Follow Up on the News
The school board has not decided what school would close, but many speculate Bennett, the other school in the western part of the district, would not change since it was recently renovated, leaving Phoenicia as the target.
Phoenicia Elementary also has the lowest enrollment in the district, although some argue that Woodstock is still overcrowded since the merger with West Hurley and re-districting would help level the populations between the three schools.
At the meeting, many parents said that they specifically moved to this area, some as recently as two years ago, from New York City. Once they had kids the migration north occurred. They became attracted because of the small community schools, the district’s favorable reputation, support for the arts and music, mixed with friendly people and the beauty of the Catskills. Not all of the families live in Phoenicia, but instead travel from Olive or Woodstock for the small classrooms in Phoenicia elementary and connections with the bucolic hamlet’s main street. They believe that by closing an additional school lower enrollment will accelerate faster than already predicted because a community school will not be available.
Abbe Aronson said, “In grades K-2, we’ve added a class every year and we’ll have two third grades this fall.” She said the incoming kindergarten is around 40 students so far. And the Phoenicia PTA currently holds 120 parents as members and test scores are better than the two other schools.
Warren read a statement from the Phoenicia Library stating that the school works in conjunction with the library, with after school help and a safe haven for kids, computer access and it delivers books to teachers.
Ralph Legnini, a 25 year resident said, “Since I moved here, I haven’t seen much harmony in our school district, I have seen the mascot issue, I’ve seen this (West Hurley) school close, I’ve seen the large parcel issue and it has been division after division.”
He asked the school board not to make a decision that will divide the community again.
Several parents handed out many statistics that questioned quality education as the driving force behind creating a five-through-eight middle school, especially at the cost of closing a community school. Parents also voiced concern that younger kids will be mixed with high school students and lengthy transportation rides, noting that maybe the Onteora district is too large scale, land-wise, compared to other districts.
Tony Fletcher of Phoenicia said, “Nothing that I have seen personally on paper or practice convinces me that putting ten your olds in with fourteen years olds is beneficial for these younger kids, or there is anything to be gained by removing these ten your olds from their elementary schools who are mentors to the lower grade children”
Fletcher recommended that the public read Superintendent Leslie Ford’s report posted on the district’s website on the capital project. He said, “She notes that eight percent of elementary schools in America graduate children after fourth grade.”
Ann McGillicuddy said, “In New York State, legislation recently passed that stipulates that a decision by the Board of Ed to close a school in one community and consolidate enrollment in another community must undergo a State Environmental Quality Review (SEQRA); the community that looses a school must be mitigated for that loss.”
Middle School principal Gayle Kavanagh, now retired, spoke to the school board in favor of a five-through-eight middle school. “With lots of studies and lots of research that you’ve heard over the last couple of years and I think it is in the best interest of our kids and their kids,” she said, asking the school board to consider all the people in attendance at the night’s meeting, but also adding that she does not support closing Phoenicia.
“The discussion will be that a five-eight concept will kill a school and I don’t think that has to be,” Kavanagh added.
The Offer Holds... For Now
The project, a $17.2 million one, would be paid for by the City and the City would pay the lions share of the annual operating costs once it’s built.
But opponents say that’s not enough. The City should pay to build it and own it and take care of it and the community should not pay anything. The fear is that, under the current proposal, the community could get socked with crippling upgrade costs to the system not to mention the thousands of dollars per year that some businesses would be forced to pay. And there is no guarantee that there would be any money to pay to hook properties up to the system, meaning owners might need to cough up thousands to tie in.
These concerns caused a defeat of the plan in a referendum vote last winter.
But, due to the location of Phoenicia, which sits on both banks of the Esopus (The main artery for the City’s Ashokan reservoir) and on both banks of the Stony Clove creek (One of the largest tributaries of the Esopus), the City decided to give Phoenicia a chance to reconsider.
