News Briefs 3/27/2008

Bridge Work
Preliminary site work is in full swing at the Bushkill Creek twin bridge on Rt. 28A near the corner of Watson Hollow Road in West Shokan. It is the first of 7 bridges surrounding the Ashokan reservoir that will be rehabilitated or replaced over the next 30 months, according to the NYC DEP, owner of the bridges.
Built in the early 1900s during the reservoir construction, the Beaverkill span has seen better days and deterioration has been observed for years. Construction crews are preparing the site to receive a portable single lane temporary bridge with traffic lights to be placed on the east side of Rt. 28A, which will allow for efficient removal and replacement of the old bridge. The new bridge will be a larger single clear span across the entire creek. Roadway and drainage issues are being addressed and remedied as well on all of the bridge projects. No more than two bridges will be under construction at any given time within the 30 month project period.
At least one lane of traffic will be open while any bridge is under construction except for a 3 week period when the Reservoir road railroad bridge is replaced. Due to the complexities of the current Bushkill bridge replacement, the job will last the full 30 months of the 7 bridge rehabilitation project. No increase of road capacity was planned or designed.
The two other bridges requiring complete replacement are the Waste Channel bridge on Rt. 28A below Olivebridge and the Reservoir road railroad bridge in Shokan. The other bridges in question will receive some combination of structural improvements, roadway restoration, concrete foundation repairs, new guide rails, new shoulders, drainage improvements and anti graffiti coatings.

Flood Worries It's not something residents of the Catskills and Hudson Valley want to hear, but FEMA urged residents of the region this week to take steps to protect themselves before seasonal floods strike. In New York State, floods have caused 11 presidential disasters to be declared in the last 10 years. Yet despite the state's vulnerability, currently only two percent of New York residents are insured against flood damage, FEMA said. "Floods pose a threat to every state in our nation and they happen year round - often with little notice," said David Maurstad, Assistant Administrator of Mitigation and Federal Insurance Administrator for FEMA. "We strongly encourage residents in New York - and across the country - to include flood insurance in their flood preparedness strategy." Most homeowners' policies do not cover flood damage. Flood coverage must be purchased separately, and there is typically a 30-day waiting period before a new flood insurance policy becomes effective, so the time to purchase a policy is now. Federally backed flood insurance is available to residents, business owners and renters in high and low- to moderate-risk areas. Along these lines, officials from the Catskills, Hudson Valley and Southern Tier met in Binghamton recently for a flood safety summit. The conference, called by then-Governor Spitzer, brought together state, county and local officials to discuss what can be done to mitigate future flooding, such as that which ravaged those areas of the state in the recent past years. Senators John Bonacic and Thomas Libous and Assembly Members Kevin Cahill, Aileen Gunther, Clifford Crouch and Donna Lupardo took part in the conference. Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County's Esopus Creek Management Program, meanwhile, is offering a free workshop for anyone who manages streams, banks, bridges, and other stream related structures as part of flood response, recovery or mitigation on Friday March 28, at the Holiday Inn on Washington Avenue in Kingston from 8:30am to 4:00pm. The workshop will be attended by over 100 representatives from State, County and Local Highway and Transportation Departments, Town Supervisors and Highway Superintendents, DEC, Public Works staff, Environmental Groups, Federal Agency Responders: FEMA, Army Corps, National Guard, and more. Attendees will learn cost effective strategies to reduce flood damage and protect stream habitat, see expert presentations on stream dynamics, the opportunity to meet and network with important contacts, discuss project permitting processes with NYS DEC, work with flood response case study exercises, and receive contact guide on who to contact and when for flood events. For more information contact Michael Courtney at 845-340-3990.

Planning Backup
Two inclement weather postponements created some pent up demand at the Olive Planning Board regular meeting on Tues 3-25 with three applications for residential subdivision by Olive residents and one application for site plan review and subdivision made by Lamont Engineering on behalf of the Olive Town Board, applicant for the Boiceville Sewer District, which is in the planning and permitting process for the proposed Boiceville sewage treatment plant to be located behind the former Trail Nursery on Rt. 28 in Boiceville.
Ann Marie Steenburgh sought guidance from the board on a division of her 74 acre Sampsonville parcel into a total of 3 lots. Ms. Steenburgh was advised of the need for a documented, deeded or court ordered right of way to the proposed lots, prior to granting a subdivision.
Fred Waring applied for a 2 lot subdivision on his parcel located on Traver Hollow road. He was advised of the need for soil percolation approval from UC Dept. of Health on the unimproved lot .
Bert Winne applied on behalf of the executor of the estate of Dorothy Nichols for a combination of lot line adjustments and minor subdivision of the 5 parcels totaling 56 acres that comprise the estate of Dorothy Nichols, including the old store near the intersection of Cty. Rt. 3 and Upper Sampsonville Rd. The result would be 7 parcels that more closely conform to actual road boundaries, making them easier for the estate to sell. The board found that the preliminary plan looks feasible and needs UC Planning Bd. approval due to the proximity of Cty. Rd.3.
Brad Burgett, Engineer Technician from Lamont Engineering, Berndt Liefeld, Town of Olive Supervisor fresh from the latest CWC board meeting in Margaretville and Tim Cox, attorney for CWC (as well as a town judge), appeared before the board to request a site plan review for the proposed Boiceville Sewage Treatment facility as well as subdivision approval to subdive 1.07 acres comprising the front portion of the former Trail Nursery including the building for the purpose of being sold for commercial use. Supervisor Liefeld said that “the Town Board chose the Trail Nursery parcel because it would result in no loss of a retail commercial site due to the siting of the sewage plant.”
Burgett presented and described the planning and permitting completed thus far and was advised of the need for UC Planning Bd. input, which is not lawfully binding but still required prior to site plan and subdivision approval due to the close proximity of Rt. 28. All else was in order and the approvals will be made at the earliest possible time after the Cty. Planning Board responds.

