News Briefs 2/26/2009

Dear Editor,
Most of the major energy companies that provide Heating Oil and Liquid Propane to Hudson Valley residents collude to hold up prices for medium size and small amount users who can least afford to be gouged. My battle with my own Liquid Propane provider began back in late November, when I received a “fill-up” of my 320 gallon tank. At the end of the 90 day period of usage, I was charged a 10% increase for my fill-up while the price of Heating Oil and Liquid Propane had dropped 55% on the open market during the time in question. One of the major owners of a local company came on WAMC to plead “poor boy” as he bought his inventories at the peak in August. What he failed to disclose was that he and the other major providers actively engage in buying cheap insurance to protect inventories from sharp price drops, which in itself can become not only a profit center for the company, but offers lucrative tax “postponements”, to boot.
Hudson Valley residents have been asked to sign into unregulated contracts to “lock-in” prices for future energy needs and are asked to come up with additional cash for such a privilege. These companies never pass on any savings or favorable market-price adjustments to people who can ill afford to be the brunt of such unbridled greed.
The vehicles to prevent such consumer abuse are in place and Rep. Cahill has refused to answer numerous e-mails (I have his personal e-mail address) and his office refuses to return 3 phone calls I placed in late November. He is the Chairman of the Energy Committee in our State Legislature.
The Solution...
New York State can set a precedent in this unregulated market that has been a profit bonanza for the companies that sell Propane and Heating Oil to the public. First, I propose that the Public Service Commission regulate the practices of the Heating Energy Providers. Second, the State Securities Commission must regulate the trading of all “spot delivery” (for immediate shipment) energy contracts that trade amongst trading desks at SEC and non-SEC regulated firms. The State Securities Commission must also standardize and regulate the contracts energy providers enter into with an unsuspecting, unwary pubic consumer. Furthermore, The Commodity Futures Trading Commission must regulate the trading and delivery of all “spot” energy contracts (which trade on the floor of the NYMEX in NYC), whether they are listed, forward contracts, or derivatives of “spot” energy contracts. Their first priority is to prevent the hording of energy deliveries that went on well into the previous summer, which was the primary reason why crude oil traded up to $140/barrel.
As the energy markets work off supply overhangs and begin to readjust for future tight market conditions, the need to implement these regulations and procedures couldn’t be more important and timely.
John P. Crowley
Lake Hill, NY

