Tannersville News

By Jim Planck

Hudson-Catskill Newspapers

LANESVILLE — Hunter-Tannersville Board of Education member Brian Byrne told fellow board members and district administrators Thursday night that he believes the district should look into whether a local not-for-profit educational foundation is feasible, and how it would work.

Byrne said of Albany County’s Berne-Westerlo Central School District, “They have a foundation that is funded by the railroad.”

New system likely to be operational by Thanksgiving

By Jim Planck

Hudson-Catskill Newspapers

LANESVILLE — Administrators, faculty and staff at Hunter-Tannersville Central School will soon have the pedestrian equivalent of a Thruway E-ZPass to enter either of the district’s two buildings.

Staff Reports

HUNTER — Veteran Democratic incumbent Greene County Legislator Larry F. Gardner, District 7- Hunter/Lexington/Halcott, was returned to the county legislative body again Tuesday in an uncontested race for the office.

Lucas, Semenza, Legg, Farrell, Volker keep jobs in uncontested races

By Jim Planck

Hudson-Catskill Newspapers

HUNTER — Voters in the Town of Hunter have returned their incumbent supervisor, two councilmen, the highway superintendent, and a town justice for another term each in unopposed elections Tuesday.

Getting the full support of the constituent body were Democratic Supervisor Dennis Lucas, Sr., Republican Councilman Dolph Semenza, Democratic Councilman Daryl Legg, Democratic Superintendent of Highways John Farrell, and Republican Justice James Volker.

Silent film and its pioneering creator earn retrospective Saturday

By Jim Planck

Hudson-Catskill Newspapers

HUNTER — True movie fans will have a chance on Saturday, Nov. 7, to learn about one of the pioneers in the American film industry, who — however — because she was a woman and not a man, was passed over for most of the 20th century, instead of being recognized as an important and significant figure in the early days of the silver screen.

In the second decade of the 1900s, prominent actress Helen Gardner decided to start her own production company — the Helen Gardner Picture Players — and set about producing 10 or 11 films over the next decade, besides continuing to act in her own and other pictures.

The first of those films she produced was 1912’s “Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt,” and — at six reels long — it finally began receiving its due after Turner Classic Movies funded the George Eastman House to restore it a few years back.

Since it was a silent movie, a new film score was written for it by the Canadian husband-wife songwriting team of Raine Maida — lead vocalist from Our Lady Peace — and Chantal Kreviazuk.

Rip statues poised to reinvigorate tourist interest

The "Rip Lives" committee members hosted a reception on Oct. 24, at the Hunter Village Square, for artists and sponsors of the Rip Van Winkle statues. The statues are being cast and painted to promote the mountaintop. On hand for the event were (left to right) Ray Shearer (representing the Windham Chamber of Commerce), Charlene Holdridge (Hunter Foundation), Mike Avella (Community of Windham Foundation), Fran Imperiale (Catskill Mountain Foundation), Dave Peskin (Windham Arts Alliance) and Annie Jakubowski (Community of Windham Foundation). Not present was committee member Steve Friedman (Ruder Finn Print Company). (Michael Ryan/Hudson-Catskill Newspapers)

By Michael Ryan

Hudson-Catskill Newspapers

HUNTER - The spirit of Rip Van Winkle is experiencing a royal reawakening in the mountains following a fundraising reception hosted by the recently formed “Rip Lives” committee.

An enthusiastic group of artists and sponsors gathered for the meet-and-greet event last Saturday night at the Hunter Village Square, getting the new program off to a rip-roaring start.

“We’re extremely happy with the progress we’ve made thus far and we’re just getting started,“ said Mike Avella, chairman of the Community of Windham Foundation and a Rip Lives committee member.

By Jim Planck

Hudson-Catskill Newspapers

HUNTER — Greene County Soil & Water Conservation District education coordinator Michelle Yost told the Hunter Town Board Tuesday night that it has been about one year since the town signed the Schoharie Watershed Advisory Committee [SWAC] Memorandum of Understanding [MOU], and congratulated the board and the community’s volunteers for their participation in the effort.

The SWAC is a Schoharie Creek watershed-wide group comprised of appointees from each municipality within the creek basin, as well as representatives from three Schoharie Basin Stream Management Plan sub-committees -- highway superintendents, education and outreach, and recreation and habitat -- plus one Greene County legislator, as well as other local, state, and federal agencies.

The SWAC’s purpose is to represent the interests of property owners, government officials, watershed agencies, and non-profit organizations in guiding implementation of the creek’s management plan.

That management document also has an advisory plan component, and Yost said that an initial step of securing operational costs for selected programs has been achieved.

”We have funding now to implement recommendations in the advisory plan,” she said, noting that a subcommittee was formed to determine potential options, with the final selections done by a 15-member voting committee.

By Jim Planck

Hudson-Catskill Newspapers

The Town of Hunter has received a petition from residents along County Route 25 requesting that officials initiate the process for seeking a reduced speed limit on it.

The road is about three miles long, totally within the town, and runs from its intersection with State Route 23A by the Stewart’s Shop in Haines Falls, north to its intersection with County Route 23C at All Soul’s Church, just before the Town of Jewett line.

