Order a reflective Address Marker from Kerhonkson-Accord First Aid Squad

Absentee Ballot Application for Rondout Valley Central School District Budget Vote and School Board Election Only (Click Here for form)

The Rochester Residents Association is pleased to award its 2009 Community Scholarship to Amanda Fox of Kerhonkson.

 

In her four years at RVHS, Amanda has demonstrated an exemplary commitment to our community by contributing a significant amount of her spare time to a variety of causes, including counselling and tutoring fellow students and working for local food pantries.  Amanda has also been a successful athlete on the RVHS softball and volley programs, given the sportsmanship award for the former and chosen to be capitan of the latter.  At the same time, Amanda has excelled in academics and was selected to be a member of the National Honor Society. 

 

Amanda will be attending SUNY-Ulster, where she plans to begin her training to become a physician's assistant.  She is truly a scholar-athlete-leader who represents the best attributes of our community.  We are proud to honor Amanda and look forward to sharing in her future accomplishments.

 

The Rochester Residents Association was founded in 2000 in order to provide a forum to improve communications and to make the Town of Rochester a stronger and more vibrant community.  This is the fourth year of our scholarship program, which is funded by the generosity of our members.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

Zali Win

President

 

Town Of Rochester BRICK OVEN FAMILY NIGHT Starting Friday, July 10 at the Community Center, we will be offering brick oven pizza, bread, and other oven-worthy items piping hot from the brick oven for families to enjoy. Charlie Blumstein creator of the oven gave oven lessons to Rebecca Shea and others, who will be donating their baking time. Want to help? Please let us
know, and if you would like to donate some of the “fixins”, it would be a great help. We will be offering a variety of family entertainment like story time, games, music, and more. Brick Oven Family Night is every other Friday from 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM (If you can, bring a share dish, salad or dessert.)   Call Youth Department at 845-626-2115.

186 Palentown Rd.

Kerhonkson, New York 12446

Open 4th sat. of July (25th) August ( 22nd) and Sept. ( 26th)

* Also by appt. 845-626-7628 or 845-626-4281

We are still trying to locate items of interest to add to our School House Collection

A work detail will be on July 11th

Volunteers are welcome and needed.

For more info. contact Chick Logan 845-626-7628 or 845-626-4281

The Planning Board held a public hearing on May 19^th to discuss the proposal submitted by Mombaccus Excavating, Inc. to expand its mining operations on Rochester Center Road in Accord.  Mombaccus proposes to mine the 13-acre middle ridge that currently separates two existing mines and to mine certain sections 30 feet deeper than current approvals allow.  The addition of the 13 acres will create a 101-acre mine on a 269 acre combined property.  The lead agency will be the NYS DEC as the Planning Board voted on March 17^th not to seek lead agency status.  The Mombaccus mines have been the subject of frequent neighbor complaints due to the mining activity in a residential neighborhood. 

 

At the May 19^th hearing, residents expressed concern about the potentially detrimental impacts of the expansion proposal, including noise, dust, traffic, property value deterioration, and adverse impacts on neighboring nationally-registered historic sites.

Plans to restore certain sections of the Rondout Creek bank in Alligerville have taken a new turn as veteran highway department employee Eric Eck (now retired), was asked by the Town Board to manage the project after Highway Superintendent Wayne Kelder decided to withdraw from the job.  Kelder had previously expressed dissatisfaction with the questions posed to him by the Town Board regarding an earlier solicitation of bids from contractors, which the Town Board rejected.  The damage was caused by flooding in 2005 and the Town has received FEMA money for the project that must be spent prior to August 2009.  Town Board members expressed their dissatisfaction with Kelder’s delay in completing the project, citing the potential expiration of FEMA grant eligibility and loss of project funding for necessary repairs.  Supervisor Carl Chipman expressed his dissatisfaction with the fact that Kelder has not provided requested information to the Town Board.  Town Board member Tony Spano said: “It’s quite clear, the Highway Superintendent does not want to do the job.”

At the Town Board’s May 7^th meeting, the Rondout Valley School district made a presentation detailing the school district’s $58,879,534 budget, which included a 0.31 percent increase in expenditures and a 0.44 percent decrease in tax levy.  During the public comment period, resident Laura Finestone raised several issues regarding the Highway  Department: the unnecessary expense of widening of Franklin Lane a dead-end, one house lane (adjacent to the property of Highway Superintendent Wayne Kelder), and the storage of Town Highway Department vehicles on that road for an extended period of time, and drastic roadside drainage vegetation clearing town wide.  Supervisor Chipman responded that he didn’t not know the answer to those “very valid questions.”  Councilman Tony Spano raised the issue of Highway Department security practices, referring to the unsecured storage of large piles of gravel and metal such as culvert pipe.  Spano said, “Have we learned from the past?” referring to the theft last summer of approximately $36,000 of aluminum from the Highway Department in the same area. 

 

The board voted to join the Rondout Creek Watershed Council and discussed the joint Wawarsing-Rochester fire protection planning presentation.  Town Board member Lynn Archer gave a progress report on efforts to expand cable/broadband coverage and thanked former Councilman Francis Gray for providing voluminous materials from his previous efforts.  She said that more than 120 residents had responded to the current survey and reported that the current Time Warner franchise agreement is up for renewal in 2011 and renewal preparations were underway, including density requirements and new technology alternatives.

 

The Accord Fire District Board of Fire Commissioners has not yet provided an official response to the Town Board’s request in March to a reply to the Town’s Operations Committee preliminary report.  Supervisor Chipman said he would again write to the Fire Commissioners. 

 

Separately Accord contractor Ted Fina was awarded a $7,950 contract for security renovations at the Town Courthouse, mitigating concerns raised in the January 2007 State Department of Public Safety security assessment.

 

Town considering conducting assessment revaluation and property inventory update

Three members of the Board of Assessment Review met with the Town Board on May 28^th and discussed “astronomical” discrepancies between high and low assessments of similar types of homes and asked the Town Board to consider beginning a reassessment.  The Town Board formed an ad hoc committee comprised of BAR members, town board members and the Assessor, to investigate this.  At present, a revaluation is scheduled for 2011-12.  The Assessor reported that about 70 homes, mostly constructed in 2005-07, had not been on the tax roll.  Certain other improvements such as decks and garages have also not been noted on assessment rolls.  The Assessor, Cindy Stokes, said, “As one person, I can’t clean up years of mess.”    There are about 4,777 tax parcels in the Town.    The Board of Assessment Review conducted its property tax assessment Grievance Day on May 26th and will prepare a full report for the Town Board.  Determinations on these decisions were mailed prior to July 1, 2009.

ACCORD — The environmental group Riverkeeper has put Accord Speedway on notice it intends to sue the racetrack for “continuously polluting a nearby stream and connected wetlands” with pesticides, anti-freeze, oil, grease and other petroleum products.
The pending lawsuit, announced on Riverkeeper’s Web site, contends Accord Speedway has used discreet locations to dump waste products into an area that includes a nearby trout stream.
“These illegal discharges are directly entering the North Peter’s Kill from several discrete points along the track’s ‘pit road,’” the environmental group said. “Riverkeeper has documented the Speedway collecting polluted track runoff from a low point in the track’s infield and pumping it into a field on the southern portion of the property, adjoining a wetland area that connects to the North Peter’s Kill.”
The North Peter’s Kill feeds the Rondout Creek, which flows into the Hudson River.
Riverkeeper also alleges Accord Speedway is operating an open dump in violation of a federal Clean Water Act and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act ban on open dumping.
“In this instance the Speedway’s collection, pumping, and dumping of runoff from the track constitutes ‘liquid waste’ that is being discarded in violation of waste disposal requirements,” said Joshua Verleun, a Riverkeeper investigator and attorney.
“Any facility that accepts or dumps waste without following these requirements is considered to be an open dump,” he said. “It is unacceptable that there are no systems in place to prevent turbidity, oil, gas, and other chemicals from running directly into the North Peter’s Kill and connected wetlands.”
Officials with Accord Speedway were not immediately available for comment Monday.
Riverkeeper said it served the notice on May 19 and is required to wait 60 days before filing a case in federal court.
“New York State is given the opportunity to step in and file their own enforcement case and the polluter is given an opportunity to halt all violations,” the group said on its Web site. “Following the waiting period, Riverkeeper will file a case in federal court if violations persist and the state has not enforced against the Speedway.” (Freeman 6/2/09)

KINGSTON – An Accord man has been arrested and charged with possessing 1.2 pounds of marijuana in his car.

Members of the URGENT task force approached a suspicious vehicle on McDonald Street in the Village of Saugerties late Saturday night. Investigation led to the drug find in the trunk of the vehicle and the arrest of Christopher Ronda, 28, of Rock Mountain Estates in Accord.

He was charged with second-degree criminal possession of marijuana, arraigned and remanded to the Ulster County Jail in lieu of $25,000 cash bail or $50000 bond.

URGENT was assisted by Town and Village of Saugerties uniformed patrols and the Town of Saugerties Police K-9 unit.

 

TOWN OF ROCHESTER — Joseph G. Clark, 25, of 2030 Berme Road, Kerhonkson was arrested Friday in the Town of Rochester by state police at Ellenville and charged with criminal possession of marijuana, a felony, and unlawfully growing cannabis, a misdemeanor. Investigators found 28 marijuana plants growing within Clark’s home, as well as additional quantities of marijuana and drug paraphernalia which they seized. Clark was later released pending a scheduled appearance in the Town of Rochester Court on June 23. (freeman 6/5/09)

ACCORD — A state appeals court has overturned one of three criminal convictions against a former deputy town clerk in Rochester who was accused of stealing $1,158 from the town and falsifying business records to hide the theft.

The former employee, Annette Rose, was convicted in March 2006 of two counts of official misconduct, a misdemeanor, and falsifying business records in the first degree, a felony. But in a June 4 ruling, the Appellate Division of state Supreme Court reversed the felony conviction, saying the jury in the case was improperly instructed by state Supreme Court Justice Michael Kavanagh.

“Although Supreme Court properly indicated to the jury that defendant was charged with falsifying business records in the first degree, it mistakenly charged the jury on the law as it pertains to offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree,” appellate court Justice Bernard J. Malone Jr. wrote. The latter charge is also a felony.

The court let stand the official misconduct convictions, but sent the case back for Rose to be retried on the charge of falsifying business records.

Rose was arrested in November 2004 after a routine state audit flagged the missing funds. Following her conviction, she was sentenced to five years probation and ordered to pay a $1,150 fine.

The appellate court found during its review of procedures at the trial that the jury had been improperly instructed.

“Despite defendant’s failure to object to this fundamental error at trial, in as much as it cannot be determined if the jury found defendant guilty of the crime with which she was charged, the conviction on that count must be reversed as a matter of discretion in the interest of justice and a new trial ordered,” Malone wrote.

Malone said the official misconduct convictions would stand because the verdicts were supported by evidence during the trial.

“The trial testimony established that (Rose) was a public servant responsible for collecting money paid to the town for transfer station tickets, entering that information into the town’s database and preparing daily bank deposits,” he wrote. “The $1,158 discrepancy was linked to transactions made on July 1, 2003, a day on which defendant signed a receipt acknowledging that she received $1,200 in cash from the town supervisor for the sale of transfer station tickets by a local hardware store.”

Rose’s attorney, Andrew Kossover, could not be reached for comment Thursday. It also was not clear when the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office planned to respond to the ruling. (Freeman 6/12/09)

ACCORD — No students were injured Wednesday when a vehicle struck the rear of a school bus on U.S. Route 209, according to Ulster County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies said the accident took place near Whitfield Road at about 7:22 a.m.

The bus was carrying 13 students from the Rondout Valley High School and Middle School, deputies said.

Kathryn Rice was operating a vehicle north on Route 209 when she became distracted and her vehicle struck the rear of the school bus, deputies said. She was not injured, deputies said.

