Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Hudson Valley Weather
Posted to Facebook today at 1.45pm:
The Mid Hudson Valley from New Paltz to Saugerties is taking a pretty good beating at the moment. Frequent lightning, heavy rain and hail are impacting this region, please post observations below.
The Mid Hudson Valley from New Paltz to Saugerties is taking a pretty good beating at the moment. Frequent lightning, heavy rain and hail are impacting this region, please post observations below.
A Spacious Log Home in Chichester: Stony Clove Retreat
Chronogram article
"Aside from the terrific unspoiled wilderness feel of the area, and the wonderful neighbors, the best thing about owning a home in Chichester is the opportunity to belong to the Chichester Property Owners Association," says Marrazzo. "It's like a private club, with about 100 members, representing about 35 different families, mostly descended from people who owned summer places here in the 1940s."
"Aside from the terrific unspoiled wilderness feel of the area, and the wonderful neighbors, the best thing about owning a home in Chichester is the opportunity to belong to the Chichester Property Owners Association," says Marrazzo. "It's like a private club, with about 100 members, representing about 35 different families, mostly descended from people who owned summer places here in the 1940s."
Deborah DeGraffenreid
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
New York City’s watershed land buyout program raises concerns among Shandaken town planners
The Shandaken Planning Board is expected to take a long, hard look at
the details of a controversial plan to allow the New York City
Department of Environmental Protection to buy homes and businesses in
local hamlets and villages.
Ashokan Reservoir fountain in Olivebridge off until mid-August
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Shandaken resident seeks ethics probe over renovation plan
Story from the Daily Freeman:
This week’s meeting of the Shandaken Town Board ended with a heated discussion about the ethics of some town officials — some named and others not identified — after a Phoenicia resident complained about what he said was the uneven way town laws are enforced.
Chris Fisher, who lives on Main Street nearby the former Al’s Restaurant, came to the board asking how to request an ethics investigation, alleging that some building projects, like the one now underway at Al’s, are being done above the law, while others, like the controversial Hanover farm stand in Mount Tremper, fall victim to overwhelming scrutiny.
Fisher said that his problem was not with Mike Ricciardella, the eatery’s current owner, who is renovating the structure, but with town officials who authorized the renovation. He said the building is being expanded beyond what the law allows.
“Either enforce the law or don’t enforce the law,” he said. “It’s got to be equal across the board.”
Blaming the town’s Planning Board for granting permission for the project, Fisher asked how to go about requesting an ethics investigation. When he was told to bring the matter to Supervisor Rob Stanley, who was absent from the meeting, Fisher said Stanley is “part of the problem.”
It was noted by audience member Robert Kalb that Fisher attended the public hearing on Ricciardella’s renovation project and did not make any complaints.
At Monday night’s Town Board meeting, Fisher said new information about the project had come to light after the hearing.
Town Building Inspector Al Frisenda, who is responsible for issuing building permits, told the Town Board that if Fisher has a problem with any action of the Planning Board, his only recourse is to sue the town.
Fisher said he does not want to sue the town.
“My issue is the unethical behavior,” he said.
The following morning, Stanley said he had no involvement in any Planning Board or Building Department actions, nor did any other member of the Town Board.
He also said he had been made aware that, at the Monday night meeting, Fisher publicly described him as “crooked,” and that he will now look into taking legal action against Fisher for what he said is a slanderous remark.
This week’s meeting of the Shandaken Town Board ended with a heated discussion about the ethics of some town officials — some named and others not identified — after a Phoenicia resident complained about what he said was the uneven way town laws are enforced.
Chris Fisher, who lives on Main Street nearby the former Al’s Restaurant, came to the board asking how to request an ethics investigation, alleging that some building projects, like the one now underway at Al’s, are being done above the law, while others, like the controversial Hanover farm stand in Mount Tremper, fall victim to overwhelming scrutiny.
Fisher said that his problem was not with Mike Ricciardella, the eatery’s current owner, who is renovating the structure, but with town officials who authorized the renovation. He said the building is being expanded beyond what the law allows.
