N.Y. — A former fire chief was arrested Friday and charged with stealing over $100,000 from his volunteer fire department Williams Storrs is accused of using his position as treasurer and fire chief in the Marbletown Fire Department to steal money over four years according to a news release from New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli was established in 1971 and has three engines according to the department’s website a fire department member tried to make a purchase with the department’s debit card but it was declined due to lack of funds The department then reported potential theft to State Police Troopers found that between January 2020 and July 2024 He used fire department debit cards to make personal purchases and made direct payments from the department’s accounts Storrs allegedly used the money to pay off his wife’s credit card and purchase items from various retailers Storrs is charged with second-degree grand larceny Storrs was replaced as chief and suspended from the department in 2024 after the theft allegations ©2025 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit syracuse.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. along with the New York State Comptrollers Office reported the arrest on Thursday (2/27) of William R of 2050 Shuller Road in Newark for Grand Larceny The arrest follows an extensive investigation that began prior to a lawsuit filed last August 26 by Syracuse attorney Bradley Pinsky against William and his wife Nicole Storrs William Storrs was the Marbletown chief from January 5th of 2024 until late July 2024 Prior to becoming chief he was the department’s treasurer from January 2020 until becoming chief continuing in that role until late July of 2024 fire department members noticed unusual withdrawals and other unauthorized transactions by William and/or Nicole Storrs Those included hundreds of personal purchases at businesses Pinsky in a phone call on Thursday (2/27) now suggested charges to porn sites.  The Storrs reportedly controlled passwords and access to numerous fire department accounts and credit cards and refused to release access to those accounts despite demands from department members The Comptrollers Office stated Storrs utilized fire department funds without the departments’ permission for his own personal benefit over the four year period the Comptroller lists reported thefts of $101,394.50 taking place from January 2020 through July of 2024 stated that his department consists of between 30-35 active firefighters and was organized in 1971.  Fairville Fire Department and the Newark Fire Department for town fire protection is approximately $65,280 each specializes in representing approximately 500 fire districts ambulance services and individual emergency medical technicians and firefighters throughout New York after informing Pinsky of William Storr’s arrest he stated he knew the Comptroller’s Office and Sate Police were gathering evidence and reviewing the Marbletown records in the case or rare to find volunteer agency embezzlements Volunteers believe their fellow firefighters are incapable of doing this." He added that citing cases throughout New York fire and ambulance departments William Storrs was arraigned and released to appear in County Court on the charges nor NY State Police indicated whether Nicole Storrs would also face charges or if more charges are pending in this case.  — The former chief of the Marbletown Fire Department is accused of stealing from the organization Authorities announced Friday that William Storrs was arrested after stealing $101,000 from the department Investigators from the Office of the New York State Comptroller launched a joint investigation with New York State Police last year to look into allegations of theft according to a release from Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli Those included hundreds of personal purchases at businesses, restaurants and other venues, as well as a down payment on a vehicle, according to the Times of Wayne County Authorities said the theft was discovered when a member of the fire department tried to make a purchase with the department's credit card but it was declined due to a lack of funds Storrs was replaced as chief and suspended from the department when the allegations came to light "William Storrs was elected fire chief after serving as treasurer and took advantage of these positions to mislead and betray his department and community,” DiNapoli said in a statement "Storrs allegedly stole funds meant to support the department and used them for his own personal needs." Storrs, 36, is charged with grand larceny. He was booked in the Wayne County Jail on Thursday and released with an appearance ticket If you’re driving 55 miles an hour on Route 209 six miles south of Kingston — on that stretch where cornfields roll away to the west and you’re not quite sure whether you’re in Marbletown yet or still in Hurley — you might not register that the colorful little sign on the east side of the road that says New Beginnings doesn’t announce a preschool or daycare center The third word on that sign that you didn’t quite have time enough to read is “Farmstead.” It’s a place worth discovering for sure: a 130-acre former