The bus was being operated by Jamie Slaven of the Arthur F. Mulligan Inc. Bus Corp., deputies said. (Freeman 6/25/09)

NAPANOCH – Since the news of the lawsuit filed against Walmart and the Town of Wawarsing broke a few weeks ago, some of the various people involved in the case have weighed in on the subject — and in some cases, have been asked to weigh in, and have refused. While lawsuits filed among corporations during the development phase are far from rare, this particular suit holds implications for the people who have come down strongly on one side of the debate or the other; namely, should Napanoch get its own Walmart retail store or not?

To offer a little background about this conflict, the suit has been filed by Shop-Rite Supermarkets, Incorporated, Wawarsing-Ellenville for Responsible Development (WERD), and Steve Krulick, an Ellenville resident who is co-petitioning in the case in addition to being the chairperson and most visible and outspoken member of WERD. The community-activist group has provided much criticism concerning Walmart's plans to build a retail store at the site of the Napanoch Valley Mall on Route 209, near Eastern Correctional Facility, and currently the home of several struggling stores and a few large, long-empty storefronts.   MORER30;

FULL STORY:

www.shawangunkjournal.com/2009/05/28/news/0905281.html

 

TOWN OF ROCHESTER – State police said a Wappingers Falls man fell from his motorcycle Sunday after a failed attempt to perform an acrobatic maneuver called a “stoppie,” during which the driver stops and raises the motorcycle up onto its front wheel.

Troopers at the Wawarsing barracks said Len G. Olhemus, 22, of 26 Laurel Park Road, who performed the stunt in sight of a patrol and later explained to police that he was trying to perform the maneuver, was uninjured.

Olhemus was issued traffic tickets for reckless driving, a misdemeanor, and the infraction of unsafe movement of a stopped vehicle, police said. He is scheduled to appear in Rochester Town Court. (6/4/09)

Dear Editor

 

Re: Jon Dogar-Marinesco's letter (BSP 15 May 2009). Nice to see that Jon could break away from his hugely busy antique business, historic barn restoration, lawn maintenance and other affairs, not to mention his less wholesome web work, in order to grace us with his incomprehensible babble.

 

His claim that "The demise of the Duke administration proved to be a litmus test of sorts," as regards "(t)hose who had the town's interest at heart," couldn't be more wrong!

 

The Democratic administration of Pam Duke— in just two years —retired town debt, produced strong budgets (lauded by current Supervisor Chipman), facilitated the Davis Farm preservation, achieved cell tower placement on town land that offers wireless internet service even as it brings revenues of thousands of dollars a month to the town, rid us of a poorly functioning tax assessor (who even the current RepublicanClub-dominated town board admits left the office in a real "mess"), initiated and completed a new Comprehensive Plan which was adopted into law and was about to do the same for the Zoning Code; all the above accomplishments in a town that had been incapable of achieving same during the prior thirty years.

 

The Duke administration was voted out of office primarily due to fabrications conjured by RC members and anonymously published around town. Such outlandish claims became "reality" by virtue of repetition as speaker after speaker attending public hearings misstated what the code actually contained.

 

The lesson to be learned: People that are lied to will act against their own best interests.

 

What Dogar does not do in his letter, is advance the dialog re zoning and planning and just how important these are to residents of the Town of Rochester even though they may know nothing about the subjects. What impacts residents' homes— their largest, most significant investment —impacts their lives in terms of lost quality of life, lowered assessed value of their investment (hence retirement security reduced) and lost liberty of enjoying their property as intended.

 

The code so far developed by the current Task Force has done a great service for those residents that use their land for a living but undermines residential use of property; in fact, making that use a second- rate use even though residentially zoned property accounts for about 85 percent of the township and pays nearly three-quarters of the town tax levy.

 

In conclusion, what else could we expect from Jon Dogar-Marinesco seeing as he's new to this town and ignorant of the history of abuse and bullying that has transpired in Rochester for decades in order to allow a small few the freedom to do anything while the many must suffer from those unmitigated impacts. Of course, distorting reality, creating chaos, failing to take responsibility for their positions, and ensuring everything is always about THEIR interests— PERIOD —pretty much defines the RepublicanClub mode of "public service."

 

Then again, there haven't been incidents of glass and nails in the driveways of elected and/or appointed RC officials. No malicious campaign of slanderous lies directed against RC officials. State troopers haven't had to man meetings as meetings haven't been disrupted by RC members. RC officials and their families haven't been personally harassed and threatened. A new code has been developed deleting residential protections prescribed by the Comprehensive Plan even as it seemingly increases density without aquifer recharge considerations and throws the doors open for "property rights" (a.k.a. RC) folk to use neighboring properties to store their foul impacts.

 

So, not to worry. Rochester is, once again, a contented little town.

 

Which makes it quite obvious, does it not, who the dishonest malcontents were in the first instance and what their motives were/have been/will always be?

 

Steven Fornal

Accord, NY

Friends of Historic Rochester’s SPRING HERITAGE DAY and QUADRICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION at the Museum MAIN STREET, ACCORD

The Board of Assessment Review of the Town of Rochester will hold its annual Grievance Day on Tuesday, May 26, 2009 between the hours of 4:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. at Town Hall, with a scheduled adjournment on Saturday, May 30, 2009 available by appointment for property owners who are unable to meet on May 26^th.

Town Assessor Cynthia Stokes will maintain an appointment schedule for taxpayers, however, appointments are not required for the May 26^th session of Grievance Day. 

Taxpayers who wish to file an assessment complaint may obtain complaint forms from the Assessor’s Office or download them from:

http://www.orps.state.ny.us/ref/forms/pdf/rp524.pdf  with associated instructions at:

http://www.orps.state.ny.us/pamphlet/complain/howtofile/whattodo.pdf

It is not necessary for taxpayers to present their complaints in person.  Completed complaint forms may be mailed to the Assessors Office, Town of Rochester, PO Box 65, Accord, NY 12404, however, correctly completed complaint forms must be received by the Assessors Office prior to 8:30 p.m. on May 26, 2009. 

For more information, property owners may contact the Assessor’s Office at 626-0920

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that the Planning Board of the Town of Rochester will hold a public hearing on the 19th day of may 2009, commencing at 7:00 P.M., at the town hall 50 Scenic Drive, Accord, N.Y. on the following matter. DEC Application for the consolidation of the Mombaccus Excavating and Rochester Center Mines, DEC # 3-5144-00083-00001 MLR# (30496) pursuant to section140-36I (2) (c) of the Zoning Ordinance of the Town of Rochester. The above noted DEC Application is open for inspection at the office of the Town Clerk , Accord, N.Y. To view the DEC Application and the maps, please call the Planning Board Secretary at 845-626-2434 to schedule an appointment. Persons wishing to appear at such hearing may do so in person or by attorney or other representative. Should this meeting be cancelled, the public hearing will be held by the Planning Board at a date to be determined  [Mombaccus is also seeking to create a new mine on Amanda Drive, off Cherrytown Road.  For more information on this application, visit http://www.accord-kerhonkson.com/mombaccus.pdf ]

At a sparsely-attended public special meeting of the Town Board held on May 11, 2009, the Task Force submitted its recommendations on a proposed changes to the Town’s zoning laws, including a new zoning map that defines residential unit density and commercial and industrial zones.  No comparison of the new recommendations to the work of the former committee was prepared, however, the Town Board

 

http://www.townofrochester.net/Pages/RochesterNY_codetask/CZMReport_2009_05_11/

NEW YORK, NY — May 13, 2009 — In partnership with the town of Rochester, the Open Space Institute (OSI) announced today the acquisition of a conservation easement on the 149-acre Domino dairy farm on Airport Road in the town of Rochester. The easement allows for dairy operations to continue on the historic farm, but ensures that the land, owned by Margaret DeWitt and managed by the DeWitt family, will not be developed. The preservation project is part of OSI’s ongoing Two Valleys Campaign, which focuses protection efforts on working farms in the Rondout and Wallkill valleys, an area of scenic beauty and abundant farmland.

In addition, an adjoining landowner plans to donate a conservation easement on his property—which he currently leases to the DeWitts—protecting 93 more acres, bringing the amount of protected land to approximately 242 acres. The easement will be donated by landowners Robert and Eileen Rominger and will be held by the Rondout Esopus Land Conservancy and OSI’s land acquisition affiliate, the Open Space Conservancy.

Three-quarters of the cost of the Domino farm easement was funded by a $693,900 Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) grant awarded by the New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets Farmland Protection Program in December 2007. The Open Space Conservancy provided the required 25 percent local match of $231,300.

The 54-year-old farm is situated in the foothills of the Shawangunk Ridge at the edge of the Catskill Mountains and enjoys a spectacular view of the Sky Top Tower and lands of the Mohonk Preserve.

Domino Farm is close to several other OSI farmland preservation sites, including the 268-acre Paul Farm, the 93-acre Osterhoudt Farm and the 320-acre Davenport Farm in the town of Marbletown and the 361-acre Davis Farm on Route 209 north of Kerhonkson, which OSI protected in 2008.

To date, OSI has protected 18 farms and a total of 2,904 acres in nine separate towns in the Rondout and Wallkill valleys, preserving an important component of the region’s local economy as well as its traditional rural character.

OSI plans to protect an additional 3,500 acres of farmland in the two picturesque valleys that surround the Shawangunk Ridge, where we have also conserved 26,000 acres of land, including the Sam’s Point Preserve and much of the Minnewaska State Park Preserve.

“It is a delight to work with the DeWitt family in protecting this scenic landscape and allowing their family farm to continue as a viable operation,” said Joe Martens, OSI’s president. “Of all the work OSI does, farmland protection is enormously gratifying since we are preserving a farming way of life and encouraging the local production and distribution of healthy food.”

Domino Farm is one of only four remaining dairy farms in Ulster County. Purchased by the DeWitt family in 1955 and named “Domino” for the black and white patterns on Holstein cows, it has developed into one of the preeminent dairy herds in the country. Its 175 cows and 150 heifers, mostly Jerseys now, ranked among the top 10 in the nation for herds of its size. In the future, the DeWitts anticipate selling value-added milk products such as butter and cheese locally.

"We're so appreciative of OSI and the state of New York for helping us save our land for future generations of farmers,” said Janet DeWitt.

In addition to the dairy operation, the farm cultivates corn, alfalfa and grass. More than half of the property contains fertile, high-quality soils of statewide significance.

“Preserving our rural agricultural heritage is very important to the residents of Rochester,” said Town Supervisor Carl Chipman. “The Domino Farm conservation easement will ensure the continued operation of this dairy farm and preserve the beauty of this open land for future generations. We are grateful for the dedicated efforts of all who worked (NYS Dept. Ag & Markets, OSI, and Dennis Doyle of Ulster County Planning) to make this come to fruition. We are very lucky to have the Davis and Domino farms protected in our town.”

KYSERIKE — Seven candidates are competing for four seats on the Rondout Valley Board of Education in the May 19 school district election.
Three three-year seats, currently occupied by trustees Michael Redmond, Gail Hutchins, and Rebecca Reeder, are up for grabs along with a fourth seat carrying a one-year term, which will go to the fourth highest vote-getter. That seat, currently held by interim Trustee Kristine Schemitsch, was vacated when former Trustee Kim Wozencraft resigned from the board.
Incumbents Hutchins, Redmond and Schemitsch are all running; Reeder is not seeking re-election. Challengers on the ballot are Lennart Berg, Breanna Costello, Matthew Finck and Paul Zimmerman.

Berg, 45, of 6 Mark Drive, Stone Ridge, is director of educational services at the Culinary Institute of America and former vice president of operations for Kozy Shack Enterprises.
“The most important issue is to balance the educational needs of the students with fiscal responsibility,” he said.
With an incoming superintendent and four school board seats open, Berg said it is “a great opportunity to improve the leadership in the district.” One of his top priorities is improving communication between the school board and community.
Berg, who graduated from Siena College with a degree in finance, lives with his wife Christine, a temporary teacher at Rondout Valley High School, and their son, a ninth grader in the district.