“Either enforce the law or don’t enforce the law,” he said. “It’s got to be equal across the board.”
Blaming the town’s Planning Board for granting permission for the project, Fisher asked how to go about requesting an ethics investigation. When he was told to bring the matter to Supervisor Rob Stanley, who was absent from the meeting, Fisher said Stanley is “part of the problem.”
It was noted by audience member Robert Kalb that Fisher attended the public hearing on Ricciardella’s renovation project and did not make any complaints.
At Monday night’s Town Board meeting, Fisher said new information about the project had come to light after the hearing.
Town Building Inspector Al Frisenda, who is responsible for issuing building permits, told the Town Board that if Fisher has a problem with any action of the Planning Board, his only recourse is to sue the town.
Fisher said he does not want to sue the town.
“My issue is the unethical behavior,” he said.
The following morning, Stanley said he had no involvement in any Planning Board or Building Department actions, nor did any other member of the Town Board.
He also said he had been made aware that, at the Monday night meeting, Fisher publicly described him as “crooked,” and that he will now look into taking legal action against Fisher for what he said is a slanderous remark.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Roadwork on Route 214
Slowly, but surely, the roadwork on Route 214 was completed in the Autumn of 2013. A culvert passing under the state road was completely rebuilt. Water now flows freely and, it is hoped, safely under the road. A stretch of a couple of hundred feet of blacktop was redone. Several yards of crushed stone were graded on the CPOA driveway leading to the Ostrander Bridge.
Herein, a pictorial narrative.
Herein, a pictorial narrative.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Ulster town's plowing policy draws scrutiny
St. Francis De Sales parishioners leave the church in Phoenicia after Sunday Mass. The Shandaken Highway Department plows the parking lots of local firehouses and four churches, including St. Francis De Sales. The highway department uses St. Francis De Sales' lot to dump snow into the Esopus Creek. Kelly Marsh/For the Times Herald-Record
The Town of Shandaken's decades-old practice of plowing snow from the parking lots of local firehouses and churches is under fire. Shandaken resident Lance Hoffman asked the town board Feb. 10 not to continue the practice. "I told them that municipal plowing of churches was unconstitutional, because it's a violation of church and state," Hoffman said last week. "It's a frivolous municipal largess; they're just throwing away taxpayer money, and the town could be held responsible for any damage." The board approved it anyway. Unanimously.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Village of Red Hook to boost its fund balance
Followup to story on Red Hook, from Poughkeepsie Journal.
For Village of Red Hook officials, the threat of fiscal stress isn’t news, Mayor Ed Blundell said. Red Hook is one of 15 villages in the state undergoing some fiscal stress, according to state Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. DiNapoli used financial indicators such as year-end fund balance, cash position and patterns of operating deficits for an overall fiscal stress score. Red Hook landed on the lowest level — “susceptible to stress” — with a score of 49.2 percent. A score of 45 to 55 percent would get a village on the list. Red Hook is on the list largely because of a low fund balance — about $168,000, Blundell said. Raising the fiscal reserves is something village officials have been addressing.
For Village of Red Hook officials, the threat of fiscal stress isn’t news, Mayor Ed Blundell said. Red Hook is one of 15 villages in the state undergoing some fiscal stress, according to state Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. DiNapoli used financial indicators such as year-end fund balance, cash position and patterns of operating deficits for an overall fiscal stress score. Red Hook landed on the lowest level — “susceptible to stress” — with a score of 49.2 percent. A score of 45 to 55 percent would get a village on the list. Red Hook is on the list largely because of a low fund balance — about $168,000, Blundell said. Raising the fiscal reserves is something village officials have been addressing.
Friday, February 7, 2014
Village of Red Hook ‘susceptible to fiscal stress,’ NY Comptroller’s Office says
Story in The Kingston Daily Freeman.
Fifteen villages in New York state, including Red Hook in Northern Dutchess, are under some level of fiscal stress, according to the state Comptroller’s Office. The 15 villages were separated into three categories — “significant stress,” “moderate stress” and “susceptible to fiscal stress.” Red Hook is in the “susceptible” group, the least serious of the three, as is the Orange County village of Goshen.