All the town of Shandaken needed to do was authorize Shandaken Supervisor Robert Cross Jr. to sign a statement agreeing to the current terms of the deal.
But this month Cross followed the lead of the project opponents and sent a statement to the City that Phoenicia wants more time to consider the deal, but also insists on negotiating a better deal.
Jeff Graf, the Acting Chief of Watershed Lands and Community Planning for the City’s Department of Environmental Protection, said no dice.
“As I previously indicated to you, the City will not re-negotiate the terms of the operation and maintenance costs…..nor is the City willing to increase the block grant for the project beyond the $17.2 million already approved,” Graf wrote in a letter to Cross on June 6th.
Graf did however say that the door remains open for Phoenicians, at least until next June.
“ We will treat your letter as an expression of the town’s interest in exercising a limited opportunity…” Graf added.
On Monday Cross, who is not seeking a third term in office, said he was glad that the City agreed to keep the proposal available.
As for the final word that negotiations are over Cross said, “I’m fine with that.”
Phoenicia’s troubles remain in stark contrast to virtually every other community earmarked to get a system. None of the others, which welcomed the projects with open arms, even held a vote on their respective projects, instead implementing them almost blindly with no real details on actual costs to businesses.
Boiceville is the one exception. After witnessing the horrors in Phoenicia the Olive Town Board put the matter up for a referendum vote.
Supporters of the $10.7 million waste treatment system overwhelmed the projects opposition. Out of 148 possible votes from within this small hamlet on the banks of the Esopus Creek which feeds the City of New York’s Ashokan reservoir, 96 were cast at the firehouse, which sits next door to the site slated to hold the new treatment plant.
Of those who voted, 80 supported the New York City funded project and only 16 opposed.
There were only a handful of onlookers at the firehouse when the votes were tallied, but all were in celebration mode.
Lloyd Humphrey, a vote inspector and Boiceville resident, was asked if he was pleased with the outcome.
“Yes I am,” he replied with a large grin.
Henry Rank, a Town of Olive Councilman who owns land in the Boiceville Hamlet, was a bit more forthcoming with his opinion about what the project means to the community.
“I think it’s great,” he said. “Now the town won’t fold up.”
Following a study which concluded that a wastewater treatment plant would be the most efficient and effective means of treating sewage in Boiceville, the Olive Town Board agreed to proceed to the design phase, in which a system was designed to handle an estimated 62,240 gallons of wastewater per day from the customers within the Boiceville district. The issue of forming the district was the subject of a public hearing in March.
The cost of construction of the collection system will be paid from a block grant from the Catskill Watershed Corporation. Operation and maintenance fees for residences will be capped at $100 per year. Businesses will be charged according to usage, with a $250 minimum fee per year.
Councilman Bruce LaMonda was on hand for the vote count. Although not a landowner in the district, LaMonda, a frequent critic of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, said he was glad the project was approved.
“It’s an opportunity,” he said. “We would have been remiss if we didn’t help make it happen.”
What’s the fun? A DJ, dancing, karaoke, laser tag, air volleyball, sumo wrestling, jousting, and “Velcro Olympics.” Prizes including various cameras, 5 mini refrigerators, 8 DVD/VCR players, gift certificates to great places, cold hard cash, and dorm room survival kits for those headed off to college. Each of the 150 seniors will walk home with something… Food all night, including pizza, chicken wings, subs, hot dogs, hamburgers, ice cream sundaes, Chinese take out. A grand prize trip of a vacation to the Dominican Republic for 4 days and 3 nights at an all-inclusive resort will be awarded to someone who makes it all night…
It’s all come together with over 17,000$ in donations secured by SADD members and their parents.And hey, it’s all free and open to all graduates.
“In light of the recent tragic auto accident it reminds everyone about the importance of being safe especially in the midst of graduation,” noted Patrick Burkhardt, one of the Onteora staff advisors for SADD. “This is the time of year when we all worry about the safety and welfare of all students as they celebrate this milestone. At Onteora, with the Bash, we are confident that our seniors are “partying” the right way- the responsible way.”
