6/3/2010

Dear Editor,
I hope you will print this in response to Esopus as a Fish Haven.
There is more then one idea out there. The proposal that was written does very little if anything for anyone.
May I suggest an alternate that takes everyone into consideration including the sportsman, the businessman, and landowners; an alternative that is even good for the future and the environment?
First off, let's get back to a size limit in the Esopus; for sake of argument, let's say 10 inches. Now the section between Boiceville and the Phoenicia bridge by the tube rental would be regular fishing, with a bag limit of ten (10). There will also be a bonus if you are with a child under 16. Five of the normal bag limit can be of any size as long as the child is present and is in possession of the under-size fish.
From the Phoenicia Bridge to the Portal will be flyfishing only. The size limit and creel limit will be the same 10 fish at 10 inches. But there will be no bonus and you may not be in possession of under-size fish
From the Portal up. This will be a no kill, catch and release zone. The tributaries from the portal up to Pine Hill will be no kill. These tributaries see way less flood water and the headlands for these, as money becomes available, could become restricted fish hatcheries.
Now let's not forget the land owners whose properties border the stream and are not posted all year long. They should get some kind of tax break. They put up with fisherman, tubers, boater and mother nature.
Thanks in Advance
Tom Cole
Mt. Tremper and East Kingston, NY
Dear Editor,
In winter I took a trip and met my friend on the beach to help release some turtles that were hatching. Cecile (my friend) was involved in a project to save turtle eggs from poachers which meant that some nights she had to sleep on the beach and watch for egg hunters. Why would she do this? Because she saw the potential life in those eggs, and she was concerned about preserving an endangered species.
People will do amazing things to protect life among animals such as saving whales or the spotted owl. Some abstain from eating meat because they see it as cruelty, others won't wear leather or fur for the same reasons. Bald eagle eggs are also carefully protected, not even knowing if the egg is fertilized or not. Why do people do all this? To save potential life and protect endangered species, because we care about the environment. This is commendable but why do people who dearly love animals and nature fail to value the human fetus (fertilized egg) with the same love and care? We need to be consistent in protecting ALL life around and within us.
Our love for animals should never supercede our love for mankind. A fetus is not just a blob of tissue to be discarded on demand, it is LIFE. Isn't a fetus part of the environment that we are so desperately trying to preserve? How can we effectively save the life around us when we neglect the life within us? Are we not worth more than many sparrows?
Rose-line Simon
Mt. Tremper, NY
Dear Editor,
The students, parents, staff and administration for Onteora district want to thank each of you who voted in the recent budget and board member election. Board members, administration and staff worked diligently to present a budget that reflected the fiscal realities of the current proposed state budget and economic factors while remaining loyal to the broad, challenging and diverse education we offer all students. Your support has great meaning for us in our support of students and learning. Thanks to you, many of our programs remain intact.
We are all aware of the significant issues that we will need to address in future budget years. It is important that we enhance our ability to collaborate, increase our combined strength of expertise, and work diligently through difficult issues together. I am grateful for your patience, your unfailing devotion to the children of our district, and your active participation.
Sincerely,
Leslie Ford, Superintendent of Schools
Onteora Central School District
Boiceville, NY
Dear Editor,
I think the growing number of children using drugs, is a result of parents not
caring as much as they should. A large amount of the kids I hang out with drink alcohol,smoke pot, or do some other kind of drug. I have noticed that all these kids have parents that don't really care what they do. The idea of a traditional family is diminishing from society. If the parents of these children would check up on them, I feel like the number of kids doing drugs would decrease. Instead of just bringing their kids and dropping them off somewhere, maybe they should call the parent of the kid their child is hanging out with,and check up in them from time to time. I'm a kid and I know that can get annoying, but I've seen too many really young kids smoking pot and drinking.
