KERHONKSON – There may not be a pot of gold to be found, but the end of the rainbow has been found in Kerhonkson — the Rainbow Diner, that is. The charred ruins of the well-known greasy spoon which played a starring role in last year's town supervisor race are being cleaned up by the mystery buyer of the property, with the removal of what had become one of Route 209's ugliest landmarks.

When Rochester supervisor Carl Chipman announced at the October 2 Town Council meeting that the cleanup had begun earlier that day, it wasn't surprising that he sounded pleased.

Asbestos — or at least the possibility of it — made the cost of the clean-up higher than expected, and more than the assessed value of the property. The result was several area citizens blasting their incumbent supervisor, Chipman, for not using town funds to do the work, re-levying the cost onto the lot's tax bill as allowed by law.

The supervisor had instead taken the owners to court, arguing that there was no guarantee the town would be made whole from the expensive cleanup and preferring to compel them to foot the bill themselves.

Eventually, blogger Jon Dogar-Marinescu suggested a middle road of putting up screening in front of the refuse, but no attempts to shield the unsightly mess were made.

"I knew they could pay for the cleanup," Chipman said, because the discovery process revealed that this was so.

With the case settled and the property sold, he was able to speak more freely about it.

"The legal process helped move the sale along," he continued. "It was not the quickest resolution, but it was the right thing to do. We spent less than $2,000 to avoid paying $150,000 to clean up the property."

The supervisor said that the sale and cleanup were the result of the "constant pressure" brought by the town's legal action.

Chipman said that the buyer "wishes to remain anonymous," and as of press time no deed reflecting the sale has been recorded by the Ulster County Clerk. Numerous sources pointed to a particular individual as the buyer, but calls to confirm or deny involvement in the sale were not immediately returned.

Both the husk of the old diner and the house behind it are to be removed as part of plans the new owner has for the site.

And now that the Rainbow Diner issues are being resolved, the supervisor promised to turn town resources to addressing other problem properties.

One such property which was rumored to have problems is town hall itself.

"There are rumors of black mold in town hall," Chipman said. "But there is none. We have some problems with moisture in a couple of the closets in the assessor's office, and we've had an environmental expert in to do some testing."

He added that some tiles will be removed and tested for mold — and asbestos — but putting in more ventilation should resolve the problems. Meanwhile, the public hearings on sections 125 and 140 of the zoning code will remain open another month so the board can consider a number of suggestions made by planning board chairman Michael Baden, who suggested the modifications in the first place.

The planning board has not yet offered its own comments, and Baden was unsure if any would be forthcoming.

"We'll have to see what they want to do," he told the town board.

With another fatality to its name, the town board again is sending a request to the State Department of Transportation to do a speed safety study on Lucas Avenue. After the state declined the last request, the intersection with Kyserike Road was made into a four-way stop, which is unusual on a 55 MPH road... and ineffective in Chipman's view.

"It's become the quick way to Kingston, but it has no sight lines or shoulders," he said. "I'm tired of looking at memorial markers."