dairy farm that these days is mostly given over to sugarbush And you’ll have a great excuse to pay a visit the last two weekends in March when New Beginnings Farmstead offers tours talks and demonstrations as part of New York State’s Maple Weekend celebrations Maple sugaring activity only lasts for a couple of months each year of course,in late winter when nights are cold days are a little warmer and the sap is running Any agritourism-based operation needs to draw on multiple income streams to survive these days 25 acres of New Beginnings are leased by a company called Cypress Creek as home to a solar farm The O&W Rail Trail passes just behind it And a beautifully renovated 3,200-square-foot former dairy barn and adjoining patio new serve as a party venue hosting up to ten weddings each summer and autumn The prospect of getting married in a meadow with a view of the Catskills followed by a reception in a rustic building surrounded by maple trees in glorious October array attracts couples from all over the country Elisa Tinti: “We recently had a destination wedding from Arizona No one involved lived anywhere around here.” who had purchased the former Generation Farm together the preceding year Locals will recognize those names from their more visible roles as longtime City of Kingston employees: Elisa is the city clerk who has been with the department since 1992 She’s a Kingston native; he was born in the Bronx working for his father’s construction business While the wedding venue is fully booked a year in advance and their maple and honey products including the Twisted Trees line of flavored syrups have been well-received and even won some awards New Beginnings Farmstead still hasn’t become any sort of cash cow and they have a group of eager friends (also colleagues from the city administration) whom they call the A Team volunteering their time to the enterprise as well “Nobody’s ‘employed.’ Everybody just comes together,” says Elisa Kingston’s department of public works superintendent environmental education and sustainability coordinator Coon had his own wedding at the farm in 2016 and is now the guy responsible for stoking the evaporator with downed maple wood to make sap into syrup There used to be days when we would run the evaporator from 7 or 8 a.m With a new reverse osmosis machine that pulls water from the sap the sugarmaking operation continues to be streamlined with slightly more sophisticated technology the A Team was laying out a new “main line” that would transport sap — previously collected in a widespread array of about 40 plastic barrels that needed daily emptying by a truck with a pump — directly to a second 500-gallon collection tank “We’re trying to connect everything so that it comes to us because it actually does suck the sap out of the trees,” Elisa notes it has not been a good sap season because it’s been so cold as daytime temperatures creep above freezing enough sap will flow to provide a nice big batch of syrup in time for the Maple Weekend visitors who has many years of experience in environmental education Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts have already booked visits during the weekends of March 22/23 and 29/30 Planned educational activities include a walk through a maple stand The kids also get to eat hot waffles with syrup decorate maple cookies and feed the resident sheep which Elisa describes as “giant dogs” who “mow the lawn for you.” © 2022 Ulster Publishing © 2022 Ulster Publishing A former fire chief and treasurer of the Marbletown Volunteer Fire Department has been arrested for allegedly stealing $101,000 from the department over four years Wayne County District Attorney Christine Callanan and the New York State Police announced the arrest of William Storrs on Friday Investigators say Storrs used department funds to pay off his wife’s credit card and make personal purchases from various retailers “William Storrs was elected fire chief after serving as treasurer and took advantage of these positions to mislead and betray his department and community,” DiNapoli said “Storrs allegedly stole funds meant to support the department and used them for his own personal needs.” An investigation launched by the State Comptroller’s Office and State Police in 2024 uncovered that from January 2020 to July 2024 Storrs allegedly misused fire department debit cards and made direct payments from the department’s accounts for personal expenses The scheme unraveled when a department member attempted to use a debit card for an authorized purchase and was declined due to insufficient funds leading to the discovery of unauthorized transactions and a formal complaint to law enforcement Storrs was removed as fire chief and suspended from the department in July 2024 after the allegations came to light New York State Police Superintendent Steven G James emphasized the importance of holding public officials accountable Storrs was entrusted by the Marbletown Fire Department to serve and protect the community but instead put his greed first,” James said Storrs has been charged with grand larceny in the second degree and was arraigned in Wayne County Centralized Arraignment Part Court Get the latest headlines delivered to your inbox each morning. Sign up for our Morning Edition to start your day. FL1 on the Go! Download the free FingerLakes1.com App for iOS (iPhone, iPad) FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email protected]. The Marbletown Volunteer Fire Department has filed a lawsuit against its former fire chief and his wife William Storrs and his wife, Nicole, are accused of bilking the department for about $125,000, according to Fingerlakes1.  