2015 Year in Review: A look back on some of the top stories from this past year

Posted 8/21/12

The year in politics

Local elections were held this year in Sullivan County in New York and Wayne and Pike counties in Pennsylvania. Of note is the election of the Sullivan County Legislature. …

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2015 Year in Review: A look back on some of the top stories from this past year

Posted

The year in politics

Local elections were held this year in Sullivan County in New York and Wayne and Pike counties in Pennsylvania. Of note is the election of the Sullivan County Legislature. The legislature consists of nine seats, and all but one were up for election (District One’s Scott Samuelson ran unopposed). The results are that six of the nine county seats will be held by new legislators this year.

One of the more significant races was in legislative District Two. In that race, Kathy LaBuda, the longest-serving member of the legislature, was bested by Nadia Rajsz with a margin of 952 to 789. Rajsz was the supervisor of the Town of Lumberland.

In Pike County in Pennsylvania, Democrat Karl Wagner decided not to run again for his seat as county commissioner and is retiring. He is being replaced by Democrat Steven R. Guccini. Voters returned Republicans Rich Caridi and Matt Osterberg to their seats in Milford.

The fierce battle for the position of Pike County District Attorney played out between Republican Ray Tonkin and Republican Kelly Gaughan. Although Gaughan won the Republican primary, Tonkin took the Democratic nomination and held onto his seat. He will now most likely be the person who will prosecute accused cop killer Eric Frein.

Absentee ballots at issue

It seems that controversy regarding voting in Sullivan County has popped up every year in recent years. In 2013, the issue concerned seasonal co-ops in Cochecton; in 2014 votes in Bloomingburg were called an attempt to stuff the ballot box in favor of developer Shalom Lamm. Now, absentee ballots are being questioned in the Town of Thompson council election. Some 137 absentee ballots were challenged by council candidate Scott Mace. The voters claimed to have addresses that were located in closed bungalow colonies, and Mace’s attorneys argued that under election law these bungalow colonies could not be considered homes. Further, all of the applications for the absentee ballots were sent to a single post office box in Thompsonville, which was signed for by the owner and the manager of the Raleigh Hotel. After the unchallenged absentee ballots were counted, it turned out that Thompson council candidate Scott Mace had enough votes that the 137 challenged votes would not have altered the outcome of his victory against opponent Jay Rubin. Nevertheless, Mace plans to continue his challenge to the votes anyway. Multiple lawsuits continue regarding Bloomingburg votes.

The Narrowsburg School

After buying the old Narrowsburg school building from the initial buyer, Brendan and Kathy Weiden this year announced a re-launch of the facility as the Narrowsburg Union. In April, it was announced that it will be a project of the Sullivan County Industrial Development Agency (IDA), which means it will receive tax abatements. In November, the Weidens officially announced the new name. They said the goal of the Narrowsburg Union is to re-imagine one of Narrowsburg’s most iconic buildings as a multi-use commercial facility that builds on the existing strengths of the Upper Delaware River region and communities, while providing an environment for new ideas to germinate and flourish. They held an open house in December. The community is supportive and excited.

Bridges over the Upper Delaware

The Pond Eddy Bridge

Timeline: Summer 2016: construction begins, includes laying rock for a causeway to the center of the river and constructing a new center pier and New York abutment

Spring 2017: construction begins on the New York side truss and the relocation of material to the PA side and building of a ramp from the new bridge to a causeway

Early 2018: an access road is built up to Rosa Road, where a new staging area will be located. Later in the spring, a PA abutment and truss will be built

2019: demolition of the old bridge

In addition, the bridge was closed in October after a dump truck lost its brakes coming down State Route 41 and crossed the bridge. The bridge has a weight limit of seven tons, while the truck was loaded with 35 tons of sand, with a total weight of over 72,000 pounds. The truck made it over the bridge but crashed into a rock outcropping on the other side. Some damage was done; the bridge remains closed during certain times.

The Skinners Falls Bridge

The Skinners Falls Bridge was closed indefinitely in December. The bridge was inspected by PennDOT and determined to be in bad shape. They said there are stringers under the bridge that are warped and twisted. The bridge had already been closed in 2012, and reopened in May of 2013. The historic bridge is 114 years old.

The Narrowsburg Bridge

The 1953 Narrowsburg Bridge has been reduced to a single lane. Emergency repairs were completed two years ago to address advanced deterioration of the deck, which had caused a weight limit down-posting to 15 tons on January 8, 2013. Updated plans presented in August say construction will start in spring 2017 and restore traffic to both lanes by fall of 2018. During this work, the bridge may be closed at times. The plans call for a maximum of 15 closures, which will be done during overnight hours, scheduled to avoid weekends and holidays, and publicized well in advance.