Reading the petition aloud, Hunter Supervisor Dennis Lucas noted it was received from “concerned citizens” who feel that “over the last four years, there has been a dramatic increase in traffic” on the road.

The petition states that along with that increased traffic is an accompanying increase in speeding vehicles, and accordingly seeks to have the current speed limit of 35 mph reduced to 25 mph.

Budget carries $2.66 million in total spending

By Jim Planck

Hudson-Catskill Newspapers

HUNTER — Town of Hunter property owners will see a five-plus percent increase in their tax rate for 2010, depending on whether the assessed parcel is within one of the town’s two incorporated villages or not.

The town’s draft 2010 budget, which will have a public hearing tonight at the town hall at 6 p.m., reflects a 5.15 percent tax rate increase for parcels outside the villages, and a 5.5 percent increase for parcels within either the village of Hunter or Tannersville.

Those percentages are, however, somewhat misleading because the larger actually represents the lesser cost increase.

This is because the tax rates for “outside-town,” meaning parcels in the town outside of the villages, and “inside-town,” meaning those in the town and within the villages, are often greatly different.

Lucas seeking 6th term as supervisor

By Jim Planck

Hudson-Catskill Newspapers

HUNTER — Candidates in the Town of Hunter are running unopposed this election year, and in many cases are cross-endorsed.

Veteran Democratic Town Supervisor Dennis Lucas is on the party’s ballot line seeking his sixth two-year term in office.

Lucas also served one four-year term as a councilman on the board back in the early 1990s.

Of projects he and the board focused on during his most recent term in office, Lucas said Tuesday, “Our scenic byway project, installing a wetlands treatment system for our leachate at the landfill, and constructing a wind energy facility at the landfill, for our energy needs at the landfill.”

One concept is a thermal imaging study of the Westkill

By Jim Planck

Hudson-Catskill Newspapers

HUNTER — Greene County Soil & Water Conservation District education coordinator Michelle Yost told the Hunter Town Board that it has been about one year since the town signed the Schoharie Watershed Advisory Committee [SWAC] Memorandum of Understanding [MOU], and congratulated the board and the community’s volunteers for their participation in the effort.

The SWAC is a Schoharie Creek watershed-wide group comprised of appointees from each municipality within the creek basin, as well as representatives from three Schoharie Basin Stream Management Plan subcommittees — highway superintendents, education and outreach, and recreation and habitat — plus one Greene County legislator, as well as other local, state, and federal agencies.

The SWAC’s purpose is to represent the interests of property owners, government officials, watershed agencies, and non-profit organizations in guiding implementation of the creek’s management plan.

That management document also has an advisory plan component, and Yost said that an initial step of securing operational costs for selected programs has been achieved.

”We have funding now to implement recommendations in the advisory plan,” she said, noting that a subcommittee was formed to determine potential options, with the final selections done by a 15-member voting committee.

Pictured from left are State Sen. James L. Seward; R-Oneonta; Joseph Castle Jr.; Kelsey Peckovich; Joshua Hart; Allen Austin IV; State Assemblyman Pete Lopez; R-Schoharie; and Greene County Republican Committee Chairman Brent Bogardus. Austin was named Republican of the Year at the committee's annual dinner Saturday and Castle; Hart and Peckovich were named Citizens of the Year. Susan Campriello/Hudson-Catskill Newspapers

Party faithful says unity will translate to victory next week

By Susan Campriello

Hudson-Catskill Newspapers

WINDHAM — Greene County’s Republicans say they are poised for a comeback.

Several candidates for local and County office, town committee chairpersons and State representatives met for the Greene County Republican Committee annual dinner Saturday night at Windham Mountain celebrate the work done by four Catskill teenagers who solicited signatures for a Have a Vote party petition and to discuss the future and upcoming elections.

A man faces drunken driving charges after a passenger in his car died in a wreck early today in the town of Hunter.

Approval will begin adventure park development

By Jim Planck

Hudson-Catskill Newspapers

The Town of Hunter on Tuesday approved filing for a state grant of up to $450,000 for New York Zip Line, LLC, the adventure facility which is planned to open at Hunter Mountain Resort next year.

According to the terms of the resolution adopted by the board, the town “is developing an application to submit to the NYS Office of Community Renewal for a proposed economic development project to locate a zipline attraction and adventure park at Hunter Mountain,” in which the town will act as “the designated municipal sponsor.”

The funding itself is sought through the state’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, and two public hearings were accordingly held -- one Oct. 6 and one Tuesday night -- at which the resolution notes “no objection” was put forth to seeking the grant.

Assisting the town with the process is the Greene County Department of Economic Development, Tourism, and Planning, and on hand for Tuesday’s hearing and board meeting were department director Warren Hart and community development specialist Karl Heck.

The county agency will receive up to, but not exceeding, $16,000 of the potential $450,000 for program delivery and administrative services.

The grant funds, if awarded to the town by the state, will be originally disbursed to the business as a loan, and later converted to a grant.

