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Follow Up on the
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Keep
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Along the way Tuesday night, June 6, the EPA heard a couple
of major points. Primarily, those who spoke support the continuation
of allowing the City to avoid the costly filtration of its
drinking water. That said, EPA was also informed that although
many of the programs designed to avoid filtration have been
going well since instituted almost a decade ago, they needed
to be adjusted.
A surprise came early on at the session when Shandaken Supervisor
Robert Cross Jr urged EPA to require the city to pay for all
of the annual costs for the proposed Phoenicia sewer system
plus pay for all the costs to hook houses and businesses up
to the system.
Charles Frasier, the Chairman of the Phoenicia wastewater
Committee, liked what he heard.
“Wow. Bob’s really done a 180 on this,”
he said.
Previously, Cross has been reluctant to support such demands
and last month did not ask the regions most powerful advocacy
group, the Coalition of Watershed Towns, to support the demands
either.
Between then and now however, the Coalition clearly decided
to take a position. Coalition Attorney Jeff Baker came out
solidly behind Cross, urging EPA to require that the City
reduce annual operating costs for waste treatment plants not
just in Phoenicia but watershed wide. He explained that the
water quality benefits of making sure such projects are successful
would be well worth the expense.
“It’s a very cheap system compared to filtration,”
he added.
Baker, who said the Coalition’s position on this and
other matters would be expanded in coming weeks, said the
Coalitions primary concern has to do with the City’s
land acquisition ability in the watershed, and it’s
reluctance to open those lands up to recreational use.
“We literally have been talking about this to the city
for seven years…the city’s response has been glacial
at best,” Baker said.
These land issues dominated much of the session, with Delaware
County representatives echoing Bakers concerns. Delaware County
Bureau of Watershed Affairs Director Dean Frasier called for
an arbitration process to be built in to the filtration avoidance
determination.
Joan Lawrence Bauer, the Executive Director of the M-ARK Project,
raised some eyebrows with a map showing how little developable
land is left in the town of Middletown after one removes all
the property the city has a right to purchase.
Senator John Bonacic arrived late and spoke at length about
the need for “significant changes in the substance of
the agreement and how (the city) does its business.”
Margaretville resident Dave Budin felt that the city was shutting
down some of the finest hunting property in the region with
purchases, an act that he described as “political filtration.”
On another note, Fleishmanns resident Gloria Zola-Malloy took
issue with the process Tuesday, saying that EPA officials
gave too much respect to local elected officials and/or watershed
officials and not enough respect to rank and file residents.
No Olive officials came out for the meeting despite having
had a number of issues with New York City in recent years,
from assessment disputes and the Large Parcel debacle to road
closures and other “security measures.”
The Olive Town Board was holding its monthly meeting the same
eveing. Coincidence on the City or EPA’s part?
Zola-Malloy said she felt there were many watershed residents
like herself that disagree with the doom and gloom notions
put forth at the session by the likes of Lawrence Bauer and
Dean Frasier. She also used the proposed Golf resort as an
example of the type of development she hopes the watershed
deal would protect the area from.
“Although the developers and their associates support
the idea, many locals do not want to see the eventual destruction
of the Catskill region from a mega resort that will overpower
the area,” she said.
Helping
Out Volunteers
Based on the September 2005 Current Population
Survey, the Bureau of Labor estimates that 65.4 million
people, or 28.8 percent of the population, did volunteer
work last year. But economic conditions have made volunteering
difficult for many people, with communities like Woodstock
resorting to hiring a professional paramedic because
they can’t get enough volunteers for the rescue
squad. The president of SUNY-Ulster has calculated that
if the volunteer firefighters in Dutchess County had
to be replaced with professional crews, the cost to
taxpayers would be $26 million.
The bill before Congress proposes that volunteers receive
tax refunds equal to minimum wage—$5.15 per hour—for
their time spent at volunteer work, up to a limit of
$2000 per year. Besides saving the cost of hiring professionals,
the refunds would most likely be channeled back into
the community. And given recent tax cuts for the wealthiest
Americans, it’s only fair, said Martin. SAVE’s
website, www.saveusa.info, lists an array of recent
tax cuts for the oil industry, despite the continuously
rising price of fuel, as well as millions in savings
for groups from NASCAR to Starbuck’s to pharmaceutical
corporations.