The four “significant stress” villages were given scores ranging from 65.4 to 86.7 percent, with the higher numbers being worse; the “moderate stress” villages were scored from 57.5 to 64.2 percent; and the “susceptible to fiscal stress” villages had scores ranging from 47.9 to 53.3 percent. Red Hook scored 49.2 percent. Among other villages in the Mid-Hudson, Tivoli scored 36.3 percent. Ellenville scored 24.2, Saugerties scored 15.8, New Paltz scored 14.6, Hunter scored 11.3 and Rhinebeck scored 8.3. None had a score high enough to be included in any of the stress categories.
Online resources:
• The list of New York villages designated as being under some level of fiscal stress can be found at bit.ly/1f1tPVe.
• A complete list of village scores can be viewed at bit.ly/1jkj0Vq.
• A copy of the comptroller’s report on fiscally stressed villages is at bit.ly/1bCLvJd.
• To search for as specific local government’s fiscal stress score, go to bit.ly/1mbt6aM.
• For an overview of DiNapoli’s Fiscal Monitoring System, go to bit.ly/1dtGkMc.
Fifteen villages in New York state, including Red Hook in Northern Dutchess, are under some level of fiscal stress, according to the state Comptroller’s Office. The 15 villages were separated into three categories — “significant stress,” “moderate stress” and “susceptible to fiscal stress.” Red Hook is in the “susceptible” group, the least serious of the three, as is the Orange County village of Goshen.
The four “significant stress” villages were given scores ranging from 65.4 to 86.7 percent, with the higher numbers being worse; the “moderate stress” villages were scored from 57.5 to 64.2 percent; and the “susceptible to fiscal stress” villages had scores ranging from 47.9 to 53.3 percent. Red Hook scored 49.2 percent. Among other villages in the Mid-Hudson, Tivoli scored 36.3 percent. Ellenville scored 24.2, Saugerties scored 15.8, New Paltz scored 14.6, Hunter scored 11.3 and Rhinebeck scored 8.3. None had a score high enough to be included in any of the stress categories.
Online resources:
• The list of New York villages designated as being under some level of fiscal stress can be found at bit.ly/1f1tPVe.
• A complete list of village scores can be viewed at bit.ly/1jkj0Vq.
• A copy of the comptroller’s report on fiscally stressed villages is at bit.ly/1bCLvJd.
• To search for as specific local government’s fiscal stress score, go to bit.ly/1mbt6aM.
• For an overview of DiNapoli’s Fiscal Monitoring System, go to bit.ly/1dtGkMc.
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Phoenicia Water District residents under boil water advisory
Story from Kingston Daily Freeman:
Posted: 01/26/14, 2:33 PM EST
Phoenicia Water District residents are urged to boil their water after bitter cold temperatures resulted in a water shortage that forced the district to turn to a back-up pump system on the Esopus Creek, Water Commissioner Rick Ricciardella said.
He said the system was compromised during Hurricane’s Irene and Lee, prompting the advisory.
“We are chlorinating the water,” he said. “The Ulster County Board of Health just ordered the advisory as a precaution.”
He said approximately 950 residents, along with a senior residence and Phoenicia Elementary School, are impacted.
Ricciardella said he could not offer an estimate of when the boil water advisory would be lifted, but he said a water test would be performed tomorrow.
He added the cold is the worst he’s seen in 50 years.
“The temperatures haven’t been above 30 degrees,” he said. “We’re losing water, and we’re not getting enough water because the springs are freezing up.”
He said the cold causes conditions worse than a summer drought.
“It’s the worst it’s been since 1976, when it froze five or six feet down and the mains froze,” he said.
Posted: 01/26/14, 2:33 PM EST
Phoenicia Water District residents are urged to boil their water after bitter cold temperatures resulted in a water shortage that forced the district to turn to a back-up pump system on the Esopus Creek, Water Commissioner Rick Ricciardella said.
