Follow Up on the News
In 2004 the district’s budget was $51,960. In 2006 the budget will run upwards of $151,000.
Also, the water district tax is on top of the usage fee that is based on meter readings of individual properties, a charge that can run at least $50 for the same type of residence.
Then there’sreports that members of the business community are paying nearly $1,000 in water district taxes. George Blank, who owns the Black Bear Campground on Bridge Street, said last week that if this keeps up he may need to close down.
“My water tax bill was $1,100,” he said.
This news comes just as the Shandaken Town Board is poised to fully commit to an $11 million wastewater project for the same hamlet. While the construction of the project is being funded by the City of New York, homeowners and businesses would also be required to pay annual fees for the maintenance and operation of the system. Preliminary figures show homeown-ers would pay $100 a year for the service, and that’s on top of a hookup fee that’s been averaging $2500 a pop in other communities. And that annual fee will increase after three years to keep up with inflation. And the town is also considering charging an annual fee for a wastewater capitol improvement fund.
What this all means is property owners in this hamlet should expect to pay much more for owning their lands, but just how much remains uncertain. The town board is considering even more upgrades to the drinking water system, and may need to borrow the money to accomplish those improvements.
The reason for the new year’s water tax increase is that in August the Shandaken Town Board met in special session to float a $55,000 bond at 3.8 percent interest. Officials say the bond will be paid off over a five-year period.
The money was needed to pay for work done on the $808,000 water filtration system installed last year.
At the time project engineer Dennis Larios explained how the project went over budget and said he knew there was going to be a shortfall.
That bond is only the beginning. Another $100,000 is needed to make other improvements to the drinking water system, and officials fear that may need to be bonded too. In August, Phoenicia Water Commissioner Ric Ricciardella reminded Supervisor Robert Cross Jr. that another $35,000 is needed for a new generator as well.
Ricciardella said it remains unclear whether the town board would decide to borrow the $135,000 this year. He also said to expect other cost increases.
“The cost for water treatment chemicals is going up,” he said.
Officials admit that rising drinking water costs come at a bad time. The town is trying to sell the plan for a waste treatment system to same taxpayers. As previously explained, the sewer is an expensive proposition.
Last week several members of the Phoenicia business community came to a meeting of the hamlet’s Wastewater Committee seeking answers about the cost to build a sewer system.
For the most part the well-informed committee, with the help of its well-paid attorney, provided the information to shed more light on the project details. Committee chairman Charles Frasier clearly went out of his way to deviate from the evening’s long agenda to accommodate the unexpected crowd, often pausing to ask if anyone needed further elaboration on any and all issues under discussion.
While the result of the session was a more informed audience, it wasn’t a happier audience. Several business owners did not like what they heard about the costs they would bear if they choose to hook up to the system. As a result, it appears some may not. It also looks as if some, like Susan Bernstein, are gearing up to push the matter to a public referendum, which would mean a vote of property owners in Phoenicia would determine whether to move forward with the project or not. Such a vote would pertain to the creation of a Phoenicia sewer district this coming April. The Shandaken Town Board is expected to pass the law then, but should enough people in the community call for the referendum within 30 days of that decision. the town would be obligated to hand the decision off to the voters.
“If there’s no sewer district there’s no project,” said Attorney Kevin Young.
Bernstein operates a streamside campground in the hamlet which includes several cottages, and it will cost her thousands to hook those and the dozens of trailer units into the system. Bernstein spoke for many in the community when she wondered what the point of it all was.
“What are we going to get by spending all this money that we don’t get now for free? ” she asked.
Young responded that businesses have the option of not hooking up to the system, but homeowners would be required by law to do so provided they were within a certain distance from any sewer main. Hookup fees in other communities participating in the New York City program are averaging $2500 per household.
Even if the sewer district is formed, Young said there would still be an option of pulling the plug on the project should the community not want it. At present the project engineers are designing the system and hope to put the construction of it out to bid as soon as possible. The City of New York has committed $11 million to build the system, but Phoenicia won’t know if the system as designed can be done for that amount for months. If bids come back with a higher price tag it remains unclear what will happen. The committee hopes to have bids back before the April decision on the sewer district, but admit they may not have that crucial information in time.
Asked if the City of New York could be pressured into paying more for the sewer system, Young said no one wants to try. He said that the City’s filtration avoidance determination, forged in 1997, is renewed every seven years, and that’s the time when such matters are negotiated, but no regional entity such as Catskill Watershed Corporation or the Coalition of Watershed Towns would try to get more money for Phoenicia. He said they are more interested in getting additional money from the City to fund similar sewer systems in other watershed communities.
