PUBLIC NOTICES
Legal Notice of Public Hearing on Budget - Taghkanic Fire District
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Proposed Budget of the Taghkanic Fire District of the Town of Taghkanic, State of New York, will be presented to the residents and taxpayers of the Taghkanic Fire District and to the Board of Fire Commissioners for its consideration.
A PUBLIC HEARING will be held at 7:30 pm at the Taghkanic Fire House, 631 Old Route 82, Taghkanic, New York 12521, in the Town of Taghkanic, State of New York on the 21st day of October, 2025.
Pursuant to Town Law §105, the Board of Fire Commissioners must hold a public hearing on the budget, make the proposed budget available to the public prior to the public hearing, allow the public to comment on the budget at the public hearing. This public hearing must be held to allow maximum public participation in the hearing.
The purpose of the public hearing is to allow any person to be heard in favor of or against the proposed budget as it is submitted, or for or against any item or items contained in the proposed budget, and hearing all persons interested in the subject concerning the same.
That a copy of the proposed budget is available at the Office of the Town Clerk of the Town of Taghkanic at 483 County Route 15, Elizaville, NY 12523 and with Fire District Secretary via email tagh.fire.secretary@gmail.com. In addition, a copy of the proposed budget is posted on the fire district’s website taghkanicfiredistrict.gov and copies of the proposed budget will be available on the night of the said hearing.
Board of Fire Commissioners Taghkanic Fire DistrictProposed 2026 Budget of the Craryville Fire District
Public Notice
Residents of the Craryville Fire District
Towns of Claverack, Copake, Hillsdale and Taghkanic
Notice is Hereby Given that the Proposed 2026 Budget of the Craryville Fire District, of the Towns of Claverack, Copake, Hillsdale, and Taghkanic, State of New York, will be presented to the Board of Fire Commissioners of the Craryville Fire District, for its consideration.
A Public Hearing will be held at 7:00 pm at the Craryville Fire House, 4210 Cty. Rt. 7, Craryville, New York, Town of Copake, State of New York, on the 21st day of October, 2025.
Copies of the Craryville Fire District proposed budget for 2024 may be obtained by contacting the Town Clerk in respective towns. Individuals may offer oral or written comments in favor or against any items or items herein contained.
Barbara L. Scutt, Secretary
Craryville Fire District
Board of Fire Commissioners
New Hunting Regulations at Lake Taghkanic State Park
Lake Taghkanic State Park has introduced two major changes to its hunting regulations.
- We will now allow shotgun for BIG GAME HUNTING ONLY (Deer/Bear) (muzzleloading will be allowed starting in December) in the northern section of our park above the campground and the front and rear entrances of the park (See Map).
- We will not be allowing the 10/11-10/13 youth hunt since our campground is still open.
- We will also be opening waterfowl hunting specifically at the former Cloud property off County Rt. 8. Vehicles will need to park at trailhead and will not be allowed to drive down to pond.
A hunting free hunting permit is required from our park office, open 8am-6pm daily through 10/24. Winter hours will then be Mon-Fri 8am-3pm.
Please contact christopher.rickard@parks.ny.gov if you have any questions.Thanks!
Christopher D. Rickard
Town-based Survey of Senior Population Needs 2025
Much has changed since the pandemic, and your Columbia County Office for the Aging (CCOFA) wants to be sure that today’s services meet current and anticipated Senior Citizen needs. This survey will be used by the CCOFA to identify unmet needs and necessary service modifications to meet that goal. It will also provide town and other county agencies with a better understanding of their senior population. If you have any questions, please contact the CCOFA at (518) 828-4258.
As we all know, the value of the survey depends on the volume of participation. The success of town and county services depends on information that truly represents the seniors’ needs. And that means getting a reasonable percentage of completed surveys.
- Timetable: One Month to get as many surveys as possible
- Launch - September 10, 2025
- Final Collection Day - October 10 2025
Launch Day
At Senior Day Event at Chatham Fair Grounds - Sept. 10th - 10-2pm. A paper copy of the survey and a pen to complete it will be in every goody bag at the event. Completed surveys will be collected at the event. Copies of the survey are available at Town Hall, completed surveys may be delivered to Town Hall.
To fill out the survey online, use this link https://cgccsuny.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_elfuucl6M1qYmXQ.
To download a hard copy of the survey, click HERE.
For a hard copy, print - complete - deliver to Town Hall or mail it to: Nina Benvenuto - 325 Columbia St. Hudson, NY 12534
THANK YOU!!!
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Town Board of the Town of Taghkanic will be accepting letters of interest to fill the following open position:
Assistant Building Inspector
All letters of interest for the above position should be sent to Cheryl Rogers, Town Clerk, 483 County Route 15, Elizaville, New York 12523 or emailed to crogers42857@gmail.com.
Cheryl Rogers
Town Clerk
Taghkanic Community Forest
In 2023 the Columbia Land Conservancy initiated talks with a local landowner to purchase a large forested property in Taghkanic, with the idea of protecting the land from development through the creation of a community forest. The purchase was completed in early summer 2025 and was highlighted by a tree-planting event at which scores of local volunteers spent a Saturday with the aim of planting 1500 native trees. The goal is to open the forest to the public in 2026.
(See a video overview of the forest and the planting event here)
The forest is to be managed by the Community Forest Committee made up of members of the CLC, relevant experts, and local community volunteers. This will serve as the primary stewardship oversight body, accountable to the Columbia Land Conservancy Board of Trustees, to conduct stewardship activities and update the management plan as necessary or required.