Not The City! Alan Rosa wants you to know something. As the Executive Director of the Margaretville based Catskill Watershed Corporation, Rosa presides over a host of programs designed to protect the water in the Catskills in a way that benefits the people who live here. To pay for those programs the CWC was given millions of dollars by the City of New York as part of an historic settlement back in the 1990s. But here's what he wants you to know. "We are not the city," he said last week while attending a meeting of the Coalition of Watershed Towns. Rosa was on hand to give an informal refresher course to all. It seems 1991, the year the Coalition was formed to beat back the City's efforts to trample over watershed dwellers in the pursuit of protecting it's water supply, was so long ago that folks have forgotten the basics about the ensuing battle and ultimate upstate victory which gave rise to the CWC. Now, Rosa said, many erroneously view the CWC and the city's enforcement arm, the Department of Environmental Protection, as one in the same. Programs that the Coalition demanded and fought for, programs designed for the benefit of upstaters, are now seen as programs that benefit the city. As a result some programs are not being fully utilized even though they actually put money in local taxpayers pockets. The City, especially its DEP, are not liked in the region. One can drive along any main street and see bold bumper stickers that read "DEP: GET OFF OUR BACKS!". Old timers still remember the mid point of last century when the City showed up to condemn thousands of acres of land to build the Pepacton Reservoir, displacing families that had lived and worked those lands for generations. In 1990 they tried it again but were stopped by the Coalition. Back then the City had a basic two part plan to protect the water. 1.Take more land to stop its development forever. 2. Install new regulations that would make the development of anything else nearly impossible. After the Coalition filed a lawsuit the talking began and a settlement was negotiated. Many of the programs that were born out of those talks, the septic program, wastewater infrastructure, stormwater, even a $60 million economic development fund, were the ideas that upstaters brought to the table. Even the CWC was the Coalition's idea. They didn't trust the City in any way and wanted to set up a local organization so all the programs could be implemented by, well, locals. "These are programs that the Coalition of Watershed Towns wanted," Rosa said. Now upstaters have them, and they are under control of CWC and Rosa, who was one of the Coalition's Ambassadors during the talks. To think that these programs were designed for the city is just plain wrong, he said. "We do the programs. We pay the bills." Recent projects okayed by the CWC include planning for two new water quality protection programs to be funded by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). One will expand the current septic repair and rehabilitation program to include provisions for clustered septic systems to serve groups of a few households in close proximity, and for septic repairs for small businesses. The other new program will create an institutional sand and salt storage facility program to assist colleges, schools and hospitals which may be required to cover their winter salt piles. More information on these programs will be forthcoming in the coming months. They are expected to be up and running in late 2008. Three new low-interest loans were also approved ... CSA Properties of Fishkill will refinance and renovate 818 Main Street, Margaretville, a building they purchased in June of 2007. The building includes two storefronts occupied by gem and mineral retailer Rocko, and two apartments. Culwell Development, Inc. of Ellenville will use their loan to purchase and renovate a former grocery store at 140 S. Main St., Ellenville where they will move their Ace Hardware store currently located at 16 N. Main St. A third loan will assist Cheryl Lins in the development of Delaware Phoenix Distillery, which will produce absinthe, an herbal liquor, at a Walton location. The product will be called Catskill Spirits Absinthe. In other business, the CWC Board authorized a one-year, in-kind lease with SUNY Ulster to provide a Small Business Development Center outreach site at CWC offices, 905 Main St., Margaretville. Business counselor Sam Kandel will be available to work with watershed business owners or prospective entrepreneurs to develop business plans, marketing strategies and operational plans that could make them eligible for low-interest CWC loans and other assistance. Call him at 339-0025, ext. 15 to make an appointment. For more information, go to www.cwconline.org, or call toll-free 877-928-7433.