The couple used department funds for personal expenses Storrs served as the department’s chief from January until recently following his tenure as treasurer from 2020 His wife took over as treasurer when he became chief and held the position until late July.  The alleged thefts occurred between 2021 and 2023 Unauthorized cash withdrawals and transfers were allegedly placed in the couple's personal accounts Susan Nicol is the news editor for Firehouse.com She is a life member and active with the Brunswick Volunteer Ambulance & Rescue Company Susie has been an EMT in Maryland since 1976 Susie is vice-president of the Frederick County Fire/Rescue Museum She is on the executive committee of Frederick County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association She also is part of the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) Region II EMS Council Susie is a board member of the American Trauma Society she was a staff writer for The Frederick News-Post Sometimes all it takes is one sentence to catapult you back in time and that's exactly what happened this week when a Hudson Valley resident asked a relatively simple question "What is/was the name of the Italian restaurant on 209 that supposedly sold the best chicken parmigiana[?] It's between Kingston and Rosendale" I immediately knew which restaurant she was talking about The flood of comments made me wonder if the since-closed restaurant might be the business that Ulster County misses most Even though the location could be more accurately described as between Stone Ridge the answer was clear: the restaurant in question was the former Marbletown Inn What may be more important than the answer were the memories shared about the former community staple "And I loved their Italian dressing!!!" came a comment that seemed to sum up the feelings of everybody in the thread my memories of the restaurant stretch back more than twenty years located at 2842 Route 209 in Ulster County was where my cross-country track team at Rondout Valley High School went to eat end-of-season team meals It was also the setting for one of my first dates after getting my driver's license I even got to join a local band on stage one fateful night when I was no older than 14 years old and played the bass in front of strangers for the first time the restaurant hasn't fully disappeared The building that used to house the Marbletown Inn is now the home of another local favorite, the High Falls Café. While the location may be relatively new, the High Falls Café has been a local favorite since 2005 the restaurant even offers the dish that got this conversation started in the first place: chicken parmigiana Gallery Credit: Houlihan Lawrence Inc via Zillow Legend says they had the best chicken parm in the region\nRead More The building that used to house the Marbletown Inn is now the home of another local favorite, the High Falls Café. While the location may be relatively new, the High Falls Café has been a local favorite since 2005 The Marbletown Volunteer Fire Department has filed a lawsuit against former fire chief William Storrs and his wife accusing them of embezzling approximately $125,000 from the department filed Monday in State Supreme Court by Syracuse-based attorney Bradley Pinsky alleges that the couple used department funds for personal expenses William Storrs served as the department’s chief from January until recently Nicole Storrs took over as treasurer when William became chief with the couple reportedly making unauthorized cash withdrawals and transfers from fire department accounts into their personal accounts FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email protected]. Hudson Valley landlord advocate Richard Lanzarone, lead plaintiff in the article 78 court proceeding which failed to overturn rent stabilization in the city of Kingston was taken in hand by state police at 6:30 a.m The 72-year-old was arrested and charged with one count of unlawful imprisonment in the 2nd degree — a class A misdemeanor describing a person unlawfully restraining another person State Police advised that they could not share anything more over the phone and that a FOIL request would have to be filed for any anything further Lanzarone previously made the news on multiple occasions challenging housing vacancy studies in the cities of Newburgh the Open Space Institute (OSI) transferred a 93-acre parcel of land that is both scenically stunning and ecologically rich to the Town of Marbletown within walking distance of the town’s Main Street the Osterhoudt Flats property features meadowlands forests and an old farming road that will become the site of a proposed two-mile multiuse community trail According to Marbletown supervisor Rich Parete the parcel was given the highest score under the Town’s Community Preservation