The heroin epidemic continues

The effects of heroin are still ravaging communities. This year, new initiatives have been undertaken to combat the impact of this drug. Radio station WJFF created The Kingfisher Project in honor of 20-year-old Rebecca Pisall, who was shot and killed by her uncle as the result of a dispute over a $20 bag of heroin. The group aims to honor the lives of everyone affected by heroin, opiates or other substance abuse; keep the conversation going about heroin and drug abuse; and hold public systems accountable when it comes to legislation, policy changes, funding and other mechanisms that are in place to help control or curtail substance abuse and the crimes that go along with it.

The Sullivan West Community Task Force is another group formed in 2015 to fight this problem. It includes school faculty and teachers, parents and members of the community. At another school, Eldred, drug testing is being explored after sports coach Josh Santoro pleaded that the drug problem has gotten out of hand and that there should be drug testing. Wayne and Pike counties continue their efforts to rally against the heroin epidemic.

Heroin arrests continued on both sides of the river in 2015, with multiple arrests occurring in Honesdale during the year. One of the largest busts of the year came in May, when the Wayne County District Attorney’s Drug Task Force went to a Honesdale address and found, among other things, 114 bags of heroin and $33,704.00 in cash.

District Attorney Janine Edwards also made a personal appearance at the Honesdale borough council on April 13 to convince them to allow the borough police to use Naloxone (Narcan), which can reverse the effects of a heroin or opioid overdose. After Edward’s appearance, the board reversed its earlier decision and allowed officers to carry the drug.

Long Eddy river access moves forward

A parcel of land near the river in Long Eddy is a proposed river access site. The plan was met with some opposition, especially from neighbors, with many saying a parking lot at the site would have a negative impact. After meetings to collect public input, a decision was reached. The Delaware Highlands Conservancy closed on the property and it will be sold to and managed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Final plans had not been created by year end, but the access will include at least one handicapped accessible parking space, though parking will otherwise be limited.

Casino license approved

Just as the casino bid was awarded to Sullivan County last year just before the close of the old year, this year, too, the license was awarded before the new year rings in. The New York State Gaming Commission met on December 21 to vote on the casino license for Montreign Casino in the Adelaar Resort in the Town of Thompson. The commission voted unanimously to approve a casino license.

Milford Compressor Station

The Milford Compressor Station became the third such facility in the region to spark resistance from neighbors, primarily because of concerns about health, safety and noise. A fire at the station on August 8 was being investigated by the Pennsylvania State Police as a suspected arson. The fire resulted in an estimated $80,000 of damage to a turbine motor skid, but no one was injured. Alex Lotorto, a local resident and activist with Energy Justice Network, issued a statement questioning whether the incident was an accident rather than arson. Lotorto said, “Columbia’s security personnel told concerned residents on Fire Tower Road that the fire was the result of a contractor leaving an arc welder on or plugged in inside a building. We hope investigators will pursue that lead before concluding it was an arson attack.” The case remains unsolved. The latest development is that a Pennsylvania judge on December 21 refused to dismiss a lawsuit by a small group of residents against Columbia Gas Transmission LLC. They are suing on grounds that the pipeline company did not employ industry best practices in building the station, such as electric rather than gas-fired turbines.

National Geographic eyes the Upper Delaware

The National Geographic Society began development of an interactive geotourism website that will promote the upper and middle regions of the Delaware River. This includes nine counties in three states: Sussex and Warren counties in New Jersey; Delaware, Orange and Sullivan counties in New York; and Monroe, Northampton, Pike and Wayne counties in Pennsylvania. Both the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River and the Middle Delaware Scenic and Recreational River, which includes the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, are part of the target region, which project organizers have dubbed the “Scenic, Wild Delaware River.”

The website is being developed by National Geographic with funding from the William Penn Foundation, in cooperation with the National Parks Conservation Association. It is part of National Geographic’s ongoing geotourism project, with geotourism defined as “tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place—its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents.”

Wayne County drawdown

The draining of five ponds in Wayne County sparked outrage among neighbors. Some of the neighbors’ homes had lakefront property before the draining, and were left with muddy messes afterward. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) had plans to drain five water bodies: Belmont Lake (172 acres), Hankins Pond (69 acres) and Miller Pond (61 acres) in Mount Pleasant Township; White Oak Pond (225 acres) in Clinton Township; and Lower Woods Pond (91 acres) in Lebanon Township. The dams at the five lakes were found to be deficient, and the commission had no clear plan to repair the dams.

A statement on the FBC website said, “The ponds will be drawn down indefinitely until funding can be identified and secured to design and make the necessary repairs. At this point, the PFBC does not have funds committed to make repairs at the facilities.”

Swan song for Parker at DFS

The turmoil in the Sullivan County Division of Family Services (DFS) continued into 2015, with commissioner Randy Parker being fired after the botched roll-out of the Home Energy Assistance Program in 2014. After his firing, Legislator Cindy Gieger was hit with ethics charges, which in her view were prompted by her seeking information about some specific county contracts. The complaints were withdrawn by two prominent county employees, but two more were lodged; one by the ethics board itself and one by fellow legislator Kathy LaBuda. In the end the ethics board decided not to pursue the complaints and they were dropped.

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