Fellow Residents,

Our Annual Meeting will be Tuesday, July 26th at 6:00pm at the Village Office. 107 Lovers Lane, Gilbertsville NY, 13776.

​Please send me an email if you have any questions.

Thank you,
Nate Talbot
Mayor
[email protected]

Calling any residents with an artistic flair! I've been using the words "Village of Gilbertsville" in various typefaces, but I think there is an opportunity for something a little more creative. I'm not artistic, but this community definitely is. The Village Board will review any submissions and determine if we want to adopt one as an official logo.

As compensation, I'd be happy to write a letter of recommendation to a design, architecture, or art program, and acknowledge the artist on our website.

Thank you!
​[email protected]

2022-July-07 Update:
The tree has been cleared from Elm St. We’re back in business! Huge shout out and thank you to the Otsego County Highway department for doing the work, and to Richard Gilbert (our DPW) for coordinating with them to get the work done. 

Thank you all for your patience as the Village worked through the problem.
————--

Quick Update on the Fallen Tree on Elm St.

The most important thing: Stay safe and keep out of the debris.

I have been in touch with the county, and we have a plan in place to work on removing the fallen tree on Tuesday, July 5th. 

Until then, Elm St is closed to through traffic. 

I’m sorry for the inconvenience and the eyesore. Enjoy the rest of the holiday weekend.

[email protected]

The Fourth of July is a big weekend in Gilbertsville.

The Independence Day Pet Parade is my favorite annual tradition in Gilbertsville. The loving nature of our community shines so clearly as everyone cheers for the kids walking their dogs, and cats, and hamsters, and cows up Commercial Street.

Then on the morning of the Fourth, I've always been proud when Thunder Musson lets his old Chevy roar during the Independence Day parade. On Memorial Day, it's his way of showing respect to keep it to a low rumble throughout the parade. But on the Fourth, we can celebrate.

I look forward to seeing lots of residents come out and enjoy the company of neighbors and the sight of excited children. I hope you'll join us, and if you were already planning on it, I hope you reach out to a new neighbor to invite them along.

​Happy Independence Day!

Sunday, July 3rd
5:45pm: Pet Parade participants gather at Centennial Park
6:00pm: Pet Parade (From Centennial Park up Spring St to Commercial Street and the Gilbert Block.
Monday, July 4th
8:15am: Independence Day Parade participants gather on Grove Street
9:00am: March from Grove Street to Bloom Street, up to Fiddlers Green (Intersection of Bloom, Spring, and Commercial Streets)
11:00am: Fire Department Chicken BBQ Fundraiser

I'd like to standardize everything coming from the Village of Gilbertsville on a selected graphical theme. Fonts, Colors, any other variables we should consider. I've been building the content (like the website) to be black and white, everything in Times New Roman. I would like help from the community in helping to determine what the Village theme should be. Over time, I intend for these elements to be used on our website, our business cards, our agendas, our resolutions, our welcome to Gilbertsville signs, our emails, and anything else written by an official of the Village of Gilbertsville on behalf of the Village.

Please consider the Village of Gilbertsville, our history, our people, and select fonts, colors, etc that help to convey the feel of our community. 

I think the best case scenario would be a graduate of GMU or resident of Gilbertsville and a budding Graphical Designer needs content for their portfolio as they are looking to apply to college or for full time work. That said, I'd love input from anyone in the community.

I would like the following defined:
Primary Font (probably titles, headings, etc)
Secondary Font (probably main body text)
Tertiary Font (possibly captions, other situations)
Primary Color
Secondary Color
Tertiary Color

For fonts, please consider readability, especially for the secondary font, and easy access to the font within common word processing programs. We use Microsoft Office, so if the font is an option in Word and Outlook, all the better. 

No monetary compensation, but I will work with you for credit and recommendation if applying for work or college.

Extra Credit:
Village Logo
Other suggestions we should consider when developing content.

If you have any suggestions, send me an email at [email protected].

Last week, the residents of the Village of Gilbertsville honored those that gave their lives in service of the United States of America. I was proud, as I am every year, of our community for the somber ceremonies and participation of so many residents. On behalf of myself, my family, and the Village of Gilbertsville, Thank you to those who have served in the United States Military throughout the history of this community.

Leading up to the weekend, I was made aware of a community concern regarding the state of the Brookside Cemetery, where part of our Memorial Day Ceremony takes place. In essence: "It isn't mowed. Who is going to do that?" I didn't have an answer to this question. I asked around, and the response I got several times was "You don't have to worry about that. The Village doesn't have anything to do with the cemetery." This was a relief in one way, because I hadn't dropped the ball. But in another way, I want the cemeteries around our community to be well taken care of, and I didn't know what I needed to do to make sure they are. So by luck, not by skill or discipline, I escaped embarrassment. It turns out the Brookside Cemetery is managed by an association, and they contract out the mowing. It wasn't mowed because it hadn't been mowed yet, and it was done before Memorial Day.

I watched the full parade and ceremonies up at the cemetery. The Band, the Girl Scouts, the Legion, the other organizations, and all the classic cars were ready to go at 9:00 this morning. Again, I didn't have any clue how this came together. Should I have done something as Mayor? Was someone not going to be somewhere because I didn't make a phone call? Part of me knew everything was going to be fine, but another part of me was nervous. Those who have lived in the Village for a long time know the routine. Newer residents seem to be less confident. "What time should we be where?" "What happens next?" "I wish they'd have told us we'd be walking through the woods." I could have provided this information. I should have provided this information. The Village doesn't plan the Memorial Day Parade, but I do have a decent platform to disseminate useful knowledge.

