Fears that local agencies would have to ask CP Rail to pay for police coverage for its own 2012 Holiday Train have been put to rest.
It turns out that the event-which collects donations for local food pantries and includes CP Rail-funded holiday entertainment as well as a check for the pantries from the railroad-isn't a parade.
Neither is the Marines' Toys for Tots train.
Under a Village of Cobleskill policy put in place in 2011 to help ease the budget crunch, community groups including CPI and the Friends of the Fourth are now being charged $1,200 for police coverage for their parades.
Though police coverage will still be required for traffic and crowd control, trains, it appears, are exempt from the fee.
The holidays are still a ways off, but local community groups were worried they'd have to cancel the November 29 CP Rail Holiday Train.
"This year is at least as difficult as last year, not just for us, but for not-for-profit organizations," Mayor Mark Galasso said as he and trustees worked last Tuesday to find a way around the dilemma.
Mayor Galasso maintains the village needs to turn to volunteer traffic control, fire police, and the Schoharie County TAC Force for what he sees as Schoharie County-wide events.
But Chief Larry Travis is sticking to his guns that it's no job for volunteers.
"It's a matter of public safety," Chief Travis argued. "It's very daunting to keep these parades under control.
"I've literally had to put my hands on the hood of cars, blowing my whistle, to get them to stop. It would be devastating if we had a tragedy..."
There was talk of shortening events like CPI's Holiday Parade-which in '11 required six Cobleskill PD officers and four TAC Force members, but it would be difficult to avoid at least two difficult intersections.
Trustee Linda Holmes said she'll foot the bill for the Holiday Parade if it comes to that.
"These are not-for-profits," she said. "We're just nickel and dime-ing these people to death."
CPI's Maggie Jackman Pryor asked whether they could ask the Police Department to volunteer for the Holiday Parade.
Mayor Galasso said he can't speak on behalf of the PD, but their contract specifically mentions their paid coverage for special events.
However, PBA representative Jeff Brown said he could float the idea of volunteering for the trains and Holiday Parade to the group-though if officers agreed, they would likely have to be in everyday clothes and not uniforms.