Plan because of its proximity to Main Street its sweeping views of the Shawangunk Ridge to one side and the Catskill Mountains to the other The property also has rich agricultural soil has 47 acres of forest behind the open field and abuts another 40 acres of forest on an adjoining property “Preserving the Osterhoudt Flats protects a sizable property in the heart of Stone Ridge with great accessibility to the town for recreational use as well as maintaining the Town’s scenic gateway and environmental resources,” said the supervisor The parcel can be directly accessed for hiking skiing and horseback riding from the center of town The parcel was purchased by OSI from the conservation-minded landowners for $1.1 million in 2023 with funds from the organization’s internal endowment The acquisition was then held by the land preservation organization until Marbletown was able to leverage its Community Preservation Fund in combination with a $500,000 grant from the New York State Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation to purchase the property from OSI: the first-ever use of the fund “We thoroughly agree with the assessment reached by the Town of Marbletown’s Community Preservation Plan: that the Osterhoudt Flats property is the highest-priority acquisition for the community The farm is a remarkably scenic open field near the middle of Stone Ridge with impressive views; protects an important local aquifer; and will be ideal for recreational use by the residents of the Town and Ulster County.” Anderberg went on to note that in his estimation the Osterhoudt Flats property also fits in well with the town’s ambitious plan to create interconnected recreational trails throughout the town “potentially connecting the O&W Rail Trail the town will hold an informational meeting on the proposed uses of the property “finalize plans and hopefully start Phase One in the spring.” Parete said that he believes “this property will get a lot of use Marbletown and the Osterhoudt family have worked together to preserve The Osterhoudt Flats property mirrors another OSI project in Marbletown that was protected by the Open Space Institute in 2009 is another scenic and pastoral property that is protected in perpetuity by a conservation easement “has not significantly changed since the Osterhoudts started farming it in the 18th century As one drives west and north along Route 213 from the center of Stone Ridge to Olive these two preserved properties are a reminder of the rich agricultural heritage of the Town of Marbletown.” Claude and Holly Osterhoudt are members of a multigenerational farming family who have devoted their lives to local agriculture Anderberg said that OSI and the town were grateful that “Claude and Holly shared the town’s and OSI’s vision for open space,” adding that they were “an absolute joy to work with.” in addition to the rich agricultural history of the recently acquired parcel it is also historically significant for other reasons He said that there is an African American burial ground located adjacent to the property that is in need of preservation as well as a “separate section of the Winchell Cemetery on Route 213,” which also has local historical significance that dates back to the Civil War When asked what OSI’s hope was for the future of this property now that it was in the hands of the municipality “OSI very much supports the Town of Marbletown’s plans for the property For years we have envisioned this property as a Town-owned preserve which will protect an important agricultural and scenic resource but also allow for passive recreational use and become a peaceful oasis where the community can gather.” Many people intimate with the parcel and the plans for it to have multiuse trails that are free and open to the public compare it to the über-popular River-to-Ridge Trail in New Paltz The 5.5-mile trail can be accessed from Main Street in downtown New Paltz or directly from the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail where it winds through the farmlands and foothills that lie between the Village of New Paltz and the Shawangunk Ridge “The River-to-Ridge preserve and the scenic trail have turned out to be enormously popular with outdoor enthusiasts It’s OSI’s hope that the Osterhoudt Flats property can play a similar role: being used on a regular basis as a community gathering spot and a hub for interconnected trails as well as remaining environmentally protected and maintaining the scenic views that attract so many people to Stone Ridge The Marbletown Fire Chief was arrested after he allegedly falsified business records and stole money The story comes to us from our news partners at The Times of Wayne County. State Police Investigators out of Lyons received a report on September 23 concerning the theft of receipts from the regular Thursday night Bingo game at the fire department Investigators executed a search warrant on Thursday after Kyle M The point of sales record confirmed Verstraete omitted sales and added other sales which did not happen The Times reports Verstraete served as the cashier for the bingo night and was responsible for the deposit paperwork and receipts Verstraete was charged with Petit Larceny and Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree He was released on appearance tickets for Arcadia Town Court on October 9 The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) last week joined Marbletown Supervisor Rich Parete and Rosendale Supervisor Jeanne Walsh to mark the delivery of a truck that will provide clean drinking water to 200 homes and businesses in High Falls during the upcoming shutdowns of the Catskill Aqueduct DEP is currently working on a $158 million project to rehabilitate the 92-mile-long Catskill Aqueduct which delivers drinking water from Ashokan Reservoir to New York City The project—which includes cleaning the inside of the aqueduct and replacing century-old valves—requires DEP to shut down the aqueduct for 10 weeks each year through 2021 While planning for the aqueduct rehabilitation DEP identified that High Falls did not have an adequate backup supply of drinking water for its district during shutdowns of the Catskill Aqueduct The High Falls Water District draws about 30,000 gallons of water each day from the aqueduct which currently is the only source of water for the district Rosendale and the High Falls Water District on an intergovernmental agreement to ensure the district had a reliable source of drinking water during the periodic shutdowns Through that agreement DEP provided up to $410,000 for High Falls to invest in equipment and infrastructure The bulk of that money went toward a 5,000-gallon water truck that will be used to shuttle clean drinking water to High Falls from the neighboring Rosendale Water District during the shutdown High Falls received the water truck this fall and will use it during the Catskill Aqueduct shutdown that begins in November DEP funds were also used for plumbing upgrades at the High Falls Plant allowing the truck to convey water into its water tower and treatment plant “I want to thank Supervisor Parete and Supervisor Walsh for collaborating with DEP over the past several years to ensure we could repair the Catskill Aqueduct while maintaining a reliable supply of drinking water for High Falls,” DEP Deputy Commissioner Paul Rush said “An immense amount of planning has gone into our rehabilitation of the Catskill Aqueduct—a project that is vital to the water supply for 9.6 million New Yorkers we were fortunate to work with our neighbors in Marbletown and Rosendale to find a solution that met the needs of their residents and our construction project.” “I would like to thank the Department of Environmental Protection for working with the Town of Marbletown to ensure that we have adequate equipment and a back-up water supply to serve the High Falls Water District,” Marbletown Supervisor Rich Parete said “Our priority was to make sure none of our residents or businesses noticed a difference in their water service during the aqueduct shutdowns and DEP has worked with us to meet that goal.” “The Town of Rosendale thanks DEP for working with both towns to provide a water truck that will ensure residents of the High Falls Water District continue to have safe drinking water during the upcoming shutdowns of the Catskill Aqueduct,” Rosendale Supervisor Jeanne Walsh said The High Falls Water District includes approximately 200 connections that serve nearly 500 residents along the border of Marbletown and Rosendale NYC is a trademark and service mark of the City of New York Privacy Policy. Terms of Use.  New York Almanack August 13, 2023 by 2 Comments In July, the Open Space Institute (OSI) has acquired the historic 90-acre Osterhoudt Flats property that is expected to host a multi-use community trail in the Town of Marbletown, Ulster County, NY OSI purchased the 90-acre property on Atwood Road from landowners Claude and Holly Osterhoudt The Osterhoudt family settled in Stone Ridge in 1778 and have continuously resided on the original farmstead flanking both sides of Atwood Road further north Open Space Institute purchased the development easement to preserve their 70-acre farm in perpetuity Claude and his father Earl Osterhoudt purchased the flats from the Huguenot Historical Society of New Paltz (Historic Huguenot Street) who had purchased the property from Sarah Chipp Lounsbery a life member of the Huguenot Historical Society who died at the age of 96 in 1988 Lounsbery had previously lived in the Wynkoop Lounsbery House on Main Street in Marbletown, a historic home where George Washington is said to have spent the night on his way to Kingston on November 15 A lifelong resident of Stone Ridge, Lounsbery was a past president and lifetime member of the Stone Ridge Library and a former Postmaster of the Stone Ridge Post Office, having been appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt The flats were in the Lounsbery family for over a century and were previously owned by the Van Leuven and Hardenburgh families Another Lounsbery stone house was donated to the town to become the Stone Ridge Library In 1775 when Marbletown was the New York State capital for 30 days Richard and Edward Lounsbery signed the Articles of Association ten days after the battle of Lexington and Concord written by the Continental Congress “sought the salvation of the rights and liberties of Americans.” It was New York State’s official opposition