Ryan T. Kanuch
Olive, NY
Dear Editor,
Last year teens did a safe after prom party for Onteora at the MAC gym. They have a sound system so kids brought music, a karaoke machine, a psychic, full use of the field, boxing ring etc. Woodstock T shirts, books and other prizes were donated by Tamara Lang, many gift certificates for lunches, gym memberships, spas, a Verizon cell phone, a lap top computer, and a 500 grand prize.
Approximately 20 teens hung out a good portion of the night. They decided only Seniors would be able to win the grand prizes since many brought dates that were younger. By 6 a.m. the five seniors that were left decided to each take $100 instead of one of them getting all $500. Only two didn't have lap tops so the others bowed out and Molly Rust won the lap top! The night was run by teens. My middle daughter, Rebecca, (who graduated the year of the fatal car crash) was the MC and announced prizes hourly. My husband and I supervised. It would have been nicer if there was a bigger turnout but I felt fortunate that my daughter (who was a Senior) chose to come. We also felt that at least we were offering teens a choice.
I am praying that we have another safe prom night this year. I have a Mountain Bike from Woodstock Bike Shop and a few other prizes if we can pull off a party. I know some Seniors are going to Mountain Jam but many others can't afford it. Last years total cost was approximately $2000 including the laptop and money prize. We need cool prizes to draw the teens - they suggested a hot air balloon ride would be a great prize. The cost is $1000 and 8 people could win and go up together. I don't have anyone graduating but would happily plan and stay the night of the party if anyone is interested in donating to make it happen. The MAC gym is available on June 4, the night of the prom. I can get more prizes if I know the money is there for the rest of the event and a few bigger prizes.
Please take a moment to think about what you would give to have your loved one back if something were to happen to them due to underage drinking/substance use. I am hoping if we keep trying, we can make this a tradition so when my 8th grader graduates going to a safe after prom party is "just what you do," much like they all go to Bellayre Bash after graduation. Prom night seems like the biggest thing in a teen's life, but is it worth ending life as you know it? One boy is dead another is still sitting in prison since his prom night in 2007.
Marie Shultis
Hurley, NY
Dear Editor,
I am a part time resident between NYC and Shandaken and have done so for many years. I watched the FARM STAND DISCUSSION on TV last Tuesday night. I was shocked to find out at this time when money and jobs are so difficult to find the Planning & Zoning boards are considering putting an employer out of business.
I have never heard anyone say anything negative regarding the farm stand. Mr. Doyle was trying to tell these people that anything that is good for the community should be encouraged. Can't they hear? The number of customers that stop by on a regular basis should be enough to tell everyone THIS IS GOOD FOR THE COMMUNITY. I personally stop there both coming and going to the city. The products and prices are great. PLEASE, PLEASE don't kill ANOTHER thing that helps this communiy.
A. Casserly
NYC and Shandaken, NY
Dear Editor,
I made a mistake in my May 6th letter. I should have said solvent government instead of smaller government. They go together, but my suggestions were for more taxes rather than less spending.
Yet there was Doctor Mitchell Langbert's letter in the same issue! He was exactly correct about the infamous Wicks Law -- wasteful, needless, and hard to kill. I'd love to see it gone.
But then he went too far.
"The Wicks Law serves as a long lived example of why government does not work, and why political decision making on a large scale fails."
No, not at all.
It shows HOW government CAN not work, HOW political decision making CAN fail. It does not show that they MUST fail.
Doctor Langbert seems to be making the jump from solvent government, which pays its bills, and even smaller government, which leaves us alone more, to no government. I do hope that i misperceive.
A lovely abstract thought, very Walden, but not at all practical. From paving our roads to dealing with China, some sort of government will have to show up. I'd very much prefer that it be democratic rather than direct to the multi-national corporations that already run things way too much.
Here's some cuts i'd like to see: Chomp way back on military spending. We spend about as much as everybody else put together, and a lot of that is to fight the Soviet Union, which no longer even exists.