Martin stated, “The New York Times reports a tax
cut passed this week in the Senate that rescinds the
estate tax, which will return billions to the richest
one percent of people in America. Dave Letterman calls
it the ‘No Millionaire Left Behind Program’.
These savings will probably be reinvested in things
like hedge funds, of no benefit to our communities.
Trickle-down doesn’t work.”
Cruickshank added, “Our bill would put more money
in the hands of people who’ll spend it in the
community or will know where best to put it. Volunteers
know where the money is most needed.”
The SAVE website, in the process of being updated, offers
a screen where volunteers can sign in to indicate their
support for the bill, creating evidence for Congresspeople
that the bill is widely desired. Cruickshank explained,
“We’ve made up a media list of all the districts
of representatives on the Ways and Means Committee and
lists of the non-profits in their districts. We’re
going to contact the representatives and tell them,
‘We’re soon launching a huge media campaign
in your district and would like to have your support
for the bill, or else let people know that you’re
opposed.’ We’ll see how they respond.”
Marie Shultis, wife of Hurley supervisor Mike Shultis
and advertising director for this publication, is also
involved with SAVE and sees the effort as potentially
empowering for communities. She commented, “If
people go to the website and vote for support of the
bill, they’ll see we can make a difference if
we all come together.”
Cruickshank grew up in Shandaken and has lived most
of her life here, except when she went away to college
and, she said, “couldn’t wait to get back
here.” Her grandfather was a journalist whose
radio program was the Voice of America in Brazil. “From
the time I started to write, he encouraged me to be
a journalist,” she said. “Through college,
I developed a political bent, studied both local and
international issues, and minored in economics. I was
a business journalist in Colorado, and later I was an
intern in Albany covering the state legislature, the
budget, and the Commission on Aging, which made me aware
of issues faced on the local level. Once I had kids,
I volunteered in the PTA and the soccer league—I
felt that giving back to the community is important.”
Shultis, a mother of five, is also active in volunteer
work and knows how important it is. “She helps
everybody,” said Martin. “She’s out
to save the world on a local level.”
Martin grew up in New York City but spent summers with
his family in Big Indian. As an international businessman,
he has created half a dozen companies, including the
ones that produce Smartfood popcorn and Annie’s
macaroni and cheese. His businesses tithe 40 percent
of their income to fund programs that support health,
education, women, and the environment, from medical
clinics in Jakarta to the Good Deeds Foundation in the
U.S.
He credits Cruickshank and Shultis for inspiring the
creation of SAVE and for the decision to locate its
headquarters in Phoenicia. “I learned through
Calandra and Marie that there are so many talented,
intelligent, generous people in this area, with a strong
sense of community. Otherwise I would’ve set up
in Northern California, like every other foundation.”
(SAVE does have a San Francisco office as well.)
Martin hopes the success of SAVE will pave the way for
making the Phoenicia area a mecca for non-profit foundations
as a boost to the local economy. “I’m in
touch with SUNY-Ulster, the Ulster Savings Bank, and
Hinchey,” he said. “With all the graphic
artists and management people here, we have the skillsets
for foundations, just like in New York City, but more
relaxed and informal.”
Cruickshank summed up SAVE’s mission by stating,
“What makes a community like ours work is people
helping each other. None of us do it for the money,
but if you could get a $2000 tax credit, it would really
help.” Visit the SAVE website at www.saveusa.info
In a mid-May memo from attorney Dan Shuster, of
Shuster Associates in Stone Ridge, to Olive town
attorney Peter C. Graham, Shuster points out that
an application to co-locate an array of antennae
on the tower Masterpage plans to build on top
of South Mountain in West Shokan received from
the Nextel Corporation, indicates that the installation
was to be at the 138 foot level. However, the
tower plan included with the application showed
“a 182-foot tower with other antennae above
Nextel’s.” Coincidentally, perhaps,
Masterpage’s application called for a 142
foot tower, scaled down from 182 feet.
