Plans to install solar panels on the roof of Ancram Town Hall and to add an electric vehicle charging station were tabled at the Feb. 19 Town Board meeting, with officials citing budget constraints.
“Our budget cannot handle it at this point,” Town Supervisor Colleen Lutz said. In September 2025, Lutz authorized Town Clerk Monica Cleveland to issue a request for proposals for the projects. “We can perhaps in the future work to actually do something with those projects.”
The town hall previously had rooftop solar panels from 2010 to 2024 through a NYSERDA grant. The panels were removed when the roof was replaced. Officials said installing new panels would void the warranty on the new roof.
Separately, the board is reviewing the town’s escrow law and is considering designating the clerk to the Planning and Zoning boards as the point of contact for escrow-related questions, rather than the town clerk, citing those boards’ greater familiarity with how escrow funds are applied.
In other business, the board unanimously approved renewing its contract with the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office to provide courtroom police presence in Ancram.
Board member Amy Gold updated the board on the town’s website redesign, saying the technology committee selected CivicPlus as its preferred vendor. She said the company has experience working with nearby municipalities and specializes in government websites. The project is budgeted at $25,000, and the new site is expected to launch in September.
Highway Department employees received repeated expressions of gratitude from board members and residents for clearing roads during heavy snowfall over the past month. Workers were out for 17 days in January, officials said.
Additional thanks were given for keeping the town’s helipad clear. The helipad was used this month after Town Clerk Monica Cleveland’s father slipped on his icy driveway, suffered a head injury and was evacuated by helicopter to Albany.
“A lot of people ask why we have [a helipad],” Councilman David Boice said. “It happens more than anybody knows, we’re landing helicopters multiple times a year.”
The board also recognized two recently retired employees: Ruth Wittlinger, who served more than 20 years as Ancram’s court clerk, and Lori Weigl, who served more than five years as deputy court clerk.
With the 250th anniversary of the United States approaching, the town is forming a committee to plan commemorative events and is seeking volunteers.
Board to Operate With Four Members Until November Election
Earlier this month, the Ancram Town Board decided to leave a vacant council seat unfilled until voters weigh in this fall.
For more than two and a half hours on Feb. 3, the board interviewed six candidates seeking to fill the seat vacated when former member Colleen Lutz was elected town supervisor. At a special meeting Feb. 10, the four remaining board members voted not to appoint a replacement and instead leave the seat open until the November 2026 election.
The candidate elected by the public will serve the remainder of Lutz’s original term through December 2027. Interviews and deliberations at both meetings were held in executive session.
“We had six outstanding candidates step forward,” said Lutz, “each of whom could have added something to the board. But in the end, we agreed to have the people of Ancram vote on the new member.”
Board members Amy Gold and David Boice also thanked the candidates and encouraged them to remain involved in town government and consider running in the fall.
The next Town Board meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. March 19.
Will Maitland Weiss contributed reporting to this article.