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.

Letters can be sent by e-mail to editor@riverreporter.com]

To the editor:

Why is Donald Trump against gambling in the Catskills? Is it because of the famous altruistic streak, because he cares about the welfare of the county? Is he worried, as Mr. Lee Karr says we all should be, about the ills that Mr. Karr thinks will befall the county? Does anyone out there think he is concerned about anything but the expected success of competing casinos? If it’s bad for Trump, it must be good for the county. Question number two: Why do the Karrs embrace The Donald and join him as co-litigants and use his casino “blood money” (dollars that The Donald made off the backs of unsuspecting citizens) in order to fight the county’s effort? Lee Karr and Donald Trump, Donald Karr and Lee Trump. A Partnership for the People? This is the real odd couple, and who would have thunk it?

Bruce Schor
Fosterdale, NY

To the editor:

I wonder why the people who are pushing gaming upon the uninformed citizens of Sullivan and other counties in New York State are not telling their constituents the whole story.

Namely: “We doubt New Yorkers will enjoy the spoils as much as the politicians, lobbyists and gambling interests who cut this sweetheart deal along with the money come other things: lowlifes and organized crime, drugs, prostitution, loan sharking and money laundering. The mob infiltrates and corruption in local government often follows.” (The Wall Street Journal, 3/1/02)

“Study ranks Nevada among the worst places to live in the U.S. State’s quality of life rated 46th by United Way.” (Headline in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, 11/22/01)

“On balance, gambling is an irresponsible way for government to raise money. It plays on human weaknesses, impoverishes many people, and sends the wrong message that life is ruled by chance.” (The Christian Science Monitor, 2/4/02)

“…New York needs less gambling than it already has, not even more…. Here’s hoping the lawsuit tosses Pataki’s scheme where it belongs—in the junk heap.” (New York Post, 2/3/02)

“In the end, Mr. Pataki’s casinos will cost New York more than they can ever deliver in state or local benefits.” (The New York Times, 11/29/01)

Haven’t they read the newspapers?

Rev. Robert H. Pinto
Rock Hill, NY

To the editor:

Well-intentioned The River Reporter editor Laurie Stuart is whistling past the graveyard when she attempts to dismiss the threat posed by the Cortese Landfill to the Narrowsburg school building as “ludicrous.” This matter has nothing to do with the Sullivan West merger and everything to do with public health and safety. The issue was not raised by local residents, but by the prestigious Center For Health, Environment and Justice in a nationally distributed report in January. It is too important to ignore.

The Center warns on its map that the Narrowsburg building is the only school “within half a mile of State and Federal Superfund Toxic Dumps in Sullivan County, NY. Sites within half a mile of schools can pose threats to students and teachers.”

Contrary to the impression given by Ms. Stuart in her editorial of February 21, the Cortese Landfill is not completely cleaned up and may never be. It is still classified as a Class II toxic waste site which puts it in the Love Canal category. The only thing more dangerous that would qualify as a Class I site would be a Chernobyl type nuclear disaster. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the Cortese Landfill is still capable of “leachate production” and needs “a focused feasibility study in order to tailor the groundwater extraction and treatment component of the remedy to existing conditions. It is anticipated that the groundwater design will be completed in mid 2002.” If the Cortese Landfill were thoroughly cleaned up as Ms. Stuart alleges, you would not need to continuously extract and treat the groundwater or monitor the site.

For the record, the extensive dumping at the Cortese Landfill involved industrial and chemical wastes, water solvents, paint thinners, paint sludge, waste oils, phenols, toluene, xylene, benzene, arsenic and lead. These are all known carcinogens and systemic poisons.

As for the spurious claim that an impenetrable rock escarpment protects the Narrowsburg school from the Superfund site, the facts are that no definitive study of the deep level structural geology, geomorphology and stratigraphy of the outlying region exists. Most of the area’s underlying rock strata are composed of bluestone, siltstone, sandstone and shale which are easily cracked and fractured and can allow the rapid underground dissemination of toxic contaminants through fissures over time. The Cortese Landfill is simply too close to the present Narrowsburg school and nothing will change that unfortunate situation.

This is now everyone’s concern. In a unitized school district like Sullivan West, attendance boundary lines can be changed at the whim of the administration and Delaware Valley or Jeffersonville-Youngsville students could also wind up going to school at the present Narrowsburg campus.

The Sullivan West school board currently has a glorious opportunity to stop renovation of the Narrowsburg building and put that 4.8 million dollars toward the construction of a new school building on a safe piece of ground in the Narrowsburg area, or build an annex at Delaware Valley or Jeffersonville-Youngsville. Failure to do so would be criminal negligence.

Sincerely,
Noel van Swol
Long Eddy, NY

To the editor:

I have sent this letter to the Wayne County Commissioners and would like it printed as a letter to the editor.

Dear Commissioners,

As I read all the articles in the newspapers and letters to the editors, I get the feeling that there are people out here that have more information and sense than do you, our elected officials. Are you reading the papers and listening to what people have to say or are you sitting there with your heads in the sand? Do you like your elected seats or are you looking to be replaced at the next election?

This whole jail situation has gotten out of hand and, in the meantime, it is costing the county taxpayers thousands of dollars. Why do you keep hiring people to look over these different parcels of land when the only sensible place to put the jail is on property that the county already owns and I don’t mean the current jail site? Are you going to put us thousands of dollars in debt to buy a piece of property when you already own more than enough land to build a jail? The County Farm is the logical and cheapest place you can find. The location by the recycling facility is perfect. You talk about cost effectiveness, Mr. Herzog, the $60,000 to $100,000 plus interest on the loan you are going to spend on land will do a lot of site preparation and transporting of prisoners. You already transport prisoners between the jail and the recycling center so what’s the big deal there. Put more of these prisoners to work there and picking up the litter along Route 652. There can’t be any more pollution than we already have along that road. Better still, put the site selection up for a vote and see what the public really wants.

The present jail needs to be torn down and a parking garage built there. That would also save the beautiful old building that seems to be doomed. The parking situation around the courthouse is appalling. I like to come to the Senior Citizen Center but there is one handicapped parking place when there should be about 40. I usually have to park on 11th Street and walk back. Fortunately, I’m physically able to do that where there are many who would like to come there, but there is no place for them to park comfortably.

I’m voting for Dr. Hippensteel, Mr. Kreitner and Mrs. Day for Commissioners at the next election. They are three of the people that seem to have some good input on the jail proposal.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth Dennis
Beach Lake, PA

To the editor:

An article in The River Reporter the week of February 14-20, about Tom Quick being a great hunter and woodsman is probably true. He killed all those Indians after he died. Do you know how he killed all those Indians? (They say about 100 of them in all) Tom never shot at an Indian, so the story I was told, goes.

I heard many years ago by some old timers when I started to hunt in Sullivan County on the Ten Mile River Boy Scout Camp grounds. It was told to me that the hunter and woodsman had gotten the measles and died as a result. So some local Indians stole his clothing and wore them. They, in turn, got the measles and died. Another Indian took the clothing of the great hunter and put them on. He died and this kept going on until someone figured out the clothes were contaminated and burned his clothes.

I don’t know if the story is true. I never researched it.

Hank Togna
Randolph, NJ
[Editor’s note: There are a great many stories that surround Tom Quick.]