Assessment unfortunate but necessary

To the editor:

It is very unfortunate for the Beach Lake Volunteer Firemen’s Auxiliary that the constitution and law of Pennsylvania require the Beach Lake Municipal Authority to uniformly assess fees based upon the potential use of similar facilities.

The assessment for the Beach Lake Volunteer Fire Company is based upon its use of the facility as a catering hall. Whether such use is part-time or full-time it must, by law, be assessed on the same basis as a full-time use catering hall, just as a summer home is assessed on the same basis as a year-round residence. The basis for this assessment is due to the capability of a facility, not its actual use. The municipal authority must provide a capacity plant to treat the potential use of each facility on the sewer system. Therefore, the plant had to be constructed of sufficient size to meet this potential demand.

Under the law, if the authority reduced the assessment for the volunteer fire company, it would also be required to reduce the assessment for any commercial catering facility. It would then be required to spread the loss of income among the remaining residential and commercial users and each residential and commercial assessment would be proportionally increased.

If citizens of the community are willing to accept this additional cost responsibility, they can and should increase their donation to the fire company rather than burden other users, such as senior citizens on fixed incomes and low-income families who do not have the financial ability to bear the additional costs.

In this case, the judge followed the law, which was created by the Pennsylvania Legislature to require fair and equitable treatment to all facility users.

Flush the river clean

To the editor:

(The following letter was sent to Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Denise Sheehan.)

As you are very much aware, there are currently some 450,000 gallons a day of chlorinated raw sewage being pumped into the Delaware’s West Branch as a result of flood damage caused to the sewage treatment plant—built in the middle of a flood plain—in Deposit, NY. It is our understanding that the only current means of mitigating the potentially negative, indeed potentially dangerous, effects of this contaminated water, is to release high volumes of uncontaminated water from the Cannonsville Reservoir. This would serve to both dilute this pollution to the greatest extent possible, and to ‘flush’ the raw sewage down river as quickly as possible.

As of July 24, the release rate from the Cannonsville is 155 cfs and the spillage is 106 cfs, far less than what can easily be—and should be—released to mitigate the effects of this contamination on both down-river residents and on the ecology. The 261 cfs total flow is far less than even the 325 minimum called for in the [NYS DEC Regulations Part] 671 [Reservoir Releases] regulations.

As you know, the water for substantially increased releases is available without risk to any consumer, most especially the City of New York: Cannonsville’s current storage level is 100 percent of capacity; Pepacton’s is at 97.8 percent of capacity; Rondout is at 98.5 percent; Neversink at 93 percent; the Ashokan at 100.4 percent and the Croton System is at 97.6 percent of capacity. The reservoir levels are all far above normal for this time of year. Sufficient clean water is available.

We urge you, in the interest of safeguarding both the region’s public health and the region’s environment, to immediately begin releasing at least 1,100 cfs and to continue such releases until the source of this contamination is corrected.

Thank you for your immediate attention to this situation.

Craig Findley, president

4H: a program worth keeping

To the editor:

We are the members of the 4H group Paws, Hooves and Hands. We enjoy 4H and have a lot of fun with the activities.

We are very sad to hear that 4H might lose its state funding. 4H has meant a lot to us. It has taught us how to be good community members. We have the opportunity to help the environment by doing projects such as litter picking, collecting funds for animals displaced by Hurricane Katrina and visiting local animal shelters. We also have fun learning about gardening, animals, sewing, woodworking and many other things. Completing 4H projects is very empowering. 4H is not only fun for us but it is good for our whole community.

Boys and girls of all ages mix together so we also learn how to get along with everyone despite their differences. 4H helps us make good choices in life. We learn about healthy lifestyles, including nutritious cooking and positive activities that are alternatives to TV and video games. Without 4H we would not have much to do in our spare time. 4H keeps us busy with fun, educational and interesting activities. We hope that the legislators vote to continue all 4H funding.

[Editor’s note: the recent reductions in budget cuts described in our article on page 3 have given Cornell Cooperative Extension Center, and 4H, which is run through the center, at least a temporary reprieve from the most severe cutbacks. However, even now there is a personnel freeze that curtails 4H’s ability to conduct its programs.]

Why is there tragedy, pain and suffering? This is no longer heaven on earth: the Garden of Eden is long gone. The first man, Adam, chose to disobey God and sinned, and just as when a ruler of a country makes bad decisions those wrongs are passed down to his or her people, who suffer as a result.

Our local flooding was for the most part a result of screwed up priorities of various political and conservation groups who placed fish and the natural environment ahead of the safety of the people. This way of operating must be stopped. Not a dollar should go to the Trout Parade or similar events until every flood victim is compensated (some can never be fully compensated this side of heaven) and not until after all the creeks are corrected. Yes, a well-thought-out and prayed-about plan must be developed and put into action as soon as possible, before more torrential rains and floods come our way. This must not be held up in a bureaucratic political battle.

The devil meant the local devastating flooding to bring destruction, violence, cursing and despair. But the God of the Holy Bible can and will use it for the good of those who love Him those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28.

This letter will be sent to our state and federal legislatures.