Also: Legalize or de-criminalize drugs. De-fund the criminal gangs that have and use guns, that threaten the government of Mexico. Avoid a bigger swarm of illegals. And i don't just mean pot, I mean everything. Put the gangs out of work. Make them pay taxes. And make them stop shooting policemen. A public health problem, not a criminal problem.
Some high schools in LA send more kids to prison than to college. Prison is very expensive. Here in New York we could close some empty prisons. Scandalously empty youth prisons. Welfare for screws?
And while I am not against capital punishment per se, it is way too expensive. Choose life, save money.
I got lots more ideas, you'll all be glad to hear. 'Though I've been to neither prison nor college.
Gus Murphy
Brooklyn, NY
Dear Editor,
Several local acquaintances have expressed surprise at the American media's avoidance of discussion of waste in government. "Why would the media support government waste?" they wonder.
Wall Street and the banking industry benefit from interest and sales commissions generated by the issuance of treasury bonds, bills and notes. The more government waste, the more spending, the more government debt, the more Wall Street profits. The left has been more aggressive in expanding government and so Wall Street likes it better than the right. In 2009, the first year of the Obama administration, Obama significantly increased total federal spending as percentage of gdp by ten percent over the Bush administration. This causes the federal government to issue more treasury securities.
It is true that Wall Street loved Bush's wars, but the waste of the Obama administration does it better. Wall Street profits by dealing and banks profit by holding bonds, which they can sell to the Federal Reserve Bank in exchange for monetary reserves, a ten fold multiple of which they can lend to the public at interest. Thus, a single treasury security can generate (a) sales commissions to brokers; (b) interest payments to banks; and (c) a means by which commercial bank loans and the money supply can be expanded up to ten times the amount of the bond.
Who owns the media? The same Wall Street firms and commercial banks that profit from the government bonds. One can tell which party is better for Wall Street by the degree to which it receives support from the banker-owned media. Virtually all television stations and newspapers support the Democrats. Since they are banker owned (for instance, MS-NBC is owned by General Electric) the party that is best for Wall Street and the banking industry is clear. The media would not support the Democrats if they were not the best party for Wall Street. Chris Matthews is a good GE man.
The Democratic Party's spirit is embodied in Paul Pelosi, a corrupt San Francisco business man who has benefited directly from a range of subsidies that have been adopted under the aegis of the Speaker of the House, his wife. As well, a host of billionaires and multi-millionaires, to include Bill Gates, George Soros, Warren Buffett, Steven Spielberg and Larry Page, have advocated the agenda of Barack Obama. Wall Street contributed to Obama two to one over McCain, a much better ratio than Bush received, and Obama has rewarded and will continue to reward them. The recent financial industry law is an example.
Mitchell Langbert
West Shokan, NY
Dear Editor,
An ad purchased on TV criticizing Governor Paterson's adding higher taxes to the purchase of soft drinks, sodas, etc I say, BRAVO! As a layman I have read for years in the fields of health and nutrition. These soda drinks are loaded with sugars. One bottled beverage averages 5 tablespoons. They all dehydrate. Strange chemicals, colors, and Lord knows what else is added.
Taxing hopefully will discourage purchase. Not only one's health to benefit, but Earth and Her waters, sick and polluted by the tonnage of plastics, cans, and waste from a wasteful society, would greatly benefit. Could these sugar laden beverages be one of many reasons why obesity reigns and diabetes runs rampant throughout the civilized world?
Adding a half squeezed lemon or orange, or unsweetened grape juice to plain or seltzer water best. Easy to make. The money saved worth it. A child's or your body better off. One step of many to heal the planet.
Eating an apple, banana, grapes, orange or any whole fruit best. It is the WHOLE food that is important. What with all the nutrition news out there, the TV programs lauding sound eating practices, Governor Paterson's tax increase on these items comes at a very convenient time. It should be higher!
Joyce Benedict
Hyde Park, NY
Dear Editor,
Fifty miles from the shores of the southern coastline, we have now experienced our largest oil disaster so far, caused by an oil rig explosion that is surely
going to result in much death of numerous species.
