Announcements

Library Update:

The Town of Minisink has approved the contract with the Port Jervis Free Library on March 8, 2023.  Town residents should soon be able to renew their library cards at the Port Jervis Free Library.  These services are available only at the Port Jervis Free Library and not through the Ramapo Catskill Library System.

RCLS voted on their Direct Access Plan in 2021 and submitted it to New York State for approval.  This plan is the reason that town residents are not able to access the RCLS system and other libraries in the network.  It would have cost the town taxpayers over $250,000 a year to have access the RCLS System.

We would like to thank the Port Jervis Free Library for allowing these services for our town residents in the Minisink Valley Central School District.

Ralph Ford

Supervisor _______________________________________________________________

Orange County hosting hazmat collection events on April 14-15

Orange County will host a Hazardous Waste collection event for businesses, municipalities, school districts, and farms by appointment only on April 14th and Household Hazardous Waste and Operation Safe Scripts Pharmaceutical Collections for Orange County residents on April 15th at the Orange County Transfer Station #1 (OCTS #1) in New Hampton.

The address for both events is 21 Training Center Lane in New Hampton; The entrance to the site is located across from the Mid-Hudson Psych. Center on Route 17M.

“These events provide an opportunity to dispose of unwanted and potentially hazardous chemicals that people often accumulate over the years in a safe, environmentally conscious way,” Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus said. “I hope that residents take advantage of this cost-free opportunity to clear their homes of unnecessary and potentially dangerous products.”

The Friday, April 14th event is for businesses, schools, farms, and municipalities only and will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Pre-registration is required and the cost for disposal will be determined by the vendor based on the type and amount of waste to be disposed of (up to 220 pounds per vehicle).  Drop off times will be scheduled by the vendor.  A registration form can be found on the County website by clicking on the “Hazardous Waste” tab at http://www.orangecountygov.com/efs. Registrations will be accepted until Friday, March 31st.

The Saturday, April 15th event is free for Orange County residents with proof of residency (driver’s license or utility bill with Orange County address) and will also be held at the OCTS #1 Maintenance Garage in New Hampton located at the address above.  The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Deputies from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office will be on hand to collect unwanted over the counter and prescription medication.

Businesses, schools, farms, and municipalities must register for the Friday, April 14th event and may not attend the April 15th collection event. Fifty-five-gallon drums or containers containing similar volumes of waste are not permitted at the Household Hazardous Waste event on November 5th.

If you have questions about either of these events, please call Ermin Siljkovic at 291-3246 or visit the website orangecountygov.com/efs and click on the household hazardous waste tab.

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O&R WARNS: CROOKS PREYING ON PUBLIC IN BILL PAYMENT FRAUD

O&R customers are being hounded by a new round of predatory phone calls from crooks trying to steal O&R customers’ money.

The scheme goes this way: Crooks posing as O&R employees call unsuspecting customers and threaten them with the immediate shut off of their electric service if they don’t pay phony O&R bills with Green Dot or other prepaid debit cards.

Here are two big reasons not to believe any crook who makes a shutoff threat:

• NO DEBIT CARDS - O&R does not accept bill payment for electric and gas utility bills by Green Dot or any other prepaid debit cards. Never has.

• NO IMMEDIATE SHUTOFF - Disconnecting O&R electric or gas service for non-payment of bills involves a multi-step process – including written communications from O&R to the customer over a period of several days, or even weeks --- not hours. That process is regulated by the NYS Public Service Commission and NJ Board of Public Utilities.

So, if someone calls you, says they are an O&R employee and threatens to shut off your electric or gas service that day if not immediately paid through a prepaid debit card, remember these tips:

· Hang Up – Disengage so you’re not further subjected to the crook’s high-pressure “sales pitch.”

· Text Scam – After you hang up on them, the more aggressive crooks will try to repeat their shutoff threat by texting you. Ignore the threat. They are crooks.

· Don’t Hit “REDIAL” – The caller ID screen on your phone for the crook’s call may read “Orange and Rockland Utilities”, but that’s a hi-tech bogus copy of the utility company’s number. That’s not O&R. Do not redial, and don’t call the number that the caller gives you to call them back. That will reconnect you to the crook.

· Fast Track - If you are unsure about whether you have an overdue balance on your O&R bill, the fastest way to find out is to log onto your account through ORU.com/myaccount to review your latest account information. You also can call O&R’s automated phone system at 1-877-434-4100. Have your Orange and Rockland account number ready and follow the automated phone prompts to check your balance.

· Check the I.D. - If you are contacted by someone in-person or on the phone who says they represent O&R and you wish to verify their identity either ask for their photo ID card, if they are at the door, or get a call-back number if they are on the phone, and call O&R at: 1-845-577-3526 during business hours Monday – Friday 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. or 1-877-434-4100 O&R’s Customer Service Department off hours to verify their identity and the nature of their business with you. O&R employees and vendors are trained to cooperate with this request and are happy to comply with an identity verification request.

Remember, if you are feeling threatened or otherwise uncomfortable about your security during the exchange, immediately report the incident to your local police department at 911.

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E-ZPass On-the-Go

The Town of Minisink is now a participating E-ZPass On-the-Go retailer!  You can purchase your prepackaged E-ZPass tag for $25.00 from our Town Clerk's Office.  There is no additional cost for getting an E-ZPass tag at an On-the-Go location, the full $25.00 payment is moved to your account as soon as you register your tag.  Its as E-Z as 1-2-3, stop by and purchase your tag, mount the tag in your vehicle and register your tag within 48 hours!  Stop by our Town Clerk's Office and get yours today!!