Legal Hairs... In a March 3 decision, state Department of Environmental Conservation Administrative Law Judge Richard Wissler, who ruled over a lengthy Issues Conference regarding an earlier version of the resort proposals put forth by developer Dean Gitter by calling for a dozen key planning issues to go to adjudication two years ago, denied a pair of motions by continuing project opponents charging that his earlier adjudication decisions should still hold for the Gitter project. "The Administrative Law Judge and the Office of Hearings and Mediation Services exclusively have the authority to make SEQRA determinations on behalf of the lead agency in the captioned proceeding, subject to appeal to the Office of the Commissioner," lawyers for the Friends of Catskill Park, Catskill Heritage Alliance, and Pine Hill Water Coalition charged in a December 7, 2007 filing. A second, December 21, 2007 filing, the same entities moved for "a determination that the project described in the September 5, 2007, Agreement in Principle (AIP) must be reviewed as a new project and not a mere modification of the project that was noticed for review in the captioned proceeding." In his response, Wissler noted that he no longer has jurisdiction over the review in question. "My ruling of October 19, 2007, holds in abeyance, without date, any further proceedings in the above-captioned matter," he wrote. "It is not, at this time, a matter under review before OHMS. At this point, the final status of the above-captioned proceeding is, effectively, unknown. Indeed, it could be withdrawn by the applicant in favor of a modified proposal such as that contemplated by the AIP. The AIP and the preparation of any SDEIS relative thereto are not before me." On March 5, the various project opponents wrote an appeal to Wissler's ruling, requesting permission to file an expedited appeal of Wissler's ruling. Lawyers for the State DEC replied last Friday, March 14, that, "the request for an expedited appeal in this case merely attempts to make an additional procedural mechanism to again challenge the resolution of the underlying issues already addressed by the ALJ." A final ruling on whether the modified Belleayre Resort be considered a new project and begin the SEQRA process anew, to be made by the head of the state DEC's law division was still pending as of press time. "The net result: Another time and resource-wasting tactic by those who oppose the resort has been justifiably thrown out," wrote developers Crossroads Ventures VP of Public Affairs Paul Rakov, announcing the state's decisions, and arguments. "Notch a win for common sense." Meanwhile, a second Article 78 lawsuit by the same parties, plus a pair of contiguous neighbors to the proposed resort and ski center expansion, is still pending before the State Supreme Court in Albany. It's basic charge? That the process by which Spitzer et al reached their Agreement was unlawful and has actually caused injury to the private landowners involved, Benjamin and Idith Korman of Highmount. In other words, the battles continue...

Creek Change Communities along the Esopus Creek corridor will benefit from a law enacted this month naming the Esopus to the official list of "Inland Waterways." This designation makes municipalities located along the Esopus Creek eligible for new funding for a range of local projects, planning and technical assistance under the waterfront revitalization programs administered by the Coastal Program of the NYS Department of State. "The Catskill Center applauds the efforts of Catskill representatives, Assemblyman Cahill and Senator Bonacic, who introduced this legislation and strongly advocated for its passage," said Deborah Meyer DeWan, acting Executive Director for The Catskill Center for Conservation and Development. "We join with the towns along the Esopus supporting this new law providing their communities access to additional resources and tools in their toolbox as they work on local revitalization efforts." The new designation represents a broad category of funding for community revitalization programs specifically geared to communities that lie along rivers, lakes and streams in New York State. Major rivers and some lakes and streams are already included in the definition. Other waterways can only be added by passage of legislation amending existing law. Within the Catskills, the East Branch of the Delaware River was previously placed on this list. The State Senate passed their bill, S.6150 last June and the Assembly Bill A.8925 was passed unanimously last month. The assistance (both funding and technical) is voluntary and there are no additional regulatory or coastal consistency requirements associated with this program. It provides access to community revitalization funding and technical assistance if communities seek it that is currently unavailable to the municipalities along such waterways. Funding is through the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF). Eligible municipalities apply for grants under a competitive funding program. Meanwhile, the State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and the Eastern New York chapter of the Nature Conservancy will receive grants specifically earmarked to eradicate invasive infestations in the area. State Parks will receive $100,000 to eradicate common reed, Japanese barberry, Japanese knotweed, Japanese stiltgrass, leafy spurge, multiflora rose and spotted knapweed from Minnewaska State Park. The Nature Conservancy will receive over $50,000 to eradicate black swallow-wort, bush honeysuckle, giant hogweed, and mile a minute weed from areas in the Catskills.