Now, we learn from whistle blowers, reported on "60 Minutes", that it occurred because of executive orders to bypass necessary safety measures. The BP executive chose not to repair a crucial part of the shut off mechanism and instead diligently chose to oversee his profits. The faulty part of the shut off mechanism, was brought to the attention of their bosses, by some of the crew that discovered it and apparently the argument between the top guy at BP versus the top guy at subcontractor Transocean was witnessed by some of the crew on the rig.
They watched BP's executive over-ride the Transocean executive's suggestion to repair the faulty parts, which would have taken another day or so to complete. As we all know: "Time is Money", so BP won the argument, and hence have left us with a gigantic "spill" in our life supporting oceans. Apparently, BP is also in charge of deciding how to repair their mess, and have chosen to use a dispersant that they also financially participate in. These toxic oil dispersants called Corexit, which are now being used, are removing life supporting oxygen from the oceans. More on that one in my next letter.
Now we learn that there is an even bigger oil rig, called Atlantis, also owned by BP, which is presently being sued by a whistle blower, who claims is at least as dangerous as the already exploded Deepwater Horizon rig, if not more so.
BP a British company; Deepwater and Horizon a Swiss company and Halliburton a Cheney company, pay little or no taxes. They also apparently, do not need to comply with any regulations. How did this happen? In my opinion because we did not stop them. Yes, I blame us, for treating our democracy as a spectator sport, allowing lobbyists to simply purchase their contracts, instead of competing for them.
Is there any hope? Well, I guess we'll have to watch and see, like we've been
doing for some time. Or.... we can do something. I tried to help a group called Matter Of Trust, who was sending "NON-TOXIC" booms to the Gulf, but it looks like BP now has the non-competing contract to fix the disaster that they caused, and are instead, using "TOXIC DISPERSANTS" that are sure to destroy unknowable amounts life in the ocean, by removing it's oxygen. We are allowing BP to deny oxygen to creatures that depend on it for their life support, in exchange for profits, not ours, but theirs.
If anybody wants to join in on this attempt to save our oceans, please organize a meeting. Let's discuss this and then present our ideas to our representatives, and at least try to participate in our survival. Or should we just sit back, and watch it like a tv show? It sure is exciting, isn't it?
Jill Paperno
Glenford, NY
Dear Editor,
US. - Hello All. My name is Uncle Sam and I'm an oil addict.
All. - Hello, Sam.
US. - I know the world lived without oil for thousands of years but now it seems I just can't quit.
All. - We hear you, Sam.
US. - I know if I spent the money on renewables, I'd get healthy again.
All. - What's stopping you, Sam?
US. - It's the dealers. They're so powerful. They're holding us all hostage. They say if we stop using, our lives will crumble.
All. - We'd like to help you help yourself, Sam, but it seems like you're unwilling. It's as if you're sleepwalking.
US. - Yes. Yes. That's the problem. I'm sleepwalking. Oh, God, help me!
All. - Yes, we all help ourselves together, Sam. That's why we're all here, isn't it?
Liam Watt
Saugerties, NY
Dear Editor,
How bad is the energy policy now being pushed by the Obama administration? In a word: Awful! The current White House energy plan wants to shovel 54 Billion (that's Billion) dollars to the nuclear industry. And they're in a rush to do it before the public catches on to their dangerous con game. They are holding hostage adequate funding for true renewables like biomass, solar and wind, while continuing to press for dangerous nukes.
BP assured us that there's no chance of an oil catastrophe in deep water drilling. That proved to be a self-serving bogus claim that could totally poison the coastline of the southern United States. No trivial matter. So, why does the administration still believe the profit-coated nuclear industry when they assure us nothing catastrophically bad can ever happen with nuclear power plants? Or with the highly dangerous radioactive waste sitting at more than 100 reactors around the country?