Patti Ferrara's painting, "The Otis Elevating Railway," is featured in the Wall of History at Historic Catskill Point. (Susan Campriello/Hudson-Catskill Newspapers)

By Susan Campriello

Hudson-Catskill Newspapers

CATSKILL — Local artisans brought history alive at the Great Northern Catskills Heritage Festival at Historic Catskill Point through two- and three-dimensional crafts Sunday.

The festival featured the unveiling of the Wall of History, a public art project contributed to by local painters.

The south face of the point’s warehouse has been adorned with nine paintings depicting the region’s nautical, abolitionist, and recreational history as well as characters of legend.

A tenth painting is affixed to the west side of the building.

The Wall of History exhibit includes Daniella Zeman’s “Sailing the Half Moon,” Enrico Scull’s “First River People,” “Abolitionists of the Hudson Valley,” by Tasha Depp, “Rip Van Winkle,” by Don Boutin, James Cramer’s “Cedar Grove, Home of Thomas Cole,” Michelle Moran’s “Kaaterskill Falls,”“The Catskill Mountain House,” by Michelle Moran, Patti Ferrara’s “The Elevating Otis Railway,” Terrence Barrell’s “Sailing on the Hudson at Catskill Creek,” and “Catskill Warehouse and Freightmaster’s Building,” by Victoria Brill.

Greene County Police Blotter

Staff Reports

WINDHAM

On Oct. 18, 2009 state police charged Shane D. Manning, 22, of Maplecrest with resisting arrest and first-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. Manning was issued tickets returnable to Windham Town Court.

(From left) Shirley Dunn, Gerald Dunn, Norman Blum, Renee Blum and Phil Cohen. Cohen and his sister Renee were close friends with Shirley Dunn 70 years ago. (Susan Campriello/Hudson-Catskill Newspapers)

By Susan Campriello

Hudson-Catskill Newspapers

TANNERSVILLE —Friends meet each other at downtown cafes every day. Friends who have not seen each other in more than 60 years meet at cafes a little less frequently.

Philip Cohen and his sister Renee spent summers at their grandmother’s blue and white painted hotel, The Mountain Flower House, on Spring Street in Tannersville. Phil was born in 1925 in a cottage where the family stayed behind the hotel. The siblings became best friends with a girl who lived two houses away, Shirley Wiltse.

The trio hasn’t been all together since the 1940s.

From Staff Reports

ASHLAND — Dr. Jacqueline Maier of Ashland has long tried to emphasize to her patients the benefits of healthy eating.

Maier, along with the help of Jo Cross, Bridgett Tompkins, Peggy Rappleyea and several other friends and family members, put together an event that was aimed at showing people just how delicious and enjoyable it can be as well.

“A Taste Of Vegan” presented over 25 vegan dishes (which included an entire table of desserts, Maier’s specialty), and the turnout was fantastic, with almost 100 people coming to try “a taste” of what vegan cuisine has to offer.

Attendees sampled dishes ranging from exotic Moroccan carrot pate to more familiar “veganized” versions of classic favorites such as “UnChicken Salad”made with tofu.

Mountain Top Historical Society to host fall foliage hike

Brilliant colors such as these from last year in Stony Clove, will be available for viewing at the head of Kaaterskill Clove on Sunday, thanks to a special hike being offered by the Mountain Top Historical Society that will follow the route of the old rail bed from the hamlet of Haines Falls to Kaaterskill Falls. Photo by Jim Planck/Hudson-Catskill Newspapers

By Jim Planck

Hudson-Catskill Newspapers

HAINES FALLS — Sunday will be a prime opportunity to enjoy some of the fine autumn foliage in Greene County’s Mountaintop region, and a particularly interesting hike is being offered by the Mountain Top Historical Society in Haines Falls.

The hike’s route is unusual — it doesn’t go uphill!

As anyone knows who hikes in the region, almost all Mountaintop trails quickly begin climbing to take the hiker to the peaks of some of the Catskill’s highest mountains — Hunter, Blackhead, Black Dome, Thomas Cole, Westkill — and, of course, also to some of the equally finest views in the region.

Sunday’s hike, although running on level ground, will nonetheless still offer some distinctive views — perspectives onto Kaaterskill Falls that aren’t often experienced since they come from the other side of the bowl the falls sits in.

By J. Blake Killin

Hudson-Catskill Newspapers

Many months have passed since members of the Coalition of Watershed Towns submitted proposed changes to designated hamlets to New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection but, according to some members of the Coalition’s executive committee, the process is taking way too long. Now, as talks continue over making changes to the hamlet designations, a new player has entered the picture, further delaying completion of the process. Enter NRDC. According to Coalition Chairman Dennis Lucas, he traveled down to NYC to talk with Eric Goldstein of NRDC about the proposed hamlet designation changes. Lucas said NRDC was concerned that the new hamlet designations could prevent NYC from buying property needed to protect the water supply.

“These are delicate negotiations,” said Lucas who added that the executive committee of the Coalition was going to enter into an executive session at its monthly meeting on August 21st to discuss new details of the discussions.

Lucas did say that for the most part, NYC, the Coalition and officials from the state were satisfied with many of the proposed changes to the designated hamlets but that some of the proposals would require a closer look.

“We’re down to looking at individual parcels on the map,” said Lucas.