Costello, 35, of 25 Laurel Hollow Estates, Kerhonkson, who previously worked as a private care registered nurse, also cited improving communication between the district and its stakeholders as a top priority. Specifically, she said better communication with teachers is needed for the board to fully understand the needs of each district school during the budget process.
Student health and wellness and a more environmentally friendly district — two goals she sees as related — are also among her priorities. She noted her own work to help start a nature trail near Kerhonkson Elementary School, cowriting a grant to create a garden at the school, and starting a composting program in the school’s cafeteria as steps in that direction.
Costello, the treasurer of the Kerhonkson Elementary School Parent Teacher Association, has served on the School Improvement Team, and co-chairs Kerhonkson Elementary School’s Garden Committee.
She graduated from the University of Buffalo in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and earned an associate’s degree in nursing from Ulster County Community College in 2006. She and her husband, Daryl, a school psychologist for the district, have three children, ages 4, 6, and 9.

Finck, 36, of 246 Lower Whitfield Road, Accord, is a musician and educator who currently gives private guitar lessons. He has taught at area colleges and, from 2002 to 2005, at Poughkeepsie Day School.
Finck said encouraging more participation and public awareness in the school governance process is among his top priorities. He is concerned about what he sees as a growing emphasis on preparing students for standardized tests and said programs “that are most important to the students,” like music and sports, should be maintained.
He said he would also encourage civics instruction to help students become informed citizens, tap into local expertise by bringing community professionals into the schools, and seek to improve nutrition in district schools.
Finck, who majored in performance and minored in education at Long Island University, lives with his wife, Alisa Auchmoedy-Finck, a teacher at Rosendale Elementary School.
Hutchins, 55, of 2 Romney Way, Cottekill, is seeking her fourth term on the board. She said her top priority is maintaining and improving the district’s educational program — always “raising the bar” — and seeing “more students graduating at higher levels of achievement.”
Fiscal responsibility is also a top priority, she said, but “not at the cost of good, viable programs.” She said it is important for the district to “continually evaluate programs.”

Hutchins, who owned a local interior decorating business for six years, is currently an independent consultant for Arbonne. She served as vice president of the school board for about four years and sits on the Budget and Pupil Personnel Services committees.
She received her associate’s degree in fire protection engineering from the Delaware Technical and Community College in 1984 and earned a certificate in medical insurance from the Community College of Denver in 1975.
She and her husband Bruce, a general manager at ProBuild, have three children: a a 32-year-old son, a 30-year-old daughter who graduated from Rondout Valley High School and a 17-year-old son who is a student at the school.

Redmond, 63, of 4974 U.S. Route 209, Accord, is a retired New York City reservoir supervisor who is seeking his fourth term on the board. He cited as a priority the completion of the high school renovation project approved by voters last year — a venture in which he has been heavily involved as head of the district’s Facilities Committee.
Redmond said another top priority is to “still give the kids a solid education” and continue to provide sports and after-school activities. A member of the district’s Budget Committee, he said the district must also look for ways to spend money more efficiently and cut wasteful spending.
A Vietnam War veteran, Redmond served with the U.S. Marine Corps from 1965 to 1969, and was involved with the Indian Valley Little League for 38 years. He has also taken courses at Ulster County Community College.
He and his wife of 43 years Judith, a retired registered nurse, have a 41-year-old son, a 42-year-old daughter, and five grandchildren — all of whom are pupils in the Rondout Valley school district.

Schemitsch, 50, of Stone Ridge, a part-time administrative assistant, has served six months on the board. She served on the Reading Instruction Committee from December 2003 to June 2005 and the high school’s Building Advisory Committee from January 2007 to March 2008.
She agrees that completing the high school renovation project is a priority, but said it is important to keep the project from interfering with students’ education.
Schemitsch also called for an evaluation of programs and shared decision-making. She cited the hiring of a new district superintendent as an example of shared decision-making, with five committees of stakeholders interviewing the candidates.
Schemitsch also said she would encourage better voter turnout and participation in the district’s governance process.
Schemitsch studied marketing at Pace University from 1977 to 1980. She and her husband Stephen, a sales manager for Gateway Energy Services, have two children: a daughter who is a junior at Rondout Valley High School and a son who is a sixth-grader at the middle school.

Zimmerman, 43, of 3309 U.S. Route 209, Stone Ridge, is a freelance filmmaker specializing in commercials and videos for industrial films. He said his top priority is to improve communication between the district and the community, saying it is currently “almost nonexistent.” He said the school board cannot properly represent a community without understanding what it wants.
He said his priorities, beyond “keeping programs that work well and cutting or improving ones that don’t,” would be shaped by the needs of district residents. He proposes holding school board meetings specifically to hear from community members.
Zimmerman graduated in 1988 from American University with a bachelor’s degree in communications, specializing in visual media. He and his wife, Jill Goldstein, a publicist, have a 7-year-old son who attends Marbletown Elementary School.  (Freeman 5/13/09)

 

Voting on school board members and the annual school budget will take place at the High School on May 19^th , from 6pm to 9pm.

KYSERIKE — The Rondout Valley Board of Education has appointed Russell Agostaro as the school district’s new superintendent.
Agostaro, whose appointment was approved on Tuesday, currently is assistant superintendent for secondary curriculum and instruction in the Newburgh City School District. At Rondout Valley, he’ll succeed Eileen Camasso, who announced last August that she’s retiring as superintendent on July 1.
Agostaro will start the same day Camasso leaves. His salary will be $175,000 per year. Camasso currently draws an annual salary of $154,424, according to the state Education Department.
Camasso is nearing the end of her fourth year as Rondout Valley’s superintendent and has worked in public education for 35 years. During her career, she has been a teacher, assistant principal, principal, assistant superintendent and superintendent.
In December, the Rondout Valley school board hired the educational consulting firm Castallo and Silky to begin a search for Camasso’s successor. Agostaro, 48, was one of 35 candidates who expressed interest in the position, said Board of Education President William Oliva.
Agostaro has held his current position in Newburgh for nearly three years. He previously was the Newburgh district’s director of math, science and technology for less than a year; worked for five years in the district’s Office of Funded Programs, which tries to connect program development to funding sources; and taught earth science at the Washingtonville Junior High School for 12 years. He also has taught science courses at Ulster County Community College.
Oliva said the school board was impressed by Agostaro’s “strong teaching background” and believes he will be a good fit for the district, particularly because he lived in Cottekill while he taught at the UCCC. Agostaro currently lives in Gardiner, but Oliva said the appointee has made a commitment to move into the Rondout Valley district.
Reached by phone Wednesday, Agostaro said good communication between a school district and the community it serves is “critical.”
He described the Rondout Valley area as “a vibrant community” that places a “high value on educational excellence” and said he and his wife, Gayle, are happy to be moving their 12- and 13-year-old children to the district.
Agostaro also said he is a “high energy” person, which he believes can be contagious, and that he has “high expectations of himself and others.”
“I believe Rondout Valley can become a premiere school district in this state,” he said, noting his plans to increase academic “rigor” and infuse “21st century skills” into the curriculum.
Oliva said that in addition to being a person who “understands the district and its needs,” Agostaro also struck the school board as someone who believes in “getting people involved in the decision process.”
He is “not dictatorial, but he knows where to draw the line,” Oliva said.
Oliva also said he believes Agostaro’s “team playing and leadership” approach will serve the district well.
Agostaro earned a bachelor’s degree in geology from Bucknell University and both his master’s degree in geology and his administrative certification from SUNY New Paltz. (Freeman 5/14/09)

ACCORD – A woman has been charged with second-degree assault and other charges following a domestic incident on Main Street in Accord, the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office reported Thursday.

Sacha Wright, 18, was also charged with endangering the welfare of a child, criminal mischief in the fourth degree, obstructing governmental administration in the second degree, and resisting arrest.

Deputies responded to a domestic involving Wright and her estranged husband which had become physical.

She was arraigned in Town of Wawarsing Court and remanded to the Ulster County Jail in lieu of $15,000 bail. (Mid Hudson News 5/8/09)

KINGSTON — A structure fire in Kerhonkson at an abandoned house on U.S. Route 44/state Route 55 remains under investigation after firefighters from four departments spent about five hours on Friday dousing the blaze.
The fire, which started around 5 p.m., was at an abandoned home at 6140 Route 44/55.
According to Kerhonkson Fire Chief Kevin Mutz, the home, owned by the Decker family, was a total loss.
“We finally got it under control around 10 p.m.,” Mutz said. “We had to call in an excavator to rip it down so that we could get the water on it properly.
The house was right after you crossed the bridge over the Rondout Creek. To the best of my knowledge, no one has lived there in quite a while.”
Mutz said there were no injuries and in addition to Kerhonkson fire department, Accord, Napanoch and Ellenville fire departments provided assistance.
Mutz also said that the official cause of the fire was under investigation and members of the state police and arson task force, who were on the scene on Friday, would be in charge of that investigation. (Freeman 4/26/09)

KERHONKSON — A Kerhonkson man was arrested by the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office on Friday after he led deputies on a vehicle and foot chase near his home.
Marcus Dunn, 57, of 149 Krum Road in Kerhonkson, failed to pull over for a traffic stop while traveling on Queens Highway in the town of Rochester, police said.
Dunn became involved in a property damage accident as he entered his driveway, exited his vehicle and attempted to flee the scene on foot before surrendering to deputies.
He was charged with felony drunken driving and the misdemeanors of operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol content greater than .08 percent, reckless driving, failure to comply and unlawfully fleeing from a police officer, along with 13 vehicle and traffic violations.
Dunn was arraigned in town of Marbletown Court and sent to the Ulster County Jail in lieu of $2,500 cash bail. He is scheduled to appear in town of Rochester Court on Wednesday. (Freeman 5/3/09)

KINGSTON — The 18th time was apparently the charm for James M. Mateo.
Mateo, 52, formerly of Ten Broeck Avenue, Kingston, was sentenced in Ulster County Court Tuesday before state Supreme Court Justice Roger McDonough to serve 15 years to life in state prison as a persistent felon following what Special Prosecutor Paul Gruner said was Mateo’s 18th felony conviction.
The felony robbery and burglary charges that led to the sentence stemmed from a March 2008 home invasion. Authorities said Mateo and Joseph Buckler, 56, of 22 Navara St., Kingston, forced their way into a home on Rock Hill Road in the town of Rochester, bound the occupants with duct tape, and beat one of them with a club.
The men stole cash from the home while the victims were bound, authorities said. The victims later managed to free themselves and call for assistance.
The two suspects were arrested on March 20, 2008, a few days after the incident.
Gruner, describing Mateo as someone who has shown “no interest in conforming to what society expects of its citizens,” said his criminal record dates to 1972. The most serious charges came in 1984, when he was arrested on felony charges of robbery and criminal use of a weapon. In that case, he was sentenced to 40 months to 10 years in state prison.
Other convictions Gruner pointed to included felony drunken driving in 1991; felony assault with intent to physically injure a police officer in 1996, for which he was sentenced to serve 2 to 4 four years in state prison; and felony possession of a controlled substance in March of 2002, for which he was sentenced to serve 3 to 6 years in state prison.
Gruner said Mateo had also been charged with a variety of other charges, including misdemeanor petit larceny in 2001. Every time Mateo was released from prison, he violated the terms of his parole, Gruner said.
On June 2, 2008, Buckler pleaded guilty to charges, including felony burglary and robbery, stemming from the March 2008 home invasion. He was later sentenced to serve 12 years in state prison and five years post-release supervision, said Gruner. (Freeman 4/23/09)

 

 

ACCORD — An Accord man is facing a number of charges, including felony criminal mischief, following a domestic dispute with family members, authorities said.
Simon Phillips, 30, of Lot 28 at 19 Mettacahonts Road, was arrested after Ulster County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a 911 call for a violent domestic incident at Lot 27 of the same address.
In the course of investigating that complaint, deputies found that Phillips had engaged in a dispute with other family members at that location.
Besides the felony criminal mischief charge, Phillips was charged with menacing, obstruction of governmental administration, and two counts of resisting arrest, all misdemeanors, and two counts of disorderly conduct, a violation.
He was arraigned in Rochester Town Court and sent to Ulster County Jail in lieu of $5,000 bail. He is due back in court at 6 p.m. this evening. (Freeman 4/28/09)