Congratulations to the 175 students graduating in the class of 2007. Of that number 25 students are graduating with high honors having achieved a grade point average of 95 or above. The Valedictorian is David Frost who will be attending Cornell University. The Salutatorian is Jonah Bernhard who will be attending Swarthmore College. Guest speakers at the graduation ceremony on the evening of June 6, include educators of over 30 years, Jeff Fisher and Dr. Bill Birns.
While everyone at the well-attended
town board meeting supported the cellular service, many had trouble
with the microwave dish, a technology that is widely believed to generate
harmful rays into the air.
The permit was issued via a unanimous vote of the town board after all
heard a presentation from Verizon Attorney Brian Matula. Matula said
the system will provide lots of coverage in town, but Verizon is still
considering ways to completely cover Olive.
“It’s designed to cover huge gaps in the town of Olive coverage,”
he said of the technology slated for the South Mountain tower. “It
won’t take care of all of them but it will improve coverage.”A
map he had showed cellular signal covering much of town, but less so
on the south side near the borders of Rochester and Marbletown.
Matula, an attorney that works for a private firm hired by Verizon,
had no knowledge of Verizon's plans to build a separate tower at the
towns transfer station on Beaverkill Road.
Many in the audience have property near the transfer station and wanted
information as to whether Verizon planned to use microwave technology
at that site. Matula could not say.
Councilman Bruce LaMonda told the audience that Matula was only present
that evening to submit the application for a permit to build on the
South Mountain Tower.
As for the talk of Verizon building at the transfer station LaMonda
said, “We don’t even have a proposal at this time.”
Matula said that now that the board has approved the application and
granted the permit the matter goes to the town’s building inspector.
Verizon, he said, is ready to begin work immediately following the Inspectors
permission, and he estimates the system would be operational about one
month after getting permission to build.
Pressed for a more exact timeframe, Matula only said “as soon
as possible” and noted that Verizon must begin paying Masterpage
rent as soon the building permit is issued, so Verizon has a strong
incentive to get the facility operational and generating revenues quickly.
As a mechanism to prevent the proliferation of towers in town, Olive’s
telecommunications law requires cellular providers to occupy existing
towers. Leifeld is not sure that Verizon can legally erect their own
since the Masterpage structure is already up. Matula says they can because
the Masterpage tower does not provide coverage to the entire town. He
said if the gaps can’t be covered by installing antennas on existing
facilities, then another tower is allowed.
As many in Olive eagerly await their cellular signal to light up their
phones, most in Shandaken have given up hope.
At this time, after years of preparation and after the project was designed
and approved, the town is now back to square one, still with little
to no cellular communication in town and no potential providers anywhere
in sight.
Just three hours before the Shandaken town board was going to sign a
deal for a long overdue telecommunications tower project to begin, Masterpage,
which held the reigns of the complicated arrangement, pulled out.
At the April town board session, board members and audience alike were
stunned when Supervisor Robert Cross Jr. read aloud a letter, faxed
to his home at 4 pm that afternoon, from Masterpage which had a contract
to build a tower on town owned land before May 2007.
Masterpage made the deal with the town a year and half ago but only
got as far as the design phase and receiving approval for the project
from the town planning board. In March Masterpage owner Kevin Kellarhouse
admitted to the town board that he could not build the tower and asked
that the board give the lease agreement to Homeland Towers, LLC. and
extend the deadline to allow Homeland to construct the facility this
year.
The deal fell apart though because, according to Masterpage Attorney
Christopher Buckey of the Albany based firm Whiteman, Osterman and Hanna,
the main tenant slated to rent space on the tower backed out.
Buckey wrote that Homeland backed out only hours earlier Monday.
“Counsel for Homeland advised us this morning that Homeland does
not intend to move forward with the assignment of the lease and construction
of the telecommunications facility at the site,” Buckey stated.
“ Homeland has based its decision upon its failure to secure a
replacement telecommunications carrier for the site.”
Cross said that he called Homeland President Manny Vicente, and was
told that Nextel backed out due to project delays and uncertainty about
the projects future.
With the town back at the starting point, resident Mary Herrmann said
that although the town was unsuccessful in attracting other cellular
providers to Shandaken when all this began four years ago, perhaps it
was time to try again.
“It looks like we’ll be heading that way,” said Cross
at the time.
That was April. In mid June there are still no advances.
Cross, now at the end of his second two year term, has since January consistently
refused to announce his plans for reelection. Cross made no mention of
stepping down at the June 4th town board meeting, but on June 7th the
story broke of Todd’s decision to run in the Ulster County Townsman.
Todd and Cross are both Republicans. For someone within party ranks to
challenge a seated party member is unheard of in this town, but Todd said
last week that she had been mulling the idea over for several months and
even considered a run for Supervisor during Cross’s first reelection
bid but decided against it because Cross insisted on running.
“I was thinking of this two years ago,” She said.
As for Cross asking her to run, Todd said that was not accurate.
Todd's recent decision comes against a backdrop of the Cross administration
suffering an ever increasing lack of popularity. Problems with the town’s
ambulance squad, the disintegration of plans to get cell service in town,
the failure to get Phoenicia to accept a $17.2 million wastewater treatment
deal from the City of New York, these and other problems have been blamed,
all or in part, on Cross, who is at the tail end of his second two year
term.
Todd, who is at the end of her second four year term as a Councilwoman,
is popular with local Republicans and is considered a veritable shoo-in
at the GOP’s caucus set for July 11th at Glenbrook Park when party
members vote to choose which candidates the party will support in the
general election come November.
Todd retired last year as the Executive Director of the Shandaken Area
Revitilization Program, a non-profit agency that develops affordable housing
in the area and also secures grants for housing rehabilitation, Main Street
revitalization and other community projects.
Cross said that he is stepping down because he needs more time to help
his parents. That said, Cross also hopes to win a councilman seat in the
upcoming election, and has submitted a request for candidacy to the Independence
Party, which is expected to make decisions on who’s candidacy to
back in the November election soon.
The Independence party line on the ballot is a crucial line for candidates,
as is the Conservative line. Both give voters enrolled in the town’s
two main party’s, the Republicans and the Democrats, a place to
cast a vote for candidates outside their ranks without having to vote
on the “other side.”
Cross said he would announce his plans once the Independence Party has
made its decision on whether or not to endorse him. On Monday he said
he was told unofficially he was given the nod, but he was not prepared
to make any announcement until receiving official word.
GOP Committeeman Robert Kalb issued a statement this week announcing the
Republican caucus for 6 PM, July 11 at Glenbrook Park. In the statement
was a list of names of those that have expressed interest in running for
the various positions up for grabs. The list included one notable exception
though. There was no mention of Cross.
According to Kalb, Todd seeks endorsement for Supervisor and Pine Hill
resident Jack Jordan is interested in a Council seat. Like wise for Lynn
O'Brophy, the owner of the former Woodland Valley Inn. Kalb said that
Highway Superintendent Keith Johnson is seeking re-election, but faces
a challenge at the caucus from Phoenicia resident Eric Hofmeister and
from retired highway crewmember Tom Smith. Laurilyn Frasier will once
again seek re-election as Town Clerk and Heidi Clark wants to be endorsed
to run for tax assessor.
Meanwhile the Democrats in Shandaken, as usual, are keeping their machinations
quiet. Party Committee member Dave Pillard said Tuesday that it was still
early in the process for his party to announce any candidates, but did
say that lifelong town resident Randy Ostrander is the only one to have
already announced interest in running for town board on the Democratic
line.
The Democratic caucus is slated for August 5th.