Verizon ignores road problems; citizens complain to supervisors

DAMASCUS, PA — Residents of the Dexter Development along Route 6 have complained to the Damascus Township Board of Supervisors about the poor condition of some of the roads in the development.

“A major issue of which you are already aware is the poor drainage,” said Kathleen Hauberg in a letter to the supervisors that was read at their September 21 meeting. “A current noticeable difficulty is the gaping, ever-present holes near the entrance of Edward Road.”

The letter mentioned several other roads in the development with the same problems. The development has no homeowners’ association and must rely on the township road crews.

“The problem is that Verizon will not sink their wires deep enough in the ground,” said roadmaster Chuck Grady. “Whenever there is a storm, the water washes away the dirt and exposes the wires.”

Grady said he has complained to the company several times during the past year but their attempts to solve the problems were inadequate. “There are still places where the wires get exposed,” Grady said.

Monticello fire ‘suspicious’

MONTICELLO, NY — A fire that set the building at 15 Highland Avenue ablaze at around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 27 has been deemed suspicious by the Sullivan County Bureau of Fire.

According to the fire department, a number of residents had to be rescued from the roof of the building, and several of them were taken to Catskill Regional Medical Center to be treated for possible smoke inhalation.

Sheriff’s detectives are working with county fire investigators to determine the cause of the fire. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the sheriff’s confidential TIPS line at 845/807-0158.

Tony Cellini and Suzanne Loughlin honored by Partnership

BRIDGEVILLE, NY — The Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development has named Town of Thompson Supervisor Tony Cellini recipient of the 2009 Walter A. Rhulen Award, and Firestorm Solutions co-founder and Partnership chair Suzanne Loughlin recipient of the 2009 Distinguished Service Award. The awards will be presented at the Partnership’s annual dinner, to be held Thursday, October 8, at 5:30 p.m, at The Lodge at Rock Hill.

Partnership president Tim McCausland said, “Both Tony and Suzy have shown great dedication and commitment to economic growth, and have proven themselves to be staples of the Sullivan County community. The Partnership and its members would like to thank them for their tireless efforts in bringing business and economic development to new levels in Sullivan County.”

For more information call 845/794-1110.

No gas lease at Wayne County farm

HONESDALE, PA — Despite rumors that are being circulated about drilling for gas on the county farm, Brian Smith, chairman of the county commissioners, denied that the county signed or was ready to sign a lease agreement with a natural gas drilling company.

“Many weeks ago, we sent out an RFP (request for proposal) to the Cabot Oil Company about signing a lease to drill on the county farm but the company never responded,” Smith said. “It’s my understanding that the company has moved out of the area.”

Smith denied that there were any such negotiations going on in the near future with any gas company. “To do so, we would have to prepare another RFP and there are no plans to do so.”

Vegetable acreage and production survey to be conducted

NEW YORK STATE — The New York Field Office of the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will be conducting a vegetable acreage and production survey during October and November.

Results from last year’s survey established New York’s rank as fifth in the nation for production of fresh market vegetables and sixth in the nation for production of processing vegetables.

NASS data is used by the USDA Farm Service Agency and crop insurance companies to determine payments to producers in the event of a disaster, and crop advisors look at NASS data to determine their recommendations.

Agricultural experiment stations use the information to help with research into new and better varieties of vegetables and new and better ways of controlling pests.

Response to this survey is voluntary; however, every response is important for New York’s vegetable production to be accurately represented. All agricultural statistics published by NASS are available free of charge at www.nass.usda.gov/Data_and_Statistics/index.asp

For more information call 800/821-1276.

Andrew Cuomo to speak at Sullivan Jeffersonian event

LIBERTY, NY — New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo will be the keynote speaker at the Sullivan County Democratic Committee’s 92nd annual Jeffersonian event at the CVI building in Ferndale on Saturday, October 24 at 6:00 p.m.

Cuomo is expected by many to be the party’s nominee for the governor’s office, despite the incumbency of Democratic Gov. David Paterson. Among other initiatives, Cuomo won a national settlement against major healthcare company United HealthGroup Inc. for price fixing, and has pressured Wall Street about excessive bonus and compensation packages in the wake of the financial crisis.

Tickets cost $60 per person. For more information visit sullivanball.com or call 845/665-6152.