of British rule The Osterhoudt Flats property was listed as one of the highest priority acquisitions in the Town of Marbletown’s Community Preservation Plan due to the land’s recreation potential and wildlife habitat as well as containing the source of what is known as the School Aquifer Residential wells in surrounding areas rely on the School Aquifer as a primary source of clean water The property is located within the watershed of the Esopus Creek Containing 42 acres of forested lands and 48 acres of grasslands and meadowlands the Osterhoudt Flats property is large enough to provide significant habitat for forest creatures and grassland birds including several species that are listed as rare The Town of Marbletown intends to use a newly established Community Preservation Fund to purchase the property from OSI and create a two-mile multi-use trail through the property’s meadowlands — the first-ever use of the Fund Transfer of the property from OSI to the Town is expected to happen within the next three years the citizens of Marbletown approved a ballot initiative to enact a Real Estate Transfer Tax (RETT) that would provide revenue exclusively for the Community Preservation Fund A one-time tax applies to new property sales above the median price of a home in Ulster County providing funding for community conservation projects without the need to raise taxes The municipality may use the Fund to acquire land for open space preservation Photo of Osterhoudt Flats provided by Open Space Institute; map courtesy town of Marbletown Stories written under the Editorial Staff byline are drawn from press releases and other notices. 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We are excited to once again celebrate Marbletown, New York as our hometown of the week Fun fact Marbletown for a brief minute was the Capital of New York According to Wikipedia Marbletown served as our state capital briefly following the burning of Kingston by the British during the revolutionary war If you have ever traveled on Route 213 or 209 south out of Kingston you have driven right through this Ulster County town It covers about 55 square miles and has both the Rondout and Esopus creeks running through it The last time we named Marbletown our Hometown of the week with our local Hometown Stewarts Shops we learned that  The Roost located at 3542 Main St Stone Ridge which is a Hamlet of Marbletown has the best chicken and waffles We also found out about a lot of celebrities that call this town home According to the census in 2020 Marbletown has a population of just over 5600 Turns out that even though it is a small town it is also popular with many famous people So some of those 5000-plus people may be celebrities you can spot around town It was once the New York State Capital and has what could be the cutest museum.\nRead More We are excited to once again celebrate Marbletown, New York as our hometown of the week According to Wikipedia Marbletown served as our state capital briefly following the burning of Kingston by the British during the revolutionary war The last time we named Marbletown our Hometown of the week with our local Hometown Stewarts Shops we learned that  The Roost located at 3542 Main St A routine contest by the Ulster County Board of Elections to create a new “I voted” sticker design had some surprising results: the strangest design is running away with the vote 14-year-old Hudson Rowan from Marbletown learned about the contest for Ulster County teens from his mom I don't really know what to draw?’ And she was like that's not totally my drawing style to have with the stars I didn't totally want to do what everyone else was going to do with the patriotic stars and stuff I decided to do something completely different.” Five of the six contest submissions all have the same theme “I drew this head with kind of like a crazy funny head and then I didn't really know what to do with it I kind of left it for a little bit and then came back and decided to sketch out some like leg-tentacle type things coming out I just took a reel of colors and started adding random colors The submission went viral on social media and as of Thursday Rowan’s submission had racked up more than 36,000 votes the other submissions have below 600 votes recalling previous social media campaigns like when voters mobilized to name a British research ship “Boaty McBoatface.” Ulster County Board of Elections Commissioner Ashley Dittus says the contest continues throughout July They will print the other five entries for the August elections and use Rowan’s design for the November general election She says there is a viral TikTok post about the sticker and the BOE is thrilled to see people having fun with the contest who’s excited to enter high school this fall as a ninth grader says he loves dancing with friends and started skiing over the winter Rowan says he believes that because his design was so vibrant and different He also believes it tapped into the political zeitgeist energetic feel kind of relates to the state of the world and how everything's kind of crazy right now And I think how it's kind of like the mangled hair I feel like it relates to how everything's kind of chaotic and confusing, There's a lot happening in the world right now and is a lot happening in that picture Rowan says he’s thankful for all the support he’s gotten and has enjoyed the comments he’s been receiving on Twitter You can see his design and the other entries at wamc.org Be one of the first to know what's coming up on WAMC See additional subscription options It was once the New York State Capital and has what could be the cutest museum.