Resident raises alarm about highway reserve figures, culvert work and potential impacts on water and stone walls

Russell Dushin, a South Mountain Pass resident, told the Philipstown Town Board during public comment that he and other residents were alarmed by discrepancies in the highway reserve numbers reported in recent minutes and by proposed drainage work on South Mountain Pass that he said could mix road runoff with a clean spring used for livestock.

"I have a dear friend who's out $600,000 from the scam like that," Dushin said during a public-comment turn that included both a fraud anecdote and his central objections to the drainage and reserve accounting. He cited the minutes from a June 17 workshop that, he said, listed a $3.9 million balance in a highway reserve fund and asked how money accumulates in that reserve. "So this is why I'm really confused because it says 3,900,000 in the minutes," he said.

Dushin pressed for two answers: whether the reserve balance is in fact $3.9 million, and clear public reporting at budget time on all reserve funds. He noted the highway appropriation of $600,000 for East Mountain Road/South Mountain Pass work and asked whether that money was coming from a highway reserve.

He also raised environmental and property concerns tied to the drainage plan. Dushin said a proposed plan would divert a stream that historically provided clean water for horses into a culvert that would carry road runoff. "The last thing I'm going to ever accept is the mixing of that water with road runoff," he said, adding that he has deeded water rights and that the culverts in question—installed in 1965—are rotted and may require replacement rather than a simple clean-out.

Board members acknowledged the questions and said they would review the meeting video and minutes and consult the town comptroller and town engineer. The chair asked staff to follow up and suggested further review at budget discussions. The town said the work is planned within the right of way and said it will look into stone-wall impacts with the engineer and town attorney.

Next steps recorded in the meeting included a commitment by the board to review the minutes/video and to provide the requester with the fund-balance details via follow-up with the comptroller. No formal vote or change to the drainage project was announced during the meeting.

Clarifying details from the meeting: the appropriation referenced by participants was $600,000 for drainage and paving projects; the public commenter cited a $3,900,000 highway reserve figure from meeting minutes and also referenced a year-to-date unspent balance of approximately $630,000 mentioned by board members during discussion.