Dear Editor,
This is an open letter to Ralph Legnini (in response to his letter and the three ladies who were elected to the Onteora school board last year (wow, was that less than a year ago already?) as well as the editors of the Woodstock Times and the Olive Free Press and, most importantly, to all those voters who turned out to 'overturn' the incumbent school board in the last election.
First, just to get it off my chest, I tried to warn you! OK, now I feel a bit better.
So, Ralph has resigned with charges of ill feelings and reports of serious dissention on the board. And he has warned of serious consequences if significant decisions are not made soon. He speaks of a generally deteriorating situation with the district and its facilities.
Let me say, that I hope, for all of us who value the schools and who are concerned about how our taxes are used (and increased) that Ralph is wrong in his assessment of the situation. However, it is not hard to find knowledgeable people (not on the present board) who verify much of what he has to say. That should be of deep concern to us all.
But before we get too deeply into what to do now, I consider it important to address how this happened. For those with very short memories, think very hard about that last election. Think about all the emotions that were flying so passionately around the area. And if you can, think of what the incumbents (those already on the board who were running for reelection) of that time were offering as their 'platform'. I personally wrote letters to the editor about the choice between passion and reason that the two slates represented (I clearly came down on the side of reasoned approaches and against the passion driven side). I stated clearly that I had no problem with passion, but also that it had to be 'in sync' with reason and facts. The publisher of the Olive Free Press/Phoenicia Times (who happens to be married to one of the board members, I believe) took the opposite 'stance'. He stated clearly that he would go for passion. The editor of the Woodstock Times, still stuck on the rather stale (by then) large parcel conflict also plumped for dumping the incumbents.
This could all just be 'politics as usual' - a kind of "he said/she said," if it weren't for how clearly the distinctions were laid out. The incumbents had spent three years methodically and passionately, but rationally and with great courage, devising a plan that fit within fiscal responsibility to tackle the problems that Ralph speaks about in his letter. That plan still exists. Unfortunately, the voters let their passions distract them from the detailed and well thought out, and most of all, realistic plan that was available. Now we have wasted most of a year and still have no plan in place (neither an 'emotional' one nor a rational one) and not even much progress toward getting one.
I hope the voters of this school district can get it through their heads that 'changing' school boards over issues such as what mascot the school teams should have or whether my child loves her present school and would be 'upset' if things changed is not a rational way to run a school district. We will have an election coming up soon. Use your heads folks. Look for people with their feet on the ground. Be very wary of people promising nirvana with great passion and waving visions of crying children in your faces. My children have had to face many difficult situations in their lives and this has often tugged at my heart and I have made dumb decisions just to not have to face those feelings. But I have also learned that passionate tears do not a disaster cause and that my children were far better served by learning early on that they could be adaptable and would grow to be better people by facing reality. I was a better parent by taking the hard decisions even in the face of their tears and anger.
Again, as Ralph stated, I also hope that this will shock the remaining school board members into doing a real adult job of being stewards of our children (remember the idea of 'helicopter parenting'), our taxes and our schools. Look very carefully in the next couple of months to see if the present board members have truly matured and are getting on with the hard business of being good board members, and then vote at the next election with a bit less passionate distortion and quite a bit more thoughtfulness and intelligence.
Jac Conaway
Olivebridge, NY

Dear Editor,
We were glad to see former Onteora School Board member Rita Vanacore's letter in last week's paper. The May School Board elections will be here before you know it and it is high time we engage in a conversation - preferably free of contempt - over the direction that Onteora is heading.
Contrary to what Vanacore asserts in her letter, the Board members who unseated Vanacore and her fellow incumbents are not dedicated to keeping Phoenicia Elementary open "at all costs." If anything was undertaken "at all costs" it was the former Board's consolidation agenda, which they were unable to sell to the majority of the voting public. Why?
Because the voters took the long view. Both Phoenicia and Woodstock Elementary were on the chopping block, and the voters agreed it was too risky to close neighborhood elementary schools. While Vanacore, et al continue to claim that the elimination of teachers, staff and buildings would cut expenses for the tax base, it is public knowledge that the closure of West Hurley Elementary did nothing of the sort. Taxes did not go down. Crowding at Woodstock Elementary, however, has gone up, and continues. Anyone who has spent time in a classroom as a teacher - as we both have - knows that more kids per classroom equals lower quality education. Period. In addition, the voters agreed that other collateral results of consolidation were too costly: i.e., decreased property values and less business for all but the immediate area surrounding Bennett Elementary - where, incidentally, Vanacore, et al reside - longer bus rides, and the busing of fifth graders with twelfth graders.
Add to all of the above the fact that the previous Board did not make public the details of their consolidation plan until just before the election, plus the fact that Vanacore herself gave erroneous and deflated enrollment figures to WAMC, and you have a Board that looks less than candid.
Much is said about declining enrollment, but in fact Onteora kindergarten classes are growing - 115 for '08-'09 compared to 101 for '07-'08. Plus, kids are coming in from parochial schools and private schools, and the recession is likely to send more our way.
Finally, Vanacore is quick to judge the current Board, which is barely seven months into its tenure. She says they don't know what they're doing. Untrue - the newly elected trustees are simply doing things differently than the last Board. That is what they were elected in a landslide to do. For instance, one of their first actions was to take on the deplorable brown water situation in the middle school and high school - something the previous Board had not seen fit to do. Currently being discussed are issues regarding recycling and transportation, all in full public view and all with a focus on fiscal responsibility. And make no mistake: they accept the hard truth that budget cuts must be made in a sober, responsible manner with consideration for the greater good of taxpayers and students from every Onteora neighborhood, and they are in the process of making those cuts.
The current Board does not exist to prop up a "white elephant," as Vanacore derisively calls Phoenicia Elementary. They are representing a broader swath of interests than the last Board and they are committed to making Onteora the best it can be. We have faith that this Board -- with new president Maxanne Resnick at the helm -- is equal to the task.
Robert Burke Warren
Holly George Warren
Phoenicia, NY

