in Central Bridge. There have been online search attempts, but Attorney Mike West couldn’t find any records of relatives and Traphan’s neighbors have been contacted. Brust is familiar with the resident from previous culvert work and plans to look back at her meeting notes in case there was mention of details about Traphan’s niece somewhere in Cape Cod, but no one is sure who Traphan’s niece is or how to reach her. If you have any information, please reach out to Albany Medical Center and/or to VanWormer at 518-852-0270 or via email at supervisor@esperancetown-ny.gov.

Additional ongoing meeting topic updates include:

-Conklin presented a letter about the Sanitatium Road safety improvements he would like sent to the County from the Board. There were only a couple suggested edits to be completed before it gets sent and helpful signage installation options were discussed, then Conklin thanked everyone for their time and support. 

-Conklin also said the Planning Board approved a Centerline Communications LLC request, who has been in contact about Mountain Road Cell Tower plans. 

-Town Clerk/Tax Collector, Amanda Fagan, provided the Board with one of the emails she sent The Dog Control Officer after reaching out asking for monthly reports for the last few meetings with no response. VanWormer mentioned he will try to reach out to him next.

Both Esperance Town Board and Village meetings offer privilege of the floor opportunities for you to share questions, concerns, and thoughts with Board Officials. For instance, at this April 16th meeting, four residents and Code Enforcement Officer, Cody Sherwood, attended to go over processes and solutions in an ongoing case. Their neighbor in a commercial zone has been creating what one of the residents described as a public nuisance and public safety issue, by letting his seven chickens roam freely on the road and as far as four houses down, while not following through with installing a fence or chicken wire to keep the chickens from leaving his property. The Board was able to hear the residents out, and explain due process, variances that can be applied for & conditions that can be added to them, and a plan of action for resolving their situation.

Esperance Town Board meetings are held every third Thursday of the month; on May 21st, the meeting will begin at 7 PM in Town Hall (104 Charleston Street). 

Esperance Village meetings are every second Monday of the month; on May 11th, their regular meeting will be at 7 PM in the Village Hall meeting room (115 Church Street).

VanWormer is waiting for two more possible Comprehensive Plan Committee members to confirm by early next week, and said he is still looking for more people who are interested to join from different parts of the Town. Reach out to VanWormer if interested (518-852-0270, supervisor@esperancetown-ny.gov, and the number for Town Hall is (518) 875-6109).