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April 09, 2005 Reporter's notebook State aid figures too good to be true School districts in Sullivan County were stunned with the bounty from Albany last week when the state aid numbers were released. Liberty went from an estimated 1.1 percent increase in state aid to more than 21 percent – almost $2 million more than it anticipated. Fallsburg was handed almost $2 million more than expected, too. "We're having a party over here," one district superintendent said last week. Too bad they were wrong. The numbers used to calculate state aid included money for the $17.2 million Sullivan County BOCES expansion project that was voted down in March. "To some degree, that may have been a surprise," for the districts, said Burt Porter, director of educational finance for the state education department. Sullivan County BOCES and state education officials said new, correct and sober numbers should be out soon. Bye-bye, Jeff So much for BOCES renting space in Jeffersonville. After the Sullivan BOCES expansion project was rejected by voters, the organization said it wanted to rent classrooms at the Jeffersonville building of the Sullivan West School District. But now that the school board has voted for a budget proposal that would close Delaware Valley and Narrowsburg elementary schools, those students are headed to Jeff. Which leaves no room for BOCES. So BOCES goes back to its original temporary alternative: empty space at the White Sulfur Springs Elementary School in the Liberty School District. Ready to rally? Car-rally fans will be headed to the Town of Tusten in droves next Saturday for special stages (car against clock) of Rally New York 2005, the third round of the 2005 Eastern States Rally Championship. The 240-mile long rally will start at 7:45 a.m. at the Government Center in Monticello, with the first car expected to cross the finish line there just after 6 p.m. Servicing of the cars will take place at Lander's Campground in Narrowsburg, and there will be official spectator areas at Mahl's Pond Road and Blind Pond Road. A hand for local business? The Partnership for Economic Development is asking Sullivan County to foot one half of the bill to hire a person to help local businesses expand and thrive. Partnership President Marc Baez asked legislators on Thursday to foot $25,000 annually for at least two years. Baez said the employee would focus on main streets. Republicans Greg Goldstein and Leni Binder said they wanted to pursue it. Lawmakers said they'd put it on the agenda at Thursday's executive committee meeting. Casey to get child-care award The Sullivan County Childcare Council will present its 2005 Child Care Advocate of the Year Award to Monticello School District Superintendent Eileen Casey. Casey will be recognized April 30 at the Child Care Council's annual Provider Recognition Dinner at Fibbers, Monticello. "This year's Child Care Advocate of the Year award recipient is not only a community-minded individual, but she is a woman who has dedicated countless hours of her time and energy to support a wide-range of children's issues," said Karen Cooke, executive director of the Child Care Council. For tickets, call the council at 292-7166. Is the landfill stinky? You'll need to call a different number to complain. The Odor Hotline has been changed to 794-2849. The voice of the people Almost 900 people signed a petition asking for a referendum on a $7 million bond issue for New Windsor's Mount Airy Sports Complex. But resident Diane Newlander wanted the Town Board to understand they're not against the complex. And while there's some concern about the cost, there's a bigger issue, she said. "This petition was about democracy and the citizens' right to open government," Newlander said during the public comment portion of Wednesday's board meeting. "The citizens of New Windsor are fed up with closed government, closed doors and meetings held at times that make it impossible for most people to attend. The citizens of New Windsor are demanding that our elected officials begin to listen to the voices of the people they represent and to respect their wishes." He let the children come to him The Rev. Mark Connell, chaplain and director of campus ministry at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, really put into perspective what made Pope John Paul II stand out from the crowd. "It was the way the young people rallied around him," Connell said. "He inaugurated the World Youth Day events, and they drew millions of kids. The fact he could draw two million kids – what other world leader could do that?" Mailman turns other cheek, gets whacked again A 54-year-old Newburgh mailman making the rounds last Saturday thought he gave some young cut-ups a break. The postman walked out of the convenience store at 56 Lander Street Saturday and saw a group of young boys, one of whom had a slingshot. The boy threw a rock, which hit the mailman's hand. The postman later told police that the slingshot-wielding boy just smiled at him when confronted. The mailman reached for his cell phone, he reported, but was told by some older males on the corner, "you don't have to call the police, do you?" The mailman thought about it, agreed, put away his cell phone and continued his rounds. As he came out of the apartment building at 76 Lander, he was struck again. When police arrived, the postman was bleeding from a cut under his eye. The suspects were nowhere to be found, according to police reports. For Newburgh night owls Town Clerk Andrew J. Zarutskie is conducting an experiment Tuesday night. He'll stay open for business, doling out handicap parking permits, dog and marriage licenses (for humans, not canines) and notary public services until 9 p.m. County legislators who represent the town will also be on hand in the public meeting room from 7 to 9 p.m. Residents can bend the ears of Leigh J. Benton, R-16th District, Anthony R. Marino, D-17th District, and Patrick J. Berardinelli Sr., R-6th District. The late night at Town Hall is no stretch for Zarutskie. He says Councilman Gilbert Piaquadio's kids already think he sleeps