Dear Editor,
The RUPCO proposed housing project Woodstock Commons, in the town of Woodstock, will not just affect Woodstock when it comes to taxes. It will affect the entire district.
I read this recently and thought it worthwhile to publish here. RUPCO¢s DEIS projects an additional 36 children to the school system. In the worst case scenario, 36 school age children @ $16,054 per pupil minus $29,338 (the amount the project itself will contribute to Onteora taxes) = $548,622. That is the amount to be added to the Onteora Central School District budget per year, for as long as that $16,054 per student ($21,148 is the total cost per student, but $16,054 is the tax impact) holds up.
In the 2008-09 school year, Woodstock paid 32.9 percent of the Onteora district taxes. The other towns in the district picked up the rest.
The shares of that $548,622 break down as follows:
Hurley - 15.27 percent or a share of $83,774
Marbletown - .669 percent for $3,866
Olive - 31.49 percent for $172,761
Shandaken 18.65 percent - for $102,318
Woodstock 32.9 percent - for $180,496
Lexington .94 percent - for $5,432
Do the citizens of the town of Olive know that it will cost them, potentially, $172,761 per year, for perhaps 50 years? Does New York City know that its share of that Olive pie for the Ashokan Reservoir could be some $90,000 per year for those 50 years? Each town has a piece of that pie.
People in Wawarsing, Esopus, and Ellenville will also share in this burden.
If you are concerned about this, the public comment period on the Woodstock Commons project is open until Feb. 27th at 4 pm. Write to the Woodstock Planning Board at 45 Comeau Dr., Woodstock, NY 12498 or send an email to planning@woodstockny.org.
Iris York
Woodstock, NY

Dear Editor,
I live 3.5 miles outside of Phoenicia in Chichester and had a Valentine's Day robbery I thought you might be interested in. It's case number 152-09 with the Shandaken Police Department.
I have the right of way to a lovely railroad bridge that my neighbor Dorothy Grubman Zaharatos owns. It's the only way to get to my cabin.
It had solar lights that lit the way to the road that leads to my little cabin. Some of the lights were missing prior to my buying my cabin in 2005 and some didn't work. The little bridge is on the right hand side of 214 driving towards Hunter and many people comment on how enchanting it is.
Six weeks ago I paid my neighbor Paul Beyer to put all new solar lights on the bridge. He bought the copper look lights and put up 23 of them. I paid him $300.00 for lights and labor.
Imagine my horror to make the turn onto Grubman Road this past Thursday evening and to see that every single light was stolen. Whoever did it left a few of the rods they couldn't pry loose and obviously stole my recycle basket from Waste Management to pile them in and steal them.
Paul Beyer who lives next door and did the work was at my house on Wednesday, February 11th and all was well. I drove up on Thursday, February 12th in the evening and all the lights were gone. My neighbor Randy Ostrander who patrols 214 on a regular basis did not witness the theives in action.
I don't own the bridge but I figured I would beautify the neighborhood and light my and my families way to the cabin. After it had been completed, neighbors commented on how lovely the bridge looked all lit up. Unfortunately, someone stole the light.
I would be happy to offer a $100.00 reward to anyone who might have seen who robbed the bridge lights and contacts the Shandaken Police at 688-9902 when an arrest is made.
I love the area so much and just hate that someone would do that.
Amanda Rubin
Chichester, NY