\nRead More The "I Voted" sticker might look quite different and unique at Ulster County polls in November voters will walk out with a sticker designed by the winner of a student contest The contest is open through July and the leader is nothing like the traditional "I Voted" sticker Featuring what looks like a human head on a spider's body Hudson Rowan's design had garnered more than 37,000 votes — 94% of the total — as of Thursday morning That's a higher vote count than Ulster saw for the June primaries "It's a head with legs with colors," Hudson said "I decided to do something different," Hudson said about veering away from the traditional patriotic style of voting stickers "Well I definitely thought it was unique," John Quigley the Republican commissioner for the Ulster County Board of Elections this is how voters feel about politics right now and I thought it was almost like the best way to summarize it It sort of is exactly how we all feel about politics right now." "It's gone a little viral," said Ashley Dittus Democratic commissioner for Board of Elections "Hudson's design has struck a chord with people and we are really having a good time watching all those people from Ulster County which has skyrocketed in interest thanks in large part to Hudson's design COVID: New York cases rise as omicron BA.5 subvariant spreads Poughkeepsie: Public housing may change. Here's how Elections: See New York primary results Hudson said the interest the design has garnered came as a happy surprise "I did not think I was going to get as much attention as I did," Hudson said "I thought since mine was very different from the others I didn't think mine was going to get a lot of attention because of that Though Hudson's design has a significant lead but Hudson's definitely off to a strong lead." Hudson is not "super deep in politics," but saw an opportunity to showcase art with the sticker contest Using the digital program Procreate and Apple Pen Hudson was able to build the design off "the little sketch of the head So I decided to make it not boring by adding the legs and then took the color wheel and put a whole bunch of color to it to make it more vibrant and to catch the eye." The contest was open to students throughout Ulster County between the ages of 13 and 18 School districts received contest information in April some hand drawn and others composed with computer graphics The Board of Elections staff makes sure different school districts are represented then whittles the submissions to six finalists "We lay them all out on a conference room table and everybody in the office takes turns picking out their top three and whoever gets the most votes in the office is then who we put out for the public vote," Dittus said and the winner also receives an award from the Ulster County Legislature "We’re getting a kick out of it," Dittus said of the interest in the contest "We’re just excited to make people smile when they vote because there’s a lot off stress out there so we hope that this makes people smile on their way out the door." Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Learn More The future of emergency management services in Marbletown were front and center at Monday night's town board meeting the Marbletown First Aid Unit — which provides services to the town —  announced they would move to a partially paid model This would allow for better service during the busiest times of the day The move though would cost about $20,000 for the rest of this year and the rescue unit will be asking for more than $200,000 in funding as they prepare for 2020 The town board says it would mean a 35 percent tax increase for residents but the chief of the unit says the change has already increased the response rate to emergencies so anything we can do to bring medical care to our community we are ready for it,” said Marbletown First Aid Unit Chief Karen Pardini and we are excited about this big change that's happening for us." The town board and rescue unit board agreed to continue the discussion but no commitment has been made about funding Newark- Senator Mike Nozzolio recently spoke at the Marbletown Fire Department’s 42nd Annual Banquet where he presented a special New York State Proclamation to Linda Croll on behalf of her late husband for his 40 years of service to the Marbletown Fire Department Senator Nozzolio also presented a Proclamation to Kyle Verstraete on his honor of being named Firefighter of the Year by the Department Pictured left to right are: Gary Verstraete Chief of Marbletown Fire Department; Gary McIlwain Town of Arcadia board member; Kyle Verstraete; Senator Mike Nozzolio; Linda Croll; Dominic Vitaro President of Marbletown Fire Department; and Brian Liechti Vice President of Marbletown Fire Department Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker