Letters to the Editor 6/21/2007

Dear Editor,
We are writing in response to some of the comments made at the school board meeting on June 5th by representatives Rita Vanacore, Cindy O’Connor and Dave Patterson, in which they defended their majority votes to create a Grade 5 through 8 middle school.
Although no board member has stated it publicly, everyone knows that this decision could very likely sound the death knell for Phoenicia Elementary. Like many, we are convinced that this loss would radiate into the social fabric of the entire district; in addition to adversely affecting the local Phoenicia/Shandaken children who would spend much more time on the bus, Woodstock and Bennett classrooms would become more crowded. Resentments could cause inter-town relationships to suffer, and the Phoenicia economy certainly would suffer.
Two reasons cited for the move to a 5 through 8 middle school/closure of a school are Òfiscal responsibilityÓ and the co-called Ònegative aspect of diversity.Ó The opinion that we are Ògetting stuck in the philosophy of community schoolsÓ has also been voiced.
Regarding both the fiscal responsibility angle and the notion that Òthe philosophy of community schoolsÓ is something of a concern, we are reminded of what the architects from KSQ advised: three distinct neighborhood schools, as stated in Plan A. They acknowledged extensive research showing that - while costs may run slightly higher (although no one seems to know for sure if indeed this is the case) - it is worthwhile on many levels to keep the three distinct neighborhood schools open. The fracture of a community by closing a neighborhood school is not something to be taken lightly. The only way to stop it is to reach out to our friends in Olive, West Shokan, Woodstock, West Hurley, and the surrounding towns and hamlets.
How do we convince our neighbors to the east and south that keeping Phoenicia Elementary open is worth their while? We believe they do care about our well-being, yet don’t hear anyone encouraging them to acknowledge that they are connected to us not only through our mutual tax dollars. There is much more at stake here than just money and there is more to our connection than fiscal matters. We hear lots of talk about saving Onteora tax dollars. No small thing, of course, but certainly not the whole thing. In other words, what do we get for the tax money that school board representatives are trying to keep in tax payers’pockets? What is the worth – not just financial, but social - of a supported small school a couple of towns over? It’s more of a challenge to venture into that kind of talk, but let’s put down our pencils and give it a try.
There are many positive aspects of Phoenicia Elementary being part and parcel of the village of Phoenicia; what my child and his peers learn in the classrooms of that building on Route 214 spills out and continues on the sidewalks of the village of Phoenicia. The educational experience goes on and is enriched when we cross paths with teachers and fellow students and their families as they go to the library, eat at Brio’s, get milk from the Phoenicia Supermarket, or march in the Memorial Day Parade. The teacher-student bonds that are formed in the classrooms, the halls and the playground are strengthened by the interactions that take place in our community and vice versa, and the addition of parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles into the equation – who will be shepherding their kids through the Phoenicia streets – makes for an invaluable educational opportunity that carries over into the entire Onteora community.
In these fractured times, a sense of community is a rare and precious thing and can only endow our children with the self-esteem they need to do well at high school and in the world. Why show by example that the bottom line is more important than a sense of connectedness and community? It bears repeating: it is for the good of all of Onteora that Phoenicia Elementary remain open and part of a supportive network of neighborhood schools.
As for the comment made that Òsometimes our diversity is negative, because each school is autonomous to its own, which can be good – but it’s a bigger negative because the programs, though they’re great for that individual school, when the kids merge at a higher level of learning they are not always at the same level.Ó This seems disingenuous. Anyone who has more than one child or has worked with kids can tell you no child is at the Òsame levelÓ as another. They all come to class with different capabilities, gifts and areas where they need special attention. Merging in a new environment at a higher grade – preferably higher than grade 5 - after having learned the basics in each child’s respective neighborhood, would bring to the table the much-undervalued concept of a different perspective. And is the notion of Òthe negative aspects of diversityÓ just an opinion? Or is there research to back it up?
Due to the connection between our school and our town, our entire family – wife, husband, and our soon-to-be fourth grader - have learned many deeply valued lessons, and they haven’t solely been academic, but spiritual, practical and social. In other words: the things money can’t buy.
Robert Burke Warren
Holly George-Warren
Phoenicia, ny