Dear Editor,
This is a letter of thanks and appreciation. On the 23rd of January our five and a half year-old daughter who suffers from Rett Syndrome was injured on her school bus returning from Brookside School. Her wheelchair flipped over in the bus, because it was not properly placed nor secured in the bus so when the driver made a left turn, the wheelchair flipped over with our daughter strapped in the chair. The reason for this letter is to say thanks to people who helped our little girl who was scared to death.
The Olive Fire Department and Olive Ambulance Service kept our daughter calm and handled the situation in a professional manner with her safety and health first, to include keeping her father calm, which was a task itself! Seeing our little girl hurt and crying and being helpless but lucky enough for the help of the Olive Fire Department and the Olive First Aid unit. It's nice knowing that there are people who care enough to donate their time in learning how to help others in need when emergencies happen. My wife and I cannot say thanks enough to include the fact they have called our home to see how our daughter is doing. I often wondered why these men volunteered so much time, but now I'm grateful for them and their dedication to help others. Again, we all appreciate every one of you who helped our little girl, Bryanna, who does not talk, but who was grateful for all your kindness when she needed it so much.
Also, we would like to say thank you to Brookside School for their thoughts, and for their get well cards and Valentine's cards. Room #1, you're the best!
Alvah & Lori White
Olivebridge, NY

Dear Editor,
Greetings from that little house at 16 Rock City Road - Family of Woodstock's 24-hour Hotline and Walk-In Center. One might not suspect that inside is a hub of activity which has county-wide ramifications. We answer nine telephone lines, provide after-hours crisis and suicide intervention services, under contract with Ulster County Mental Health (a decades-long affiliation). Our domestic violence services encompass both residential and non-residential; we interface with ongoing issues involving emergency housing, legal, financial, employment, food, clothing, substance abuse, loneliness, depression, adolescent services, child care, etc. This, incredibly, is only a partial list! After almost 25 years of working at Family in various capacities, the scope and breadth of our helping services still amazes me. The levels of creativity, spirit and caring which staff members muster on a daily basis is poignant and vibrant. We try to help people help themselves. I am continually inspired and energized by the special work we do here, and I love our name, and I love Family.
We are understaffed in this challenging yet exciting time. There are more calls and requests for assistance than ever before. Other hotlines have closed and we are getting those calls, too. We need help. If you did a shift here 30 or three years ago we would love to have you back. Please call to discuss what kind of time you might have available, and what reinforcement and/or retraining we might offer to get you current again. We are beginning a new training cycle for telephone shift volunteers on February 21. This is an opportunity to participate in our vital work in the community, and to truly make a difference. Call 679-2485 or 338-2370 as soon as possible to register. There won't be another opportunity to take this training until autumn. This is an opportunity to participate in Community, more crucial now perhaps than ever before.
Enrique Noguera
Family of Woodstock

Dear Editor,
It is interesting to note that the letter written by "The Jewish Federation of Ulster County" quotes the U. S. Constitution to support their arguments and defend Israel's policies. It is interesting because Israel has no constitution from which to quote. They were supposed to have written one in 1948, but to this day never have. No wonder Israel feels free to persecute its minorities with impunity.
Dee Dee Halleck, Willow;
Fanny Prizant, Woodstock;
Doris Soroko, Barrytown;
Bill Campion, Mt. Tremper

Dear Editor,
We are really hurting and will hurt a lot more if this financial crisis erodes some of our country's most important assets. The Red Cross is an agency which has taken the curse off of many a serious blow from nature or fellow man. Now it is hurting and at a time when natural disasters are on a rampage. Without it we will have to endure more misery and suffering. Let us not reduce our support for this vital program.
The paper today reported that the DMV in a nearby city had upgraded their facilities for motor vehicle registration by including seating arrangements, which has taken the stress from registering. Now, may I ask, why in tunket don't the shops which depend on our patronage have the kindness to provide chairs or benches for their customers? It is really cruel for us not to be able to sit down in any of the department or grocery stores. There need not be many because people for the most part don't sit, but there are times when just sitting for a few minutes is needed. Elderly people or those with some health problems would find shopping much less of a strain if they could sit down. For someone with a sudden onset of dizziness or other distressing condition must be able to sit down. Wonder why some of the geniuses who know marketing or who care about their customers wouldn't feel this to be important? What do you suppose the shops would do if a few of us talked to them about it?
Mescal Hornbeck
Woodstock, NY

