Plaudits for the highway crew

To the editor:

Saturday, May 21 was a spring clean-up day in the Town of Lumberland. At this point, as a resident of this town, it is my pleasure and duty to express my thanks and appreciation to the Lumberland Highway Department for the effort to help us in keeping our town clean.

All of you performed your job brilliantly and with courtesy and politeness helped us seniors to unload cars and pickup trucks. I hope these few words will compensate you for your dedication to the residents of our town. Your services were excellent and I am sure that most of us join me in expressing these compliments.

This is our town and each of us, as members of our society, should be proud of such dedicated people. Charles Hallock and the entire Lumberland Highway Department crew made a commendable effort to be helpful to our community. My best wishes and continue to perform a good job.

A dream betrayed

To the editor:

We feel betrayed.

We feel lied to.

We feel upset.

In March 2005, my family and I began to seek out a county house which we could afford and which had room for us and our home-based business. We found one on Klondike Road in Long Eddy and planned to move in over the summer.

As part of this search process we visited the Delaware Valley School and were impressed. We met with a representative of the school and toured the facilities.

No one, not the school personnel we spoke with, not the real estate agent who helped in our search, not the neighbor consulted about school programs and atmosphere, mentioned that there would be no school in September. Did no one know? We find this hard to believe.

We can live with the fact that there is no high-speed internet available in the area; that cell phone service and reception is non-existent, and that trash collection is a dream. We cannot live with the fact that our young children will be bussed to a school three towns away. We cannot live with the fact that the school superintendent and school board are so insensitive to the parents, children and residents of the school district that their needs are totally overlooked. Not one alternative plan for use of a portion of the school buildings was presented to be voted on or even discussed.

As we drove up here to spend the weekend in our new house we were surprised by the many “for sale” signs in the area that seem to have sprouted overnight. We trust that we are not too late to join in the real estate crush—“house for sale.”

A school is the heart of a village. The village is the heart of a school. The center of activity is the school. Without a center the village will die. We chose rural Sullivan County for just that reason: compassion; small school atmosphere; caring teachers; a feeling of community. You have let us down. Please reconsider your choices.

Let’s not make the same mistake twice

To the editor:

Why did I decide to write this letter? I am retired and have no children in the school system. I do not follow the workings of the school district. So how does the closing of schools and the budget crisis affect me?

My community is in turmoil. I have friends in the schools of both Delaware Valley and Narrowsburg who are contemplating moving to Pennsylvania. Loss of these young families threatens the very diversity of our future community. A less attractive school district also lowers the value of my real estate.

By closing the local schools we are throwing out the very things that made the merger seem so attractive. The hasty decision to build a new high school was made with erroneous information and without adequate consideration of community impact. Let us not repeat a similar mistake.

By any definition, this is not an austerity budget nor is it a revised budget. The fact that it was immediately adopted with a nominal reduction indicates a closed-minded attitude, a lack of willingness to listen and respond to the discontent indicated by the budget vote and election of new school board members. This is too important an action to be adopted without full community participation and serious exploration of all alternatives.

Even a cursory look at the more detailed budget indicates areas of possible revision. For just one example: Printing and Mailing consumes $114,000. Do we have to send out a two-color Sullivan West newsletter, full of photographs, telling me that we are having chicken nuggets on Tuesday?

Before drastic action is taken, please consider the following suggestions: 1) Take a real look at the budget and cut out all frills and unnecessary items. Several other local school districts whose budgets were rejected are taking the time to rework their budget and to present it for a re-vote in June. 2) Study how other school districts, especially in Pennsylvania, allocate their available funds. Show the community how our costs compare. Compare the costs of services provided by BOCES and by the Intermediate Unit, its Pike and Wayne County equivalent. 3) Keep the schools open for another year while looking for less drastic alternatives.

Long Eddy, NY

A cell-tower—setback tradeoff

To the editor:

Hunting clubs in Highland recently proposed a law requiring owners of adjacent lands to keep any new construction 500 feet off the hunting club property line. It seems that if they are asking this of the town they could at least have been more cooperative in getting us cell-phone carriers on the two towers erected in 2001. As tower owners, these clubs haven’t been heard from even though this comes up at every town board meeting. Ask Councilman Paul Zimmermann, who got stonewalled by everyone he contacted.

