Manor school district to vote on capital project

LIVINGSTON MANOR, NY — The Livingston Manor Central School District Board of Education has set the date for a public hearing to be held on November 30 at 7:00 p.m. at the school.

The purpose of the hearing is to present information about a proposed referendum on whether to take $1,820,000 from the district’s Capital Reserve Fund to make various repairs both inside and outside the Livingston Manor school. Voting on the referendum will take place on December 8 in the elementary library between the hours of 2:00 and 8:00 p.m.

School officials say that the repairs are needed to maintain the 1938 building. The project would be paid for entirely from the district’s capital reserve fund, and would not result in increased taxes. The expenditure, if approved, would also result in the return of an estimated 65 percent state building aid in subsequent years.

College satellite plans move to Hawley

HAWLEY, PA — Lackawanna College has agreed to move its Wayne County satellite campus from downtown Honesdale to the site of the former Hawley Silk Mill next year. It initially expects to lease 7,500 square feet on the third floor of the building off Route 6, which recently was approved for mixed used commercial development.

In Honesdale, Lackawanna operates a center on Main Street that provides programs to about 110 students. The lease expires in June.

Lackawanna plans to offer its full course of academic classes plus new ones, including a possible program related to the hospitality industry.

Silk mill investors hope to turn the 19th century complex into a facility that houses professional, educational and commercial enterprises. The Cocoon Coffee and Catering Co. plans to open at the site by January. Troy Bystrom, project executive, said the site continues to seek tenants.

Judge recommends power line approval

NORTHEAST PA — A Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) administrative law judge on November 13 recommended approval of the proposed Susquehanna-Roseland power line.

The recommendation is an important step in the PUC review process for this new transmission line. According to PPL Electric Utilities, the power line will strengthen the regional electric grid and prevent overloads on other major power lines.

The next step in Pennsylvania is a review of the recommended decision by the PUC, which is expected to render a decision in January. The line also needs approval by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. Additional review is required by the National Park Service, because the line follows the route of an existing power line through the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, and because it crosses the Appalachian National Scenic Trail in New Jersey.

Hunter dies in ATV accident

ROCKLAND, NY — Deputies from the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call of an ATV accident off of Craigie Claire Road on Sunday November 23 at approximately 5:42 p.m. Upon arriving at the scene, deputies found Roscoe firefighters administering CPR to Arthur Thames, age 58, of West Hempstead, NY.

The preliminary investigation indicates that Thames, who was out hunting, had apparently shot a deer and then gotten on his ATV in order to retrieve the animal from the woods. Thames apparently failed to negotiate the side of a hill, causing the ATV to roll on top of him. Thames was pronounced dead at the scene by Sullivan County coroner Elton Harris.

Sheriff’s detectives are continuing the investigation.

Mohawks nix Monticello casino

MONTICELLO, NY — Leaders of the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe have voted to abandon the off-reservation gambling project the tribe had been pursuing with Empire Resorts to develop a casino at Monticello Gaming and Raceway. The vote, conducted on Saturday, November 21, was 178 “no” to 140 “yes.”

In order to continue, the tribe would have had to pursue the reversal of the Department of the Interior policy established by the secretary under President Bush, Dirk Kempthorne, which opposed the establishment of Native American gambling facilities at great distances from actual historical tribal lands. The St. Regis Mohawks have a reservation near the Canadian border.

The Stockbridge-Munsee band of Mohicans and the Seneca Nation, based in Buffalo, have also been considering establishing casinos in Sullivan County, and Senator Chuck Shumer has been lobbying the current Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, to reverse the Kempthorne policy.

Cuomo, Fortuna reach agreement

NEW YORK STATE — Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo announced on November 24 that his office has reached an agreement with Fortuna Energy, Inc. that will allow property owners who were misled about leases to renegotiate. The company also agreed to pay $192,500 to the state in connection with the settlement.

Beginning in April 2009, Fortuna sent letters to hundreds of landowners whose natural gas leases with the company were about to expire. The letters falsely stated that all the leases contained provisions that allowed Fortuna to put the lease on hold until the company could obtain the required horizontal drilling permits from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Fortuna’s letters instructed landowners that if they did not agree to a three-year extension of the lease with a small percentage increase in royalty payments, the company would obtain a lien against the property preventing the owner from negotiating with other companies.

As a result of the agreement with Cuomo, Fortuna has agreed to remove liens on properties on which they were improperly placed, and allow landowners to renegotiate extensions.