Winter is here!  Watch out for snowplows and people who must walk in the road.  If a town plow accidentally hits your mailbox please let highway superintendent Mike Frederes or me know.  Our highway guys do a tremendous job keeping the roads open but occasionally the snow may be so heavy that the plow accidentally takes out a mailbox.  The highway department will try to get another mailbox (standard size, post office approved on a pressure treated 4x4) up as soon as possible but this may be a while depending on the amount of snow.  The town is under no obligation to replace the mailboxes but our highway superintendents have always felt it was the right thing to do.  I have been riding in a town plow truck when someone driving towards us was in the middle of the road and the plow had to move over so far to the right that if there had been a mailbox it would have been history.  I have also seen a private pickup truck knock down a mailbox while plowing and I got a call that the town truck had done it! 
If you have a complaint about anything please call me and let me know and please give me your name and address.  If you are calling to complain about a neighbor please be so kind as to let me know to whom I am speaking, even if you request I not use your name.  If you leave a message on my voicemail please be sure to at least leave your phone number so I can call you back.  I always return calls as soon as possible.
Please try to shovel out any fire hydrants near your home.  I know this is not easy, especially after the big snow we just had, but it is much easier to do it now rather then when the fire trucks are trying to find it because they need the water to put out a fire. 
You will notice in your tax bill in January that we LOWERED the county tax rate from $9.04 down to $8.44.  The town tax rate also went down but not as much.  This should make everyone happy.
We will be having the “Saturday Sit with the Supervisor” starting up again in January.  The first one will be Saturday January 5th at 9am at the Town Hall for the farmers.  February 9th will be at West Walworth Fire Hall, March 8th at the Lincoln Fire Hall, April 12th at the Walworth Hardware Store, and May 3rd at Gananda Physical Therapy.  Please stop in and visit at any of these places to chat.
The Town Hall will be closing at 3pm on Christmas Eve.  If you haven’t purchased your Christmas tree yet remember that we have numerous people in Walworth who raise and sell Christmas trees.  Senator Charles Schumer was in Walworth 2 weeks ago at Keymel’s Christmas Tree Farm, with the press, pointing out the advantages of buying local trees and buying real trees.  They had an artificial tree there to compare and look at the warning tag.  That’s right, a warning tag.  The tree and lights were made in China.  The tree gave off plastic or PVC fumes and the electric cord had a lead warning that you had to wash your hands after handling!   Remember to buy American and buy local.  Keymel’s Christmas Tree Farm donated a beautiful tree to the Town Hall this year.  Last year Hermanet’s Christmas Tree Farm donated one.  Each year one of the local Tree Farms donates a tree for us, please be sure to support them. 
We have added new information to the town web site www.townwalworthny.com.  Please check it out.
I wish you all the best of the season and a happy, healthy New Year.

Robert Plant