Town of DeRuyter supervisor outlines town history, community projects and library-funded town-hall renovation

Rex Vosberg, supervisor of the Town of DeRuyter, gave a community presentation to the Madison County Board of Supervisors describing local history, volunteer efforts, recent projects and civic institutions in DeRuyter.

Vosberg summarized the town’s history and highlighted civic institutions and events that shape daily life in the village and surrounding town. He said the town hall now shares a building with the library and that the late George Staley and his family donated what presenters described as more than $2 million toward the building’s renovation and library preservation. Dan DeGeer, who participated in the renovation, told the board the building had been in poor condition before the project and that the Staley family contributed both money and labor to restore the facility.

The presentation noted the town’s long-running fair (established 1927), a tractor pull and other volunteer-supported events that draw regional visitors, and a WinterFest started recently to boost community involvement. Vosberg described volunteer efforts that install banners honoring veterans and decorate Main Street. He said DeRuyter Central School remains an anchor in the community, with about 321 students and a staff that works closely with town leaders on events and programs. The board heard a brief history of the town’s founder names and early settlement and a description of DeRuyter Lake, which presenters said is roughly two miles long, about a half mile wide and contains hundreds of acres; speakers noted varying depth estimates during the presentation.

Vosberg and DeGeer described a recent capital project that installed a new track at the school in memory of a longtime coach, Steven Camelback, and said the facility now hosts sectional meets and invitational events. Committee members and residents standing at the meeting credited local fundraising and volunteer hours with the track and other recreation investments.

Speakers framed the town-hall renovation as a community-saving project: DeGeer said the upper floors were in disrepair and the building was effectively a shell before the Staley family’s intervention. Presenters said some funding and volunteer work for the renovation did not pass through formal county project ledgers and characterized a portion of the total as in-kind labor and direct donations from the Staley family.

Vosberg closed the presentation by describing DeRuyter’s small-town character — the volunteer networks, the library’s role, local businesses that have persisted for generations, and the town’s preparedness for winter storms — and invited board members and neighbors to visit.

Byline: Reported from the Madison County Board of Supervisors meeting; presentation by Town of DeRuyter Supervisor Rex Vosberg and Dan DeGeer.