Dear Editor,
On June 5, the Onteora School Board voted, 4-3, to reconfigure the school district so that a future middle school would be expanded to house Grades 5 through 8. (Currently, it is only Grades 7 and 8.) This configuration was one of three options remaining on the table as part of the Capital Project drawn up by KSQ Architects, but this option also calls for the closing of an elementary school in the District. In other words, by voting to reconfigure the Grades, the School Board appeared to vote to reduce the Onteora School District, the second largest in New York State, to just two elementary schools, where there were four only a few years ago.
The School Board serves as our elected members, and so parents do not have a vote. However, we are invited to attend Board Meetings to offer our comments. I attended the June 5 meeting for the first hour but I found, as I have done before, that the OSB meetings move with the grace and pace of a lengthy freight train, as if designed to dull parental participation. I understand that this meeting, which started at 7pm, did not address the Middle School Grade reconfiguration until 10pm; there were parents who had to leave by then because they had kids with them, and others who had to leave because they had sitters to pay for. There are also many parents who have stopped attending meetings concerning the reconfiguration of our School District because they are suffering from sheer exhaustion over it. I'm not sure I understand why issues of such importance as reconfiguring the entire school grade system should not be worthy of their own meeting and at the very top of an agenda.
From a personal perspective, nothing I have seen in paper or practice convinces me that putting 10 year olds in with 14 year olds is beneficial for those younger kids, nor that there is anything to be gained by removing those 10-year olds from their roles in elementary schools as mentors to lower grade children. Superintendent Dr. Ford’s own report on the Capital Project notes that a mere 8% of the elementary schools in America graduate their children after 4th grade; nor is it common in other countries to graduate children out of elementary schools before the age of 11. I know that the MS Steering Committee decided that Grades 5-8 would be optimum for our District; as a parent, I have the right to strongly disagree.
However, what worries me even more is that it’s hard not to see this vote as the death knell for Phoenicia school. Taking grades 5-6 out of the elementary system takes away at least 25% of the kids - we will now almost certainly have school rolls so small that maintaining three schools will seem untenable. And Phoenicia already has the lowest population of the three schools. An obvious move would be to turn Bennett into the new middle school but a) the cost is apparently $21,000,000 and b) I don’t believe for a moment that the five Olive residents who will be sitting on the seven-person school board come July will vote to close their local elementary. It’s also unlikely that Woodstock would be the candidate – that community recently lost its neighboring West Hurley School and will not be willing to lose another. That leaves Phoenicia. By putting the cart before the horse and electing to make for a vastly bigger middle school, I believe the school board has placed those who love the Phoenicia school in an uphill fight to save it.
The right way forward would have been to choose a configuration on the master plan that supports the retention of three elementary schools or, at the very least, which maintains two elementary schools either side of the district with a bigger middle school in the middle - not deciding on grade configuration first and worrying about school closures later.
Any plan has to go before the public at some point, but my understanding is that it will be a straight Yes/No vote. It does not seem that Plan A on the KSQ Architects’ Capital Project, which would have kept the three elementary schools, and reconfigured the Middle School to be Grades 6-8, will be an option come the public referendum. This is a great shame as it remains the Plan of choice for many parents I speak with.

I hope the school board will reconsider its decision.
Tony Fletcher
Phoenicia, NY

Dear Editor,
I read letters full of anger and confusion on both sides of the abortion debate. Perhaps we as women need to look at this in an entirely different way. We must be responsible about how many people we bring into this world. Quality of life for our children demands it. We are emerging from a long period of total domination over our bodies and minds. In the lifespan of the human race it has only been a fleeting portion of time since we western women have been allowed to read, vote, have our own resources, need I go on? Some parts of the world still see women in domination. Somehow we have wound up believing that our bodies are our enemies. Either we accept the fate of out of control baby making machines or must dose our bodies with chemicals that actually take control of our natural life giving cycle or implant a barb within our wombs. To surgically end a pregnancy is a violent act. I put forward that it is a violence to the mother as well as the fetus. I stress here, our bodies are sacred, capable of the ultimate magic-the creation of new human life. This is no enemy, this is the key to our empowerment. If that is so does it not behoove us to know that vessel thoroughly? The menstrual cycle consists of much more than monthly bleeding. We also have an important period of ovulation. This has a specific beginning middle and end, and with modern technology (search ovulation indicator on the internet) it can be rather easily detected. During this time, and not really at any other time can conception occur. Think about this my sisters. If you knew when you woke in the morning that today making love will probably create a new life, how would that knowledge feel? I can imagine a world in which every child comes to earth with the mother’s choice to say yes before the seed is planted. Every child a wanted child. This is within our grasp, it resides already within us.
Christina Countryman
Shokan, NY

Dear Editor,
Some people say that everything happens for a reason, like those stories you've heard about people who get bumped from an airplane that later crashes. Last week, I wanted to get home early, and rushed to make a 7:15 AM bus from Port Authority. When I got to the ticket booth, the man told me that the first bus out was 8:30AM, always was and always will be. After stopping to pick up a cup of coffee, I arrived at the gate at 7:18 to learn that the guy was wrong and began to fume. A young man, who was trying to control his frustration at a similar mix up invited me to join him in the waiting room and pass the time.
Early on in the conversation, I asked him where he was from. He said: "You mean my country of origin?" and then he asked me to guess. I guessed Iran, and he said "No - worse than that. - Iraq". I was stunned. I was finally sitting face to face with one of the people whose fate, I, as an American, was responsible for. I looked him in the eye, and I apologized. He said. "I knew when I saw you that you were one of the majority of Americans that I've met."
He then told me that that he'd just finished his doctorate in medicine at Columbia University and now had to leave America. He was thinking about Canada. I asked him why he didn't stay here. He explained that he was only one of over two million refugees fleeing around the world, looking for a place to live. He informed me that: "Since the war began in 2003, fewer than 800 Iraqi refugees have been admitted." A.P. 5/30/07
Well, that hit me so hard that I started to cry. I thought about all the immigrants we took in, and the one group that we were totally responsible for, were shunned. How could we? He went on to tell me of his family's story. Brother fled to Syria, sister to Jordan - Father determined to stay in his home in Bagdad and Mother, terrified to leave the house. He dried my tears and told me that he loved the American people. He advised me to say that I was Canadian, should I ever leave the country. I hope that he will email me as he said he would, but if he doesn't, I'll know that he had a good reason.
So I write this today, as I have in the past to remind those that read my words: DEMOCRACY IS NOT A SPECTATOR SPORT. As you know, our representatives claim that they did not know that we were lied into war. Let's give them the benefit of the doubt, and say that they do not have time to read "real" news, as many of us did. If that's their only crime, then ours is not to inform them. If they are too busy dining with lobbyists, let's do their job for them. Call them. Write them. Let them know what you want. Please don't let Democracy default to dictatorship because you were too busy watching the game on TV.
Jill Paperno
Glenford, NY

