Possible Checkmate
City Says No To Gitter's Project As Regional Forces & State
Turn Away
By Paul Smart
The general consensus at the April 27 Annual Meeting of the
Catskill Watershed Corporation in Margaretville was straightforward
as it was off-the-record. Following last week's release of New
York City's 65-page report denigrating Dean Gitter's Belleayre
Resort proposal and stating, flat-out, that no permits would
be granted the golf-oriented mega resort, the project was "toast."
Attending the annual meeting were current New York City Department
of Environmental Protection Commissioner Christopher Ward, former
Commissioner Marilyn Gelber, several state representatives,
including proxies from Governor Pataki's office, the state Department
of State, and Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner
Erin Crotty, and a number of town supervisors from around the
Catskills.
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That Other Town
Taking A Look At The State's Other Poor Recipient Of
Large Parcel Tax Reform
By Gary Alexander
Olive Councilman Bruce LaMonda came away with a perplexed
expression from his recent meeting with the Albany attorneys
engaged by the town to look into Senator Larkin's "Large
Parcel Bill." The more one looks at last year's Alternative
School Tax Apportionment legislation, the more inappropriate
and inequitable it appears for this district, LaMonda says.
"First of all, besides Onteora, only one other district
in the state has chosen to exercise this option," LaMonda
explained. "It's a political nightmare for school boards
that most of them don't want to touch."
The
bill was designed to address an entirely different situation
than the one which exists here, he contended. In fact, he
noted, in tracing the history of Senate Bill J1316, the lawyers
discovered that the intent of the bill was spelled out in
the Sponsor's Memorandum of Understanding and included language
which specified that, in order for a school board to adopt
the reapportionment of school taxes indicated, all of the
municipalities in the school district concerned would have
to consent to it. Somehow, in the process of passage, the
Sponsor's Memo was left out of the bill.
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EXPLAINING WHAT'S WRONG...
Supervisor Bob Cross Jr.. left, feels that the rationale
New York City's DEP Commissioner Chris Ward, right, to deny
permits to the Belleayre Resort are flat out wrong. He has problems
with the fact that the city is looking into issues he doesn't
feel it's theirs to look into. He said he's asked for a meeting
with Ward but hasn't heard from him yet. Similarly, he's saying
he's not ready to name details about his problems with the city,
or to name names of which local officials have expressed
sympathy with his concerns. He did, however, say he regrets
not being a major party at the upcoming issues conferences to
make his point. Oh well.
Onteora Voting Time
Quiet Board Races, A Quiet Budget, & A Possible Furor From
Olive Over Taxes
By Violet Snow
Voters will go to the polls on Tuesday, May 18, to select two
of three candidates for the Onteora school board. Trustees Meg
Carey and Tom Rosato will be trying to hold onto their seats,
while parent David Patterson is running for the first time.
The three candidates were interviewed recently and held forth
on such issues as the board's controversial decision to close
the West Hurley Elementary School and redistribute students
among the other three elementary schools, last year's "Princeton
Plan" consolidation of the Woodstock and West Hurley schools,
the large-parcel tax option that may redistribute tax liability
among the district's towns, and the incoming superintendent,
Justine Winters, who will replace retiring Hal Rowe.
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Guitar Man
Johnny Asia's Tradition Of
True Creativity
By Paul Smart
You've probably seen Johnny Asia. He likes to stand out in the
little Mickey Simpson pocket park near where Stony Clove Creek
empties into the Esopus, walking about in his long pony tail
endlessly practicing on an acoustic guitar. You may even have
had the chance to hear him playing at a growing number of local
venues on his electric guitars, looping himself over his own
background music in what he is quick to point out as a truly
original sound.
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