Date: 4/22/2009Applicant :Mombaccus Excavating Inc. 710 Cherrytown Rd. Kerhonkson, NY 12466Facility: Former Roch CTR Dev. Corp Mine257 Rochester Center Rd. Kerhonkson, NY 12446 Applicant ID: 3-5144-00083/00001Permit(s) Applied for: 1-Article 23 Title 27 Mined Land Reclamation Project is located: in Rochester in Ulster CountyProject Description: Mombaccus Excavating, Inc., has applied for a five year renewal and modification of its Mined Land Reclamation permit to merge two adjacent mines that it owns the “Mombaccus Excavating Mine” (MLR# 30578) and the Rochester Center Development Mine” (MLR# 30496) to become the “Rochester Center Road Mine” Both of the existing mines are owned by the applicant, Mombaccus Excavating, Inc., and the new combined mined will be operated as a single mine. The applicant proposed the following modifications to create the single mine:----mine the 13 acre middle ridge that currently separates two mines,----improve interior drainage by mining some sections of the mine 30 feet deeper,----and eliminate one of the existing mine entrance roads on Rochester Center Road. The applicant does not propose any changes to the production, processing, mining and reclamation method, or to the hours of operation for this combined mine. The total approved acreage for the two existing mines is currently 88 acres. Mining the center ridgewould add 13 acres, for a new total life-of-mine area of 101 acres on a combined 269 acre property. All of the proposed 13 acre expansion is internal. The two abutting mines are located on the south side of Rochester Road, immediately east of its intersection with Samsonville Road, in the Town of Rochester, Ulster County, NY.Availability of Application Documents: Filed application documents, and Department draft permits where applicable are available for inspection during normal business hours at the adress of the correct contact person. To ensure timely service at the time of the inspection, it is recommended that that an appointment be made with the contact person. State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) Determination Project is a Type 1 action and will not have a significant effect on the environment. A coordinated review with other involved agencies was performed and a Negative Declaration is on file. SEQR Lead Agency NYS Department of Environmental ConservationState Historic Preservation Act (SHPA) Determination cultural resource lists and map have been checked. No registered,eligible or inventoried archaeological site or historic structures were identified at the project location. No further review in accordance with SHPA is required. Availability for public comment. Comments on this project must be submitted in writing to the Contact person no later than 06/07/09 or 30 days after the publication date of this notice whichever is later. Contact Person Michael D Merriman NYSDEC 21 South Putt Corners Rd. new Paltz ,NY 12651-1620 (845) 256-3054

Dear Editor

Just a quick note in response to Mr. Win's comments on contractor's underbidding each other. Please consider other implications of 'under bid'. It does not necessarily mean the total cost will be less with a lower bid. It just means, with their bid clearly lower than the others, they get the job. Once he starts the contractor then realizes that the work can't be properly with out more money. Rather than 'eating the job' (as he has no money to buy food) he tells his client in detial why 'unforeseen' problems require a greater investment on thier part or he does a lower quality job just to stay with in that low monetary number. Or his original lower bid leaves no room for the the truly unforeseen issues that come up in every job and he must 'eat it' or get the client to cover it.  The bids the contractor offered the first time are a more accurate estimate of the works true cost, not always granted, but most likely.

Willow Shamson

 

Dear Editor

 

Regarding Diana Puglisi-Cilenti's letter, "If you have evidence about task force, let's see it," (Freeman 26 April 2009) how interesting that she makes the case she does, seeing as she was a very vocal supporter of a group of Republican Club half-wit thugs that outright fabricated fables of zoning atrocities being adopted by the prior Code Task Force claiming that group was usurping the property rights of residents; claiming everything was at risk of being prohibited like use of clotheslines, mowing lawns on Sundays, residential area lighting, families of more than six children, etc. when none of it was true.

 

During the many public hearings, Puglisi-Cilenti cheered the thugs as one by one they misinformed the public about what was happening. As speaker after speaker chastised the Duke Task Force for making "back room deals" and "planning moves behind closed doors in a way which benefits its members" Puglisi-Cilenti never once corrected the crowd as to the hundred or so meetings (combined Imagine Rochester/Comprehensive Plan meetings, task force meetings, open informational meetings and public hearings) held in open forum, during which the task force took all comments at every meeting, accepted all printed materials even as it made hard copy of all working documentation available to the public and then the task force would digest all the info submitted and would discuss every single issue raised at the next session.

 

Now Puglisi-Cilenti takes exception to Keith Kortright's truthful claims that the current task force is doing exactly what the idiot mob had charged the Duke Task Force of doing. She actually has the audacity to claim the current task force "…has put party lines aside and made recommendations from their conscience, carefully weighing the greater needs of the community versus individual needs, making all efforts to protect our natural resources while respecting property rights."

 

She fails to mention the current task force won't allow the public to speak at its meetings, it provides no hard copy material to the public, has held no public info sessions. Worse, the provisions being deleted thoroughly imperil residential users rights by virtue of allowing nearly everything everywhere without sufficient provisions for mitigating impact intrusion into residential areas; which, by the way is a major aspect of the Comprehensive Plan adopted into law and which, by law, is to serve as the blueprint for any zoning code developed.

 

Puglisi-Cilenti also doesn't mention that during the Duke Task Force meetings she repeatedly lobbied for relaxation of animal husbandry regulations due to her own particular interest: She raised llamas. The new task force is suggesting that section be REMOVED, in its entirety, to be considered at some far flung future date by the Town Board; her "pet" interest thus served. Nor does she mention how the current chairman has guaranteed a much diminished regulatory apparatus for development of his real estate holdings ergo less costly out-of-pocket expense but at the expense of impacts spewing into residential properties. Nor does Puglisi-Cilenti mention how mining is proposed everywhere via simple permit issued by the Code Enforcement Office which must make a determination that such use won't be "detrimental to the neighborhood" a determination that is clearly a Planning Board's responsibility and one that the CEO isn't trained to make; thus further serving developers' interests even  as it allows cheaper gravel to be bought from someone other than Mombaccus (Keith Kortright's gravel company) with all impacts spewing into residential properties and the truck traffic damaging roads. Nor does she mention how "certain" tax delinquent parcels have "suddenly" found themselves in zones with new propitious uses being proposed in order to accommodate "certain" task force member(s).

 

Funny how dishonest, self-serving people refuse to change even as they accuse others of being dishonest and self-serving!

 

 

Steven Fornal

Accord, NY

The Rochester Residents Association is pleased to announce that it will award two scholarships to graduating high school seniors from the Town of Rochester this year.  Included is a new $1,500 award in memory of longtime Accord resident Bret Adams for a student who has demonstrated a strong dedication to the performing arts.  In addition the RRA will award a $1,000 scholarship to a graduating Rochester senior.  For more information and an application, please visit www.accord-kerhonkson.com and click on the scholarship application link.

 

The Board of Assessment Review of the Town of Rochester will hold its annual Grievance Day on Tuesday, May 26, 2009 between the hours of 4:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. at Town Hall, with a scheduled adjournment on Saturday, May 30, 2009 available by appointment for property owners who are unable to meet on May 26^th.

Town Assessor Cynthia Stokes will maintain an appointment schedule for taxpayers, however, appointments are not required for the May 26^th session of Grievance Day. 

Taxpayers who wish to file an assessment complaint may obtain complaint forms from the Assessor’s Office or download them from:

http://www.orps.state.ny.us/ref/forms/pdf/rp524.pdf  with associated instructions at:

http://www.orps.state.ny.us/pamphlet/complain/howtofile/whattodo.pdf

It is not necessary for taxpayers to present their complaints in person.  Completed complaint forms may be mailed to the Assessors Office, Town of Rochester, PO Box 65, Accord, NY 12404, however, correctly completed complaint forms must be received by the Assessors Office prior to 8:30 p.m. on May 26, 2009. 

For more information, property owners may contact the Assessor’s Office at 626-0920

In recognition of the importance of being outdoors to health and well-being, the Mohonk Preserve will hold its fourth Eleven Communities Appreciation Weekend on Saturday, April 25 and Sunday, April 26.

On these days, free one-month memberships will be issued to Preserve visitors residing in the towns of Crawford, Gardiner, Marbletown, Montgomery, New Paltz, Rochester, Rosendale, Shawangunk, and Wawarsing, and the villages of Ellenville and New Paltz.

 

Visitors with proof of residency in the communities can obtain their free membership between 9~a.m. and 5 p.m. on either day at any trailhead, including the Mohonk Preserve Visitor Center. Visitors without proof of residency in one of the eleven towns must pay the standard $10 day use fee for hikers and bikers ($15 for climbers) or can purchase an annual membership. Children 12 and under may visit the Preserve for free, but must be accompanied by an adult. Dogs are welcome, but must be on leash and under the owner’s control at all times.   

 

For a map of Mohonk Preserve trailheads and directions, visit

www.mohonkpreserve.org/index.php?directions

The Town Board issued a request for proposals for a town-wide property re-assessment at its April 2 meeting.  The last such revaluation was done in 2006 by then-Assessor Sharon Hornbeck, without any outside assistance from revaluation consultants or experts.  The new RFP clarifies that the new assessor, Cynthia Stokes, will manage the project, with specific criteria for evaluating the progress of the project.  Separately, Ms. Stokes noted that she had identified about 100 properties that were not on the tax roll since assuming the position in August 2008.

 

The Town Board rejected all bids received for a streambank repair project due to the fact that the bids received did not contain a cap on the total project cost.  The rejection came in spite of protests by Highway Superintendent Wayne Kelder, who was to manage the project.  New bids are due by April 29th. 

 

Supervisor Carl Chipman announced a campaign to increase broadband coverage in the Town of Rochester and said that an updated map showing Time Warner Cable coverage in the town had been prepared.  Councilperson Lynn Archer, who is the Town Board’s liaison to Time Warner Cable, said that more than 60 people had already responded to indicate interest in obtaining cable at their homes by sending an email to: Iwantcable@accord-kerhonkson.com

 

The task force held meetings on April 9 and 14th and intends to have a proposal for new zoning and subdivision codes and a zoning map ready for presentation to the Town Board on May 11th.  At the recent meetings, the task force discussed provisions for affordable housing, telecommunications facilities, adult entertainment uses, transfers of density rights, commercial design standards and non-conforming uses and structures. 

 

Candidates in eight of nine Ulster County school districts filed nominating petitions by the 5 p.m. Monday deadline.

In the Rondout Valley school district, seven candidates have filed petitions to fill four seats. Three, three-year terms for positions currently occupied by trustees Michael Redmond of 4974 U.S. Route 209, Accord, Gail Hutchins, 2 Romney Way, Cottekill, and Rebecca Reeder will be available, according to District Clerk Debra Barbiani. Hutchins and Redmond are both running for re-election. Reeder is not running for re-election.
A fourth seat, vacated when Kim Wozencraft resigned from the board, is available. The term of the seat is May 19, 2009, to June 30, 2010.
Other candidates filing petitions are Breanna Costello of 25 Laurel Hollow Estates, Kerhonkson, Matthew Finck of 256 Lower Whitfield Road, Accord, Kristine Schemitsch of Stone Ridge, Paul Zimmerman of 3309 U.S. Route 209, Stone Ridge, and Lennart Berg of 6 Mark Drive, Stone Ridge. (Freeman 4/21/09)

The election and school board vote will take place on May 19, 2009 from 6am to 9pm.  If you are unable to vote in person, you may download and mail an absentee ballot application.

http://www.accord-kerhonkson.com/SchoolDistrictAbsenteeApplication.pdf

 

The Rondout Valley Board of Education has adopted a $58.88 million budget for 2009-10 that reduces the property tax levy by 0.44 percent from the current level, according to school board President William Oliva.

Spending in the budget, which was adopted on Tuesday, is down 0.31 percent from this year's appropriations level of $59.06 million, Oliva said.

