Moving on

Autumn is harvest time. It is a time of assessment. We reap what we have sown, and count our harvest, which will be greater or less depending on how much and how wisely we have worked, as well as vicissitudes of weather and fortune beyond our control. As good or bad as the harvest may be, we need to accept it for what it is; if it has fallen short, understand why, and move on with the knowledge we have gained.

There are two bitterly contested issues in this area that have recently come to a conclusion, to which it would be wise to apply this philosophy. In the Sullivan West Central School district, the special election of Angela Daley and Mary Scheutzow sent a signal, for the second election in a row, that voters prefer to leave the Narrowsburg and Delaware Valley schools closed, concentrate on education and forge forward as best as they can with the consolidated schools in Jeffersonville and Lake Huntington. And the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) has finally approved the Flexible Flow Management Plan (FFMP) governing releases from New York City’s reservoirs into the Delaware River that it revised in the face of voluble criticism earlier this year.

In both cases, there has been substantial opposition to the ultimate outcome. Three Sullivan West school board elections in a row have been fought largely on the basis of issues surrounding the closure of the old schools, and problems related both to busing and to the quality of construction of the new school in Lake Huntington. While the most recent two elections reflect an acceptance of the closures, the first painted a very different picture, and there is still a sizable constituency that does not want to let the old buildings go. The FFMP was taken back to the drawing board to be revised earlier this year after encountering resistance from groups ranging from riverbank residents who felt that it did not protect them sufficiently from flooding to groups like the Friends of the Upper Delaware that believe the FFMP will not sufficiently protect the fisheries (see, e.g., “The Delaware: new friends and old enemies” on last week’s op-ed page).

The fact that in both these cases one side has “lost” and another has “won” does not mean that there is no merit in the arguments of the losing side. In fact, back before the Narrowsburg and Delaware Valley schools were closed, we printed several editorials favoring keeping them open. And though the latest structural problem with the Lake Huntington school appears not to have been serious, the steady trickle of problems that have surfaced with regard to the building over the past few years suggest that critics of the merger and its consequences may have some valid points to make.

But the harvest is in on both these issues, and it’s time to move forward with what we’ve got. We believe one example of doing so, in the Sullivan West case, is New York State Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther’s recent proposal to authorize municipal officials to inspect school buildings. Currently, the inspection of school buildings falls under state authority, despite the fact that it is the municipalities that have the responsibility of enforcing fire prevention and building codes (not to mention being the ones that have to pick up the pieces if state inspection proves inadequate). Gunther’s proposal is one way of moving forward, while using insights gained in failures of the past.

Likewise, now that a decision has been made to adopt the FFMP, we could use all the talent, knowledge and passion available to carry out the new plan in the best possible way. The next step will be the rulemaking to implement the plan. Hopefully, those who have opposed the FFMP, as well as those who support it, will participate in the public comment process (see drbc.net to stay up to date on rulemakings and public comment periods). And once the new plan has been implemented, supporters and opponents alike need to keep their eyes on the results, being equally open to finding that the plan has supported the ecology and health of the watershed as to detecting any shortcomings.

Moving on doesn’t mean ignoring the past (unless, as George Santayana warned us, we wish to be doomed to repeat it). But it does mean accepting what is set before us, and working with that, rather than bemoaning what is lost. Autumn is a good time to go about that business. Then, when spring comes, we may be ready to create brand-new possibilities, untethered by the resentments of the past.

Also in this issue:

• Bio-diesel is better: a letter to the Sullivan West school board

Dr. Punnybone

Test of Time