”The Town’s Wireless Telecommunications
Facilities law limits tower height to 140 feet
unless a waiver is granted by the town board,”
Shuster wrote, suggesting that “any approval
of the Nextel application is dependent on a
clear determination that the tower does not exceed
142 feet or that a waiver for additional height
is granted by the town board.”
”It’s not so much the town’s
position, as the court’s position,”
said
Shuster, referring to a 2002-2005 lawsuit Masterpage
pursued successfully rather than abide by Olive’s
zoning laws. He noted that Masterpage “would
ultimately like to have a 182ft tower but the
court’s decision says 142 and I believe
that the town’s position is that that’s
what they’re entitled to unless they come
back and get approval for something additional.”
While some towns, blessed with scenic resources,
have opted for satellite phone service for their
emergency communication systems rather than mar
their landscapes with towers, the State Environmental
Quality Review Act Notice of Determination of
Non-Significance which the Town signed off on
declares that the addition of a 142 tower to a
rural mountain top will have ”no impact”
on the “character of the surrounding neighborhood.”
Also, despite the presence of two plant species
and one rare animal listed on the New York State
Natural Heritage Database, the short SEQRA form
filed by Masterpage, which makes no mention of
that presence, was found acceptable
along with a statement that there “will
be no impacts on plants or animals.” No
one at last month’s public hearing took
issue with the claim or raised the evidence of
scientific studies (like that of German engineer
and physicist Dr. Wolfgang Volkrodt or comparable
findings by American scientists) that, since plants
act as dielectric receivers, electromagnetic energy,
rather than acid rain, has been the cause of deforestation
in recent decades. Masterpage and Nextel responded
to Graham’s letters concerning the 40 foot
discrepancy but, since Masterpage’s communication
with Nextel on May 28th included ambiguous passages
such as “The tower is capable of being expanded
to a maximum height of 162 feet to allow for future
co-location,” Graham has followed up with
a June 1st letter asking for a response which
clarifiers that “antenna cannot reach a
height in excess of 142' on the Nextel/Masterpage
tower.” The Nextel special permit was scheduled
for formal approval by the Olive town board on
June 6th.
Onteora’s
Big Blunder
School
board president Dave Patterson said that Ferrara’s
resignation was for personal reasons. But Patterson
noted that he heard allegations against Ferrara, “sometime
in the first week after he was hired.” He said
a concerned member of the community brought to his
attention a report by the United States Department
of Education regarding the Ellenville School District
during Ferrara’s employment there.
“There was a report that was administered by
the office of civil rights,” he said, lamenting
that the board was not made aware of this, or some
racial epithets the former super had used in Ellenville
over the years, when they hired him at Onteora. “I
think it would have been appropriate that we would
have been aware of anything that would preclude us
from hiring anybody.”
Patterson has repeatedly pointed out that candidates
interviewed by the school board for the interim superintendent
position were recommended by BOCES.
A complaint was filed against the Ellenville School
District to the United States Department of Education,
Office of Civil Rights, alleging discrimination directed
at several special education students. A report issued
on October 7, 2004 by the Civil Rights office states
that the district failed to meet the educational needs
of certain students and the district agreed to address
the concerns listed in the report.
Allegations were made based on special education regarding
budgetary needs and not the needs of the students.
The report interviewed employees of the district and
stated, “In particular, these staff members
said they had difficulties recommending certain self-contained
classrooms, inclusion science classes and resource
room, and felt coerced into agreeing with the recommendations
of the former Director.”
The report added that the office of civil rights,
“determined that the evidence is sufficient
to support a finding that the district failed individualized
program offerings based on the needs of the students...”
Also mentioned in the report was a failure to provide
adequate physical education equipment, and additional
time for some special needs students to prepare for
physical education class. The district also failed
to provide a “male aide for toileting a male
student, and failed to provide two other students
with a 1:1 aide as required.” The report continued,
“Specifically, the first student was provided
with a female aide; and the aide assigned to the other
two students was often taken away from her scheduled
aide duties to perform as a substitute teacher, as
a classroom behavior management aide, and as a translator.”
The district’s recent budget process involved
a highly unpopular but quite surprisingly similar
take on Special Education needs referred to at several
points as being largely budget-driven, and looking
to BOCES to provide services previously handled in-house
at Onteora.