The school board had been considering four versions of the budget that would have eliminated between 11 and 28.5 jobs, but Oliva said that after the district received $1,341,301 in federal stimulus money, designed to offset reductions in state aid, the board passed a budget that instead eliminated only seven positions.

Oliva said "most, if not all" of the seven positions will be eliminated through attrition rather than layoffs.

New York state's 2009-10 budget, adopted earlier this month, cuts Rondout's year-to-year state aid for educational programming by about $63,000, or 0.34 percent. Gov. David Paterson's original deficit-reduction proposal would have paid the district about $1.3 million less, but the state Legislature restored some of the lost funding.

Oliva called the Rondout spending plan for 2009-10 an "educationally responsible budget and a fiscally responsible budget."

Rondout Valle residents will vote on the proposed budget on May 19.

In addition to reducing spending, Oliva said the Board of Education opted to apply $2.2 million of the district's fund balance against the tax levy to achieve the reduction from last year's level.

The spending decreases in the four versions of the budget ranged from 1 percent to 2.4 percent, and the board initially was considering applying

$1.7 million and $2.7 million of the fund balance against the tax levy.

Also, the district has received $134,009 in federal stimulus money for economically disadvantaged students - money that cannot be used toward general expenses. Rondout Valley's share of the money for special needs students from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is to be $358,429, but school officials around the region are waiting for the federal government to explain exactly how it can be used.  (Freeman 4/16/09)

KERHONKSON – A state trooper helped deliver a baby following a 911 call, state police said.
On Friday, Trooper Michael Olonko from the Ellenville barracks responded to a 911 call of a woman in labor on Leghorn Road, police said. Police said Olonko arrived and assisted the child’s parents, Alisha Card and William Ramirez, with the birth. He also provided post-birth care until emergency medical services personnel arrived, police said.
The child and mother were then taken to Northern Dutchess Hospital, police said.

 

Dear Editor:

 

A recent article in the Blue Stone Press regarding the Town Board’s review of bids for stream bank restoration work in Alligerville stated that the bids reviewed by Highway Superintendent Wayne Kelder were rejected because they did not include a cap on the total project cost.  The article stated that during the discussion of the rejection, Kelder cautioned the Board against re-soliciting bids on the project because since potential contractors had already “shown their hands” with their original bids and that they might now try to underbid one another…

 

I fail to understand Mr. Kelder’s logic… is he saying that it’s not in the Town’s best interest to get lower cost bids?  As highway superintendent and, as such, acting as a fiduciary for our Town’s taxpayers, the highway superintendent (and indeed all our elected officials) should be doing all he can to ensure that contractors who submit bids all try to underbid each other – that’s why the law that requires such bids is called the competitive bidding law.  The highway superintendent and all of our elected officials should always be on the lookout for ways to lower the cost of services provided and ensure that taxpayers always get the best price and value possible.  By implying otherwise, Mr. Kelder appears to be advocating maximizing the money paid to contractors, thereby failing to fulfill the promises he made and the job he was elected to do.

 

Sincerely,

 

Zali Win, President

Rochester Residents Association

Dear  Town Crier:

 

There didn't appear to be a blog to post my responses, so I'm doing it to you in an e-mail for your edification.

 

Regarding the item below on the Accord Fire District-- I Iooked through the state report and carefully read the Fire  District board's response. From the latter, it appears that the current board is taking financial matters in hand and I have no reason to suspect that anything untoward financially is now going on -- or that anything intentionally nefarious happened in the past.

 

But there are three broad issues raised by the comptroller's report -- and all were ones I considered deeply some 30 years ago, when I was a reporter at Newsday and spent six months investigating fire districts on Long Island.

 

First is that  the report on the Accord Fire District at issue, covering 2005, reads just like the scores of reports that I plowed through 30 years ago. Fire district boards tended then to be lax and indifferent to contemporary accounting standards.

 

Second is the sheer proliferation of fire districts. The argument for them is always local control, but what I learned is that this is illusory, for few voters pay any attention to fire district elections and the people who run for these boards tend to be part of an old-boy's network anyway. Considerable money could be saved particularly on purchasing if districts consolidated or town boards took them over. On the other hand, volunteer fire departments function on morale, and it's important for our safety to preserve high morale, so that if there were consolidation, each firehouse would need to retain a measure of autonomy and funds to use at their own discretion.

 

Third deals with purchasing. As in Accord, the big-ticket purchases for equipment that I examined 30 years ago had few bidders, which reflects the reality that there are few manufacturers of this type of equipment. However, there is equipment that is functional and equipment that is beautiful. One manufacturer told me that he loved the Long Island districts because they tended to spend extra money for chrome and other expensive decorations that made the fire trucks look flashy, which firefighters liked for parades. (I have no idea whether that is the case in Accord.)

 

As part of this series I wrote about a small city in the midwest that either built their own fire trucks or wrote rigid, standardized specs for them to provide bare-bones units that worked well and were at least $100,000 less costly than what the Long Islanders were buying. In addition I wrote about one of the cities on Long Island -- I believe there are only 2, Long Beach and Glen Cove and I don't remember which was which, but it had a paid or semi-paid fire department -- that opted for bare-bones units. 

 

It certainly would be possible for all of the fire districts in Ulster County to agree to standardize their units and to purchase them jointly, providing more purchasing power. However, human nature being what it is, I doubt that local districts would be willing to surrender any autonomy.

 

In any case, I commend you for the fine work you're doing in the Town Crier, which I find an excellent source of local news. Please keep it up.

 

Neil Rosenfeld

High Falls

Proposal for a 1,000 Acre Farmland Preserve and Catskill-Shawangunk Greenway in Wawarsing, NY

By John Adams

In the late 1980s, the Rondout (Esopus) Land Conservancy (RELC) proposed the creation of a farmland preservation area centered around the former Davenport Farm in Wawarsing, NY. The conservancy hoped to find farmers to buy individual parcels that would have been protected with agricultural conservation easements. When New York State bought much of the land to expand its prison farm at Eastern Correctional Facility, the plan to protect the lands was not implemented.

Since 1995, I have sought to convince NYS to protect its prison farmland with easements as planned. In 2000-2001, myself and the other farmers who purchased the Davenport parcels applied for purchase of development rights (PDR) grant money through the NYS Farmland Protection Program. Since NYS considers 1,000 acres to be an "important threshold" for protected farmland areas, I am proposing to create a 1,000 acre farmland preserve in the Town of Wawarsing by preserving the state land with easements and making PDR available to the private farms on a voluntary basis.

The area is now recognized in the Wawarsing Comprehensive Plan as an "Agricultural Development Area," or core farmland area. It is in Ulster County Agricultural District #3 and the Ulster County Planning Board recommends limiting allowable uses in the area.

The State of New York has announced that it is closing down the prison's farming operations by June 2009 and plans to lease the land to farmers for the next five years.

Eastern and Ulster Correctional Facilities will continue to house and "process" new inmates (respectively), and employ local residents. But the area has been hard-hit by the closing of factories and the demise of the Catskills' traditional "Borscht Belt" economy.

The Town of Wawarsing, and the hamlets of Napanoch and Kerhonkson in particular, could benefit from revitalization through agricultural and recreational tourism, with the commercial centers being in the hamlets and downtown Ellenville. The Wawarsing Comprehensive Plan seeks to avoid sprawling development along Route 209 by recommending the encouragement of commercial centers. The Napanoch Valley Mall is being redeveloped into a Super Walmart to replace the former discount department store and supermarket on the site.

New York State, together with the Open Space Institute, has created tens of thousands of acres of parkland in Wawarsing, but much of it is designated "preserves" that limit the availability of amenities for tourists and travelers. The farmland preservation area is entirely compatible with and complements the creation of a Catskill-Shawangunk Greenway that would link the two mountain ranges as well as Minnewaska State Park and the Catskill Park.

With Minnewaska's parking lot filling up and closing by mid-morning on weekends in the summer, and overuse of the trails in the Shawangunks being a concern, the greenway could provide hiking and biking to alleviate the pressure on "the Gunks." The Long Path is already planned to be re-routed through this greenway, and the town will build the D&H (O&W rail) Trail through the area from Kerhonkson's downtown parking area to Eastern Correctional's recreation hall parking lot next year. The town will choose a trail designer in 2009 and seek public input for the design. This will make the greenway an intersection of major hiking trails.

The 1999 Sullivan/Wawarsing Rural Economic Area Partnership Strategic Plan for redevelopment of the former Borscht Belt called for both a farmland preservation area and the development of a linear park along the D&H Trail with museums, historic sites, and picnic lodges.

The D&H Heritage Corridor Handbook for Action plan called for protection of the farmland along the canal and trail corridor, perhaps by the RELC, as the viewshed for the trail. It called for loops and spur trails off the main rail trail to make it more interesting. More recently, the Kerhonkson to Napanoch D&H Master Plan and the Ulster County Non-Motorized Transportation Plan called for a trail spur on Port Ben Road between the prison cornfields.

At the margins of the farm fields, especially along the creek, trails could lead to a Rondout Creek Park such as the one envisioned by the 1969 Wawarsing Master Plan. The current Wawarsing Comprehensive Plan also suggests public access to the creek north of Port Ben. The farm lane at Colony Farm could be an alternate off-road hiking and biking route to Ver Nooy Kill State Forest. An agricultural development park at the former dairy buildings at Colony Farm and/or agri-tourism activities would be compatible with the greenway/farm preserve concept.

The NYS Draft Open Space Plan, the state's land acquisition and preservation plan states that agricultural lands that provide linkages "including a Catskill/Shawangunk connection in Wawarsing" should be considered as priorities for protection. These farms serve as corridors for wildlife between the parks (despite the best efforts of the farmers!).

Planners are predicting that there will be an exodus of baby boomer-aged retirees for the next 20 years from large cities to small towns at the fringes of the metropolitan areas. The top three amenities demanded by this demographic group are trails, parkland, and open space, according to the National Association of Realtors. Wawarsing could have all three. If Napanoch, Kerhonkson, and Wawarsing can attract some of these well-heeled people, who do not have children in school but pay school property taxes, it would help to subsidize the local Rondout Valley and Ellenville School Districts. Trails add thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars to the value of a home.

When employers look for new locations for their businesses, they are attracted to places that offer a good quality of life, recreational opportunities, and amenities that they don't have to pay for, such as parks and trails. Recreation helps to keep employees healthy, content, and productive.

The Shawangunk Mountains Scenic Byway Plan encourages the redistribution of recreational tourists around the byway region, both to alleviate overcrowding and to spread the wealth to low-income towns like Wawarsing. With Minnewaska State Park overused, there is an opportunity to attract tourists down into our valley to spend money on food, lodging and entertainment. A bicycle route along existing low traffic volume back roads would be part of the mix. Other successful tourist towns have used their rail trail as the backbone of a series of connected hiking, biking and cross-country skiing circuits. A greenway/farm preserve protects the viewsheds from the Shawangunk Mountains Scenic Byway, the D&H Trail, the Long Path and Minnewaska State Park.

A large prolific aquifer underlies the area, and protecting it from development protects drinking water and is in the best interest of everyone.

A Catskill-Shawangunk Greenway and Farmland Preserve in Wawarsing would bring outside money into the town through tourism, and would bring recreation to our townspeople to help fight childhood obesity and diabetes. It would provide safe routes for children between the town park, the hamlets, and the Walmart store. It would protect scarce and important agricultural soils and farmland, help bring customers to local farm stands, and provide croplands and pasture for the use of farmers. It is smart tax policy, since farmland does not use many public services. ("Cows don't go to school.") It protects the environment and our drinking water and fights the sprawl that slows down transportation on Route 209. It preserves our heritage and turns it into a unique marketable asset.

There is simply no reason not to turn the end of the prison farm into the beginning of a new chapter in the life of the Town of Wawarsing, which capitalizes on our proud heritage of Catskill hospitality. Now, when people ride down Route 209 and see the prison farmland they say, "There's the maximum security prison," or "There's the maxie." Imagine the improvement in Wawarsing's "brand" or image if they said, "There's the Catskill Shawangunk Greenway." And it would be the same land, doing the same job of growing Rondout Valley corn!

