When Trustee Matt Barney last Tuesday praised the Village of Cobleskill’s May 1 cleanup day, that lit a fuse under Mayor Becky Terk.
Although she agreed with Mr. Barney that the cleanup day went well, with many volunteers pitching, Mayor Terk noted “that it was only one day.”
Trash and litter are year-round problems, she said.
The village has three trash cans at Golding Park, but people don’t use them, she added.
And the problem isn’t limited to Golding Park. Mayor Terk pointed to litter in Veterans’ Memorial Centre Park and on streets and sidewalks.
Also, she noted that people take shopping carts from Walmart and Price Chopper and just leave them in yards or sidewalks.
“And there’s household trash,” she said. “People leave trash bags for us to pick up.
“Our community has to start taking pride. It’s not okay to litter.”

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In other business last Tuesday, the village board:
•Heard Mayor Terk report on the tree survey to replace––or not––the large tree that was taken down in Veterans’ Memorial Centre Park. There were 140 responses, the vote favored planting a white fir in the park.
Noting the slight response from ballots placed in water bills, Clerk Sheila Wilday observed, “If I took a poll of ‘I don’t care,’ that would win.”
Nonetheless, the village will go ahead with planting a tree, and several groups and individuals have offered to do so.
“I have nothing more on that other than the trees have it,” Mayor Terk said.
•Agreed to have a public hearing at the village’s June meeting about a cannabis local law.
•Accepted the resignations of Trustee Matt Barney, who is moving out of the area, effective May 31, and senior account clerk/typist Jennifer Redmond effective May 10.