It was unknown, as of press time, how much Ferrara’s
Special Ed experience or philosophy played into his
hiring at Onteora, or by what process – and
board count – he was hired.
Ruglis said, in answer to Patterson’s attempt
to place the blame for the OCS board’s bad decision
on BOCES, that the Onteora board should have more
thoroughly researched its five finalists for the interim,
and noted how he had encouraged them to continue to
look further.
“They interviewed and they hired. I didn’t
hire,” he said. “I didn’t only give
them a single person.”
“Mr. Jordan was one of the candidates interviewed
that was presented to us by (BOCES) district Superintendent
(Martin) Ruglis,” Patterson said of Ferrara’s
replacement.
Jordan, now retired, was the director of secondary
programs in Sullivan County BOCES from 2000-2005.
Before that he served four years as Superintendent
in Jefferson-Youngsville school district. He was also
a high school principal, teacher and sports coach.
In 2005 Jordan was one of ten candidates to challenge
for four seats on the Onteora school board. His wife,
Kathleen Jordan, is a 33-year employee of the Onteora
district, and is retiring this year. She works in
the personnel and payroll department.
Jordan will take the place of superintendent Justine
Winters who passed away May 18. The school board has
hired Richard Lerer Consulting Services at a cost
of $18,000 to conduct a search for a superintendent
who will be under contract. Lerer Consulting is the
same service that recommended Winters to the district.
“We are looking for a person who is going to
serve the district,” said Patterson. “Dr.
Lerer served the district very well when we hired
Justine and we expect nothing but the same, maybe
even more from him on the next superintendent,”
said Patterson.
He added that Lerer has received over thirty applications
for the new school superintendent and would like to
see a new person in place by the beginning of the
2006-2007 school year.
Moments Of Pride...
Joe Stein addressed
us reciting the Gettysburgh Address with a modern day message.
Jack Molloy led us in prayer, and Taps was played. Ed Baldyga
resonated the most beautiful rendition of “America”
that I have ever heard. Then it was hotdogs and soda in
the pavilion cooked by Stork Muller. One half hour produced
the gamut of emotions: tears for the fallen soldiers, pride
for our troops and anthems, a lump in our throat as Taps
tugged our heartstrings, and joy as we greeted our neighbors
and exchanged “Isn’t- it-brutally-hot?”
pleasantries.
Another moment that made me proud was the eighth grade Luau
put on by the Middle School PTO. These moms and one dad
hauled in palm trees, constructed a Tiki hut, provided a
buffet of food, hired a DJ and threw one heck of a party
for these students who will move to the high school at a
Moving Up Day Ceremony on June 19. Blenders whirred constantly
providing tropical slushies. Hula-hoops, limbo contests,
free raffles, and souvenir photos made this a gala event.
A moment that made me feel not so proud was when someone
drove in the driveway of my new house and helped him/herself
to two stone planters filled with yellow pansies. They should
have driven further and asked me; I surely would have given
them as a gift. Having them taken made me feel violated.
I understand that our Holiday weekend of Remembrance was
also one of mailbox smashing, stolen bicycles, and vandalism.
Sad!
How about those gypsy moths? As I walk in the woods, it
sounds like rain even on those few occasions when it isn’t
raining. Those critters are crunching away. As I look over
to High Mount, the mountain has patches of brown where it
has been defoliated. I wonder if the rain will hinder their
growth or have a Miracle Grow effect. I remember the last
infestation. I remember throwing away shirts my husband
wore surveying in the woods because the gypsy moth “poop”
had eaten right through the fabric.
We are in our new home, and our farmhouse belongs to a new
family. Welcome Arron, Karyn, Tallia and Zach to Olive.
I hope they love their home as much as we did.
I am about to retire from Onteora Central School along with
some dear friends and Olivites. John Miller, who used to
live in West Shokan, Mike Boms of Samsonville, and Donna
and Mike Marrin of Shokan are leaving with me. Together
we represent over one hundred and seventy years of teaching.
We taught and learned from thousands of students. There
are doctors, lawyers, plumbers, pilots, carpenters, nurses,
engineers, and teachers who will carry on the tradition
of Onteora. For this I feel proud!
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