Dear Editor,
Of all the outrageous statements made against the Emerson ownership and management in recent years, Chris Fischer’s letter, published in your May 24th issue, is certainly among the worst. Without having the courage to come right out and say it, and certainly without any proof whatsoever (since none could possibly exist), he has, by implication, accused us of arson, insurance fraud, and yes, even attempted murder, by insinuating that the tragic fire which claimed the original Emerson Inn may have been deliberately set in order to pave the way for the construction of the new one. While I doubt that Mr. Fischer is alone in his grossly mistaken opinion, the sneaky accusation in his letter borders on libel and is representative of the blind finger-pointing and acrimony that has divided our town of late. He should be ashamed for even hinting at such a claim, as should your newspaper for your terrible decision to print it. You have once again shown your blatant bias and revealed the depths of your “objectivity” in doing so.
Mr. Fischer’s conduct during the first five years of the SAYS lease of the soccer fields convinced us that everyone would be better off with the lease being held by the town – as it now is – rather than keeping it in his hands. For Mr. Fisher to use his bitterness over that completely unrelated issue to launch such a baseless attack regarding the Emerson fire is unforgivable. But perhaps it reveals much about his character and may be indicative of why he lost the lease in the first place.
For the record, none of the Emerson owners were even in town when the Emerson fire occurred. My parents and I had traveled to Baltimore that weekend to celebrate my birthday at my sister’s home, and it was I who received the awful phone call early on the morning of Monday, April 25 from a tearful staff member informing me of the catastrophe unfolding back home in Mt. Tremper. And it was I who had the unenviable task of waking my father and breaking the news to him. Anyone who could have seen the crushed expression on his face at that moment, or witnessed the painful call he then had to make to our investors to relay the disastrous news, would never make such a specious claim.
We had all poured our hearts and souls into the Inn, through many ups and downs, and were, at the time, finally in a position to begin to reap the results. Just five months before the fire, the Emerson had been named the Most Outstanding Inn in North America, and for anyone to attempt to minimize the significance of that achievement in a remote and economically-challenging town like ours, or to claim that the Inn was just an “average hotel,” is incomprehensible. The Emerson did indeed live up to and exceed all expectations, Mr. Fischer, and its success helped put Mt. Tremper back on the map. We were poised for a big summer in 2005, and
were at long last poised to capitalize on all of the hard work and positive publicity garnered from the Inn’s extraordinary first five years in existence. We had just completed a long and arduous period of recruitment of highly-skilled hospitality professionals to fill key staff and management spots, including a world-renowned chef/general manager and an expensive wine director (who had just assumed his new position and was in fact staying at the Inn that night, along with a number of paying guests). After the fire we could no longer even justify many of those recruitments due to the huge loss of revenue, yet the owners decided almost immediately to keep everyone on who wanted to stay, and even opened a new restaurant in Woodstock at considerable expense, primarily to save those jobs - and indeed to create even more. How many employers in this town or any other would have incurred such costs in such a risky venture? Would you have, Mr. Fischer? I seriously doubt it. The sad fact is, that you know next to nothing about what we’ve been through, nor of the costs we’ve taken on, nor about how the development of the new Emerson Inn came about, yet you chose to attack anyway. Unfortunately, rumors, slander and innuendo are often a fact of life in small towns like ours.
I grew up in Shandaken, and since moving back here in 2002 I have heard all kinds of vicious accusations against my family and the Emerson Resort - many of them arising out of opposition to the Belleayre Resort, and many of them being printed in the pages of The Phoenicia Times. Like most of my fellow Emerson employees, I have chosen to remain silent in the face of these attacks for a long
time, out of respect for the opinions of others regarding such an important and contentious project. I understand and respect the reasons why some people might oppose the Belleayre Resort, and I take no offense when they make an informed argument against it without resorting to nasty and unwarranted personal attacks. But Mr. Fischer’s letter truly crossed the line, especially since it involved the Emerson Inn (which even many Belleayre Resort opponents grudgingly admit was nothing but a positive addition to the town), and I could no longer in good conscience simply sit back and take it.
To call the fire of April 2005 a disaster for our company and for the town of Shandaken is an understatement. It is only through tremendous hard work by the entire Emerson team and numerous local contractors, through the support of many friends in this community, and through major expense by our investors, that we have been able to rebuild. One who chooses to cast baseless aspersions on what we have gone through and what we have striven to achieve with the Emerson Resort, in order to make a cheap and unrelated political point, merely reveals the level of their own ignorance and irresponsibility.
Alex Gitter, Deputy General Manager
The Emerson Resort & Spa
Mt. Tremper, NY

Dear Editor,
On behalf of the Boards of Directors and staffs of The Kingston Hospital and Benedictine Hospital, we would like to express our appreciation to the area residents who took the time to participate in five public forums the two hospitals conducted throughout Ulster County over the past several weeks. We are glad we had the opportunity to share our vision for what we believe will result in improved healthcare for the region and to hear concerns and comments about that vision. This valuable public input has been incorporated into our ongoing planning sessions and ultimately will contribute to a better and more effective healthcare system.
In particular, we want to thank Assemblyman Kevin A. Cahill for his role in moderating the forums and facilitating discussions. Assemblyman Cahill provided insight on the mandates of the Berger Commission and its ramification for healthcare in the region. Since the early stages of the Berger Commission, Mr. Cahill has worked tirelessly to ensure that the interests of Ulster County would be represented. His knowledge of both healthcare issues and the activities of state government helped to guide our discussions with the community.
The two hospitals will continue to make every effort possible to keep the community informed about our progress towards re-alignment. We encourage those with questions or concerns to visit the website we established (www.healthyulster.org). We will respond to any questions submitted through that website as promptly and completely as possible.
Eugene Heslin, President
Kingston Hospital Board of Directors
Michael Kaminski, President & CEO
Kingston Hospital
William LeDoux, President
Benedictine Board of Directors
Thomas A. Dee, President & CEO
Benedictine Hospital

Dear Editor,
It caught me by surprise but it was refreshing to read the comments by Town of Ulster Supervisor Nick Woerner regarding Indian casinos that appeared in the May 27 Sunday Freeman. (For or against casinos, municipalities want a say.)
I am most impressed that Mr. Woerner recognizes that casinos are not an economic development for the host community. Mr. Woerner is correct in saying that the jobs will be low paying, that the host community will not see much of the money, and that casinos don't pay taxes because they are sovereign nations.
The implication of Indian sovereignty over land that was originally in a town is very interesting. The tribe does not have to comply with the laws of the United States on their sovereign land. That means they can refuse to honor agreements they made (as they are doing right now regarding the NY Thruway where the Senecas declared invalid a 1954 agreement with the State). So any casino monies promised state, county, local governments cannot be guaranteed or enforced. What's more: gas, telephone, electric, water, cable and sewer lines running through sovereign land become controlled by the tribe. Additionally, when you enter tribal owned businesses/lands your rights as a NYS citizen and U.S. citizen are no longer in effect. So, if you are harmed, hurt or have property damage of any kind you cannot hold the tribe and its business responsible.
I have no idea why Ellenville can't see Indian casinos in the same way as Nick Woerner does?
Susan Puretz
Woodstock, NY

Dear Editor,
It was almost 24 months ago that county Democrats started to talk about the investigation of the Ulster County Jail they were going to conduct. For 17 months the Democrats have had total control of county government. What did they do? They sat on their hands for most of that time. Now five months before the fall election they are raring to go. If one were cynical you could characterize this $90,000 report as the Ulster County taxpayers contribution to the "Democratic Fall Election Campaign." But then, that observation might be considered political.
A new and disturbing fact is that much of the investigation will be conducted behind closed doors - the public will be excluded. So much for open government.
This $90,000 investigation is slated to be released - guess when? Just a few weeks before the fall election. That is, after the Democratic "spin-meister" - hired at a hefty $60,000 - works his magic on the report. Then the "spun" version of this political document will be released to the public.
An objective investigation of the jail project is a very good and worthwhile endeavor. It could have, and should have, been done months ago. With an impartial analysis, the public could learn what actually went wrong with the procedures, and the count legislature could learn a very valuable lesson for any future projects. Unfortunately, the Democrats have placed politics before good government and the public will get a flawed and tarnished political document.
If there is a suspicion of criminal acts, this matter should be immediately referred to the Ulster County District Attorney so that it could be presented to a Grand Jury. This would be the appropriate and proper forum. A real possibility exists that the acts of this committee will cloud any potential criminal investigation and make the efforts of the District Attorney's job very difficult, if not impossible, to pursue.
Based on my experience in county government and as a public works contractor, a meaningful analysis of what went wrong with the jail project, and one that would make a very positive contribution, could be quickly developed by a person qualified and knowledgeable about county government public works projects and the proper methods of bidding and executing county public works projects. This person could come up with a valuable, informative and nonpolitical analysis of the errors that were made in this project in a very short time, as a fraction of the cost being paid by the Democrats - many valuable lessons could be learned. Unfortunately, this is not to be.
William R. West
Woodstock, NY

Dear Editor,
What a flock of sheep we are not to demand that our President and vice President answer to us for their violation of our constitution and the untold damage which their actions have cost us and the entire world. There are many who voice their desire for impeachment but only one strong and courageous in the presidential race willing to work for impeachment of Richard Cheney, so eminently culpable .It is clear that Dick Cheney strongly supported the Iraq war for his own personal gain and urged the president into it. The war was declared against a country which posed no proven threat to us.
Dennis Kucinich opposed the Iraq war before it started. He has a very definite plan for withdrawal from it His plan was introduced to the Senate in Jan. 2007 and detailed the steps which would not only get us out of Iraq but would provide positive ways for so doing, vital to us and helpfully constructive for Iraq and the entire family of nations.
The basis for impeachment rests on constitutional law which says “Any president who maintains that he is above the law and repeatedly breaks the law commits high crimes and misdemeanors, the constitutional standard for impeachment and removal from office”.
Mescal E. Hornbeck
Woodstock, NY