Ledge Rescue! A 50-yearold Chinese woman was rescued from Giant Ledge, near Slide Mountain, after falling and suffering an apparent heart attack. The unidentified victim was hiking with friends when the accident occurred on Sunday afternoon, March 9th. According to police accounts, the woman or someone in her party used a cell phone to call 911 at 4:54 p.m. that day. The call was picked up by a cell tower in Greene County because there is no local cell service in the vicinity of Giant Ledge. The 911 call was then transferred to the City of Kingston dispatch instead of the county 911 system. Rescuers then found her in 39 minutes. She was transported from the mountain on a six-wheeled vehicle called a "Gator" brought to the scene by the Pine Hill Fire Company. Responding to the call were fire companies from Claryville, Pine Hill, Shandaken and Phoenicia, along with members of the U1ster County Sheriffs Department, State Police and Forest Rangers. She was transported to the hospital by Shandaken Ambulance.

Held & Charged A Phoenicia man, 47 year old Ernest Fudge, formerly of 17 Station Road, remains in the Ulster a County Jail without bail on the charge of first degree sexual abuse, a Class D felony., after he was arrested following a complaint from a woman who claimed Fudge held her against her will for several hours, raped her and physically assaulted her. The unidentified woman, was transported to Benedictine Hospital in Kingston by Shandaken Ambulance where she was treated for her injuries and released. Fudge was being held pending a grand jury hearing expected for early April. Fudge has allegedly moved in with the victim after being thrown out of his trailer on Station Road. He had previously been arrested on charges of providing alcohol to minors, endangering the welfare of a child, and two DWIs on a single day. He also served time in state prison for having held up a pair of gas stations.
Stay tuned...

Pled Guilty... Zephyr Dresser-Peck, the 19-year old Woodstock native charged in the prom night accident that killed his friend Andrew Dean-Lipson last May 19, pleaded guilty to two counts in Ulster County Court last Thursday, March 13, admitting that he has been drinking and smoking pot before the 5:40 AM crash on Glasco Turnpike occurred May 19, 2007. Dresser-Peck, 18 when the accident occurred, had been originally indicted on charges of vehicular manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and driving under the influence of both alcohol and drugs. Former County District Attorney Donald A. Williams, who retired from his post in January, served as special prosecutor in the case. Dresser-Peck was represented by Stephen Coffey. Williams was selected to prosecute the case by current County D.A. Holley Carnright after Carnwright recused himself from involvement in the case because he had briefly represented Dresser-Peck last year. Dresser-Peck spoke, as part of his allocution during the March 13 hearing, of having attended a West Hurley post-prom party before the accident, which occurred when he and Dean-Lipson were driving another acquaintance, Mick Sarandon, home. Dresser Peck admitted to overcorrecting after swerving into the oncoming lane and going off the road, causing his vehicle to become airborne and hit several trees. Dean-Lipson, 19 and known to everyone as Drew, was thrown from the car and later pronounced dead at the scene. Dresser-Peck and Sarandon were not seriously injured. Before leaving office, Williams prosecuted a Grand Jury investigation into the post-prom party that resulted in a closed report that he later utilized to help push through a new county law, passed last month, that now makes it illegal for adults to provide alcohol to minors on private property not of their immediate family with maximum penalties of up to 15 days in jail and/or a $250 fine. Dresser-Peck faces a maximum sentence of 2-1/2 to seven years in state prison on the vehicular manslaughter and DWI charges he pled guilty to. Sentencing will take place before Ulster County Judge J. Michael Bruhn in Kingston on May 27.

Younger Drinking More than two decades after the United States established a uniform drinking age of 21, a movement is afoot to allow 18- to 20-year-olds to legally buy alcohol under some circumstances. Proponents say the higher age hasn't kept young people from consuming alcohol and has instead driven underage consumption underground, particularly on college campuses. "Our laws aren't working. They're not preventing underage drinking. What they're doing is putting it outside the public eye," Vermont state Senator Hinda Miller said. "So you have a lot of kids binge drinking. They get sick, they get scared and they get into trouble and they can't call because they know it's illegal." A committee of the Vermont Senate has approved Miller's bill to have a task force weigh the pros and cons of rolling back the drinking age and make a recommendation to the Legislature early next year. Organizations and lawmakers in other states are toying with similar ideas. In South Dakota, Flandreau lawyer N. Bob Pesall has drafted an initiative petition to allow 19- and 20-year-olds to legally buy beer no stronger than 3.2 percent alcohol. In Missouri, a group is using the Internet social networking sites Facebook and Meetup to try to collect more than 100,000 signatures to get a measure on the ballot to lower the drinking age to 18. In South Carolina and Wisconsin, lawmakers have proposed allowing active duty military personnel younger than 21 to buy alcohol. A similar proposal was rejected last year in New Hampshire. Last year, former Middlebury College president John McCardell started Choose Responsibility, a nonprofit that favors allowing 18-to 20-year-old Vermonters to legally buy booze once they've completed an alcohol education program. McCardell said an effort is under way to persuade Congress to grant waivers exempting states from financial penalty if they lower the age. Mothers Against Drunk Driving and others call this folly to even consider, saying the higher age limit has saved thousands of lives since the 1984 enactment of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act. The act required states to raise the age to 21 or lose federal transportation money. South Dakota was the last state to comply, in 1988. In 2006, 28.3 percent of youngsters aged 12 to 20 said they'd had a drink in the past month and 19 percent were defined as binge drinkers, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The survey defined a binge drinker as someone who, in the past month, had drunk five or more alcoholic beverages within several hours.
Scholarships The Phoenicia Rotary is willing to sponsor two students entering 11th grade in September 2008 with full scholarships for the Rotary Youth Leadership Award conference. Qualified candidates are those high school students finishing their sophomore year who demonstrate the potential to benefit from a program designed to nurture and instill confidence in their leadership skills and abilities. The conference dates are Sunday June 29th - Thursday July 3rd, 2008 at the Mount St. Mary's College in Newburgh. The conference is designed to introduce participants to thoughts and ideas which, if utilized, will strengthen and develop their leadership skills. To qualify for this scholarship, you must complete an application with requested attachments, and complete an interview with the Rotary RYLA Selection Committee. Applications are available at the Onteora High Guidance Office, the Ulster Savings Bank on Main St. Phoenicia, and from Chairman Mark Wilsey at 688-2183. Completed applications should be submitted by April 15th.