He said the system was compromised during Hurricane’s Irene and Lee, prompting the advisory.
“We are chlorinating the water,” he said. “The Ulster County Board of Health just ordered the advisory as a precaution.”
He said approximately 950 residents, along with a senior residence and Phoenicia Elementary School, are impacted.
Ricciardella said he could not offer an estimate of when the boil water advisory would be lifted, but he said a water test would be performed tomorrow.
He added the cold is the worst he’s seen in 50 years.
“The temperatures haven’t been above 30 degrees,” he said. “We’re losing water, and we’re not getting enough water because the springs are freezing up.”
He said the cold causes conditions worse than a summer drought.
“It’s the worst it’s been since 1976, when it froze five or six feet down and the mains froze,” he said.
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Black bear hunting may expand in Catskills, part of Hudson Valley
Daily Freeman story:
Concerned about the growing number of black bears in New York, the state Department of Environmental Conservation has drawn up a plan that includes enhanced hunting opportunities in the Catskills and part of the Hudson Valley to manage the population.
The department’s draft plan for bear management can be viewed online at bit.ly/LxbsAt. The public can comment on the plan until Feb. 21. Comments can be mailed to NYSDEC Bureau of Wildlife, Bear Management Plan, 625 Broadway, Albany, N.Y., 12233-4754 or emailed to fwwildlife@gw.dec.state.ny.us with “Bear Plan” in the subject line.
Friday, January 10, 2014
Catskill Mountain News from June 1967.
On its Facebook page, the Phoenicia Library has posted a link to the June 1967 edition of the Catskill Mountain News. It makes for interesting reading.
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Holiday hotspots: where to go in 2014
Guardian.co.uk article: Start planning your 2014 travels with the help of our top 40 destination
round-up. Some are hosting major events, others are under-the-radar
places only just starting to attract tourists, but all of them are
inspiring or exciting right now.
1. Cape Town, South Africa
2. Uzès, France
3. Austin, Texas, US
4. Carmarthenshire, UK
23. Catskills, US
Phoenicia Diner, Phoenicia
1. Cape Town, South Africa
2. Uzès, France
3. Austin, Texas, US
4. Carmarthenshire, UK
23. Catskills, US
Phoenicia Diner, PhoeniciaTuesday, December 17, 2013
Phoenicia Festival of the Voice organizers thankful for NY grant but ...
Article on the Voice Festival.
The organizers of the annual Phoenicia Festival of the Voice are pleased to be getting a $90,000 grant from the state but say more money is needed. “Of course we are thrilled,” said Festival of the Voice co-founder Maria Todaro. “The grant does indeed help, but only partially. We are producing 22 events at seven venues within five days” at the August 2014 event.
“This will cover about 20 percent of our costs,” said festival Trustee Justin Kolb.
Now entering its fifth year, the festival, largely an opera event, relies on free labor and talent to accomplish its goal of bringing world-class performers to the stage.
The state grant will go toward a production of “The Barber of Seville” and two world premieres.
The organizers of the annual Phoenicia Festival of the Voice are pleased to be getting a $90,000 grant from the state but say more money is needed. “Of course we are thrilled,” said Festival of the Voice co-founder Maria Todaro. “The grant does indeed help, but only partially. We are producing 22 events at seven venues within five days” at the August 2014 event.
“This will cover about 20 percent of our costs,” said festival Trustee Justin Kolb.
Now entering its fifth year, the festival, largely an opera event, relies on free labor and talent to accomplish its goal of bringing world-class performers to the stage.
The state grant will go toward a production of “The Barber of Seville” and two world premieres.
Daily Freeman article: Kingston-to-Phoenicia scenic train plan abandoned
With the New York City Department of Environmental Protection embracing a proposal for a recreational trail along the Ashokan Reservoir, the Catskill Mountain Railroad has abandoned its dream of a tourist railroad stretching from the city of Kingston to Phoenicia.