Here's a short paragraph that debunks the notion of taxpayer bailouts for a flailing nuclear industry:
"The world in 2008 invested more in renewable power than in fossil-fueled power. Why? Because renewables are cheaper, faster, vaster, equally or more carbon-free, and more attractive to investors. Worldwide, distributed renewables in 2008 added 40 billion watts and got $100 billion of private investment; nuclear added and got zero, despite its far larger subsidies and generally stronger government support. From August 2005 to August 2008, with new subsidies equivalent to 100+% of construction cost and with the most robust nuclear politics and capital markets in history, the 33 proposed U.S. nuclear projects got not a cent of private equity investment," - Amory Lovins of the prestigious Rocky Mountain Institute.
It's to laugh (or is it to cry?) that we still have craven national and state politicians sucking up nuke, coal, gas and oil money, while we continue to drown in a sea of carbon output and radioactive waste.
Watch out for the shell game that the natural gas drillers want to run in the Catskills. Take heed of what has already happened with "fracking" (some term, eh?) in Pennsylvania. And pay attention to this week's discovery of extremely dangerous Strontium 90 radioactive leaks around Vermont Yankee, and know that it can also happen close to home at Indian Point just like the radioactive Tritium leaks at both plants (and at numerous nuke sites around the country).
Sick stuff. When will America take ownership of our national energy resources and place them under the control of accountable public authorities? Why do we continue to give these vital resources to the private profit-making multinational corporations who now have the Supreme Court-granted right to buy and sell politicians like so many carbon trades?
Tobe Carey
Glenford, NY
Dear Editor,
Already overburdened American farmers now have a new challenge: the development of weeds resistant to glyphosate, the active ingredient in the herbicide Roundup.
Twenty years ago, Monsanto promised that its genetically engineered Roundup Ready crops and glyphosate would usher in a new era of less toxic, labor-saving weed control. But now farmers in many parts of the country are reporting resistant weeds that require additional time, money, and labor to control. And many are reluctantly returning to older, more toxic herbicides.
In 1990, I co-authored "Biotechnology's Bitter Harvest," a report warning that resistant weeds were certain to emerge if farmers widely adopted Roundup Ready crops, which is exactly what has happened. As an alternative, our report advocated modern sustainable agriculture. This involves rotating a diverse set of crops to discourage weeds and other pests, planting cover crops to control weeds, and tilling the soil judiciously to reduce the need for chemicals and prevent erosion.
Two decades later, with superweeds a growing problem, research and policy incentives to help farmers implement such solutions are needed more than ever.
Jane Rissler, Ph.D, Deputy director
and senior scientist,
Food and Environment Program,
Union of Concerned Scientists
Washington, DC
Dear Editor,
The Times Herald-Record reports ("Schumer pushing for a casino compromise," 05/17/10) Senator Schumer's continued efforts to promote Indian casinos in the Catskills. He is attempting to persuade powerful Western U.S. senators to drop their opposition to off-reservation casinos which are barred by current law.
Schumer has been an indefatigable promoter of casinos, impervious to charges he ignores the harms of casino gambling. He has a huge war chest of political donations, with accrued interest of over two million dollars (Wall Street Journal, A22 5/10/10). Schumer commented, "It's a very safe investments very low interest. We don't do any gambling."
He's not gambling but he doesn't mind if you and your neighbors do. He has no compunctions about saddling the region and the state with the largely hidden and deferred costs of more casino gambling and its attendant draining of dollars from those who can ill afford it, increased bankruptcies, crime, marital ruptures, undermining of local economies and much more.
Arnold Lieber
Saugerties, NY
Dear Editor,
I found the following opinions of Richard Serra in conjunction with his 2004 exhibit, "Sculpture Forty Years" at the Museum of Modern Art, relevant concerning the education of and awareness of Americans about the visual arts and how I have presented my work in Mt. Tremper for the past twenty years or so.