Rebate Ready
In order to get one of the economic stimulus checks promised by the federal government, you'll have to file a Federal Income Tax return first. You won't have to actually pay any tax. But by filing a return, you'll give the IRS the information it needs to issue you a rebate - such as your name, address, Social Security number and the amount of your income for 2007. Remember that you generally need at least $3,000.00 of "qualifying income" for 2007 to be eligible for a rebate - and "qualifying income" includes Social Security benefits as well as certain types of veterans' benefits. You will be able to obtain free tax preparation and tax filing service by contacting any of the various AARP Tax Aide sites throughout the county for an appointment. Further information can be requested by calling the Ulster County Office for the Aging at 845-340-3456 or toll free 1-877-914-3456.
And remember, this basically means that any stimulus you're expecting shouldn't be expected, now, before the summer at earliest...

Valley Transport
Rodney Slater, the secretary of transportation under President Bill Clinton, summed up a daylong regional economic summit Tuesday at Rockland Community College by saying that intermodal transportation is the best way to develop the means by which to move people and goods around the Hudson Valley. Top officials from the state Transportation Department, Thruway Authority, Metro-North Railroad and Stewart International Airport talked of their efforts to modernize and advance their respective travel modes. All of those agencies are working on developing intermodal forms of transportation. Pattern for Progress President Jonathan Drapkin released his think tank's updated set of transportation priorities for the Hudson Valley. At the top of the list is creation of a regional transportation consortium, moving toward a solution to the Tappan Zee Bridge, maximizing connections to Stewart by bus and train, uniting the Hudson Valley to "move up the ladder" for priority attention in Albany, ensuring the Valley's "fare" share, and increasing voting power for the region's representatives on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board.
All agreed that increasing development pressures would be likely over the coming years, but largely unavoidable. Meanwhile, a rise in sea levels and other changes fueled by global warming is now being predicted to threaten roads, rail lines, ports, airports and other important infrastructure, and policy makers and planners should be acting now to avoid or mitigate their effects, according to new government reports. While increased heat and "intense precipitation events" threaten these structures, the greatest and most immediate potential impact is coastal flooding, according to one of the reports, by an expert panel convened by the National Research Council, the research arm of the National Academy of Sciences. Another study, a multiagency effort led by the Environmental Protection Agency, sounds a similar warning on infrastructure but adds that natural features like beaches, wetlands and fresh-water. "We need to think about it now," said Dr. Schwartz, a member of the National Academy of Engineering. The multiagency report, a draft assessment, is intended to help policy makers do just that. The 800-page draft was posted online last month for public review at climatescience.gov/Library/sap/sap4-1/public-review-draft. It focuses on the area from Montauk Point on Long Island to Cape Lookout, N.C. and includes possible impacts up and down the Hudson River, as well as involving airports throughout the New York area that could end up making Stewart that much more valuable in the long run. As a first step, the academy report said, transportation officials must realize that climate patterns that prevailed in the past "may no longer be a reliable guide for future plans." Instead, it said, they should incorporate climate change into their plans for capital improvements, maintenance schedules, emergency preparedness and so on. The panel also recommended changes in the National Flood Insurance Program, a federally subsidized program for coastal properties. The report said the maps the program used in setting rates did not reflect the influence of climate change. In a recent Easter edict, the Vatican spoke of pollution and "ecological offenses" as modern evils. In recent months, Pope Benedict has also made several strong appeals for the protection of the environment, saying issues such as climate change had become gravely important for the entire human race. Similarly, the Southern Baptist Convention signaled a significant departure from its former official stance on global warming, with 44 of its members backing a declaration calling for more action on climate change, saying its previous position on the issue was "too timid." President Bush, meanwhile, has recently rebuffed appeals from the nation's governors to increase spending on roads, bridges and other public works as a way to revive the economy. Governors said Mr. Bush had told them at a White House meeting that he wanted to see the effects of his economic stimulus package before supporting new measures.
Oh well...