Dear Editor,
So, they've stolen all of our money. Now, Obama comes forward with a plan that's a hundred times more transparent than original TARP, and they are calling his plan the worst in the world. The Banksters, the Robbyists, the Repudiates and the media, are once again ganging up on us. I can only hope that none of us will listen to them. They are greedy, lying crooks and I'll go for any plan that puts restrictions on them. Sure they don't want Obama's plan, because it asks for transparency. How could they possibly want it? They are hiding all of our money in multi-billionare's palaces in other countries. I've come to the conclusion that Obama is smarter than any President we've had in a long time, so I'm going to save myself tons of time, researching everything that comes out of D.C., and I'm just going to back up anything he decides to do. Well, almost anything. I only hope that the media doesn't manage to convince the public 6 months down the line, that the economic crisis was caused by Obama. So far, the public has bought and accepted all of their lies. It's going to get a bit rough out there, before it gets better, so let's be grateful that we live in a thinking, caring community, and keep the music going.
Jill Paperno
Glenford, NY

Dear Editor,
Believe me sir, I'm not the voice of the people, but i feel i've been raped enough to voice my opinion. Each and every night I watch the news hoping to see and or hear something that will help the middle class, lower middleclass (me), and lower class improve their living conditions, but I have yet to see anything near this wish. President Obama passed the stimulus act of 2009, chalk one up for the President. I feel this is a good move to push the greatest country in the world back on the road to recovery. Now I think the next move is to attack the CEO's, Vice Presidents and especially the financial officers of the large Wall Sreet brokerage houses and find out exactly why they went belly up, yet received a huge lucrative bonus on top of their lucrative salaries and then asked the government for additional monies to pull them out of debt. We see thousands of people purchasing the all-American dream, a home in the suburbs, only to find out their newly furnished home is in foreclosure, why? Because the banks never really explained how a variable rate could ruin their dreams; hey, take a 5.99% loan out with us and the home is yours. No, no, no, don't think about the variable rate, the way the country is moving the chances of the rate going up is practically very low. PLEASE LOOK AT THE FORECLOSURE RATE. Millions of workers are being laid off from not only small companies but very large companies. The question is how many CEO's and vice presidents were laid off? I'll bet the percentage is very low; did they even think of taking a cut in pay to save a few workers? NOT! Ask a auto salemen what zero percent means, then look at the very tiny print on the bottom which says... $16.00 or $21.00 dollars on every $1,000 dollars financed; that does not sound like zero percent to me. President Bush said we should save a portion of our money, can anyone tell me why when the interest rate you receive is about 1.25%? In 2001 I had a decent 401k, by 2002 it was terrible, but yet the broker said leave it ride, you'll make it up in the next few years In 2007 after rolling it over into another IRA I thought I was doing fairly good. Shall I tell you how much I lost as of today, but yet my broker said let it ride, you'll make it up as soon as the market takes off? Fellow readers, I just turned 70 years of age, and I feel if I live to 80 and President Obama does what Ex President Bush did as he was leaving office, allow senior citizens to leave their money in their IRA's not forcing them to take out a portion of their savings at 65 and1/2, my broker will say leave it ride. Mr. Editor, please forgive me for venting to you and your readers but you get so damm mad at our politicians for allowing this to happen that you must tell someone.
Peter G. Polis
Shokan, NY

