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.

In a letter to the New York State Board of Regents, Arthur Norden argues that there is no need for the Sullivan-West School District building project because of a “projected enrollment decrease of 20 percent over the next 10 years.”

In a BOCES study done a few years ago on projected student enrollments through the year 2010, it asserted that the student population will continue at a gradual growth rate.

The enrollment committee then added the further comment that future student growth rates will certainly be affected by the following factors: casino gambling, the rebuilding of the Catskill Resorts, the Gerry/Woodstock performing arts center, the Route 17 transformation into Interstate Route 86 and Orange County overflow already in progress.

On Saturday May 18, 2002, my three sisters and I (the Keator Girls: Rebecca, 29, Sarah, 27, Anne, 22; and Mary Alice, 19), will be participating in the Great Strides Walk in New York City for Cystic Fibrosis. For those of you who have not met Anne, she is a beautiful, vibrant young woman who grew up in Sullivan County. She currently attends SUNY Brockport and is engaged to be married to New York State Trooper Geoff Governor in 2003. Anne has Cystic Fibrosis.

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is the number-one genetic killer of children and young adults in this country. A defective gene causes the body to produce abnormally thick, sticky mucus. The abnormal mucus leads to chronic and fatal lung infections and impairs digestion.

Currently there is no cure. Scientists supported by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation are now developing several new clinical approaches to treating CF, including gene therapy studies involving people with the disease.

Our challenge is to raise the dollars through Great Strides to fund this research and give the children and young adults with CF the quality of life and the future they deserve.

For anyone wishing to make a donation (individually, on behalf of your business or your employer), tax deductible checks can be made payable to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Canceled checks serve as a receipt for tax deductions. Donations can be mailed to me at: PO Box 126, Barryville, New York 12719, or I would be happy to pick them up. My telephone number is 845/557-8020.

We read John Hutzky’s column on March 28 about his appreciation of history and the designation of Route 97 as the New York State Scenic Byway. He added that more should be done to improve Minisink Battlefield Park in Sullivan County across from the beautiful Roebling Bridge.

Scenic is important, so I wish Mr. Hutzky traveled a little further north on 97 to view the mess of the Ascalona camp grounds. It certainly is not beautiful. Trucks and ugly signs are seen by the people traveling on Route 97 and by the families that live on the other side of the river.

Every summer we dread the opening of the camp because of the noise, smoke and concerts that occur there. Now they advertise beer drinking. It makes you wonder where or who gives out the permits for this purpose.

It has come to my attention that there are plans to demolish the Pond Eddy Bridge.

This is an historic bridge, built in 1904. It is on the Register of Historic Places. Therefore it would appear that demolition would be illegal. The answer is to upgrade, repair but not destroy.

In order to save the bridge, the public must take action and make their voices heard. Save the bridge.

I am a 22-year-old female who was born and raised in Liberty. I graduated from Liberty High School in June 1998. I am writing to you in hopes you will print this letter, in connection with the recent accident in Liberty.

This town is small. I can’t go to the local store without seeing three people I know. It seems everyone knows everyone. Or has a connection to them. As a young adult, I know there is not much to do in this town. No dance halls, the nearest mall is 40 minutes away and a movie theater that is just being remodeled after years of being open just for the summer. So most of the young teenagers revert to drinking and doing drugs. And then some get in the car and drive.

I am sadly touched at the accident that occurred on Thursday, which killed a young well-liked guy. It is also a reminder of the loss of my friends three years ago. Although I didn’t know him personally, I know some that did. And when you drive by the scene of the accident you can tell that it has affected many, just by looking at how many flowers and balloons are there.

I am outraged at the board of education in Liberty. Many schools do ‘mock accidents,’ normally before the prom. It’s been years since the Liberty School district has done one. I feel that they should be done yearly. Kids need to see what could happen. They need to realize they are not invincible, that it could happen to them! Instead of a mock, we have experienced the real thing. Had the Liberty School been providing these mocks, the accidents might have been prevented.

There is an article appearing on the front page of the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, May 7 entitled, “House Advantage Indian Casinos Win by Partly Avoiding Costly Labor Rules.” The crux of the article is that this particular tribe has 2000 members and employs 8000 people, mostly non-American workers—in this case, green carded Mexican folks.

They are paid the minimum wage, do not belong to unions, have poor, if any benefits and can be terminated at the leisure of the casinos.

Tribes are sovereign “Nations” and it seems can make all of the rules as they see fit. Is this the kind of “job creation” the folks in the Catskill communities want? I mention this, as you may want to review the piece and see what you think.

I hope to move up by you someday and I do not think casinos are the best way to promote growth.