To leave the farms unprotected and vulnerable to short-term profiteering by developers would spoil them forever. It would be a continuation of the failed policies of the past, not "change." Retail development leads to the need for more services, bigger government, and higher taxes. Tourism and agriculture are Ulster County and New York State's biggest industries and not a thing of the past. Wawarsing needs to regain its lost identity. Its greatest asset is that it is located where the Catskills meet the Shawangunks. They say, "If you don't know where you are, you don't know who you are." Wawarsing's children should grow up proud of who they are.

www.shawangunkjournal.com/2009/04/16/news/0904168.html

 

Rochester Residents Association announces 2009 Scholarship Program

The Rochester Residents Association is pleased to announce that it will award two scholarships to graduating high school seniors from the Town of Rochester this year.  Included is a new $1,500 award in memory of longtime Accord resident Bret Adams for a student who has demonstrated a strong dedication to the performing arts.  In addition the RRA will award a $1,000 scholarship to a graduating Rochester senior.  For more information and an application, please visit www.accord-kerhonkson.com and click on the scholarship application link.

The Rochester Residents Association is assembling a list of areas where residents do not have access to Time Warner’s Road Runner service, which provides fiber optic delivered cable television and high speed internet service.  Time Warner, which has a multi-year near monopoly franchise in the Town of Rochester to provide such service has been notoriously unresponsive to residents’ requests and has provided installation quotes as high as $76,000 to provide such service to households.  The RRA will present list to the Town Board to present to Time Warner.  In addition, there is a remote possibility that Federal economic stimulus money might be available to partially offset the cost of wiring portions of the time.  At present, the alternative providers of high speed internet service are Verizon DSL, which also does not reach all households in town and HughesNet (satellite).  If you are interested in obtaining high speed internet at your home or business, please send an email with your street address to:  IwantCable@accord-kerhonkson.com. 

FHR will hold is annual book sale on Saturday, April 18th from 9am to 3pm at Saunderskill Farms’ market on Route 209 in Accord.  Proceeds will benefit the Friends of Historic Rochester’s Museum on Main Street in Accord.  Donations of books in good condition will be welcomed on the day of the sale.  For further information call 687-9998 or 626-7104.

The Historic Preservation Commission will sponsor a program to introduce its updated Historic Resources Survey on the Town of Rochester on April 20, 2009 at 7pm at the Rochester Reformed Church on Route 209 in Accord.   The first survey, prepared by Harry Hansen in 1993, concentrates on stone and brick structures in the town of Rochester (you can download a copy at www.accord-kerhonkson.com/history.htm),  The Survey II features other categories of historic structures in the town, including traditional frame houses, plank and log houses, barns and other agricultural support structures, schoolhouses, churches, railway stations, and creameries.  Perhaps most interesting of all are the many different types of resorts that flourished here during the 20th century.    The members of the Historic Preservation Commission hope that you will be interested in learning about Survey II, as this gathering is designed to increase knowledge about, and to encourage civic pride in, the historic assets and resources of our Town.  Refreshments will be served.

The RVCSD has held a series of informational meetings regarding the 2009-2010 school budget. The proposed budget stands at about $60.3 million, representing an increase of about 2 percent,  compared to about $59 million in the current yet.  Concerns were raised about an estimated $1.4 million decrease in State Aid and a decline in local household incomes as a result of the general state of the economy.  Cuts in various areas have been proposed, including a reduction in staff through attrition, and reductions in after school programs and school supplies, arts and environmental education.  The next budget meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 7^th at 7pm in the High School auditorium.

The deadline for filing petitions of intent for three three-year terms and one one-year term is April 20, 2009.  For more information visit: http://www.rondout.k12.ny.us/.  The election will take place at the same time as the School District Budget Vote on May 19, 2009.  If you are unable to vote in person, you may download an absentee ballot application.

·         The Town Board discussed a delineation of duties in the Assessor’s Office (between consultants and existing employees).

·         The five members of the Accord Fire District Board of Commissioners did not provide a unified response to recommendations provided by the Operations Committee regarding the improvement of financial controls and procurement procedures. A response by two members did state, however, “While we find your interest in the fire district to be commendable, we find it very unhelpful that members of the town board and its committee would make public allegations, especially in the press, that might lead the public to believe that the town board has certain authorities over the fire district.”  The Town Board does not have any regulatory or financial authority over the Fire District but has found itself compelled to act in response to the Fire District’s inability to adequately address concerns raised by the New York State Comptroller in December 2007.  “We found little documentation available for our review concerning the awarding of four significant contracts totaling $898,008. As a result, the Board has no assurance that the District procured these expensive items in the most prudent and economical manner, whether the equipment was of the desired quality and acquired at the lowest possible price and whether the procurements were influenced by favoritism, improvidence, extravagance, fraud or corruption. The District purchased an aerial ladder truck ($500,000), pumper truck ($271,392), a vehicle exhaust extraction system ($93,881) and high pressure breathing machine ($32,735).” For a complete copy of the Comptroller’s 2007 audit, visit:  http://www.osc.state.ny.us/localgov/audits/2007/firedist/accord.htm

·         The board discussed the possibility of seeking federal economic stimulus funds to expand cable television and broadband coverage. 

·         Supervisor Carl Chipman expressed concern about the number of variance applications to the existing town zoning codes submitted to the Board of Zoning Appeals and a lack of compliance to existing procedures by applicants.  Councilperson Lynn Archer stated that more teeth was required in the code enforcement process.

·         Councilman Tavi Cilenti clarified remarks made in the March 5 meeting where he expressed concern about fundraising by town government agencies.  “I did not accuse anyone of stealing.  We just need a process for such activities.” 

·         Historic Preservation Commission chair Alice Cross presented the Commissions architectural survey to the Board featuring frame and wooden structures. This survey was an update to a similar survey prepared in 1995, a copy of which is available: http://www.accord-kerhonkson.com/history.htm

Bids solicited by the Highway Superintendent Wayne Kelder for the restoration of stream bank restoration on the Rondout Creek in Alligerville received scrutiny the Town Board, which decided not to accept any of the bids.  The bids contained only hourly costs from bidders and did not include a total project cost or cap on hours.  The Board directed the re-solicitation of bids, with tighter contract specifications.  Damage, consisting primarily of erosion, occurred in 2005 as a result of flooding.  Repair will be partially funded by grant funds received from FEMA, which must be spent for the purpose stated or be returned to FEMA.

At its March 30 meeting, the Task Force agreed to eliminate regulation for most mining operations with an annual excavation of 1,000 tons.  Such mines that intend to sell the excavated material must obtain an annual permit from the Town’s code enforcement office, which shall determine that the mining does “not create any conditions that are injurious or hazardous to the public” or that are detrimental to the character of the neighborhood.  Mines with annual production over 1,000 tons are regulated by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, which issues five-year renewable permits.  The Task Force also discussed multi-family housing and made changes to ensure conformity with other portions of the proposed code and to remove superfluous portions.  Recreational areas in such developments will no longer be required to be made available solely to residents of those developments.  Future meetings will be held April 9 and 14 at the Accord Fire House and April 22 and 29 at Town Hall.

THE RONDOUT VALLEY CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT IS IN NEED OF TELLERS FOR THE MAY 19, 2009 SCHOOL BUDGET VOTE.

THE VOTING DAY RUNS FROM 6:00 A.M. UNTIL 9:00 P.M.  YOU MAY WORK ALL OR PART OF THE DAY.  TELLERS ARE PAID AT $7.15 PER HOUR AND MEALS ARE PROVIDED DURING HOURS OF SERVICE AT NO COST.  IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN WORKING (YOU MUST BE 18 YEARS OF AGE) EITHER ALL DAY OR JUST A FEW HOURS, PLEASE CALL GAIL AT (845) 687-2400 EXT. 4813 BY MAY 11, 2009. 

DEBRA BARBIANI, DISTRICT CLERK

Yes, spring is here! The spinach is up in the garden and the greenhouse is bursting with tiny seedlings. The deer fencing needs fixing up and the woodchucks are out looking to forage in the back field. We've been starting our seeds in flats of soil blocks. I love the soil block method as it uses no plastic and wastes no materials. We're both still refining our soil block skills, so, if you'd like to learn along with us, check out Doug's blog here.

It's not too late to order seeds for your garden. We offer plenty of varieties that can be planted directly into the cool soils of April and the warmed soils of May--and beyond. We have, however, started selling out of a few varieties. To make sure we can grow even more seeds for next year's catalog we are trying to slow down a bit in terms of events. Thank you all for your invitations to come to your festivals, talk to your groups, run workshops on your farms, and sell our seeds at your markets. We will still be out and about when we can; below is a list of what's ahead.

Thank you for putting your faith in the Seed Library and supporting us in our seedling stage as a local seed company. I hope that the promise our seeds hold for your own gardens will grow bountiful, flavorful, and true. http://www.seedlibrary.org

The Town Board is assembling a list of areas where residents do not have access to Time Warner’s Road Runner service, which provides fiber optic delivered cable television and high speed internet service.  Time Warner, which has a multi-year near monopoly franchise in the Town of Rochester to provide such service has been notoriously unresponsive to residents’ requests and has provided installation quotes as high as $12,000 to provide such service to households.  The Town Board would like to create a list of residents who desire such service to present to Time Warner.  In addition, there is a remote possibility that Federal economic stimulus money might be available to partially offset the cost of wiring portions of the time.  At present, the alternative providers of high speed internet service are Verizon DSL, which also does not reach all households in town and HughesNet (satellite).  If you are interested in obtaining high speed internet at your home or business, please send an email with your street address to:  IwantCable@accord-kerhonkson.com. 

Saturday, April 4, 2009 · 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM, Accord Fire House (Main Street, Accord), Adults $12, Seniors $10, Kids 4-10 $8, Eat In or Take Out. Call 626-2616 or 626-5198

FHR will hold is annual book sale on Saturday, April 18th from 9am to 3pm at Saunderskill Farms’ market on Route 209 in Accord.  Proceeds will benefit the Friends of Historic Rochester’s Museum on Main Street in Accord.  Donations of books in good condition will be welcomed on the day of the sale.  For further information call 687-9998 or 626-7104.

The Historic Preservation Commission will sponsor a program to introduce its updated Historic Resources Survey on the Town of Rochester on April 20, 2009 at 7pm at the Rochester Reformed Church on Route 209 in Accord.   The first survey, prepared by Harry Hansen in 1993, stone and brick structures in the town of Rochester, the Survey II features other categories of historic structures in the town, including traditional frame houses, plank and log houses, barns and other agricultural support structures, schoolhouses, churches, railway stations, and creameries.  Perhaps most interesting of all are the many different types of resorts that flourished here during the 20th century.   

The members of the Historic Preservation Commission hope that you will be interested in learning about Survey II, as this gathering is designed to increase knowledge about, and to encourage civic pride in, the historic assets and resources of our Town.  Refreshments will be served.

KINGSTON — The Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency will collect household hazardous waste and electronics from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 18 at its 999 Flatbush Road location.
The objective of the collection is to prevent those materials from ending up in landfills or contaminating water sources and wastewater treatment plants.
Materials that will be accepted include lead- and oil-based paints, fertilizers, pesticides, household cleaners, paint solvents and hobby chemicals, among others. Latex paint will not be accepted because it is not a hazardous material.
Also at the event, electronics that will be accepted for recycling for a fee of $7 per carload are: computers and their components, VCRs, DVD players, keyboards, printers, monitors and televisions.  The event is for Ulster County residents only. Ineligible to participate are businesses, organizations, farms and institutions.  An appointment must be scheduled to participate in the event. To register, go to www.ucrra.org or call (845) 336-3336.

 

Nectar Imports Presents...