The turnabout came hours after an announcement by Ulster County Executive Michael Hein that New York City was putting up $2.5 million for the creation of a trail along 11.5 miles of rail line on the north shore of the city’s Ashokan Reservoir.
The Catskill Mountain Railroad, which offers scenic train rides in the Kingston area and between Mount Tremper and Phoenicia, has been embroiled in a fight with the county over the use of the tracks since 2012, when Hein first announced plans to convert the railroad bed into a walking and biking trail from Kingston to Mount Tremper. Hein now says he’s willing to allow railroad operations from Boiceville, at the western end of the planned reservoir trail, to Phoenicia — about twice the length of the Mount Tremper-to-Phoenicia route.
Woodstock Times article: Ulster County and New York City announced last week that the city will pitch in $2.5 million to build an 11.5-mile rail-trail along the north bank of the city-owned Ashokan Reservoir. The move appears to fundamentally change the rules of access to local New York City-owned reservoir land. The city also plans to connect the trail with other recreation facilities at the reservoir. “This will include establishing a dedicated lane for recreational use across the dividing-weir bridge when it is reconstructed — a project that is tentatively scheduled for the year 2019,” the DEP stated. A lane along the dividing weir would allow walkers, joggers and cyclists to safely access the proposed rail-trail, and also the “frying-pan” trail along Ashokan’s east basin and the promenade off Route 28A.
With the New York City Department of Environmental Protection embracing a proposal for a recreational trail along the Ashokan Reservoir, the Catskill Mountain Railroad has abandoned its dream of a tourist railroad stretching from the city of Kingston to Phoenicia.
The turnabout came hours after an announcement by Ulster County Executive Michael Hein that New York City was putting up $2.5 million for the creation of a trail along 11.5 miles of rail line on the north shore of the city’s Ashokan Reservoir.
The Catskill Mountain Railroad, which offers scenic train rides in the Kingston area and between Mount Tremper and Phoenicia, has been embroiled in a fight with the county over the use of the tracks since 2012, when Hein first announced plans to convert the railroad bed into a walking and biking trail from Kingston to Mount Tremper. Hein now says he’s willing to allow railroad operations from Boiceville, at the western end of the planned reservoir trail, to Phoenicia — about twice the length of the Mount Tremper-to-Phoenicia route.
Woodstock Times article: Ulster County and New York City announced last week that the city will pitch in $2.5 million to build an 11.5-mile rail-trail along the north bank of the city-owned Ashokan Reservoir. The move appears to fundamentally change the rules of access to local New York City-owned reservoir land. The city also plans to connect the trail with other recreation facilities at the reservoir. “This will include establishing a dedicated lane for recreational use across the dividing-weir bridge when it is reconstructed — a project that is tentatively scheduled for the year 2019,” the DEP stated. A lane along the dividing weir would allow walkers, joggers and cyclists to safely access the proposed rail-trail, and also the “frying-pan” trail along Ashokan’s east basin and the promenade off Route 28A.
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Sales tax in Ulster County set to drop 1% Dec. 1
Story in the Daily Freeman:
The battle that raged through summer and fall between Ulster County and Assemblyman Kevin Cahill over paying for the Safety Net welfare program and the county’s request to continue to levy an additional 1 percent in sales tax appears to be resolved. However the ramifications of that fight are only just beginning to be felt.
At the stroke of midnight on Dec. 1, the county’s authority to impose the additional 1 percent sales tax will expire. As a result, sales tax in Ulster County will drop to 7 percent from 8 percent. Of that, 3 percent is levied by the county and 4 percent is levied by the state.
Sales tax in Ulster County set to drop 1% Dec. 1
Story in the Daily Freeman.
The battle that raged through summer and fall between Ulster County and Assemblyman Kevin Cahill over paying for the Safety Net welfare program and the county’s request to continue to levy an additional 1 percent in sales tax appears to be resolved. However the ramifications of that fight are only just beginning to be felt.
At the stroke of midnight on Dec. 1, the county’s authority to impose the additional 1 percent sales tax will expire. As a result, sales tax in Ulster County will drop to 7 percent from 8 percent. Of that, 3 percent is levied by the county and 4 percent is levied by the state.
