The River Reporter Online - Letters to the Editor

[EDITOR'S NOTE: The River Reporter welcomes letters on all subjects from its readers. They must be signed and include the correspondent's phone number. The correspondent's name and town will appear at the bottom of each letter; titles and affiliations will not, unless the correspondent is writing on behalf of a group.

Letters are printed as they are received, or at the discretion of the editor, and without correction to grammar or spelling. It is requested they be limited to 500 words; correspondents may be asked to cut longer letters. Deadline is 1:00 p.m. on Monday.

An article in your April 26 issue, “New high school wins state okay,” contains several factual errors.

The approval that the Sullivan West Central School District received from the State Education Department was only for the new high school in Lake Huntington. The renovation plans for buildings in Narrowsburg, Callicoon, and Jeffersonville each are separate projects still awaiting final approval. Superintendent Michael Johndrow announced at the Board of Education meeting on April 24 that approval for the renovation projects is expected by mid-June.

Approval for the new Sullivan West high school was never under a cloud. Plans were submitted on January 11 and approved on April 17. The time frame for the approval was consistent with the 12-13 weeks for project approval that the State Education Department had been announcing on their web site since early last fall. The state continues to process approvals as quickly as they can.

Governor Pataki did not attempt to stop all building aid. Last January, the Governor released his Executive Budget Proposal for Education, which included radical proposals for building aid. These proposals sought to reduce state cash flow burden by stretching out state aid payments and by capping annual expenditures. The proposals also sought to curb abuses in building aid that were identified by the State Board of Regents. In response, the State Education Department cautioned school districts to proceed with building projects with the understanding that the amount of aid, if any, will not be determined until the state budget is approved.

The Governor’s proposals threaten to disrupt financial plans for school districts awaiting project approval. Building projects typically involve projecting annual impact on district cash flow and local tax levy for the life of the project. When a project is funded by bonds, the time required to repay them equals the life of the project. The potentially negative impact that the Governor’s proposals could have on a school district’s long-term revenue stream compelled the leading school bond counsel to recommend against issuing bonds for building projects. In response, state legislators adopted a resolution against the Governor’s proposals. This prompted the bond counsel to reverse his recommendation against bond issues.

According to statements made at budget meetings held by the Sullivan West Board of Education, approximately half of the total $50 million in bonds for the district’s capital projects will be issued before the end of June. Because these projects will not be completed until the fall of 2002, the remaining bonds will not be issued until next school year. Groundbreaking for the new high school has been tentatively scheduled for Saturday, June 16, at 11:00 A.M.

The State Education Department continues to advise school districts to proceed cautiously with respect to building projects. Although state legislators adopted a resolution against the Governor’s proposals, such resolutions are not binding. Until the state approves the final budget, anything can happen. Sullivan West and many other school districts in New York are confident that building aid will come through as projected. However, this should not be construed as a promise.

In the March 23, 2001 edition of the Sullivan County Democrat, Mr. Handler said, “The way I wish to be remembered is that I put the interests of the children first.” This is far from reality with respect to the situation in the Sullivan West school district.

For example, students will have a VERY dangerous road to travel to the new high school, and a longer bus ride. Making students go two hours each way for sports on school nights will hurt their grades and deprive them of needed sleep when they get home after ten. This year, because of the merger, DVCS couldn’t get a baseball team together because students didn’t want to travel so far. Next year’s sports transportation budget alone will be increased up to $110,000 with fewer students playing varsity sports since there will only be one merged team per sport. This will raise taxes for all taxpayers. Also, parents will have to travel farther to see their children play.

Handler has said that small schools (like DVCS, Narrowsburg and Jeff before being merged) are having a difficult time providing for requested services without a tax increase. Yet the merged Sullivan West district is LARGER and in the past two years much of the DVCS portion of the district has had to swallow a 26 percent increase in taxes. There will be another tax increase this year and the new high school hasn’t even been started. Guess we aren’t big enough yet. What is next, another forced merger with Liberty or Monticello when we go broke?

Since the merger, there has been a major decline in school discipline. We have had WEAPONS PROBLEMS in all three schools. Also, we are having unprecedented GANG PROBLEMS in the schools, plus an increased amount of foul language and swearing from a significant number of students. Handler, who was intimately involved in the process which made the Sullivan West Central School District a reality, should have known that a new building can’t improve the education of students; high quality teachers and a good program do that job. Education and discipline have taken three steps backward since Handler got his way. I know what I am talking about. I have kids in the school system.