Writer and yogi Jeffrey Davis will offer a talk and reading related to the practice of active compassion for literary writing (and living). Jeffrey will read from the recently released updated edition of The Journey from the Center to the Page and a new short story set in the Hudson Valley. Jeffrey lives in Accord, NY, where he serves on the town's Code Task Force for Zoning - a seat that has inspired his compassion.

THURSDAY, APRIL 23rd, 6:00 pm
NECTAR IMPORTS, 1412 Route 213, High Falls, NY, 845.687.2870
NECTARIMPORTS.COM

The Town of Rochester Planning Board’s application to assume lead agency status for the Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) process regarding a 9.5 acre bluestone mine proposed by Keith Kortright of Mombaccus Excavating was denied.  The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation will assume the lead agency role.  The Planning Board sought lead agency status to ensure that the concerns of local residents were properly addressed.  These concerns include, traffic, dust, noise, hydrology and other impacts on the residential neighborhood near the Amanda Drive site off Rogues Harbor and Cherrytown Roads.  In a similar application by Metro Recycling and Crushing in 2001, the DEC did not fully address or mitigate local concerns and has demonstrated a pro-mining industry bias in its decision making process.    Mombaccus Excavating has separately submitted a separate application for the consolidation of two mines on Rochester Center Road into a 101-acre mine, also adjacent to a residential zone.

At the March 5 meeting, the Town Board held public hearings and passed and amendment increasing senior citizen property tax exemption levels and adopted a Sex Offender Child Safety Law, introduced by Councilman Tony Spano, that restricts areas where registered sex offenders can live to areas away from schools and other areas where there are high concentrations of children. 

 

Problems at the Assessor’s Office are being reviewed, with a plan of action being developed that will include plans to ensure that all properties are listed on the tax roll.

 

Supervisor Carl Chipman stated that Verizon is installing cell phone equipment at the new tower at the Transfer Station, which should be operational in a matter of weeks, and that AT&T will install equipment in a May-June timeframe.

 

Councilman Spano gave an update on the Operations Committee, which has been serving as a liaison with the Accord Fire District.  The Committee has recommended that the Fire District engage the services of an auditor to ensure the expenditures are properly vetted, however, the Fire District Commissioners have been reluctant thus far to engage such services.  There have been concerns about non-competitive procurements and unauthorized expenditures.

 

Highway Superintendent Wayne Kelder received authority to obtain bids for repair of the Rondout Creek embankment in Alligerville.

 

New York State Department of Environmental ConservationNotice of Complete ApplicationDate: 03/16/2009 Applicant: David O’Halloran Facility: O’Halloran Property, Boice Mill Rd. along Mombaccus Creek Kerhonkson, NY Application ID: 3-5144-00247/00001 Permit(s) Applied for:1- Article 15 Title 5 Stream Disturbance Project is located: in Rochester in Ulster County.Project Description: Applicant is proposing to re-direct the current course of flow for Mombaccus Creek (NYS water index #H-139-14-20-2, Class Cts) to it’s former channel located entirely on the applicants property. Diversion will be conducted by the construction of a 360 foot long rip rap embankment keyed into the slope. All work will be conducted during low flow periods. The project is located on the north side of Boice Mill Road. Availability of Application Documents: Filed application documents, and Department draft permits where applicable, are available for inspection during normal business hours at the address of the contact person. To ensure timely service at the time of inspection, it is recommended that an appointment by made with the contact person. State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) Determination Project is not subject to SEQR because it is a Type II action. SEQR Lead Agency None Designated State Historic Preservation Act (SHPA) Determination.  The proposed activity is not subject to review in accordance with SHPA. The permit type is exempt or the activity is being reviewed in accordance with federal historic preservation regulations. Availability for Public Comment: Comments on this project must be submitted in writing to the Contact Person no later than 04/09/2009 or 15 days after the publication of this notice, whichever is later.Contact PersonJohn W. Petronella NYSDEC, 21 South Putt Corners Road, New Paltz, NY 12561-1620(845) 256-3050 (Freeman 3/24/09)

 

The Rochester Reformed Church on 209 has recently completed renovation on its parsonage and is making it available for rent.  It is located right next to the RR Church.  The parsonage is a 4 bedroom, two story house with a bath and a half (one upstairs, the other downstairs), living room, dining room, kitchen, and enclosed porch entry to the kitchen.  There is a full basement and attic.  Garage space for one vehicle is also available.  They have spent a lot of time and money on the renovation (all new replacement windows, stove, dishwasher, and bathroom upgrades as well as painting throughout the house).  The rental price is $1,200 per month plus utilities.  One month's rent is required for security.  If you know of anyone who might be interested, please have them contact Andy Aitken at 626-8218 ASAP. 

Registration for the seven week summer program sponsored by the Youth Department at Camp Epworth will take place Wednesday, March 25 from 5-7 pm.  The total program cost is $770 per child. For more information call 626-2115.

 

 

Board of Assessment Review member Martha Tardibuono spoke at the February Town Board meeting and expressed her concern about the number of properties in town that were not on the Town’s tax roll.  A number of properties were identified after the retirement of Assessor Sharon Hornbeck more than a year ago and were added to the roll.  A $5,000 per month consulting contract with temporary assessor Michael Sommer was supposed to identify all missing properties, however, this appears not to have been done.  The Town Board appointed a new full time assessor, Cindy Stokes, late last year.  The Town Board requested a work plan from Stokes to identify and rectify the problems in the office and Town Board member Lynn Archer has worked with Stokes to develop a plan of remediation that starts with comparing the assessment cards in the Assessor’s office with the town’s tax map to identify potentially missing properties. 

 

Missing properties and properties that are under assessed create an unfair burden on those property owners who are properly assessed.  One form of significant underassessment is the way certain natural resources such as unmined gravel in a commercial gravel mine is not assessed, despite the fact that the existence of the gravel in a property that is used commercially significantly increases the tangible value of the property.   

Wayne Kelder, superintendent of highways, appeared at the February Planning Board meeting to present plans surrounding his request for a special use permit to establish a grass airstrip on his property on Lower Whitfield Road in Accord.  He indicated that he would be the only user of the airstrip.  Prior to further consideration, the Planning Board informed Kelder that Department of Transportation approval was necessary prior to any further determination.  As the property is located in an area that is eligible to be designated a national historic district by virtue of the high concentration of 18th Century stone homes, a full review under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) would be necessary.

 

There has been a recent increase in applications for private airstrips in Rochester in the past 18 months.  Developer John Dawson has sought approval for a “fly in” community on his unsold development on Samsonville Road near the Olive town line, and there has been interest in re-activating the airstrip on Airport Road near Route 209.  Review and operating requirements for private airstrips by the FAA and other agencies have increased significantly since September 11, 2001 and some local airstrips have been decertified.

Items discussed at the February 9 meeting:

Potential Requirement for traffic studies in applications where 500 or more vehicle movements are expected in a day.

Permissibility of RVs and commercial vehicles in residential lots within the side yard setback requirements.

Establishment of an Aquifer Protection Overlay district, which would prohibit certain activities, mostly encompassing hazardous materials,  in identified aquifer areas

Discussion of calculation of ambient noise levels and, separately, home occupations.

The members of the Operations Committee appointed by the Town Board to examine the Accord Fire District’s activities gave a report to the Town Board on Feb. 26th.  The three members, Councilman Tony Spano, Rochester Emergency Management Director Gerry Fornino, and Peter Tschirky, an experienced volunteer firefighter and fire company officer, identified he problems:

Poor or non-existent record keeping (including lack of meeting minutes and deleted financial records), lack of control over purchases and inventory, non-bid purchases, failure to comply with their own internal procedures.  The committee recommended a quarterly financial audit on all financial transactions for at least one year, including retirement and insurance fund, banking, purchase and budget transactions.  The AFD was previously cited for financial management deficiencies in an audit conducted by the State Comproller’s office.  The newly elected Accord Fire District’s chairman of the Board of Fire Commissioners, Robert Garrett, expressed his support of the Operations Committee’s activities and recommendations, but that he was only one vote on the five member board.  Supervisor Carl Chipman stated that he would do everything in his power to fix the situation and indicated his willingness, if necessary, to ask for the dissolution of the Accord Fire District.

 

There are three individual fire companies in Rochester (Alligerville, Accord, and Samsonville), which obtain their funding from the Accord Fire District, which has full independent taxing authority.  The Accord Fire District is managed by five elected commissioners, each of whom serves for five years.  The board of fire commissioners is responsible for the financial management of the district, including budgeting and purchasing, as well as all legal and regulatory compliance.

A New York City man has been sentenced to consecutive 360-day terms in the Ulster County Jail after pleading guilty to vehicular manslaughter in an Aug. 2, 2007, hit-and-run accident that took the life of a 63-year-old Kerhonkson man.

Adrian N. Chernyk, 21, of 46 St. Mark’s Place, was sentenced by Ulster County Judge J. Michael Bruhn to 360 days in jail on the felony manslaughter charge and 360 days for leaving the scene of a personal injury auto accident, which will be served consecutively to the manslaughter sentence. Chernyk also was sentenced to 360 days in jail on a misdemeanor drunken driving charge, which will be served concurrently.  Chernyk, who was 19 at the time of the accident, pleaded guilty to the charges in October 2008, admitting that he was driving his 1995 Range Rover on Fordemoor Road in Kerhonkson when he struck Roman Terletsky, 63, as Terletsky walked along the shoulder of the road.

Terletsky was airlifted to St. Francis Hospital in Poughkeepsie, where he died from his injuries later that day.  While state police at Ellenville were responding to a 911 call reporting an unconscious man lying in a ditch, Ulster County Sheriff’s deputies were investigating an unrelated property damage accident on U.S. Route 209 involving Chernyk’s Range Rover.  Deputies determined that Chernyk was intoxicated and responsible for the accident involving Terletsky.  The maximum sentence for vehicular manslaughter is seven years in state prison. (Freeman 2/14/09)

 

WAWARSING — Twelve people were arrested as the result of an ongoing investigation into drug sales in the Kerhonkson and Ellenville areas, police said Wednesday.

Among those arrested was Eddie Pacheco, 21, of 59 Lundy Road, Wawarsing, for three counts of sale of a controlled substance, four counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of possession of stolen property, all felonies, as well as two counts of possession of a weapon and one count of criminally using drug paraphernalia, all misdemeanors.

Arrested for misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance were: Theresa Pacheco, 64, and Jillian Shaughnessy, 21, both of 59 Lundy Road, Wawarsing.

Arrested and charged with two counts each of felony sale and possession of a controlled substance were: Cory Steele, 22, of 17 Canal St., Ellenville; Cornelius Cromer, 28, of 5 Maiden Lane, Ellenville; Charles Cox, age unavailable, of 7128 U.S. Route 209, Wawarsing; Michael Barrett, 29, of 26 Park St., Ellenville; Marcello Pissioni, 18, of 24 Canal St., Ellenville; Daniel Ospina, 18, of 251 Samsonville Road, Kerhonkson; and David Rosselli, 26, of 8 Kagan Lane, Ellenville.

Also arrested were: Ravanna Smith, 28, of 11 Sands Lane Ellenville on one count each of felony sale and possession of a controlled substance; and Vincent Giammichele, 19, of 6 Anderson Drive, Spring Glen on charges of sale of a controlled substance and three counts of possession of a controlled substance, all felonies, as well as one count of misdemeanor criminally using drug paraphernalia.

On Jan. 26, an Ulster County grand jury indicted several defendants as a result of an ongoing investigation into drug sales in the Kerhonkson and Ellenville areas, members of the Ulster Regional Gang Enforcement Narcotics Team said. Police said arrest warrants were issued by Ulster County Court and officers executed one at 59 Lundy Road in the town of Wawarsing. A search of the residence found Eddie Pacheco inside, as well as cocaine, crack cocaine, electronic scales, drug packaging material and several firearms, including two handguns and a stolen handgun, police said. Police said Theresa Pacheco and Shaughnessy were also arrested at that time.

