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ITS TIME TO VOTE
All of these ideas Came from Chatham Neighbors.
Vote for your favorite by MAY 15th 2026
Community volunteers got a grant to run a year-long nonpartisan listening campaign, host community events, and gather ideas from Chatham residents. After the vote, is in we’ll share the results and gather volunteers to pursue the idea that wins the most votes.
Voting is open to All Chatham residents 10 years or older
Proposed Ideas
1. Invasive Species Reduction Campaign to address the Toringo Crab Apple Create a list of meadows overrun by the invasive Toringo Crab Apple. Create a community task force to remove it -with landowners' approval and participation- from fallow meadows ranked by priority. Have participating landowners place remediated land in some form of conservation easement.
2. Increase Public Trail access for Walkers, Bikers, Horseback Riders and Runners Chatham has an extensive network of trails on private land that are generally off-limits to the public. It would be a great benefit for recreational activity if we could open some of these trails to more public access. Linking these trails together via interconnected gravel roads would create a great public resource for walkers, bikers, riders and runners alike.
3. Widen the Shoulder for a Bike Path on Rock City Road and Reduce the Speed Limit. Rock City Road doesn’t have a wide enough shoulder. Speeding on Rock City Road makes it dangerous for biking and walking. Reduce speed to 35 and add bike paths.
4. Support Chatham's Immigrant Farm Workers Farming and food manufacturing is environmental stewardship. Farming requires a skilled labor force. Friends and neighbors are under attack through illegal searches, seizures, sequestration, detentions and deportations. These are our allies in the future of regenerative, economically equitable, viable agriculture. Part of our climate adaption and carbon sequestration strategy needs to be improving local, state and federal protection of our immigrant workforce. Advocate to pass the NY for Act, to limit the use of state resources and prevent state and local law enforcement from colluding with ICE in their federal immigration mandate.
5. Promote Solar Energy with Homeowners, Schools, Local Businesses and other Local Stakeholders. A community drive to promote solar energy locally. Provide residents and businesses with the information needed to harness the sun for their electricity, rather than fossil fuels. Embrace solar--when and if possible, based on local conditions--to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, cut our energy costs, and be an example of 'change from within' in small towns.
6. Survey the Schools to Find out how the Community can be More Supportive and Involved. Specifically around promoting energy efficiency and Future Farmers of America type programs.
7. Collect Data and Improve Water Quality A dedicated task force to collect data on water quality and suggest solutions. Possible protections: buffers and enforced "no build" zones in stream, wetland, and lake corridors. Tighten the building code. Several new homes have been constructed in the floodplain of creeks. Grandfathered construction close to surface water impacts the water table, and should be monitored for septic and other pollutants from run-off. Most parts of the country do not have clean or adequate water to support their populations. We are blessed with abundance, let's protect it.
8.Community Swimming Pool and Playground Upgrade at Crellin Park or Other Location
9. Create a Public Space to Talk About Environmental Issues and Ways We Could Protect Chatham and its Beauty Together. Create a public space/venue/opportunity to talk together, as a community, about environmental issues and ways to protect our town and its beauty. The Town Board is not serving well in this capacity, and there is inadequate transparency about their decisions.
10. Create a Road Map for Local Food Security Map out what it will take to be food secure/independent to feed ourselves in Chatham.
11. Create more Local Signage to Slow Traffic Develop attractive small signs that remind motorists to slow when passing horses and pedestrians - post on dirt roads.
12. Develop a Taskforce To Address Potential Data Centers I'd like a discussion or taskforce to address potential data centers so the community is prepared and has a plan for handling that if one is proposed.
13. Expand the Rail Trail in Chatham. I would like to see the rail trails expanded in Chatham. There is a great unused line from the village up through Old Chatham that could be improved and would be a great place to bike or walk.
14. Get a grant to Remove Invasives at Crellin Park and Dig out Smith Pond- it's filled with silt.
15. Encourage Hunting in Chatham Initiate a Town-wide easement type plan to encourage landowners to allow hunting and fishing. This might include creative language to limit land owner liability.
16. Improve Connecting Farmers to Land Accelerate or improve getting food growers looking for land connected to land. Figure out how to bring back or encourage more farming and have the farmers be very happy with their situation.
