[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6555475,"mediaKeyId","3335830-84044ad5c5d4755ed25d8c696e4c6534","parentId",3335830,"title","Rhinebeck board approves shift of protective fire coverage from Hillside to Rhinebeck Village amid community concern","audioSeconds",2018,"startMs",75000,"endMs",2093000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3335830-84044ad5c5d4755ed25d8c696e4c6534&start=75&end=2093","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3335830-84044ad5c5d4755ed25d8c696e4c6534/thumbnail_75000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6555475/Rhinebeck/Dutchess-County/New-York/Rhinebeck-board-approves-shift-of-protective-fire-coverage-from-Hillside-to-Rhinebeck-Village-amid-community-concern","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6555475-747140211b0cfdd8eac16f71872938c7/orig.mp4?Expires=1773195756&Signature=ajnxJTXF6~9ElK3j2--g9knINFjIZFkDqc2LGCirgI4O5Ov5-GI-UvibOsR1n4m5BUdiscKytHFBOcTdg0NxvMH5dgVOtzgQbRbcjnVjV2hJgWhH5kU9bPUCpREZw3w6AfpraooRBKndwlcdr9U3uxmTBfk-M6rC6ZQd15cU6mzI6TNym2CHleAXDnuBINHq-0LnsoBUjOc0uLK~vPpkHqqSklcPH7w2j4~UZIxK8BMFCytzDXTB8QhIUR2O0SaQEr2AHM14AXeQGzA4hnO6g6V7huit71624vthzPeBAJ5bRTnyxU~rRzUK~45GmVQ3IxhUR0Ko8~Fek44L7imb-w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Dutchess County","date","2025-05-16T05:09:00Z","article","The Town of Rhinebeck board voted on March 24 to amend the town’s fire-protection contract so the portion of the town’s protective district that had been covered by the Hillside Fire Department will be covered by the Rhinebeck Village Fire Department. The board introduced the amendment as Tab 17 on the meeting agenda and moved to adopt the change after an extended public discussion with Hillside volunteers and commissioners.

Town officials said the amendment responds to concerns about Hillside’s ability to cover the contracted area after a period of low membership and discussion within Hillside about dissolving the fire district. The amendment was presented on the floor as a contract change transferring coverage; the motion to adopt the amendment was made and later carried, with the chair stating the motion “passes” at the meeting’s close on the item.

The vote followed nearly two hours of public comment and statements from Hillside department representatives and local residents. John Hudock, who identified himself as president of the Hillside fire district board, told the board he had learned through the district secretary that Hillside might be dissolved and that Hillside hired an attorney to pursue options. Hudock said Hillside commissioners had offered to work with the town and with neighboring departments to ensure continuity of coverage while the district sorted out its membership and governance.

Mark Long, chief of the Hillside Fire Department, said the department had regained personnel since last year and described staffing gains: “We’re down to 10 with 2 interior. Now we’re up to 15 with 6 interior. … We now have 15 members, 6 firefighters that are interior, 2 younger that are going through firefighter 1 at the moment.” Long added the department had scheduled required equipment testing and expected additional members to complete training by midyear.

Hillside speakers and several longtime members, including former Chief Dennis McGuire and commissioner Brian Maguire, said the department has deep community roots and that residents worry the change will be the first step toward closing the Hillside firehouse. “When we started out, it was you were 16. … At 04:00 in the morning, 2 o’clock in the morning, and you’re leaving your house in the middle of a snowstorm to go and help your neighbors,” McGuire said, describing volunteer commitment and arguing the department remained able to respond.

Town board members said they had been monitoring staffing and response data since October and that initial signs suggested Hillside’s staffing was uncertain when the board negotiated or reviewed the contract. One town official noted that, when the contract was reviewed in October, concerns about membership influenced the town’s position. Several board members repeatedly encouraged Hillside to keep the town informed of training and staffing progress and offered to review the arrangement again at the end of the year.

Rhinebeck Village fire representatives, speaking during the discussion, described their department’s capacity: the Rhinebeck representative said the village department has “60 active members” and about 27 interior-qualified firefighters with 30–31 EMTs, and that the village frequently serves as a first-alarm mutual-aid partner for the area. Hillside and Rhinebeck representatives described mutual-aid responses and said neither department opposed mutual support.

The board noted the town’s legal authority over the contract and that a transfer of the protective district portion to Rhinebeck Village would not itself dissolve Hillside; Hillside officials emphasized they did not plan to close. The board chair asked Hillside leaders to continue reporting membership and training progress and said the board could revisit the contract if circumstances changed.

The transcript indicates the amendment motion was put on the floor, discussed at length, and ultimately adopted; the record shows the chair declared the motion passed. The meeting record does not include a roll-call vote with named votes for the amendment; the board indicated the motion passed at the close of the discussion.

The discussion illustrated tensions common to rural volunteer fire coverage: local volunteers and commissioners urged support to keep the local station open and operational, while elected officials weighed short-term coverage reliability and public-safety risk in choosing contracted partners. Town officials repeatedly urged improved, direct communication between Hillside leadership and town officials; Hillside speakers said much of their correspondence had been with the department secretary, Colette DeWitt, and asked for clearer lines of communication going forward.

The board also encouraged Hillside to continue recruiting interior-qualified firefighters and to report back later in the year on progress. Town officials and Hillside leaders agreed that mutual aid and cooperative training would continue.