Police said task force members then went to several other Ellenville-area locations and arrested the remaining defendants. Both Pissioni and Giammichele were found in Sullivan County, police said. Police said Giammichele was found with approximately a half ounce of cocaine and an electronic scale at the time of his arrest. (Freeman 2/5/09)

Members of the Rochester Residents Association donated more than $10,000 to the Rochester Food Pantry in response to a Thanksgiving-Christmas fundraising effort initiated by the RRA.  Despite (or because of) the deteriorating economy, cash donations increased significantly and the number of individual donors nearly tripled.   Marge Bonner, corresponding secretary of the Food Pantry wrote:

 

Dear Members of the Rochester Residents Association:

 

“On behalf of the Rochester Food Pantry, I would like to really, really, really thank you for all of your efforts to support the Food Pantry – from your numerous emails arm twisting your members, to your generous matching contribution from the Association, to efforts to place donation boxes around the town.

 

“Unfortunately, the economic downturn has not diminished and we continue to have an increased demand.  In 2008, we served a record 2,180 families (that’s 26,160 meals, some families visited more than once); this is more than a 70% increase over last year.  However, thanks to the generous support of your members, we have been able to meet this increased demand and supplement the food requirements of need families and individuals in our community.

 

Thank you again, and we really, really, really look forward to your continued support in the coming year.’

 

The Rochester Food Pantry is an independent tax-exempt charitable organization that provides food emergency food and basic household staples to families in need.

Accord resident Annette Finestone will exhibit photographs that she took while living in post-WWII Japan in 1946-1947.  The exhibition is at Northern Spy Restaurant on Route 213 in  High Falls.  Hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 5pm.  687-7298.

[Editor’s note: Even though this article relates to Marbletown, Rochester has the same deadlines.  Contact the Town Assessor, Cindy Stokes at 626-0920)

STONE RIDGE — Marbletown Assessor Barbara Galloway has issued a reminder that March 1 of each year is the deadline for all real property tax exemption applications to be submitted to local assessors’ offices.
Anyone applying for any real property tax exemption, whether it’s for the first time or it is a renewal, must have their application in to their assessor’s office on or before March 1 of each year.
As March 1 falls on a Sunday this year, the Marbletown Assessor’s Office will accept applications until March 2.
According to Galloway:

In addition to many other real property tax exemptions available to property owners, the most asked-about is the STAR exemption, which is the School Tax Relief exemption program first implemented for senior citizens in 1997, and extended to all property owners for their primary residence in 1998.

The Basic STAR exemption is available for property owners for their primary residence only. It is not based on age or income requirements, but is based on the residency of the owner(s) of the property. A one-time application is necessary, and the owner must provide proof of residency. This exemption does not require an annual renewal.

The Enhanced STAR exemption is available for senior citizens, and can be applied for by March 1 of the year one of the owners will turn 65. It also must be the primary residence of the owner(s). In addition to the age and residency requirement, this exemption is based on the combined income of the resident owners of the property. This year the income threshold is $73,000, based on the combined adjusted gross income less IRA distributions. This exemption requires annual renewal.

Senior citizens with limited incomes may be eligible for additional benefits and, depending on their income, may qualify for reduced taxes for school, county, and/or town taxes. This exemption is also based on age and residency eligibility, and all sources of income are calculated to determine the levels of eligibility for each taxing jurisdiction. The assessor must have documentation of all the applicant’s sources of income to apply the exemption. This exemption is in addition to the Enhanced STAR exemption, affording additional real property tax benefits to seniors on low fixed incomes. This exemption requires annual renewal.

Information and applications regarding these and all other real property tax exemptions are available at your local assessor’s office, at the Ulster County Real Property Tax Service Agency, and at the state Office of Real Property Services.  (Freeman 2/10/09)

Congressman Maurice Hinchey nominated Jordan Smith of Kerhonkson to the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Robert Garrett was elected to the Board of Fire Commissioners in an uncontested vote in December 2008.  In January, he was elected chair of the Board of Fire Commissioners.  Garrett is a former NYC firefighter and until his election, was the Town’s deputy Emergency Management Director.  Separately, former District secretary Holly Christiana accused former Chair Fred Wustrau of  [committing] “criminal acts of larceny” relating to misplaced checks.  Christiana filed a complaint with the State Police, which investigated allegedly missing checks.  The State Police determined that no crime had been committed and that the case was closed.  Wustrau stated, “The comments that Holly Christiana made are totally untrue.”

At its January 12, 2009 meeting the Task Force discussed the parameters of a Conservation Subdivision Option that would encourage cluster type developments in order to maximize open space.  The Task Force also reviewed potential Design Standards, including set back provisions.  Future meetings are scheduled for February 23  and March 2, 16, and 23^rd.

The application by Kerhonkson contactor John Dawson to construct an airfield on his unsold subdivision of Samsonville Road near the Olive town line is still active. Dawson has proposed adding a 1,500’ landing strip for a “fly in community”.  The 1,500’ strip would be among the shortest in the region and questions have been raised about the proposed strip’s safety.  A copy of Dawson’s application is available online at http://www.accord-kerhonkson.com/Dawson.htm

 

The application by Mombaccus Excavating to permit gravel mining in a residential zone near the intersection of Cherrytown Road and Rogues Harbor road is still pending.  For more information on the proposed mine, visit http://www.accord-kerhonkson.com/mombaccus.pdf and http://www.accord-kerhonkson.com/Mombaccus%20-%20Misc.pdf.

ACCORD — Town of Rochester Supervisor Carl Chipman found 2008 to be a “year of surprises” — including some that exemplified the current economic distress — and said he is looking forward to business and recreational improvements that could be made in 2009.

Chipman, speaking in a telephone interview on Friday, said the most telling indication of economic problems this year could be found in assistance provided by Ulster County to residents of his town.

“I’m doing my end-of-the-year budget stuff right now, seeing different lines, and looking at social services relief,” he said. “We had forecasted $45,000 for 2008. As of November, we were at $61,368, and we’re probably going to run somewhere in the neighborhood of around $75,000, which is quite a hit to the budget.”

Chipman said mortgage problems have added another layer of stress in the town because “people on home relief are probably not the same people who are having foreclosures.”

Recent reductions in fuel prices have helped ease some concerns, but Chipman said he is not confident that costs will stay low.

“At some point, they could shoot right up and again,” he said.

Chipman also hopes the administration of President-elect Barack Obama will, as promised, focus on creating jobs through the reuse of vacant buildings. Locally, that could include the VAW and Imperial Schrade buildings in the town of Wawarsing and buildings at TechCity, the former IBM plant, in the town of Ulster.

“What we need is some kind of stimulus here to find some jobs for people,” Chipman said, “not necessarily in our town, but so that people who live here have a way of working not too far away. I would love to see some of these old factories that are shut down have something done with them.”

Chipman also said Rochester officials will stay focused on finishing sections of the local rail trail.

“We’re moving on the northern end of the rail trail, and I would love to see that completed, and it is on my wish list,” he said.

“The trail that we have is about three miles, and we’re trying to pick up another couple of miles over by Kyserike, near Williams Lumber,” the supervisor added. “That would leave a little gap in between to complete the rail trail.” (Freeman 12/27/08)

SAUGERTIES — A suspect in a buy/bust operation faces extra charges after trying to flee police Thursday.
The Ulster Regional Gang Enforcement Narcotics Team tried to take Joshua K. Stuart, 32, of Pine Lane, Kerhonkson, into custody after he allegedly completed a drug transaction in the Grand Union plaza.
But police said he tried to run down two officers and ram one of their vehicles before he fled south to the Town of Ulster, where he rammed an Ulster police car and then fled on foot toward the Thruway.
He was caught after a foot chase involving Ulster County sheriff’s deputies, state troopers, Saugerties and Ulster town police and URGENT members.
Stuart was charged with criminal sale of marijuana, reckless endangerment, assault and criminal mischief, all felonies; resisting arrest and obstructing governmental administration, misdemeanors; and numerous vehicle and traffic infractions.
He was being held pending arraignment. (TH-Record 1/11/09)

KERHONKSON — A Kerhonkson man is being sought in connection with an investigation into heroin sales at his apartment, police said Thursday.

Louis Bellaro, 20, of 1366 Berme Road, Apt. 2, is wanted on charges of felony possession of a controlled substance and several misdemeanor charges, members of the Ulster Regional Gang Enforcement Narcotics Team said Thursday. Police said anyone with information on Bellaro’s whereabouts is asked to call the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office at (845) 338-3640. All tips will remain confidential, police said.

Members of the Ulster Regional Gang Enforcement Narcotics Team said they received numerous complaints that heroin was being sold from an apartment located at 1366/1364 Berme Road in Kerhonkson. An investigation was started and a search warrant was used at the apartment on Jan. 8, police said. Police said heroin, marijuana, drug packaging material, electronic scales and a loaded shotgun were found during the search. Of three people found at the apartment, two were questioned and released, police said. A third, Lauren Mansfield, 18, of 1366 Berme Road, Apt. 2, Kerhonkson, was charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana and released on an appearance ticket to return to Wawarsing Town Court, police said.

A warrant for Bellaro’s arrest was issued Tuesday, police said. (Freeman 1/16/09)

KYSERIKE — A woman who worked on the janitorial staff at the Rondout Valley Middle School has been arrested on charges she stole prescription drugs from the nurse’s office, state police said.

Darlene K. Sutter, 46, of 20 Hillcrest Road, Accord, was arrested Wednesday on charges of felony possession of a controlled substance and the misdemeanors of possession of a controlled substance, petit larceny and criminal trespass.

State police at Ellenville said the administration at the Rondout Valley Middle School reported on Dec. 15 that several prescription medications intended for various students at the school were stolen from a locked cabinet in the nurse’s office. A monthlong investigation revealed that Sutter stole the prescription medications on several occasions, including days when she was not working and the school was closed for business, police said.

Sutter was arraigned in Rochester Town Court and released on her own recognizance. (Freeman 1/15/09)

 

Bridge to close for more than a year, worrying town supervisor

KERHONKSON — The state has ordered the closure of the 42nd Street bridge over the Rondout Creek in this Wawarsing hamlet, a move the town supervisor fears will put lives at risk.

Ed Jennings noted the shutdown, which is to begin within two weeks and last more than a year, will force the Kerhonkson Fire Company to travel an extra 1.9 miles to reach U.S. Route 209. With the bridge open, the drive from the firehouse to Route 209 is just over one-tenth of a mile.

“The only other alternative is if they could find a place to put one truck on the other side of the bridge, then it might be OK,” Jennings said. “But I don’t think they’re going to do that.”

The local ambulance squad building is on Route 209, but reaching populated areas of Kerhonkson on the other side of the bridge will require a detour of about 1.5 miles.

Ulster County Public Works Commissioner David Sheeley said state inspectors found weaknesses in the “gussets that hold the actual truss of the bridge to the crossbeams at the bottom of the bridge.”

Sheeley said the bridge is to be closed within two weeks but that repairs won’t start until April. Once the project begins, it is expected to take nine months to complete, Sheeley said.

The state is expected to cover most of the project’s cost, Jennings said.  (Freeman 12/11/09)

 

WAWARSING — An investigation into a report of shots being fired after dark led state Department of Environmental Conservation police to a suspected deerjacker, the agency said Wednesday.

At about 9:30 p.m. Monday, authorities received a report of shots being fired and a deer down in a field at the Lundy Estate property.

Acting on that tip and a license plate number, authorities on Tuesday went to the Sundown Road, Kerhonkson, home of Wayne Steinhilber Jr., where they discovered five deer hanging in different stages of being butchered. None of the deer had tags, authorities said.

When Steinhilber, 30, arrived at his home, authorities said, he was in possession of a spotlight and loaded .30-.30 rifle.

He was arrested by Department of Environmental Conservation police and charged with two counts of taking a white-tailed deer that did not comply with the antler restriction of at least three points on one side; two counts of taking an antlerless deer without a license; and possession of a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle, all misdemeanors, as well as possession of an untagged deer, a violation.

Steinhilber was released in his own recognizance to return to court on Dec. 10.

The deer were confiscated and will be donated, authorities said.  (Freeman 11/27/08)

 

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