Kitchen fire at county adult care center

LIBERTY — Officials say a late-night fire at the Sullivan County Adult Care Center on July 2 was quickly contained without major damage or injury.

Sullivan County Family Services Commissioner Judith Maier said the 10:30 p.m. fire started in an untended toaster.

Liberty firefighters responded quickly and extinguished the fire. Damages were confined to the toaster, and some paper supplies, Maier said.

Maier said county Department of Public Works employees cleaned up the fire damage through the night and the kitchen was in service for the morning. No one was inconvenienced and very few of the residents at the 182-bed facility even knew that anything had happened, she said.

Maier said the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Marist College offers new courses
in Monticello

MONTICELLO — Marist College and Sullivan County Community College are cooperating to offer new evening courses at the Community College’s Monticello Center starting this fall. The courses lead to a bachelor’s degree in Integrative Studies, the most popular undergraduate degree for Marist adult students.

The offerings will focus on human services, administration, and issues related to working in governmental, non-profit, and correctional agencies as well as public institutions like colleges and hospitals.

Students are encouraged to transfer 60–70 credits to the program, and then take two evening Marist courses every ten weeks, completing 24 credits in a year. Students may also be eligible for full time financial aid. Interested parties should contact Joanne Geisel at 845/294-6900.

PA community development grants

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s Department of Economic Development on July 3 announced nearly $25 million in community-development grants to fund 1,305 projects in 62 counties across Pennsylvania. Pike and Wayne counties were included.

The grants are funded through the Community Revitalization Program, which supports local groups and projects that improve and enhance communities and their local economies.

In Pike, the Lackawaxen Township Volunteer Fire Department got $20,000 to purchase and install an emergency generator. Matamoras Borough was awarded $6,000 for infrastructure and to purchase equipment. And the Pinchot Institute for Conservation in Milford received $24,946 for renovations to The Letter Box at Grey Towers.

In Wayne County, Hawley Borough won $20,000 to purchase equipment and a vehicle.

Riverfest flotilla challenge

NARROWSURG — The sponsors of Narrowsburg’s Riverfest are calling for participants in its first ever Flotilla Challenge.

“River rats” of all species are encouraged to decorate a river craft and navigate under the interstate bridge from the New York to the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware as a featured attraction of the twelfth annual RiverFest, a celebration of arts, crafts, music and the environment, to be held from 10 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 28, 2002 on Main Street.

Participants can register on the day of the event between 10:00 and 10:45 a.m. for an 11 a.m. launch at Narrowsburg’s boat access, located next to the Lander’s Campground, at the end of DeMauro Drive, off Bridge Street. Anything water-worthy qualifies. All participants must wear a personal flotation device. There is no entry fee. Prizes will be awarded for Best Overall Entry and Most Original Design.

Riverfest and the Flotilla Challenge are sponsored by Delaware Valley Arts Alliance and Narrowsburg Chamber of Commerce. For further information call 845/252-7576.

Sullivan county reports 2001 accomplishments

MONTICELLO — Despite external events, economic indicators were all positive for Sullivan County in 2001, Sullivan County Manager Dan Briggs concluded in a recently released summary of county government achievements.

Taxes and debt reduction headed the 20-page report where Briggs reported that Sullivan again achieved a zero increase in new taxes, by balancing the budget with $10 million from the county’s fund balance, which stood at $11.9 million at year’s end.

Long term debt was reduced by $18 million with proceeds from the national tobacco settlement. Moody’s Investor Service improved the rating on Sullivan’s remaining $40.7 million bonded debt to A1 from A3.

Sales tax revenues of $19.4 million exceeded the budgeted estimate by $700,000.

Deputy saves motorist from burning auto

HARRIS — Responding to a midnight, July 5, motor vehicle accident report, a Sullivan County Road Patrol deputy pulled a motorist from her vehicle just before it burst into flames.

Deputy Sheriff Christian Lopez saw the fire as he arrived and that the driver was still in the vehicle.

Sgt. Donald Prince said that Lopez had to pull the resisting driver’s hands free of her steering wheel to extricate her from the vehicle at the intersection of Harris and Friedman roads.

The driver, Sharon Toker, 48, of Harris, was not injured and was subsequently charged with DWI. She is scheduled to appear in Town of Thompson Court on July 15.