My action item: First, since it's basically the same every year, I've added a Celebrations page to the village website to describe Memorial Day in Gilbertsville. I'd like to add something similar for Independence Day. Hopefully this helps residents to know where to go, what time, and what shoes to wear. Second, I haven't figured out a better name for a list of "Things the village is not responsible for" but I think it could be helpful. At minimum, to future Mayors. I'll try to work something up.

Your action item: feedback on the Celebrations webpage! I don't know everything that happens. If you do, tell me! [email protected]

Thank you to everyone who had a part in planning and participating in the Memorial Day parade this year, especially the Gilbertsville Chapter of the American Legion. It was a great example of what a caring community looks like. 

Fellow Residents,

The intent of this post is to share my general thoughts on the state of Village finances.

To make it plain, I am dissatisfied with our financial controls at the Village. We must do better. There are many reasons for this, and no one person, or group of people is to blame. The past is behind us, and this is a problem that needs to be addressed for the future. We now have Bernie Delaney as our Clerk-Treasurer, and she is working hard to get our accounting caught up and compliant with County, State, and Federal regulations. I have every confidence in her ability to get us to where we need to be, and the Village will be in a much better position as a result of her efforts.

I have asked Bernie to prioritize getting our books caught up and reporting correctly over practically everything else. She is working with the software firm who developed our accounting program in this effort.

This is my first goal and priority as Mayor. Without effective and accurate accounting, the Village is at unnecessary risk in a variety of ways, and working without a critical tool for effective decision making. We will develop a better understanding of our revenues and expenses, strengthen our budget estimates, and evaluate where cost savings can be created.

If you disagree with this being the A#1 priority project for the Village or, anything else discussed here, I'd like to hear from you. Please send me an email with your thoughts. [email protected]

Thank you,
Nate Talbot

Fellow Residents,

​The intent of this post is describe suggested practices and special considerations for communicating with Village officials.

First, it is important to acknowledge that as a government entity, any communication with Village officials may be subject to freedom of information laws (FOIL). In short, emails to and from Village officials probably aren't private. Your neighbors have a right to read them if they ask. The Village will comply with any applicable law or lawful request, including FOIL. Please refer to our Freedom of Information page for additional details.

Second, regarding communication with me specifically: I strongly prefer email communication to all other forms. I will generally not accept phone calls on my personal phone without an appointment. I am happy to make an appointment, via email, to meet with residents in person. I have created a Facebook page, but it's primary purpose will be providing my email to the public, and for interested individuals to follow. I will typically post via Facebook that a new blog is posted. Please follow that Facebook (link below), or regularly check back to this page for updates. If the community would like an email mailing list for these kind of updates, I'd be happy to put that together.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100079466947201

Third, regarding social media. I would like to hear from the community with concerns and questions regarding Village business, provided it is respectful and constructive. I will not engage with personal attacks, destructive, or generally mean-spirited communication, especially on a public social media post. If you have a concern, or would like me or any Village official to take a particular course of action, the best way is to send an email explaining the request and why you want it. Everyone who works for the Village is a neighbor and is making an honest effort to help this community. They deserve to be treated like people. Expletives, Shaming, Condescension, and otherwise disrespectful behavior is not characteristic of the Gilbertsville any of us want to live in. 

Fourth, I acknowledge I am a full-blooded millenial, and more comfortable with email and the internet than many of our residents. If you, or another resident you know, would prefer a physical form of communication, please send a letter to the Village office with your name and mailing address. Depending on the number and other unknown variables of these requests, the Village will develop a policy for non-electronic communications and get back to you.

Fifth, join us for our Board Meetings! Sending an email, and then following up by speaking at a Board Meeting is the best way I know of to get your message across, and to get a clear understanding of why I (or in some cases the Board) choose a particular course of action. I will continue to repeat this, but I want community input on what we're doing. 

Last, if you have suggestions or requests for other communications from the Village, please send us an email! We'd love to hear from you, and to work on improving the effectiveness of our communications.

Thank you,
Nate Talbot

Fellow Residents,

Welcome to the new Village of Gilbertsville website, and my first blog as Mayor. The intent of this blog post is just to introduce myself. I will endeavor to post regular updates regarding Village business.

My parents, brothers and I moved to Gilbertsville when I was four years old. Prior to that, my family roots go back at least 4 generations in Gilbertsville. I attended GMU, and then graduated from the University of Tennessee with a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering. Since college, I have worked in various roles in manufacturing engineering. I'm currently an Engineering Supervisor for an electronics manufacturer in Norwich. 

I was appointed to the Village of Gilbertsville Board of Trustees in May 2020, and elected to a two year term in 2021. Today, Mark Muller has formally stepped down as Mayor, and as Deputy Mayor, I will fill that vacancy. Mark has agreed to continue to serve the Village as a Trustee, and I appreciate his efforts while he served as Mayor, and in the future as a Trustee.

I'm excited for this new phase. Thank you for your patience as I come up to speed with Mayoral responsibilities, and for your support as Mark, Glenn, Rich, Bernie, Ashley, and I work on behalf of the residents of the Village of Gilbertsville.

Thank you,
Nate Talbot