Bethel awarded $200,000 Main Street Grant for Kauneonga Lake

BETHEL, NY — Town of Bethel and the Bethel Local Development Corporation have received a New York State Main Street Grant for $200,000. Bethel received this award once before, in 2005.

The grant is funded by New York’s Department of Housing and Community Renewal. Its purpose is to assist communities with the development of low-cost apartment housing and to assist local businesses to improve the façade and interior of their buildings.

The area defined for the grant includes properties starting at West Shore Road in Kauneonga Lake and continuing to the corner of Lake Street. To the east, it includes properties along the route to Bethel Senior Housing.

The grant designates $175,000 to provide funding for building improvements within the defined area. The balance of $25,000 is designated for use by the Town of Bethel for improvements to its streetscape, including streetlights, benches and additional walkways.

Applications for funding will be available to business owners beginning November 2008. To receive an application, interested parties should contact Susan Runnels, Manager Bethel Local Development Corporation.

Bethel highway super speaks out

KAUNEONGA LAKE, NY — Lynden Lilly, the highway superintendent of Bethel, took issue with a line in a story in this paper that said the highway superintendents aren’t required to report to work. Lilley said the line made it sound like a highway super is a no-show job. He faxed to the newspaper four pages from a book called “Town Highway Superintendent Manual” that outlined the basic responsibilities of the job. For instance, the superintendent must “cause highways and bridges to be kept in repair, and free from obstruction caused by snow and give the necessary direction therefore.”

The line about highway supers not being required to report to work related to a story about the town of Tusten possibly changing from an elected position to one that is appointed by the town board. Lilley said he had no position on that matter, but he wanted readers to know that highway supervisors have many responsibilities.

Highland and Lumberland consider consolidation of services

ELDRED, NY — In an effort to bring down costs and streamline services, the town boards of Highland and Lumberland will hold a joint meeting to discuss the possible consolidation of some town services and consider a coordinated tax assessment program.

The level of assessments will also be discussed. The meeting will be held at the Highland Town Hall in Eldred on August 26 at 7:00 p.m. and is open to the public.

Rod and gun club protected by easement

LACKAWAXEN, PA — The Hillview Rod and Gun Club has worked with the Delaware Highlands Conservancy to protect its land into perpetuity with a conservation easement. The property is located on a steep ridge overlooking the Roebling Bridge in Lackawaxen Township, and encompasses approximately 300 acres of rock ledges, lush woodlands and wetlands populated by a diverse range of native Pennsylvania wildlife.

The conservancy acquired funds for the easement from the Landowner Incentive Program, a federal grant program administered by the Pennsylvania Game Commission that provides financial assistance to private landowners for protections of habitats that benefit species at risk.

“The conservation easement turned out to be a great thing because it did bring some money into the club,” said club president Bill Bryfogle, “but this club is not in the business of making money. I want my six-year-old son and his son to be able to hunt on this land. There is much more value in protecting the beauty and health of this land than in development dollars.”

For more information call 570/226-3164.

Paterson vetoes greenway bill

ALBANY, NY — New York State Gov. David Paterson has vetoed Assembly Bill Number 9297, to create an Upper Delaware Greenway Council. The council would have devised a plan for a greenway, similar to the existing Hudson Valley Greenway, to protect resources and promote tourism along the Upper Delaware. The greenway legislation was originally introduced by state senator John Bonacic in the senate, and was sponsored by assemblywoman Aileen Gunther in the assembly.

Paterson listed several grounds for his veto, including a lack of limits on member municipalities’ ability to subcontract to private parties and to request and disburse state funds. He also objected to the fact that the bill called for a majority of the council’s 10 to 12 members to be appointed by member municipalities rather than by state agencies or the governor.

Bonacic opposes assistance cuts

ALBANY, NY — State senator John Bonacic has stated his opposition to governor David Paterson’s proposal of $250 million in local government assistance cuts last week, saying that he and his colleagues in the senate will fight the proposal. Bonacic stated particular concern with the impact of the cuts on property taxes.

“Our property taxpayers are already overburdened and cannot afford any increase in property taxes that these cuts will result in,” he said.

“While I am committed to working with Governor Paterson to address the state’s fiscal woes, it must be done by finding viable solutions to this situation created by the national economic downturn, not by cutting local assistance and certainly not by shifting the tax burden to homeowners.”