17. Improve the Farmers Markets and Promote Community Gardens Form a new organization perhaps. Maybe a nexus with CSA pickups. Make it easier for sellers to participate. More promo and communication online. More outreach and mentoring of future producers. Have tailgate sales to complement. More community gardens in more locations would also be cool.
18. Launch a Local Campaign to Eliminate Herbicide Application on State Roads in Chatham Campaign to have the state use non-toxic means to manage plant growth on road shoulders.
19. Adopt Local Tree Bylaws for Street Trees Impose a 'no street tree cutting without permit' ordinance…like Woods Hole Massachusetts https://www.mass.gov/doc/tree-bylaw-and-ordinance-guide/download
20. Map Areas of Ecological Significance in the Town
21. Develop more Parking in Downtown Chatham Improve shopping access to support local businesses
22. Pave or gravel Some Dirt Roads Pave (or gravel) some dirt roads that become a hazard when muddy by preventing emergency vehicles from getting through. As an example, this happened at the bottom of Pitt Hall Road earlier this year and restricted access to all homes and buildings on it and Hunt Club Road.
23. Promote Biochar Production Have a mobile biochar unit that can wheel to farms and homes, so people can pyrolyze their wood waste. Biochar can be applied on fields as a soil amendment. There are potential carbon credits earned via Carbon Future, who already toured Chatham and are looking to do a project here.
24. Put Road Bumps or Speed Humps on Cut Through Streets and Avenues
25. Reopen Spangler Bridge as a trail connector The reopening of Spengler Bridge to pedestrian, cycling & equestrian usage would make whole again Chatham’s unique network of scenic dirt roads and save an important piece of Chatham’s history at the same time. Reopening the bridge was called out as a strong desire of the respondents in our recent Comprehensive Survey.
26. Push for solar on big buildings like Sonoco Crellin and Price Chopper I think there should be more push for solar on big buildings as an alternative solar farms. I disagree with solar farms. I believe they destroy farm land and habitat.
27. Repair the High Bridge Road spring box There is an active spring on High Bridge Road that to my knowledge is the only one of its kind in the town. The spring box - which keeps the spring water viable, is old and deteriorating. It would be great if we could work to find funding and expertise to repair the springbox and keep this resource viable for future generations.
CLICK HERE YO VOTE for your favorite
The Chatham Voices Process
Public forums: Every resident has the opportunity to share their thoughts and propose a local project. Projects must be “actionable” and local.
Propose: Round 1 Projects Ideas were collected. https://forms.gle/6XvhXLoC8Jv4cjQc8
The Ballot: All proposed projects will be placed on a community ballot and mailed to homes in Chatham.
The Community vote: Any Chatham resident 10 years or older will be eligible to vote. Residents can vote by mailing their ballots, or voting online. CLICK HERE YO VOTE for your favorite
Take action: We will publicize the results of the Vote and work with volunteers to implement the projects that receive the most votes!
How We gathered Ideas. We hosted a number of Community gatherings, conducted an online survey and struck up conversations and with people to find out What they love about Chatham? and What they want to see preserved?
Chatham Voices is a community project that seeks to determine what makes Chatham special and what residents value most when it comes to nature, rural living and our community. This project stems from the simple idea: regular people should have more of a say over the decisions that impact their lives. This non-partisan initiative was designed to give people the opportunity to say what they care about most and identify shared priorities through a community vote.
This platform is your opportunity to propose local solutions and speak out on issues related to nature, hunting, conservation, forests, farming, outdoor recreation, climate, and any other environmental quality-of-life issues.
After we have gathered everyone's opinions and ideas we will create a ballot and invite Chatham residents to vote on their favorite local project idea. When the vote is in, we will get started on facilitating the project that receives the most votes!
Click Here to propose a new project idea for the community.
THE WHY- The area around us is undergoing significant change. Decisions affecting our community and town's landscape will be made over the next decade, shaping our future, and we want to ensure that the people who live here are heard first. Otherwise, developers, utilities, and investors will get to decide what happens to our town.
Have questions? Want to learn more volunteer or get involved? send us an e-mail: chathamvoices03@gmail.com
Survey Results comming Soon
Conversation Recap- Highlights from our community conversations
Where is the center of Chatham?
Discussion around Community and the need for more community centers. - where is the place for everybody where everybody could meet ?
Food security and envisioning what it would take to be food secure or independent and feed ourselves in Chatham.