Deer Changes? After three successful years, the Ulster County Legislature's Environmental Committee is requesting that a deer hunting management program be permanently extended by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. The deer harvest strategy states that hunters are restricted to taking bucks with three or more antler points on at least one side of its head. Proponents of the program say the program is helpful because it makes for safer hunting and a healthier deer population by bringing the overall deer sex ratio closer to a healthy balance. In addition to helping the deer population grow strong, deer herd management makes for better sporting among hunters. Not only is a larger buck with more antlers a prized catch, but mature deer are smarter and more difficult to hunt, it has been added. A state Department of Environmental Conservation study conducted in the county from 1989 to 1993 showed the female-to-male ratio at approximately 13-to-1, a staggering figure considering "they are born basically 50-50." Proponents say the program makes the sport safer because hunters must take more time to identify a buck with three points.

County Housing? Ulster County has released a "priority strategies" report that looks at affordable housing in the county. The study is now being reviewed during a series of public workshops, with many starting to say that a focus on environmental issues and site plan regulations has come at the expense of affordable housing concerns. The report, which only contains statistics through October 2004, notes that increases in housing costs have far exceeded income increases among potential home buyers. Officials wrote that in 2004 the $49,213 average annual household income represented 25.9 percent of the $190,000 median sales price of a home, and showed that buyers' ability to pay had diminished from 2000 when the $43,110 average income was 37.4 percent of the $115,250 median home sales price. “Renters, likewise, are also finding it difficult to find decent housing that does not claim a disproportionately large share ... of their household income," officials wrote. "In 2004, renter households needed an income of roughly $30,000 to afford the estimated median market rent of $740 in the county without being overly burdened with housing costs." Recommendations in the report include: 1) Initiating a public information campaign to discuss findings in the report at local town and village meetings, with outreach conducted to assist with a "best practices" approach to housing development. 2) Completing an examination of all comprehensive plans in each of the county's municipalities to identify obstacles to housing development. 3) Establishing agencies to handle affordable housing trusts "to control the appreciation of land and housing prices." 5) Creating a list of public and private sector financial incentives to develop better infrastructure services to support high density commercial and housing development. And 6) Setting "housing targets" that can be used in comprehensive plans for the county and municipalities. Upcoming meetings are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on April 1 at the Marlboro Free Library at 1251 U.S. Route 9W; 6:30 p.m. April 8 at Elting Memorial Library, 93 Main St., New Paltz; and 6:30 p.m. April 14 in the Ellenville Public Library, 40 Center St. In the Shandaken and Olive areas, meanwhile, it seems that our own local agency once tied to affordable housing, the SHARP Committee, has spent recent years getting rid of properties so as not to compete with the private sector. More on this pattern in the coming months...

Teen STDs! At least one in four teenage girls nationwide has a sexually transmitted disease, or more than 3 million teens, according to the first study of its kind in this age group. A virus that causes cervical cancer is by far the most common sexually transmitted infection in teen girls aged 14 to 19, while the highest overall prevalence is among black girls - nearly half the blacks studied had at least one STD. That rate compared with 20 percent among both whites and Mexican-American teens, the study from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. About half of the girls acknowledged ever having sex; among them, the rate was 40 percent. While some teens define sex as only intercourse, other types of intimate behavior including oral sex can spread some infections. For many, the numbers likely seem "overwhelming because you're talking about nearly half of the sexually experienced teens at any one time having evidence of an STD," said Dr. Margaret Blythe, an adolescent medicine specialist at Indiana University School of Medicine and head of the American Academy of Pediatrics' committee on adolescence. The CDC's Dr. Kevin Fenton said given that STDs can cause infertility and cervical cancer in women, "screening, vaccination and other prevention strategies for sexually active women are among our highest public health priorities." The study by CDC researcher Dr. Sara Forhan is an analysis of nationally representative data on 838 girls who participated in a 2003-04 government health survey. Teens were tested for four infections: human papillomavirus, or HPV, which can cause cervical cancer and affected 18 percent of girls studied; chlamydia, which affected 4 percent; trichomoniasis, 2.5 percent; and herpes simplex virus, 2 percent. Screening tests are underused in part because many teens don't think they're at risk, but also, some doctors mistakenly think, '"Sexually transmitted diseases don't happen to the kinds of patients I see.'" Some doctors also are reluctant to discuss STDs with teen patients or offer screening because of confidentiality concerns, knowing parents would have to be told of the results.The American Academy of Pediatrics supports confidential teen screening.