Questioning The Coalition
At its January 16 meeting in Margaretville, the written agenda mentioned that the effects of the state legislature’s 2002 Large Parcel law would be presented and a previous motion to have the Coalition request an amendment removing reservoirs from the legislation, put forward and taken back by board member Bruce LaMonda of Olive in December, would be entertained a second time.
But when the presentation by Rick Coombe, a councilman from the Sullivan County Town of Neversink that’s been hit by the legislation, was questioned repeatedly by Shandaken Town Supervisor Bob Cross, Jr., a new CWT boardmember, and several Woodstock officials and a pair of Ulster County legislators, further consideration of LaMonda’s motion was again tabled until the CWT could decide whether or not such matters were in its purview.
A special meeting to hear from the Coalition’s attorney, Jeff Baker, about the matter, and to decide among themselves whether such matters fit CWT’s original charter mission statement, was set for Monday, January 30… again in Margaretville. No public input would be taken at such a time, the CWT board decided.
Coombe, son of former state Assemblyman Richard Coombe, whose hard-fought battle for Charles Cook’s state senate seat in the early 1990s led to Cook’s highlighting of changing New York City watershed regulations as an issue of regional importance, pointed out how his town’s taxes would rise over 100 percent in many cases because of implementation of the Large Parcel act, which affected Olive similarly when put into effect by the Onteora School District and Ulster County in 2004.
He, like Olive superintendent Bert Leifeld and assistant super Bruce LaMonda at a number of recent meetings, spoke about how the legislation differed from the intent of its main sponsor, Senator William Larkin of Orange County.
Cross and the Woodstock officials, which included town councilmen Bill McKenna, Liz Simonson and Chris Collins, as well as former councilman Gordon Wemp, raised questions about the length of time since Neversink last completed a revaluation of its tax base… similar to the length of time since Olive had done the same. Furthermore, they and county legislators Don Gregorius and Brian Shapiro questioned the fairness of what the towns had been paying, in county and/or school taxes for decades.
Eventually, as audience members asked how the Coalition decided such difficult issues that had the impact of pitting town interests against each other, the question of constituency and representation came up. How, it was asked, did the Coalition of Watershed Towns publicize the issues it was considering? Were all decisions made solely by its nine-member executive committee without input from its 40 plus member communities?
Georgianne Lepke, a former Neversink supervisor and former CWT member from its halcyon days fighting New York City over watershed regulations in the mid-1990s, now on the Catskill Watershed Corporation that oversees regulatory and funding programs shared between upstate communities and the City, said that she had brought the Large Parcel issue to the Coalition on the suggestion of Larkin and Senator John Bonacic. She noted that were the CWT not to take up the issue on behalf of its member towns, they would need to clarify their role as a regional entity with impact to state officials.
Gregorius countered by saying that the taking up of divisive issues would diminish what power the CWT might still have fighting the City on more important issues it was set up to deal with.
“By entering an opinion on this matter, the Board is starting down the proverbial slippery slope. First, the Board is taking a position outside its ‘charge’ that affects its members. How many other ‘positions’ will you be asked to take, and how do you determine when to say yes or no,” he read from a prepared statement. “Any position on this matter will have the unintended consequence of fueling the fires of discontent between the Towns involved… You are encouraging the weakening of the Coalition. While I would not want to speak for any town, it is reasonable to at least consider what actions a Town, that is negatively affected, might take. Is it to their advantage to stay in the Coalition? Or not? That is a question you need to consider. Then, what will happen after the next ‘position’ is taken.”
Coalition President Pat Meehan, Windham Town Supervisor, seemed to agree with Gregorius’ stand and said the issue was one itsconstituency should consider. But later, the board voted to consider the matter itself, with Baker’s assistance.
Baker noted, at one point, that the only time the Coalition had actually taken any issue out to its constituent members for input was when the Memorandum of Agreement between it and New York City was proposed, and then ratified, during the winter of 1997/1998.
Cross put forth a second motion, after it was decided that the January 30 special meeting was set up to look into whether the Coalition would take on the Large Parcel issue, that only that issue could be discussed at the coming meeting. He said that if and when further discussion of the matter was to come up, he and others should be allowed the chance to make a presentation in favor of the legislation, charting its effects on establishing greater equity.
After the meeting Leifeld, who has been pushing for having the laws changed so his town can never get hit with such tax hikes again, said as far as he was concerned, Meehan and the Coalition, “were more concerned with what the press would say about them than the issue itself.”