Individuals interested in serving as a volunteer on the committee should use the QR Code in the image above or click here to learn more. You may also request additional details by emailing TaghkanicCommunityForest@gmail.com .
Columbia County Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day Event
- Saturday, September 13, 2025
- 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
- Location: Columbia County Fire Training Center
50 Grandinetti Drive, Ghent, New York br Entrance at Route 66 (Bender Blvd.)
For info on what to bring & what not to bring, download the flyer HERE
Reservoir Road Closed Due to Safety Concerns
Taghkanic Highway Superintendent, Eric Gaylord, is closing the crossing of a culvert on Reservoir Rd effective immediately.
A recent inspection of the culvert under Reservoir Road that directs water from the reservoir spillway downstream revealed structural problems. Town Engineer Patrick Prendergast, brought in for consultation, indicated "The headwalls are in poor condition. The east wall is severely undermined from erosion. One of the down-stream wing walls has fallen in the stream." He concluded, "The culvert should be repaired or replaced but should not be lift in service as is."
As a result, Reservoir Road has been closed to through traffic. The town board will discuss plans to address this situation at the monthly board meeting, Monday, March 10 at 7:00pm at the Taghkanic Town Hall. Interested parties may attend in person or via Zoom (see link above in Meetings Calendar).
DID YOU KNOW? The Highway Dept can accept metal for recycling throughout the year. Please e-mail Highway Superintendent Eric Gaylord at taghkanichighwayone@yahoo.com to arrange a time to drop off your recyclable metal waste at the town garage. Items for metal recycling must be at least 75% metal.
TAGHKANIC TALKS
Taghkanic Community Forest
Activities were underway at the soon-to-be Taghkanic Community Forest - a 500+ acre parcel of forested land within the town of Taghkanic. On Saturday, May 17th, about 100 volunteers showed up with gloves and shovels to assist workers from the Columbia Land Conservancy in planting 1800 bare-root seedlings of various species. Below are links to a couple of uncut drone-videos of the forest and the planting event, courtesy of our friend Frank Heiser.
2025 - The Year of the Forest
Taghkanic Talks is a program developed by the Taghkanic Climate Smart and Conservation Advisory Committees to host public presentations on a variety of topics of interest to the Taghkanic community. Past presentations have spotlighted community solar programs, heat-pump technology, and programs to assist with home weatherization. Another series focused on pollinators and native plant species, highlighting small but meaningful actions individuals can take to restore and preserve the ecology of our beautiful county.
In the upcoming months Taghkanic Talks will host a series of presentations we're calling The Forest in Your Backyard. Taghkanic and Columbia County reside within a vast stretch of contiguous forest stretching from Dutchess County to Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont. This forest provides essential habitat for a wide variety of plant, bird, insect, amphibian, aquatic, and mammalian species - and plays a critical role in providing clean drinking water for all of us.
If you own property in Taghkanic, chances are you own a portion of that forest. We hope you will join us for these presentations - and conversations - about what we can do to preserve and restore our forest resources.
Energy Tracking - Town Hall
In June 2022, four Mitsubishi air-source heat pumps were installed at Town Hall to replace the
existing oil-based heating and window air conditioning units. In the summer of 2023, the
lighting
system at Town Hall was converted from a combination of incandescent & fluorescent fixtures to
all
LED fixtures. A
recent analysis by the Climate Smart Committee shows how these changes affected energy use and
energy costs at Town Hall. The results indicate an annual cost saving of around $1076 and an
annual
reduction in energy use equivalent to 5.8 metric tons of CO2. This corresponds to the CO2
emitted by
1.3 average gasoline powered cars over a 1-year period.
But how
much CO2 is that? It's not easy to visualize, right? Well, imagine
a block of Dry Ice
measuring one meter high
X one meter deep X 3.72 meters wide, weighing over 12,000 pounds - that would be 5.8 metric tons
of
CO2 in its solid form.
See full
article.
TAGHKANIC SENIOR NETWORK
If you are interested in helping Taghkanic's seniors and caregivers, please contact TSN co-chairs Celine Kagan and Susan Silverman at taghkanic60plus@gmail.com.
2024 Zoning Amendments
STRs & ADUs in Taghkanic
In 2024 the Town Board passed two local laws updating the town oning Code. Local Law #3 2024 permits and sets forth the regulations for Short Term Rentals in Taghkanic. Local Law #2 2024 defines and allows for Accessory Dwelling Units. The permitting of ADUs was enacted so that Taghkanic residents would be eligible for NY State grant funding to help residents with the costs of building or restoring these structures. The county has applied for the grant and will be notified of the outcome in 2025.
Taghkanic Community Fridge
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The community fridge is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week.
You can't
miss it - the cheery yellow building sits
alongside the back door of Town Hall. The fridge and pantry are stocked with all manner of
foods, including meals prepared by Columbia Kitchen.
We welcome food donations - click on image to
download full-size PDF of Guidelines. If you'd like to join our brigade of fridge
volunteers and help manage, clean and stock the fridge, please contact Betsy
(betsyalbertfortaghkanic@gmail.com).
Here are two ways to donate directly to the Fridge: PayPal (@TaghkanicFridge); or drop a donation in the box at Town Hall. Donations are NOT tax deductible. However, if you'd like your donation to be tax deductible, OR if you have a matching donation program through your employer and would like to double your impact, you can make a donation to the Purpose Cooperative. The Purpose Cooperative is a 501c3 through which we receive our Shared Plate stipend. You can send a check to Purpose Cooperative, 95 Main Street #546, Philmont, NY 12565 and ask that it be earmarked for the Taghkanic Fridge.
Official Town Newsletter