Sale of music center delayed

BUSHKILL, PA — Contrary to expectations, the sale of the Mountain Laurel Center for the Performing Arts and its 675 acres of land did not happen as scheduled.

Not to worry, says Mountain Laurel CEO Richard Bryant. The deal is still alive.

The center and its acreage was to be sold to Greystone Capital Partners, Inc. in order to bail the center out of its overwhelming $23 million debt. As evidence of a continuing deal, Bryant points to a $250,000 gift from Greystone to keep the center running this winter.

“Too many good things have happened for this deal not to go through,” Bryant said.

He said that any sale would include the forgiveness of over 80 percent of the center’s debt.

The sale has been put off for six months, Bryant said. The delay has occurred because the sale requires approval of the Pike County Industrial Development Corp., the property owner, the state who funded over $10 million to the project and the Federal Economic Development Administration.

If and when the sale happens, Greystone will allow the center to continue functioning on its own, Bryant said.

Wind energy public meeting

LIBERTY, NY — Citizens Energy Corporation (CEC) will host a public meeting to discuss its proposed Liberty Wind Farm Project and answer questions on Tuesday, October 11 at 7:00 p.m. at the Liberty High School Cafeteria. For a year, CEC has been studying the potential for developing a 20- to 30-megawatt wind farm, consisting of between 10 and 15 wind turbines, in Liberty. The project has received funding support from the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority.

CEC has held meetings with local landowners, municipal and county officials and local non-profits and businesses to identify potential sites, discuss public benefits, review the development process and collect data. Present at the public meeting will be Tod Hynes, CEC’s director of alternative energy; Brian O’Connor, CEC’s director of communications and policy; Kevin Schulte, vice president of Sustainable Energy Developments; and Malcolm Brown, director of community relations for the Liberty Wind Farm Project.

For more information call 617/338-6300.

Pike seeks handicapped van grant

MILFORD, PA — Physically handicapped people in Pike County remain isolated and disconnected from the community unless they have family or friends to transport them, and the Pike County Agency on the Aging has applied for a $73,000 grant from the state Department of Transportation to purchase a van with wheelchair capability.

Donna Falcone, the agency’s transportation manager, said she wants to extend what the county offers for seniors to handicapped individuals. The van would take people to doctors’ appointments, the movies or the market, Falcone said.

The state has set aside $400,000 for this purpose. “Getting a grant is very competitive but I think we stand a good chance,” said Falcone, who will hear about the state’s decision on January 6, 2006.

Homecoming in Lake Huntington

LAKE HUNTINGTON, NY — Thanks to donations of crusher run by Tetz & Son, Inc, Bernas Construction Corporation and Sullivan Structures, and the voluntary efforts of the community, including the Lake Huntington Fire Company, which sprayed down the material around the Sullivan West High School football field, the varsity team’s homecoming game versus Pine Plains will be played at Lake Huntington on October 8.

The starting time for the game will be pushed back to 2:00 p.m. due to scheduled SAT tests.

Sullivan West Superintendent Alan Derry ended speculation about whether the game would be played on the previous Friday night by expressing his concerns about the safety of the public in the unfinished surrounding area.

Sullivan proposes tax hike

MONTICELLO, NY — Acting Sullivan County Manager Richard LaCondre proposed a $188 million 2006 county budget on October 3 that, if approved by legislators, would generate $4.3 million through a seven-percent increase in the county’s property-tax rate; raise $3 million by bumping up the sales-tax rate from 3.5 to 4 percent; raise $350,000 through increasing the hotel and motel room-tax rate from 2 to 5 percent; raise $250,000 through a new $5-per-car and $10-per-truck registration surcharge; and increase legislators’ salaries.

Jonathan Rouis, the Legislature’s financial committee chairman, said the tax increases would be the result of “shortsighted budgeting practices,” including using large fund balances to balance budgets. LaCondre said the county has been forced to mitigate increasing costs of employee health insurance, pensions and gasoline, the cost of which has jumped 33 percent.

County Legislature Chairman Chris Cunningham’s salary would increase by $853 to $29,040. The eight other legislators would each receive a $581 raise, making their salaries $19,768.

Legislators began a series of budget meetings on October 5. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 11 at 9:30 a.m. at the Sullivan County Government Center.

One last flair for UDHA

NARROWSBURG, NY — Having fulfilled their mission to facilitate historical societies in the five-county Upper Delaware River Valley, officers of the Upper Delaware Heritage Alliance (UDHA) are ready to conclude their organization.

However, there will be one final project. “We want to create a lasting legacy for the heritage alliance,” said past president Laurie Ramie.

UDHA founder Mary Curtis made a motion to dissolve the alliance at its 24th annual Heritage Awards Dinner. Ramie said the motion, which extends the terms of the current officers for one year, received unanimous support. She said the final project might involve a publication.

After this next year, the UDHA will have encouraged citizens to perpetuate its mission of historic resource preservation at the grassroots level for a quarter-century.