Village of Canajoharie officials have closed a local swimming hole. During an executive session at the village board’s Aug. 4 meeting, public safety officials urged the board to close the Canajoharie Gorge, known as “the pot,” due to a dozen fight-related arrests over the past month.
The vote to close the gorge happened during that closed executive session.
Montgomery County native Anna Sweet then made a Change.org petition calling on village officials to reconsider the closure – it has since received more than 1,000 signatures.
"The proposal was not brought up to us ahead of time," Sweet said. "It wasn't listed in the meeting agenda of the last village board meeting, and there was no opportunity for residents to show up and voice their opposition, or even share some other ideas of how to go about taking care of this space."
A statement from the village released Tuesday apologized for the initial poor communication surrounding the closure and adds officials plan to reopen the gorge for the 2027 season.
The village board’s next meeting is set for Sept. 1.
