Surprise upset at Riverdogs on Parade

NARROWSBURG, NY — In a surprise upset at the Riverfest River Dogs on Parade, Rupert the cat took home the “Most Unique” prize. Presented by Delaware Valley Arts Alliance, Riverfest celebrated its 21st annual event this year on Narrowsburg’s Main Street.

Water hotline idea no go in Bradford

TOWANDA, PA — At their July 21 meeting, the Bradford County commissioners said they were unwilling to support the development of a community phone-in service—a “public safety hotline”—for reporting of incidents of Bradford County water contamination.

According to activist Diane Siegmund, a proponent of the idea, the commissioners had indicated themselves open to the idea back in May. Supporters had viewed the project as a way to establish a meaningful and accurate record of the extent of the water damage in Bradford County. Pennsylvania does not formally keep track of citizens’ health complaints linked to drilling.

At their July 21 meeting, commissioners told Siegmund that such a project was not their job. They said that too many people in the county have been “crying wolf” with regard to bad water, and commissioner Douglas McLinko said he believed Bradford water had been bad for a long time.

Entrepreneur seeks to repurpose firehouse

ROSCOE, NY — The Dimifini Group, an entity controlled by Phil Vallone of Roscoe, has announced the purchase of the old Roscoe firehouse. Vallone hopes to repurpose the structure to complement existing businesses in the town.

Vallone, a prominent figure in the Sullivan County business community, said, “We plan to develop the property to complement existing businesses in town and projects that are proposed by others. The building is a top prospect for a micro-brewery, featuring beer produced using water from the famed trout streams.”

The purchase was approved through a public bidding process and made possible after the Roscoe/Rockland Fire District purchased the Kirchner Chevrolet auto dealership property on the corner of Broad Street and Old Route 17, and moved its operation there.

There is a similar project being proposed in Livingston Manor and Vallone feels an additional operation would help create a microbrewery destination in the town of Rockland, NY.

Tusten zoning rewrite nears unveiling

NARROWSBURG, NY — At its meeting on July 25, the Town of Tusten Zoning Rewrite Committee unanimously agreed to move its new draft zoning ordinance forward into the final approval process. A motion will be put before the town board at its monthly meeting on Monday, August 8 that it adopt a resolution of intent to become the lead agency for the new zoning law. At that time, the draft document will be made available to the public for comment, when a written comment period lasting through October 28 will commence.

A public hearing at which oral comment will be received is currently scheduled for September 26 and a second one for October 10, following which consultant William Pammer will create a document responding to all public input.

The committee’s intent is that a final vote will be taken on the law in November. However, as noted by town superintendent Peg Harrison as a condition to her approval vote, the document has yet to be reviewed by the town’s land use lawyers and adjustments may have to be made in the schedule to accommodate their input.