Town of Woodbury digest

Highland Mills - The following items come from the e-newsletter published monthly by Woodbury Town Councilman James Skoufis: Local government The Woodbury Firecracker Festival Committee, and especially its chairperson, Maria Hunter, ought to be congratulated for a successful event earlier this month. The fire companies, town, village, school district and EMS services also made the day and night possible. As Councilman Frank Palermo noted recently at a town board meeting, a special thanks goes to Colleen Pearce of Jay’s Deli for her ceaseless dedication to our community. Most recently, she and Emily McKay opened up Jay’s on July 4th just to be sure the Camp Rez attendees had food on their first day. This year’s road improvements are underway; use caution and reduce speeds on roads undergoing repair both for your safety as well as the safety of our Highway Department employees. Both parks - the Rez and the Central Valley Pool - are now open. The town employs nearly 100 seasonal employees to operate the parks. Among many others, Supervisor John Burke and the town board, Parks Director Joey Gianzero, the Parks Commissioners and especially, the Buildings and Grounds Department headed by Bobby Blair put in many hours in preparation of the park openings and continue to do so to maintain them throughout the year. The Village of Woodbury was recently voted the “Best Tasting Water in Orange County” and will now go on to compete statewide. “Who needs Brita when you have our water department?” Skoufis asked. New York State’s recently passed 2 percent property tax cap will have a far-reaching effect on all municipal governments and school districts. Over the past two years the town board has kept taxes at or below the cap. That said, there is a great deal to be learned about the details of the cap and what it means for Woodbury in preparation of the budget meetings later this year. Woodbury calendar Saturday, July 16: The annual Woodbury Kid’s Day at Earl Reservoir. Fun and games begin at noon with Cloud Nyne playing from 2 to 6 p.m. Monday, July 25: The Highland Mills Fire Company holds its third annual “Smoking Hot Day of Golf” at the Falkirk Estate and Country Club. Raffles will include new car(s), round-trip airfare, cash prizes, and more. Register at woodburyfire.com. For more information, call Mike at 774-5943. Thursdays: The Woman of Woodbury Yoga Class meets every Thursday night from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Senior Center. The class is $5 and there is no registration fee and no contract to sign for a specified number of weeks or months. Anyone attending must bring their own yoga mat. For additional information, call Lisa at 988-7694.