Dissuasion around how to better accelerate getting food growers looking for land connected to land and
figure out how to bring back or encourage more farming and have the farmers be very happy with their situation.
Renewable Energy
Changing the messaging around climate change-Focusing more on community enrichment and climate resiliency, as the better way to address climate change and environmental issues.
The inaccessibility of some “Climate solutions” or the perception that climate solutions -seem out of reach for some individuals.
Vented Frustrations about the state spraying herbicides along Route 66, and the lack of local control. The frustration for individuals who are trying to do everything they can to avoid herbicides , grow gardens to promote pollinators and promote pollinator habitat only to have the state spay aggressively right by their house. We discussed that the application of herbicides was especially aggressive this year. A desire to address this issue so that we don’t have our state roads sprayed.
Being more connected and involved in helping the local school systems.
Discussion how it takes a willingness on the part of old timers and new comers and people with different ways or ideas to listen to each other and be heard.
It was noted that Civic institutions in North Chatham like the library, the historical society and the post office help to better integrate new residents into the community.
A need to foster entrepreneurship.
Talked about how some of the shops and the restaurants that we have in the village are not accessible or don’t serve everyone-tend to cater to a very specific market/demographic.-Which doesn't mean they are not open to everybody, but there was an acknowledgment that a whole sector in the community doesn't even feel comfortable or doesn't go to the village.
About
RELEASE: July 22, 2025
CONTACT: Paige Ruane paige@climateactionhv.org, 917-548-5135
Co-Founder, Partners for Climate Action
Partners for Climate Action Announces Six “Funding Futures Fellows”
HUDSON, NY: Partners for Climate Action (PCA), a local nonprofit, has announced six accepted applications to a new training and grant program, “Funding Futures: Together We Decide:”
Kate Butler of Chatham, Anya Bonanno of Philmont/Claverack, Chris Wilson of Millbrook/Washington, Olga Anderson of Highlands, Heather Eckardt of Rochester, and LisaMarie Hintze of Woodbury.
Funding Futures will provide technical assistance and funding for selected applicants to facilitate environmentally-focused community listening campaigns in their towns. The process will result in each community coming to a consensus on priorities and establishing reliable funding streams to safeguard their natural features, which provide the foundation for economic prosperity and quality of life in these Hudson Valley towns. The goal is to keep communities and ecosystems healthy and build resiliency. The six communities will receive grants of up to $22,000 each to conduct outreach and host events over a 1- year period.
“We love that this grant is coming just at the time that The Town of Highlands is rebuilding after a devastating flood in 2023,” explained Olga Anderson.” We are committed to hearing from everyone who lives here and has a stake in the future of this community as to the best way to build a more resilient and sustainable future.”
PCA supports ecological health and climate action across six counties in the Hudson River bioregion: Columbia, Greene, Dutchess, Ulster, Putnam, or Orange county. Paige Ruane and Vanessa Bertozzi, co- leaders of the Funding Futures project at PCA, explained that the idea for the grant sprang from a desire to accelerate environmental protection efforts in Hudson Valley towns through community building. “Technology, the pandemic, and a lack of traditional gathering spaces have eroded the social fabric. Our society has lost muscle memory for how to have community conversations. People feel disconnected from each other and from nature,” said Bertozzi. Noting the divisiveness of national politics, Ruane emphasized, “We want this program to focus on local needs, the power of knowing our neighbors, and understanding what we commonly value about our shared places.”
The selected applications each demonstrated a thoughtful approach to engaging with their communities in a nonpartisan way, with an emphasis on listening. The six Funding Futures Fellows will act as point people, leading the process in each of their own towns. “These are exceptional folks, each with a deep dedication to their communities and a sense of curiosity and concern for what the futures of their places hold,” said Bertozzi. “We look forward to supporting them with expert speakers, 1-on-1 consulting, and a peer cohort to lean on.”
Interested parties are encouraged to sign up for PCA’s newsletter at www.climateactionhv.org. Some of the expert guest speaker Zooms will be open to the public.
About Partners for Climate Action
Partners for Climate Action Hudson Valley is dedicated to cultivating and supporting ecological leadership within the bioregion of the Hudson River watershed. We strategically place resources that help to repair our natural systems, address the climate crisis, and usher in a more cooperative and resilient future.
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