Some
say this winter's had the character of a monster, from false
snow days to real whoppers like this week's. Then again, there
are those who are just seeing it for nice days home, and useful
material for making different sorts of monsters...
Layoffs
At Belleayre
Lanza Says It's Just Earlier Than Usual, But Deeper State
Cuts Look Foreboding
2/25/2010
By Olive Press Staff
On
Sunday, February 21st, 59 people lost their jobs at Belleayre
Mountain Ski Center, the state-owned facility at Highmount
in Shandaken. On Monday, Belleayre's Superintendent Tony Lanza
attempted to downplay the purging, saying that every year
there are lay offs.
But he did admit that, this year, those lay offs came sooner
and that there are more of them.
Continue>>>
Resort
Moving Forward?
Project 'Alive And Kicking' Says Gitter;
DEC Reports Quiet On The Western Front
2/25/2010
By Brian Powers
If packed houses suggest anticipation, then the overflow
crowd at 7:30 in the morning seemed primed for news
last week, as proposed Belleayre Resort developer
Dean Gitter addressed an Ulster County Chamber of
Commerce breakfast at Kingston's Holiday Inn. It was
Gitter's fourth such update of the past decade to
one of his few reliably supportive audiences, and
the first time since 2007 that he's publicly addressed
the long-delayed project's status.
"The Belleayre Resort is alive and kicking and
moving nicely towards its reality," said Gitter,
adding that while he's "more enthusiastic than
ever, it's not a done deal."
Continue>>>
A
Jar Of Olives...
-Simple-
2/25/2010
By Carol LaMonda
Sometimes simple is better. Henry David Thoreau urged
us to live deliberately and to keep our accounts in
a thumbnail. In a world of chaos, confusion and complicated
relationships, we sometimes need to gear down and appreciate
the simple pleasures. As I was watching the sunrise
from my favorite leather chair, I thought about how
truly happy I was sitting there in baggy pajamas all
snuggled in a blanket with my dog beside me and the
smell of coffee wafting from the kitchen. I savor that
early morning hour before the television goes on, before
the phone rings, and before the day officially begins.
Dawn is that magic time when you are awake enough to
daydream, but you don't have to engage your brain to
the responsibilities of daylight.
Continue>>>
BACK IN A MONTH
The next issue of The Olive Press will
be coming out on Thursday, March 25. After that, we will resume
our normal schedule. See you all then!
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New At The
Catskill Center
Regional Instituton Hires Regionally
As It Faces Revived Future Built On
Advocacy
2/25/2010
By By Paul Smart
Alan White, the new Executive
Director at The Catskill Center for
Conservation and Development who started
work on February 23, has gotten to know
the Catskills well in his many decades
of living and working throughout its
various counties and towns. Living in
Halcott, White comes to the job several
months from a position as Catskill Mountain
Director for The Nature Conservancy,
and a career that previously saw him
employed by the Sullivan and Ulster
County Cornell Cooperative Extensions,
as well as the Watershed Agricultural
Council. He currently serves as Board
Member for the Town of Halcott and on
the Board of Directors of the Catskill
Landowner Association.
Continue>>>
Grass
Pellets
Regional Biofuel Gets
An Ashokan MapleFest Tryout
2/25/2010
By Olive Press Staff
A pilot project funded
by the Catskill Watershed
Corporation (CWC) to determine
whether pelletized grass
and hay can be used as
an efficient heat source
is gaining steam... and
about to get a pitch-perfect
public demonstration at
Olivebriedge's Ashokan
Center as part of the
burgeoning not-for-profit's
upcoming March 6 Maple
Festival.
At that time, new grass
pellet stoves will be
shown, alongside the heritage
of mapling activities
and entertainment by the
Center's founders and
leading lights, musicians
Jay Ungar and Molly Mason.
Continue>>>
The
Budget Takes Shape
Superintendent Ford Makes
Suggestions, Not Necessarily
At Board's Direction
2/25/2010
By Lisa Childers
After two consecutive school
board cancellations due to
inclement weather, an additional
Onteora board of education
meeting is rescheduled for
6:00 PM this Thursday February
25, at the Phoenicia Elementary
School. The board will enter
into executive session at
the beginning of the meeting,
but are expected to return
at 6:45pm at which time there
will be an extended Public
Comment period for people
to talk about budget concerns.
On March 2, the board will
have it's regular meeting
at Woodstock Elementary beginning
at 6:00 PM. Cancelled meetings
due to weather can be common
during the month of February,
but inconveniently, given
this is the time when administrators
and board members focus on
building their annual budget.
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