"One thing American education does not do is teach how to cultivate aesthetic sensibility. In that sense public art is dismissed without reason: how are people going to understand what to do with a piece of public art when they have never seen anything like itand haven't been educated as to what it could mean, what its pleasure potential might be, how it might be useful in empowering them to think a thought they hadn't thought before? I do not think public sculpture is going to change the world, but I do think it might be a catalyst for thought. TO SEE IS TO THINK and to TO THINK IS TO SEE. If you can change someone's way of seeing, you might change their way of thinking. That will be impossible if works don't exist in public spaces. Work does not have to be unanimously accepted and liked, and it doesn't necessarily have to be great. Even with failures the fact of their existence creates a chance for changing thought and attitudes.
The art market is not interested in promoting public aret. The marketplace is premised on private ownership, on providing life-style accessories for the priviliged. One would hope that something exists parallel to it so that the entire society, not just an elite, has access to culture."
In Mt. Tremper, I do not have a gallery and it is not public space. I live and work here. People do stop and visit and some people look and some people actually SEE. The people from Russia or Palestine or South Africa or Israel are not thinking of taking a piece back on the plane. Most people do not ask prices and when someone does ask for a price, I might answer "I have no idea" (I live on S.S., you know, Socialism.) My pieces are not lawn decorations or as Serra says, "life-style accessories". To me art is not a commodity. Serra talks about his sculpture "extending the language" . How are people to know that sculpture is a language? Serra is remarkable in that he can empathize with the viewer. I've realized in talking to my visitors that I'm communicating on more than one level. Yes, art is communication. I would not have this dual experience if I exhibited only in a gallery. I think about changing people's values. I think people are afraid to look, then they might see and then they might have to think. Serra said at one point he needed to be "removed from the refinement, the heirarchy abd the aura of the gallery space". When I worked with fire fusing material onto scrap metal in the nineties I felt galleries were too precious and respectable. I also think many galleries and the gallery system, including the one person show, produces a uniform product ( it is called style) and limits and actually discourages creativity.
Also... The taxpayers in the Onteora District should be thankful that Chris Johansen not only investigates as to how their tax dollars are being "spent" for transportation but then informs through this paper, though the figures are confusing. I am concerned because I was directly involved with the bidding of bus contracts for nine years during the 1980's as the first full time purchasing agent, and I was in shock when we went to one contractor. This was recommended by consultants from Albany? Big Deal! What was their motivation?
We live in a "kick-back" culture or as my neighbor Peter said it's a :kick-back" world. The school board was asleep on this one and they are still asleep, and the person who is responsible for bidding and purchasing is not doing their job properly. We have hurt the local, perhaps smaller bus contractors that have serviced our district so well for years, stuck it to the taxpayers, put all our eggs in one basket and the one bus contractor laughs all the way to the bank.
Bob Jacobson
Mt. Tremper, NY
Dear Editor,
The May 20th, front page Paul Smart story on Mama's Boy Market had one minor error. For the record, what was referred to as the "hotel's deck" was not part of the hotel. It was the outdoor dining area of Bob's Rib and Chinese, not part of the hotel at that time.
No biggie, just accurate. God help us the "paper of record" around here should be accurate every once in a while, Right?
Bob Nussbaum
Shandaken, NY
Dear Editor,
The Ulster County Housing Consortium congratulates the Phoenicia Times for recognizing the importance of housing as a regional concern and its coverage of our public awareness efforts. Housing isn't just a government concern, it's everyone's concern. Housing is at the center of our individual lives and contributes greatly to the quality of life and economic development in our communities.
Despite confusion, affordable housing is easily defined. Housing costs are affordable when they cost no more than 30% of your household income. According to the 2000 census, more than 3,000 senior homeowners pay more than 50% of their income for housing. That means they can't afford things like medicine, good nutrition, or other life necessities. This hardship is just as serious for employees starting out in their careers.
As evidenced by recent court cases in Westchester County, municipalities must affirmatively work to be sure their local laws and codes are not exclusive and discriminatory. Municipalities and the tools that shape their housing - comprehensive plans & zoning ordinances - are at the crux of the matter.
Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing pinpointed this in its 2007 State of the Nation Housing Report: "State and local regulations are among the principal culprits behind the nation's persistent affordability problems," they said, noting that "only a handful of states have enacted laws to pressure local jurisdictions to accept workforce housing development." The report bluntly states "Massachusetts has taken the lead in so-called 'anti-snob' regulations, allowing development to bypass local zoning exclusions in communities with limited affordable housing."
Our goal is to educate and then get folks talking in their own towns - with each other and with public officials - about how housing issues are affecting them and their families and what tools could help the situation. Establishing affordable housing committees in each municipality would be a great start.
Affordable housing does not have to be in any way substandard. Our best argument is made by showcasing the real-world performance of affordable housing. We might start with Birchez Associates LLC who has developed and manages five communities housing some 400 seniors and families. Having overcome local controversy and obstacles to build, the properties show just how good affordable housing can be. They are major assets in their communities. In fact, The Birches at Esopus just received recognition from NYSAFAH as 2010 Upstate Project of the Year.
Family of Woodstock, Inc. has opened three shelters to house the homeless. They were vilified when proposed but today, each has laudable "real-world" performance and all of them are now welcomed by their communities.
Resource Center for Accessible Living (RCAL) has helped countless families stay in their own homes by adapting them for changing physical needs. Collaborating with other agencies, they pioneered a Nursing Home Transition and Diversion program in New York State, helping disabled people transition out of or avoid all together, expensive nursing home settings when the resident really only needed appropriate housing and minimal medical care.
Rural Ulster Preservation Company (RUPCO) owns or manages 278 affordable housing units from Olive to Marlborough. RUPCO built 15 high-quality, energy efficient, affordable townhomes for homebuyers in Ellenville and rebuilt a historic Kingston home into four top quality condo units for homebuyers. And 48 families became first time homebuyers thanks to financial counseling and assistance from RUPCO.
These numbers tell just part of the housing story. They don't encompass the work of Housing Authorities in Kingston, Ellenville or Saugerties or reflect the work of Ulster Greene ARC, Gateway Community Industries, Multi-County Development Corporation, and others who create and maintain housing for individuals and families with a range of disabilities. They don't include the work of YouthBuild and Habitat for Humanity. They also don't reflect the critical role of private institutions like Ulster Savings Bank, a leading member of the Ulster County Housing Consortium.
These are "real-world" local examples that debunk the myths about affordable housing. Unfortunately, these examples meet only a fraction of the county's need. So we urge you and your readers to continue the dialogue. Through our website, we will showcase best practices in the housing industry, provide examples of successful strategies and tools and let individuals tell their housing stories. If you have trouble paying for housing - or know of someone who does, check us out at www.givehousingavoice.com to learn more, to sign a petition and get involved at the local level. We need to add your voice!
Michael Berg, Chairman
Kevin O'Connor, Vice Chairman
Ulster County Housing Consortium
Dear Editor,
We invite your readers to a magical evening of theater, "Godspell," at the Shandaken Theatrical Society in Phoenicia, weekends through June 6th. Directed by Amy Wallace, with musical direction by Phoenicia's resident opera singer, Maria Todaro, and with a very talented cast of 10, this exuberant Stephen Schwartz musical is based on Jesus' final days as they unfold through a contemporary telling. This is community theater at its best, put together by a small but quiet army of 30 people who have made this high-energy production a reality.
The play opened last weekend to much acclaim, and if you are at all inclined, do come see it. Scheduled Friday and Saturday evenings at 8; and Sunday at 4pm. Reservations can be made by calling (845) 688-2279. Tickets are $15, $12 seniors/students/members. Address is 10 Church Street, Phoenicia.
Prepare Ye,
Amy Wallace, director
Maria Todaro, musical direction
STS Cast & Crew
Phoenicia, NY