Home Genetics?
Bipolar genetic tests bought over the Internet have been the recent rage in some circles, joining hundreds of other at-home gene tests ... but the medical community is urging people to beware of the new home aides. The proliferation of these tests troubles many public health officials, medical ethicists and doctors. The tests receive almost no government oversight, even though many of them are being sold as tools for making serious medical decisions. Health experts worry that many of these products are built on thin data and are preying on individuals' deepest anxieties. Tests have become available claiming to help predict and diagnose everything from serious illnesses like cancer and Alzheimer's to athletic ability and a person's ideal diet. Bipolar sufferers experience intense mood swings as they cycle between manic, sometimes delusional highs and depressive lows that can lead to suicide if untreated. The disease is often misdiagnosed as other forms of depression, which delays treatment and can result in the prescribing of antidepressants that make some patients' symptoms worse. To take the new test, patients receive by mail a plastic cup that they spit into, seal and send back to Psynomics, a private company. The company then analyzes DNA in the saliva but sends patients' test results only to their doctors to avoid the risk of self-diagnosis. The report that accompanies those results instructs doctors that a positive test means patients are two to three times more likely to have bipolar disorder. But the studies from which those figures come also show the gene variations themselves are rare even among those with bipolar. The test is valid only for whites of Northern European ancestry who show some.
In coming months, at least two other startups led by genetic researchers are set to release their own psychiatric genetic tests. One test claims to predict the risk of developing schizophrenia. The other is designed to forecast the likelihood that some medications for major depression could heighten suicidal thoughts in patients.
The American Psychiatric Association has yet to create an official policy on genetic testing. A fact sheet issued by the Federal Trade Commission advises consumers to be wary of assertions made by at-home genetic testing companies.

Sustainable? "Greening Your Business: The Case For Sustainability," an all-day conference at Dutchess Community College (DCC) on March 14, was held to educate the local business community on the benefits of environmentally-sound, sustainable business practices and to share resources, information and best practices on how being "green" is good for business. More than 225 regional business owners and representatives attended to learn more about products and technologies than can increase sustainability while still helping the bottom line. "Greening the business is really a goal of our company," explained Bill Kennedy of Kenco. "It wasn't actually a financial decision, but being an outdoor outfitter, we wanted to be as environmentally correct as we could be. NYSERDA [the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority] worked with a local bank to get us a loan with a lower rate to make it affordable."

Musicfest Skeds
The Belleayre Musicfest has recently released its 2008 Calendar of concerts. Events start Saturday, July 5 with the Belleayre Festival Orchestra with Irish Tenor Ronan Tynan doing its annual performance followed by Fireworks. On Saturday, July 12 Brian Wilson, Beach Boys auteur, takes to the stage with a full band. On Friday, July 18 it's John Covelli Unplugged playing "Beethoven to the Blues," followed by the Bacon Brothers Band on Saturday, July 19. On Friday. July 25, "The Post-Neo Trio" features local talents Justin Kolb, Abby Newton and Mikhail Horowitz. Stage and TV Star Bebe Neuwirth plays on Saturday, July 26. On Saturday, August 2, the Belleayre Festival Opera and Community Chorale of the Catskills presents Leoncavallo's "Pagliacci" plus a program of Famous Opera Choruses. On Sunday, August. 3 Children's Opera Theater then presents a free concert performance of "The Three Bears." Friday, August 8 will be given over to Urban Jazz Songstress KJ Denhart , with Jazz Piano Great Ramsey Lewis (The In Crowd) following on Saturday, Aug. 9. On Friday, August 15 Clarinetist Ken Peplowski takes to the stage, followed by "Two Jazz Diamonds," a 75th Birthday Celebration with David "Fathead" Newman, Curtis Fuller, Cedar Walton, Rufus Reid, Jimmy Cobb and Special Guests on Saturday, August 16. Country Superstar Vince Gill takes to the stage on Saturday, August 23, and Chris Isaak on Saturday August 30. All concerts take place at the Belleayre Music Festival big top at the state-owned ski center off Route 28 in Highmount. For further information call (800) 942-6904, ext. 344 or visit www.belleayremusic.org.

No Silly Goose Three local DEP staffers, this newspaper's publisher, and a dog report the following from Chichester. On Friday, March 14 a large Canada Goose in rapid descent nearly collided with the witnesses while being hotly pursued for an apparent lunch commitment by a mature bald eagle. After missing the humans and crashing through some low branches with the dog close behind, it flopped to the ground in an open field about 50 yards away, apparently dead. This was confirmed by the dog, who pushed the lifeless body around a bit with his nose. After collaring the dog and dragging it off to a nearby car, and with the humans discussing what to do with the dead goose, the goose got up and started walking north towards Greene County. One of the humans flapped their wings and it took off, straight over the center line of Route 214 at about four feet of altitude, till it rounded the corner and disappeared. The eagle, watching everything from atop a tree across the creek, chose not to follow.
Honorary Cops? The New York State Sheriffs' Association Institute has begun its annual Honorary Membership drive in Ulster County. The New York State Sheriff's Association Institute is a not-for-profit corporation, and contributions to the Institute are tax deductible. The Sheriff's Institute provides training programs and services for Sheriff's Offices. In addition, the Sheriff's Institute supports sending disadvantaged children from Ulster County to summer camp. The camp, which is celebrating its 32nd anniversary, has served nearly 16,000 boys and girls in New York state- this summer there are places for 24 children from Ulster County. The camp offers recreation plus programs that foster good relationships with law enforcement. The Sheriff's Institute also provides an annual scholarship for one student in each county to study criminal justice at a local community college. Financial support for Sheriff's Institute programs comes from Honorary Membership dues. Invitations for membership are extended on a random, non-partisan basis. Dues are $20 for individuals, $50 for businesses, or more if the joiner wishes to give it. Anyone interested in becoming an Honorary Member should contact Ulster County Sheriff Paul VanBlarcum if they do not receive an invitation in the mail, at 845-340-3590.

