Ulster County has approved agreements with five towns and has another on tap as it begins a pilot program for the towns to take over snow removal duty on some county highways within those municipalities.
Woodstock, Saugerties and New Paltz are the latest towns to sign onto the agreement with the county”™s 20 towns. The agreement will  let town highway crews perform snowplowing and minor winter maintenance on small sections of county roads. And county officials hope to take what amounts to pilot programs this year, prove them workable and get more mileage and more towns in on the deal in coming years.
Towns are under no obligation to sign on, but if they agree to make the deal, they would be paid.
The county is geographically one of the largest in New York state and the theory is town highway departments can plow the county roads sooner, since they have to use those roads en route to the town roads. Currently, town vehicles ride those roads with their blades raised and sanders off.  Of the approximately 1,950 miles of roads in Ulster ”“ not including state highways ”“ 1,528 miles or 78 percent are town roads and 425 miles or 22 percent are county roads.
The mileage to be plowed and revenue to be paid are small compared with the potential. Under the deal with Saugerties, the town will be paid $13,333 to provide summer maintenance, snow removal and winter-related maintenance on a one-mile section of County Road 89 (Malden Turnpike), and a one-mile stretch of County Road 118 (Glasco Turnpike). ?Woodstock, will  service one-half mile stretch of County Road 114 (Rock City Road, a 0.4-mile length of County Road 47A (Lower Byrdcliffe Road), and a 0.25-stretch of County Road 114. New Paltz will service a 1.21-mile stretch of County Road 154 (Horseden Road). Gardiner under  an agreement approved in July,  will perform winter plowing, sanding and salting on a 2.59-mile stretch of County Road 127 (McKinstry Road) and a 2.49-mile stretch of County Road 129 (Sand Hill Road).
For several years, the county has had a similar snow-removal agreement with the town of Hardenburgh under which the town plows county roads in that community. Next up is the town of Shandaken with a resolution expected to be passed in September. The contract  dates are different for each town.
It is unlikely any additional towns will sign up this year, according to Deputy County Executive Robert Sudlow, who said that the need to finalize town and county budgets made more arrangements unlikely this year. But he said county officials will take the results of this year”™s programs back to current town partners next year, to get them to expand the mileage they are servicing, as well as use it to convince other towns to sign on.    ?“We know it works because other counties around New York state are doing it and showing it works,” Sudlow said. “And  when you look at the shrinking revenue base of state, county and towns, we all have to find ways to work together more efficiently  than we used to do.”
