Emilia Teasdale is reporting for The Columbia Paper the Ghent Town Board April 15 voted to cancel the town's summer program this year due to the pandemic. Supervisor Mike Benvenuto said that if something “miraculous happens,” the board can always revisit the decision. Benvenuto noted that the kids enrolled in the program would not be able to use Fox Hill in Austerlitz for swimming and could not go on field trips. He stressed that the town plans to open the park and get the tennis court nets up. Board members Patti Matheney [MAH-thane-ee] and Koethi [COE-thee] Zan [Zahn] concurred and voted to cancel the program. In the workshop meeting, held before the regular meeting began, board member Charles Wood said he spoke with village of Chatham officials about the Harlem Valley Rail Trail, a section of which runs from Ghent to the village. Wood said he spoke with Mayor John Howe about finding a board member who might be interested in working with the town on the trail. The section of the trail in Ghent and Chatham is currently in development, according to the Harlem Valley Rail Trail website. Parts of the trail are currently open in southern Columbia County. The board also discussed the $560,000 the town is expected to receive from the federal American Rescue Plan. The board still requires information on how the money can be spent. Matheney said the funding is expected to come in two lump sums, though she stressed that could change. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.