“There have been bumps,” Handler concedes. “Costs have been higher than we hoped... given that this is the first three-school merger in the state in 20 years, it’s gone well.” Yes, we will have some very big bumps without the 95 percent state aid that Handler promised the public. The 65 percent we will be getting is a far cry from what was promised by Handler before the merger vote. I don’t like holding the bag with respect to the building and renovation projects, do you?

We were never told the truth about the impact of large mergers on the taxpayers or how badly school mergers have worked out in other places. Mount Upton, Gilbertsville and Guilford was a three school merger like us. They built a new high school and used the other three buildings for elementary schools. All three elementary schools were eventually closed because taxes to run the four schools were too high. Now they have brought all grades into the new high school, but the district can’t sell the three smaller schools and still has to maintain the closed buildings. Taxpayers there would like to put everything back the way it was, but it is too late. This is what will happen here.

Some people have asked me if is this all just an expensive ego trip for BOCES Superintendent Martin Handler and his Sullivan West sidekick, Michael Johndrow, who can’t back down now and admit they were wrong about the financial benefits of the merger. It is an important question. Think about it. You know the answer.

I have something to get off my chest about an issue that affects everyone. The new 911 system isn’t the great wonder it was supposed to be.

I was under the impression that all the aggravation and inconvenience many people went through over the years in getting two different addresses and putting up with innumerable delays would pay off when the new 911 emergency system was put into place.

As a volunteer fireman, I was recently sent out on an emergency call on County Road 94 that was really for County Road 132, thanks to the 911 system. It isn’t the only time this has happened.

On other occasions, we have received calls that would have sent us to Livingston Manor and Roscoe, which are way out of our area.

People’s lives are on the line when the 911 system is used and doesn’t work correctly. Isn’t it about time all the bugs were worked out?

Also, since everyone pays taxes and fire insurance premiums, isn’t it time that funding was provided so that every local fireman or firewoman has his or her own portable two way radio for better communications when they are on the way to answer calls?

We need the radio back up to straighten things out when the 911 system messes up.

Remember, your life and property could be at stake the next time this system misdirects emergency personnel.

I would like to respond to a recent article regarding my non-profit animal shelter.

If one examines the situation more closely, one finds that this situation is much more about unhappy and busybody neighbors than about anything to do with dogs. These are people with nothing better to do than to concoct “problems” so they have something to gripe about. As a recent ASPCA inspector said (yes, we have been inspected by the ASPCA) and I quote, “It’s never about dogs.”

I have had a recent meeting with the town building inspector, Mr. Halloran, my attorney, Jeffrey Clemente, and myself, at which it was determined that I was compliant regarding structures.

These “neighbors” also are complaining about me walking dogs in the street in front of my home. They are on leashes! Is this Nazi Germany? I don’t even think they said you couldn’t walk your dog on a leash!

Those “neighbors” need to develop a hobby (perhaps knitting or needlepoint) or something productive to occupy their time, and they need to look at their own lives to see why it is they feel they must devote so much attention to others rather than straighten out their own messes.

This additional comment was submitted to the Department of Environmental Protection in accordance with the deadline set for Thursday, April 28, 2001 and instructions issued at its hearing on April 19, 2001.

“The ‘windfence’ applicant is asked if federal funds will benefit the project. To this question in the referenced application the applicant falsely answered NO.

The Department is directed to the fact that the primary federal subsidy for this project is a windpower federal tax credit of 1.5 cents per KWh of electricity produced by windmills that was created by the Energy Policy Act of 1992. This tax credit, which is adjusted for inflation, expired on June 30, 1999 but was extended to projects begun before December 31, 2001. The tax credit is available for 10 years from the date the facility is placed in service. Currently this tax credit is worth 1.7 cents per KWh.

The project covered by this application lists construction of 35 wind energy generators in 2001. Thirty-five 1500 KW generators entering service in 2001 and operating at a 27.5 percent average capacity factor over 10 years would produce about 36,135,000 KWh and earn a federal subsidy of $21,500,325. (This increases to $26,068,665 if adjusted for an annual inflation of two percent.)

When projects are funded with federal funds, I understand the Department must require a rigorous environmental impact study before it approves a NPDES permit application.

(1) It contains the false statement that NO federal funds will benefit the applicant.