The board’s amendment to the fire-protection contract is recorded on the meeting agenda as Tab 17 (resolution 2025-117 amending the fire district contract). The transcript does not record a detailed roll-call tally for the vote; the chair stated the motion “passes.”","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Rhinebeck Town council Meeting 03/24/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Town of Rhinebeck board voted on March 24 to transfer the portion of the town’s protective fire district formerly covered by the Hillside Fire Department to coverage by the Rhinebeck Village Fire Department after extended public comment from Hillside volunteers and commissioners.","taxTitle","Rhinebeck, Dutchess County, New York","taxId",62384,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6555471,"Rhinebeck board: quick votes — CCA extension, cemetery rules, streetlight maintenance and other routine approvals",1953,157000,2110000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3335830-84044ad5c5d4755ed25d8c696e4c6534&start=157&end=2110","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3335830-84044ad5c5d4755ed25d8c696e4c6534/thumbnail_157000.jpg","/articles/6555471/Rhinebeck/Dutchess-County/New-York/Rhinebeck-board-quick-votes-CCA-extension-cemetery-rules-streetlight-maintenance-and-other-routine-approvals","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6555471-f3982835bf25e00aa7a280a3833d1eae/orig.mp4?Expires=1773195756&Signature=QciFeUccBaECT6Ergaa6idlxeetEjjA-NR6N8pOnGIZumIdXG2hLFCxPMovmD2TJVEVV8GH8uYqEXZ2GqguxsMNKDwdi5Cpg2KRJKSD-5yFdjqRJIZz6aVd3xMTekI7iJuGBDx-bSNcQxxHWT80DPRujdRTRspR1xqRgFx74nYcuU2sZBzr59mSVhF5T8IgKF3gXkNfM2k38uFXiNvYTCZTvbBLvybxaFytV3yHRUKK56X5fR2v4~SUx-d6Xo9z4fvuopbI70qunqMrYy0wu7LSKYL1kNrs6WmafxoU~tyY2IRIa5lFS3CeQzpnItqlwded1bEWsd7LWL5Rh0fx-cA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Town of Rhinebeck board approved a series of routine agenda items during its March 24 meeting. The board handled renewals, administrative appointments, grant agreements and several program and personnel approvals by voice vote; the transcript records the motions as passing, generally by unanimous aye votes.

Votes and key details recorded on the agenda (outcomes as recorded in the meeting transcript):

- Tab 1 — Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) renewal extension (2025O901 / agenda item for CCA renewal): The board extended the town’s CCA contract for five months to maintain a 50% New York-sourced renewable supply at 11.2¢ per kilowatt-hour. The chair noted Central Hudson rates had recently risen to about 16.6¢/kWh and recommended residents monitor rates. Motion carried unanimously.

- Tab 2 — Two-year extension for streetlight maintenance (2025-102): Motion approved unanimously.

- Tab 3 — Cemetery employee (20 25 1 03): Motion to approve appointment passed unanimously.

- Tab 4 — Partners for Climate Change cemetery grant agreement (20 25 1 04): Grant agreement approved unanimously.

- Tab 5 & 6 — Amendments to cemetery rules (20 25 1 05 and 20 25 1 06): The board approved changes clarifying planting setbacks around headstones (no planting within 18 inches) and related rules; members were warned the changes could cause emotional responses from families. Motions passed unanimously.

- Tab 7 — Tax collector to attend educational conference (20 25 1 07): Approved unanimously.

- Bookkeeper and supervisor to attend finance and personnel conference (agenda item): Approved unanimously.

- Tab 9 — Committee on building permits and planning process (agenda item 202-5109): Board formed a review committee to document and clarify building permit and planning-board procedures; committee includes staff, a former deputy supervisor, planning and zoning representatives, and an architect. Motion carried unanimously.

- Tab 10 — Park security cameras (20 25 1 10): Motion approved to install additional cameras and perform an audit of park security measures. Passed unanimously.

- Tab 11 — Recreation Earth Day event (20 25 1 11): Approved unanimously.

- Tab 12 — Recreation new hires (20 25 1 12): Approved unanimously.

- Tab 13 — Training reimbursement (20 25 1 13): Approved unanimously.

- Tab 14 — Amendment to summer camp registration (20 25 1 14): Board approved changing registration from grade-based to age-based format; motion passed unanimously.

- Tab 15 — Auction of maintenance equipment (20 25 1 15): Approved unanimously.

- Tab 16 — Purchase of robotic pool vacuum for kiddie pool (20 25 1 16): Approved unanimously.

- Tab 18 — Creation of capital projects (20 25 1 18, 20 25 1 19, 20 25 1 20): Board moved budgeted monies into capital projects for infant equipment, park pavilion build-out, and budget court; motions carried unanimously.

- Tab 21 & 22 — Preliminary accounts payable and capital-project abstracts (20 25 1 21; 20 25 1 22): Approved unanimously.

- New business — Appointment of dog control officer (20 25 1 23): The board appointed Patricia Wynne as dog control officer (noting there is no county/state designation for deputy dog control officer); motion passed by voice vote.

Items discussed but not decided at the meeting included an updated Rhinecliff parking plan and an attorney-client scheduling request relating to a Red Wing update; the board scheduled a Zoom attorney-client meeting for a later date. Multiple discussion items (Rhinecliff parking, towing procedures, and townwide parking rules) were described as in-progress work with follow-up to the town attorney and highway superintendent.

Most votes were conducted by voice and recorded as “aye” with the chair declaring motions passed; the transcript does not include roll-call tallies for most items.","At its March 24 meeting the Town of Rhinebeck board approved a series of routine and programmatic items, including a five-month extension to the Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) contract, cemetery-rule amendments, streetlight maintenance and several recreation and personnel items. Most motions passed unanimously.","actionData","errors"]

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Rhinebeck board approves shift of protective fire coverage from Hillside to Rhinebeck Village amid community concern

Rhinebeck board: quick votes — CCA extension, cemetery rules, streetlight maintenance and other routine approvals