Dear Editor,
There is a contrary way of looking at the unemployed, other than as a burden.
If I were, as President Obama is, directly responsible for turning our economy around, I would say to myself: Here is a vast pool of labor the basic maintenance cost of which we are already paying; it is labor willing and ready to be employed on public works of merit. Let's get them busy! And, let's set up a special way of honoring these workers; let's make this an exciting National venture! Note the CCC of Roosevelt! President Kennedy was also good at this sort of thing (as, the Peace Corps).
First though, it is not helpful to underestimate the numbers that are unemployed or will shortly be unemployed. I think we should be planning for about 10,000,000. And I think we should add another 2,000,000 (15 or 20%, say) to the program to exert competitive pressure on wage levels at the bottom of the employment scale.
I lived through the Great Depression as a teenager. Many of the New Deal programs worked, some did not. The obvious intent of the Roosevelt Administration was to help people, that itself helped. But what really worked was putting the unemployed busy on important public works --- bridges (this is what my father's firm did, he was a partner in Modjeski, Masters and Chase), roads (the "Pinchot Roads) in Pennsylvania are an excellent example for today), public buildings, and other jobs that improved the quality of living--- including importantly, support of students, and the arts and sciences.
There is the matter of funding such a vast effort. I note that the value of our money is based on trust, faith that value given will be balanced or exceeded by value received. We can do what my family's "uncle," Salmon Portland Chase, did to finance the Civil War; that is, sell bonds and print money. That worked for the Union. Printing money can be done within the level of public appreciation that value given equals (or is exceeded by) value received. Of course we should tax and use tax funds. We should tax the wealthy 10% more heavily. (Another problem for us: The excessive difference in wealth between top and bottom will lead to social instability if not corrected very soon.)
Another thought of mine, from my experience: The Obama Administration, fine as it is, seems to be deficient in its understanding of agriculture, or, to be more precise, the importance of food. We have been lucky here in the United States. Though the long, worrisome, increase in world population may soon have, and I think has already peaked, feeding our population and helping feed the world's population presents some crucial problems and opportunities, especially as we need to reduce energy costs both direct and indirect. In putting the unemployed to constructive work I suggest that the safeguarding, improvement, and increase in areas of highly productive agricultural lands, particularly those near population centers, should have a very high priority.
Sherret Spaulding Chase
Shokan, NY

Dear Editor,
Am I the only person deeply sickened by the devastation and mindless deforesting on Rte. 28A from Reservoir Rd. I thought that this type of mindless and thoughtless act would magically end now that Satan is no longer in the White House but I guess I'm wrong. I would really look forward to my ride home through this beautiful and scenic road. I might add that it is part of the attraction for tourists to visit and hopefully spend their hard earned cash in our businesses. Were we notified in advance and given the opportunity to voice our disapproval? Is this necessary? This idea that it's for the "emergency vehicles" to use this road seems absurd to me. Are there no other routes for emergency vehicles to use like gorgeous Rte. 28? Are these not protected lands? It's so sad that it's too late to do
anything.
David Stanton
Olivebridge, NY

Dear Editor,
SADD's mission is to provide students with the best prevention tools possible to deal with the issues of underage drinking, other drug use, impaired driving and other destructive decisions.
On February 28th and March 1st is the Onteora SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) Barnes & Noble Fundraising weekend to benefit the Belleayre Bash. The Belleayre Bash is a drug-free/alcohol-free all night graduation event that helps keep Onteora's graduates safe on one of the most dangerous nights of the year - graduation night. If you purchase something at a Barnes & Noble store during our fundraising weekend and present the voucher attached, we will receive 10% of the sale - it does not cost you any additional money - the 10% comes from Barnes & Noble.
It takes approximately $10,000.00 to support the Belleayre Bash and we are well on are way. SADD believes it is worth every effort to keep our friends and classmates safe. Please support the Bash and our Barnes and Noble Weekend. Hope to see your there.

Tara O'Connor, President
Onteora SADD
Olivebridge, NY