Highway Superintendent Tyler Case and the Town of Clermont
Ruksana Hussain - CEG Correspondent - October 2024
When town of Clermont Superintendent of Highways Tyler Case was encouraged by his predecessor to try for the position he was elected to in 2022, he didn't hesitate.
Having grown up in Clermont and lived there 21 years, including 10 years of experience as part-time labor with the town of Clermont, he knew the area and community well.
"I want to keep the town nice and protect the historical aspects of it, it's a wonderful community with great people," Tyler said. His current term expires in 2025, after which he hopes to get reelected for another four-year term.
Clermont is located on the banks of the Hudson River and opposite the Catskill Mountains. Its 11,000 acres includes hamlets and farmland, and the area is known for its agricultural produce.
The name Clermont comes from the French and means clear mountain. There are several venues here listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including Clermont Academy, Clermont Civic Historic District and St. Luke's Church, among others. The town website has a great deal of information about its history.
At the Office
The town of Clermont Highway Department has two full-time staff aside from Tyler — MEO Patrick Dempsey and MEO-Deputy Superintendent Adom Laywer — and two part-time staff.
Together, they serve the 2,000 residents in this Columbia County town. Clermont's total annual operating budget is $104,580 and of that, the annual CHIPS allocation is $68,253.40.
The team works 6:30 a.m.–3 p.m. during the week and is responsible for 42 lane miles of roads/streets of which three roads are gravel and 30 are paved. There are three plowing routes, and a normal full loop of all routes takes an average of 2.5 hours.
They also are responsible for upkeep of two bridges and the local park, where maintenance work involves installing benches and bike racks and mowing.
The highway department's facilities include a one-man garage built in 1948, with a salt shed and garage addition in 2009, and a cold storage building added in 2016. The cover-all shed has 300-ton capacity for salt storage.
Portable communications used between garage and working machines/crews are two-way radios and cell phones. Computers are used for CHIPS reimbursement and other paperwork.
Machines, Maintenance
Equipment and trucks in the fleet, none leased, include:
- 2023 International dump truck
- 2013 International dump truck
- 2003 International dump truck
- 2023 New Holland tractor
- 2019 Ford F550
- 2018 GMC 2500 HD
- 2022 Bandit chipper
- 1985 Case tractor
- 1995 Cat loader
- 2005 New Holland backhoe
All equipment is serviced annually or as needed so Tyler doesn't feel the fleet is lacking in any equipment, but he would like to expand with a new backhoe and pickup to the fleet in 2025 that could help with future projects planned such as roadside bank stabilization on Turkey Hill Road and large pipe replacement on Hill-N-Dale Road.
The highway department also helps with the neighboring towns of Livingston, Germantown and Gallatin as needed.
Work in Progress
Tyler was born in Gallatin and previously worked for the town five years full-time as MEO. He considers his predecessor in Clermont and the superintendent of Gallatin among his mentors as he fulfills his responsibilities as the current superintendent.
Since taking on the role, Tyler and his team have addressed several pipe replacements and overseen major equipment replacement. They also have worked to ensure paving one road a year and undertaken several projects in the town park.
Innovative equipment designed, built and implemented by his team include bucket-mounted shoulder grader, homemade pipe cleaner and homemade drag box.
Tyler also is a member of the Clermont Fire Company and Commissioner for Board of the Clermont Fire District. This is a tax-based board overseeing all of Clermont's firehouses, equipment and community.
"We've saved a lot of money over the years by cutting costs, upgrading trucks and it's a big part of the community," Tyler said.
But he admits there was a bit of a learning curve involved with the work he does now.
"Getting used to the paperwork and going through learning how to do the CHIPS program, how to file for reimbursements, how to deal with PAVE NY, Extreme Winter Recovery and POP program, which are programs that all the superintendents file for every year."
No guesses then that Tyler's favorite part of the job is being out on the road, checking projects off his list and helping serve his community in Clermont.
About the Town of Clermont
The town of Clermont is a township of 11,000 acres containing farmland, country places and two hamlets, situated on the east bank of the Hudson River, immediately opposite the Catskill Mountains, at the extreme southwest corner of Columbia County in the state of New York.
Clermont is irregular in shape. It extends from the Hudson River on the west, south along the Dutchess County line and east to the southernmost bend of the Roeloff Jansen Kill. The town borders Gallatin on the east and Livingston on the east and north. It is bounded on this east and north border by the same Roeliff Jansens Kill. The town line is bounded by Germantown on the northwest.
Some towns are famous for their natural beauty and some as the birthplace of famous people — Clermont possesses both of these qualities. Its beauty of nature in its undulating hills and dales, its wooded areas near the Hudson River and its position opposite the Catskill Mountains make it a spot of striking beauty. Most of the land is arable, but there are some swamps and marshes forming small waste areas. There are small brooks and streams. The soil varies from a sandy loam to a mixture of clay and sand. The town is noted for its agricultural products and fruits — pears, apples, plums, berries and grapes. P