"Senior Prom" An annual "Senior Prom" will be hosted once again by the Life Skills Students of Onteora, open to all seniors in Shandaken and Olive. The date is April 9th at Al's Restaurant 5 to 8 PM. It is absolutely free to seniors subsidized by grants from Federal, State and County Educational agencies as well as the Phoenicia Rotary and other local service organizations. DJ music will be provided by Keith and transportation is available if needed. Reservations are REQUIRED; please call Nicole at 688 5856 or Chris at 688 7319.

Share Words! High-School student poets are encouraged to compete in the 12th Anniversary Word Thursdays Share the Words High- School Poetry Competition on Friday, May 9, at the Foothills Performing Arts Center in Oneonta. Individual students from any school in New York State as well as school teams are invited to compete for prizes that celebrate excellence in writing and presentation. Those prizes include US Savings Bonds, sets of Bright Hill Press books, and readings at Word Thursdays in Treadwell; the winning team will take home a traveling trophy and a permanent banner in school colors, inscribed with the names of team members and their coach, who will be named Poetry Coach of the Year. Awards will be given by Dr. Marie Wiles, Superintendent, ONC BOCES, and Bertha Rogers, founding director of Bright Hill Press/Word Thursdays. Teams must include no fewer than five students and no more than 10 students and must be sponsored by a school; there is a nominal fee for each student, which includes catered lunch served at Foothills. The awards include first and second places in the following categories: The Graham Duncan Award for a Formal Poem (any topic), the Robert Winner Award for a Nature Poem, the Nicholas Alicino Award for a Performance Poem (any topic), and the Bright Hill Award for a Free Verse Poem Addressing Current Events. The competition, which begins at 8:45 a.m on May 11, is in three heats; poets will read their original poetry to the audience, which will be judged by Treadwell and Brooklyn poet and storyteller Margot Farrington; Syracuse poet Georgia Popoff, and a regional educator. The keynote poet, who will read, discuss her poetry, and answer questions between the second and final heats, is Liz Rosenberg, the author of 3 books of poetry, one book of prose poems, and one chapbook called THE LILY POEMS, due out in May from Bright Hill. Any school may participate in the Word Thursdays Share the Words High-School Poetry Competition by contacting Bright Hill Center in Treadwell, 607-829-5055; or by e-mail at wordthur@stny.rr.com.
New Governor... Okay... so things have changed a bit, eh? "Straight talk," the former crusading Attorney General Eliot Spitzer told a reporter last fall while celebrating the one year anniversary of his huge win over former Catskills area Assemblyman John Faso, "is perhaps something that comes too naturally to me." Now we're all talking about newly sworn-in Governor David Paterson, with the only news of Spitzer coming in the form of his most recent sideline work, barring that which got him into trouble, working to uncover mortgage bank and other financial industry indiscretions. Could there have been a tie-in with his downfall, some asked? Yes and no, we reply. In the meanwhile, the Spitzer administration's new focus on the Catskills as its key testing ground for Smart Growth theories matching new development with Climate Change and environmental-savvy policies seems set to continue unchanged... at least for the moment. "I am staying on with the new governor," noted Spitzer's Deputy Secretary for the Environment Judith Enck in a recent e-mail. "He is very engaged on a range of energy and environmental issues. He chaired a special committee on renewable energy, supports the State's efforts to close indian point... The governor had a very strong environmental voting record when he was in the state senate." As for the big local project that Spitzer complicated his local reputation with when he announced an Agreement in Principle last September that would allow developer Dean Gitter a major resort tie-in to an expanded state-owned Belleayre Ski Center, Enck said the "compromise" she helped envision and broker would stay as is, despite rumors to the contrary. "The Bellaeyre AIP remains fully in effect," she wrote. Separately, Enck said before the departure of Spitzer, with whom she'd worked in the state attorney general's office for years, that state government was seeing the Catskills similarly to the way the Pataki administration worked with the Adirondacks... as a key area for influence and the trying out of new projects. So much for the new news...