Hunting clubs own the land these towers are on; permits expired, becoming null and void; necessary inspections, construction, electrical, engineering were not called for; nothing was done to help get the town a cell phone carrier. This is not very neighborly!

Until Paul and I researched and found that Verizon was a co-applicant, the town was dead in the water as far as cell phone service is concerned. Sending Verizon a violation notice paid off big. Their attorney called from Albany—but not the hunting club, who had also received notices. The Albany attorney is cooperating in filing permits for the antenna and mechanical shed on one of the properties and foresees work to start in June, with possible cell phone service by August. We might have had an earlier date for service; however, they have to wait until the nesting birds fly off the top of the tower!

As to the proposed 500-foot setback law, let’s get the cell phone service first. Then, consider scheduling a public hearing on it if the town attorney feels it’s constitutional. This is my personal opinion and in no way reflects the town board’s position.

Setbacks and state law

To the editor:

By virtue of the fact that guns can cause injury or death to people in and around their use, New York State established regulations to protect the general public from harm. Thus one cannot shoot at game across a road or hunt within 500 feet of houses, playgrounds, etc.. Under the law, if a farmer builds barns for his cows or a landowner wants to build a house or houses on his property, a hunter is required to honor that distance, to protect other people’s lives and ensure their safety in the use of their land.

The law recognizes that, whether a structure was built near a property line in 1850 or 2005, because of the continuing potential danger to that landowner both buildings are to be afforded the same protection, which is the responsibility of the party creating the hazard.

I therefore believe that Deerpark’s virtual taking of private land violates basic constitutional rights. This ‘seizure’ of one’s property by the town must surely be unlawful, and an abuse of eminent domain in that it takes private property without compensation to the owner, and most egregiously for private and not public benefit.

Highland’s interest in this misdirected concept seems to be fueled by recent runaway property assessments, which the town needs to otherwise address. Curtailing the peaceful, rightful use of one’s land or reasonable development is not the answer.

By offering as an option to an adjacent landholder, that they grant a hunting club a 99-year waiver of the 500-foot safety zone, the town has literally put a gun to the heads of the neighbors in question. This would force them to virtually allow hunting up to their front door. This is outrageously irresponsible, a blatant endangerment to people’s lives, and conflicts with the abovementioned state law meant to protect its citizenry.

I applaud Tusten‘s wise decision not to create any law but to leave it up to neighboring landowners to negotiate and compromise. Let’s hope Highland cares more for the safety of and fairness to its citizens than Deerpark!

An employee who cared

To the editor:

I am shocked at the behavior of the managers of Peck’s Market. Just when I think I have seen almost everything, there is one more. Doreen Kraus has been a pillar of the community and has served nothing but the best interest of everyone who has walked through the doors of the Pecks Market. For 25 years I have been served by her. She has always had a smile, been courteous and helpful in every way , highly professional, and made sure you did not wait to check out your groceries.

She had only the best interests of the customers at heart; times are hard and every penny counts and that is what she accomplished. So, how many millions did Pecks lose by her acting as she did? You cut off your nose to spite your own face. How community minded is that?

To put the icing on the cake, just because The River Reporter is doing their job in reporting local news, what does Peck’s do? They have the sale of The River Reporter banned from their stores. Now that is what I call working with the community which is your bread and butter.

I know that Doreen does not want people to boycott the Pecks chain, but I have to say I cannot shop in your store.

Doreen is not only a dedicated servant, but she probably hired some of the board members that have fired her.

This is not my idea of good business ethics.

I have been in business all my life and I never treated my employees as you have done or gave my business a bad name. Shame on you.

Off to see the wizard

To the editor:

I was quite impressed with the turnout for Peck’s production of “the Wizard of Oz” last week. The store manager was quite compelling as the lion searching for the courage to open his mouth and tell the powers-that-be that firing their employee of 25 or so years, was a really bad idea! I understand when he was a mere stock boy, she was already working there for some time.

And the CEO in the dual role of the Tin Man and the Scarecrow, wishing he had a heart and more importantly, a brain, gave a great performance. It never ceases to amaze me how people get the jobs they have. What were these Trump wannabees thinking? Oh yeah, “you’re fired!” Now I have a dilemma. I don’t want to shop there anymore, but I don’t want the store to close up either. There are too many good people working there and I would hate to see them lose their jobs. But these arrogant so-and-so’s really need to be knocked down a peg or six. Does anyone have a solution? I’m listening.