The Princeton Plan
What Onteora's Proposing To Keep Within The
State's Shrinking Ed Budget
By Violet Snow
The Onteora School Board is considering an elementary school
reorganization plan which involves keeping Phoenicia and Bennett
as is and combining the West Hurley and Woodstock schools in
a "Princeton Plan" grouping, at a savings of about
$650,000. If the board chooses this plan at Wednesday's special
meeting, it will probably entail a budget increase of 5 percent
and an average tax hike of about 9 percent.
Superintendent Hal Rowe's original budget proposal, made at
last Monday's meeting, involved at smaller tax increase of 5
percent and was based on closing the West Hurley school, but
three trustees, including board president Marino D'Orazio, adamantly
opposed that measure despite the estimated cost savings of $2
million.
Continue>>>
The Casino Gamble
Is Todd Leading County Astray With Secret Meetings
Over Our Gambling Future?
By Jim Gordon
Top officials of the county government apparently met in secret
with members of a gambling consortium to arrange a contract
supporting their bid for a casino in Ulster County on terms
that may prove very costly to local taxpayers and the environment.
The chairman of the Ulster County legislature, the county
attorney and the majority leader of the county legislature
have apparently repeatedly violated the open meetings law
by holding closed meetings with the would-be developers of
a large Indian gambling casino in Wawarsing and by failing
to keep any written record of what happened at those meetings,
including who participated.
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UNSCHEDULED STOP... The Pine Hill Trailways bus
stalled while attempting to turn from Bridge to Main streets last
week, causing a bit more community-mindedness for riders than expected.
But everyone remained cheerful!
Sewer Politics...
Questions About Crossroads' Plans Arise Over
Pine
Hill Treatment Plant Discussion
By Rachel X. Weissman
Who would benefit from extending sewer lines from the Pine
Hill Wastewater Treatment Plant to serve 14 properties east
of the hamlet of Pine Hill? Besides the owners of those properties,
the biggest beneficiary could be Crossroads Ventures, the
company most closely identified with controversial real estate
developer Dean Gitter. Or such is the contention of Adam Nagy,
president of the Catskill Heritage Alliance, a citizens group
opposed to Gitter's Belleayre Golf Resort project.
Further, suggests Nagy, the recent controversy over the stalled
comprehensive plan, whose fire was set by another citizens'
group, Citizens for Progress, could be part of Gitter's plan
to get his golf resort a free sewage treatment system, instead
of spending upwards of a $1 million to build one on- site.
A Pine Hill Eucharist
Group Religion Ala Episcopalian
By Rachel X. Weissman
"Lord, who throughout these forty days for us didst fast
and pray," intone the nine singers gathered around the
Eucharist table. scratch, howl, adds Max, the huge black furry
mass of a dog sitting beneath the table. "And through
these days of penitence, and through thy Passion tide,"
they sing over Max's increasingly impassioned howls, signs
of amusement flickering across the singers' faces. When the
hymn finishes, laughs finally escape their mouths, and Dave
Smith, at whose house all are gathered, apologizes. "I
should have put him out." "I don't see why he shouldn't
be permitted to sing along," rejoins Eve Smith, whose
home it is also.
Continued
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