After a pause, though, he added that he was pleased with what he’s seen and heard.
“It’s a start,” he said.
Under the NCLB, schools are now required to release a yearly report card showing standardized tests results in grade eight and grade four in English Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies. According to the New York State Education Department, schools receiving Title 1 funds “that did not make adequate Yearly Progress for two consecutive years in the same subject and grade are designated as School In Need of Improvement.”
Schools are required to offer improvement plans, public school choice and, if adequate yearly progress is not met, corrective actions or restructuring by the State could be implemented.
Statewide elementary math jumped from a 67 percent passing grade in 1999, to over 85 percent in 2005. A passing grade is achieved by scoring level three and four on standardized tests.
Woodstock, Phoeneica and Bennett Elementary schools have a history of scoring well on fourth grade Math exams, while ELA scores have a history of meeting State standards except last year when Phoenecia dropped slightly below standards.
Sella implemented new programs to get help for children in need of improving and credits such action with this year’s gains, which she expects will ocntinue for the current year.
Standards have been monitored since 1999 and Onteora Middle School have met ELA benchmarks with the exception of 2005. Math scores at the Middle School have a history of falling below the standards.
Assistant District Superintendent in charge of Educatrion Deborah Fox said recently that a three year plan to improve scores in ELA, Math, performance of study, and achievement by students with disabilities, has recently been set in place via recommendations including staff development on new curriculum, special education, communication with the community, getting more help for students and updating out of date technology.
“We have a team of teachers from grade five to eight through the year taking specific staff development in Math and ELA,” said Fox. She also mentioned the importance of “aligning the curriculum with special education and modifying it.”
Sella has noted that much was gained after the district, and Phoenicia in particular, started using texts from Mcgraw Hill, the Texas-based company who also write the tests.
For more information on the Onteora district school report card or the CDEP go to www/onteora.k12.ny.us and click on Comprehensive District Educational Plan.
Meanwhile, the Onteora School Board has begun discussing its 2006-2007 school budget.
The rising cost of energy was responsible for a large custodial budget increase of nearly 17 percent, as reported by Business Administrator Victoria McLaren at the January 10 school board meeting at Bennett Elementary school.
McLaren noted that the budget increase would not be nearly as high if it were not for rising oil and electricity costs.
Currently the district purchases their fuel by State contract, where McLaren believes the district receives the best price, but she is looking into alternative options. The fuel increase discussed to date is for district buildings only and not a part of the transportation fuel cost for busses. Fuel for transportation will be included in the transportation budget report.
McLaren gave a report on the district’s vehicle inventory and said most vehicles are in fair condition with one in need of replacement. A 1989 GMC truck used for hauling equipment and plowing is listed in poor condition and a request was made for $50,000 to purchase a new truck. Trustee Rita Vanacore asked why there is a need to purchase a four-ton truck and questioned the old truck’s condition. Facilities manager Jim O’Neal explained that the district vehicles sit outside causing their condition to deteriorate quicker than if they sat in a garage.
The custodial department requested replacements of old and aging equipment such as buffing machines, vacuums and drain cleaners at a total of $15,800, but there is no overall increase in the equipment budget. Maintenance asked for a .85 percent increase compared to the budget last year.
McLaren said, “A combined increase between the two (departments) is an 11.86 percent increase, but if you removed fuel and electricity, it is really a 2.81 percent increase, which is really commendable, if only the economy would work with us.”
School board president Dave Patterson asked McLaren about the unsightly wall behind the high school stage. He said, “the stage situation where we have not contracted to block the rigging and as much as I enjoyed the concert last week, my eyes kept getting pulled away to that ugly wall behind the kids, is that something in another presentation or are we going to consider that?” McLaren said part of the rigging was taken down for safety reasons when repairs were made to the stage and the wall was left exposed. Blocking what was left was not considered yet because the cost would be in excess of $100,000 and required a capital project. Patterson requested information on how to approach this.
Budget information will be posted on the school website after the presentations are made, at-www.onteora.k12.ny.us.
In other non-budget business January 10, Physical Education teacher and coach Patrick Burkhardt gave a presentation on the girls and boys High school cross-country team of 2005. The boys came in fifth place in the New York State championship of 2005 meet at Queensbury High School in Lake George, NY. They are also champions of their section nine league and Mid Hudson Athletic League (MHAL). This is their first MHAL championship since 1978 and second consecutive State championships at Lake George.
Competition for the girls MHAL gave them sixth place and they qualified for section nine league. They were also awarded the New York State All Academic Team, a State recognition award given for high academic and athletic achievement combined.