there. Call 564-4554. Making waves after the flood With his flooded Pine Island fields looking like lakes (with geese and swans), Gary Glowaczewski decided to take a break Thursday from his muddy work and let his friend get into his family's fields – with a Jet Ski. "We figured it would raise some spirits around here," Glowaczewski said. His friend, Gerald O'Brien, got out his Jet Ski from his truck, waded it out and hopped on. "He was doing doughnuts. It was pretty cool," Glowaczewski said. But did O'Brien smell like Black Dirt onion water after the ride? Glowaczewski said he didn't get that close. Trio feature a lot of pluck The String Trio of New York returns to the Warwick Valley Community Center with "The Art of Improvisation." This is the final installment of the Jazz Connections – Sounds of the City lecture/performance series. The trio features James Emery on guitar, John Lindberg on bass and Rob Thomas on violin. The performance takes place at 7:30 p.m. April 22 at the center. Tickets are $10 for adults; children under 18 are admitted free. All proceeds benefit the Warwick Valley Community Center. Huggable heroine Jaclyn Williams, 11, of Monroe, is a semifinalist in the National Huggable Heroes Program sponsored by Build-A-Bear Workshop. Jaclyn was chosen for being a good friend to Allison Murphy, who is blind and has epilepsy and cerebral palsy. Jaclyn wanted Allison to be able to play on the swings like other children, so she led a fundraiser to collect more than $1,500 for a wheelchair swing and foundation to be installed in Allison's back yard. Jaclyn and nine other children will be recognized this summer at the grand opening of the Build-A-Bear Workshop on Fifth Avenue in New York City. She will also be featured in the 2006 Build-A-Bear Workshop Huggable Heroes calendar. Band-ing together to help The band "In Transit" will perform to raise money for tsunami survivors from 8 to 10 p.m. April 16 at the United Methodist Church, 47 Maple Ave. in Monroe. All of the band members are seniors at Washingtonville High School. They will play rock, jazz, blues and original songs. Doors open at 7 p.m. There is no admission fee, but donations are appreciated. School taxpayers can tune in Did you miss Monroe-Woodbury schools Superintendent Frank Moscati's budget presentation? Are you curious about the budget's bottom line and what it might cost you? Visit www.mw.k12.ny.us. Here you can see Moscati's video-recorded 25-minute presentation and get more information on the budget. This is just the latest move in the district's yearlong commitment to improving public relations. Taxpayers can also expect newsletters in the mail about the budget and other district happenings. And the school board continues to have its business meetings broadcast on TV channel 22 in Woodbury and Monroe. As waters rose, so did tempers As flood waters raged through Myers Grove, residents desperate to salvage something – anything – from their threatened homes sometimes found themselves at odds with police trying to enforce a mandatory evacuation order. Julius Leonard Jr., who watched helplessly as the flood wreaked havoc on his home, was one of them. Leonard said he and his father butted heads with police while trying to rescue pets and precious items. The police, who said the evacuation order saved lives by keeping people out of a deadly situation, won. "My father lost everything down there," Leonard said Monday at an emergency shelter in Port Jervis High School. "We can't even get in there to get anything," he added. "My father gave me my house 10 years ago. Now it's destroyed. People are trying to save stuff that's irreplaceable. My mother died last year. Her ashes are down there. Can you replace that?" Getting the news out Middletown Alderman Miguel Rodrigues, D-3rd Ward, is trying his hand at the fourth estate; you know, putting on his press cap. Rodrigues and his wife, Wendy, are starting a monthly newsletter called the Middletown Times that he hopes will help keep the community informed. Whether it's to help keep track of Common Council meetings or to answer questions like, "what's the meaning of a ward, anyway?" the eight-page newsletter is aimed at giving residents of Middletown a little more insight into city affairs. Rodrigues hopes to launch his new publication in the coming month. It will be free. He's seeking contributors and advertisers, who he is luring right now with rock-bottom advertising prices. The e-mail address: middletowntimes@frontiernet.net. Computerized meter reading The Town of Crawford's water and sewer system is going high-tech. Over the next five years, the town will be installing state-of-the-art meter reading system in hundreds of homes in the hamlet of Pine Bush. The work is part of the town's efforts to upgrade its water and sewer system, which includes a $2 million expansion project that will double the capacity of its sewage treatment plant. Town officials say more than 40 meters have already been installed in homes in Pine Bush. Baby boom, cop style Call it the Middletown Police Department baby boom, and you wouldn't be incorrect. It began on Monday. Lt. Paul Rickard was just going into his first class on his first day of a three-month course at the FBI Academy in Washington, D.C., when the call came in. His wife Allison, a Middletown school teacher, was in labor. Rickard, who'd arrived in Washington Sunday after a long drive that included a car breakdown and a deluge, got on the next plane home. At 9:59 p.m., after 18 hours of labor, their first child was born. Matthew Paul Rickard came into the world at 6 pounds, 9 ounces and 19¾-inches long. "It's exciting," Rickard said Tuesday as he got ready to head back to Washington. "It was a wild day. Luckily, I got here on time." A day later, Detective P.J. Weissinger and his wife, Dawn, followed with a new addition of their own. Morgan Victoria Weissinger arrived weighing 5 pounds, 15 ounces; she was 20 inches long. Both babies and mothers are doing fine, and the powers that be at 2 James St. are now well-versed in names, weights and newborn sizes. |
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