County businesses, which must collect the tax on all taxable sales, services, deliveries and uses in the county, were notified late last week by the state Department of Taxation and Finance of the change to the sales tax rate.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
No trespassin' means no trespassin'
From a story in the Daily Freeman:
WEST HURLEY >> A New York City Department of Environmental Protection officer was treated for shoulder and arm injuries Tuesday after a scuffle with a man found urinating on city property near the Ashokan Reservoir not far from state Route 28, according to a spokesman for the city agency.
At about 10:50 a.m. Tuesday, the officer approached the man, who appeared to be “trespassing and urinating simultaneously” at the Woodstock Dike near Route 28, according to agency spokesman Adam Bosch.
Emphasis added.
WEST HURLEY >> A New York City Department of Environmental Protection officer was treated for shoulder and arm injuries Tuesday after a scuffle with a man found urinating on city property near the Ashokan Reservoir not far from state Route 28, according to a spokesman for the city agency.
At about 10:50 a.m. Tuesday, the officer approached the man, who appeared to be “trespassing and urinating simultaneously” at the Woodstock Dike near Route 28, according to agency spokesman Adam Bosch.
Emphasis added.
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Making bread on the mountain slopes in Roxbury
Story in Woodstock Times:
When William Pollien, a.k.a. “Billy the Baker,” completed a three-year apprenticeship in a bakery near Stuttgart, he told his German colleagues that he hoped to open his own bakery in the U.S. They laughed. “It was like I said, ‘I’m going to put up a sign in front of my house that says I’m a doctor and start practicing medicine,’” he recalls. “In Germany, you have to pass tests, and then the government gives you a license to open a bakery.” Pollien did get a commercial license, but there were several twists in the road on the way to establishing his Machu Picchu Organic Bakery in Roxbury, Delaware County. He now supplies artisanal, traditionally made bread to Hurley Ridge Market near Woodstock, Boiceville Market, Hanover Farms in Mount Tremper, and supermarkets in Margaretville and Prattsville. From mid-May to mid-October, Pollien also sells at the weekly Pakatakan Farmer’s Market at the Round Barn in Halcottsville.
Machu Picchu Bakery: http://machupicchuorganicbakery.com/
When William Pollien, a.k.a. “Billy the Baker,” completed a three-year apprenticeship in a bakery near Stuttgart, he told his German colleagues that he hoped to open his own bakery in the U.S. They laughed. “It was like I said, ‘I’m going to put up a sign in front of my house that says I’m a doctor and start practicing medicine,’” he recalls. “In Germany, you have to pass tests, and then the government gives you a license to open a bakery.” Pollien did get a commercial license, but there were several twists in the road on the way to establishing his Machu Picchu Organic Bakery in Roxbury, Delaware County. He now supplies artisanal, traditionally made bread to Hurley Ridge Market near Woodstock, Boiceville Market, Hanover Farms in Mount Tremper, and supermarkets in Margaretville and Prattsville. From mid-May to mid-October, Pollien also sells at the weekly Pakatakan Farmer’s Market at the Round Barn in Halcottsville.
Machu Picchu Bakery: http://machupicchuorganicbakery.com/
Faye Storms, Tim Malloy win Town Board seats
Story from Daily Freeman on 11/5/13.
SHANDAKEN >> Residents on Tuesday ousted Republican incumbent Councilman Jack Jordan and defeated his running mate Frank Stapleton in favor of Democratic candidates Faye Storms and former Councilman Tim Malloy.
Malloy with 533 votes returns to the board after a two-year absence. Storms, a town Planning Board member, received 479 votes.
Jordan, who was also on the Conservative line in seeking a second term, received 372 votes, while Stapleton, who also had Conservative backing, received 310 votes.
Republican incumbent Supervisor Rob Stanley received 698 votes in winning an uncontested race for a third two-year term. He was cross-endorsed on the Democratic and Conservative ballot lines.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Monday, September 2, 2013
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