Builders put it together and more

Letters to the editor November 25 to December 1

Posted 11/23/21

The fault is in us—Sullivan County residents

There is that famous Shakespearian quote in his play “Julius Caesar,” where Cassius tells Brutus “The fault, dear Brutus, is …

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Builders put it together and more

Letters to the editor November 25 to December 1

Posted

The fault is in us—Sullivan County residents

There is that famous Shakespearian quote in his play “Julius Caesar,” where Cassius tells Brutus “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars/But in ourselves.”

There is an easy remedy for us in Sullivan County and not quite as nefarious as intended in Shakespeare’s play. We need a change in leadership in our legislature and as soon as possible.

We are headed into our third year of a pandemic and our leadership has been absent, misguided and cruel. Our county workers have been left scrambling to help the community. Nearly six in 10 members of our Sullivan County community are having trouble feeding their families. Sullivan County is poor, sick, suffering and dying from a pandemic in a county that is ranked 61 out of 62 in terms of poorest health. All of our institutions have been attacked, our 911 call center, our nursing home, our home health nursing agency, all for no reason. Seven million dollars in COVID-19 relief monies have not gone to public health agencies to help with the crises, where it was intended, but to roads and to boilers.

Mental wellness and drug addiction programs are now waiting for opioid relief money from drug lawsuit settlements, which we do not have yet. We have certain programs, currently, thanks to our public health workers and volunteers.

When a sports team does poorly, they fire the coach. In the case of our legislature, it is time for a new chairman and time to replace anyone who is enabling his poor leadership, his misconduct and his bullying antics, which we’ve seen in full display at the Liberty town assessor’s meeting most recently.

Who are we, as a community, if we do not demand the very best in our county government? Who are you, as legislators, if you do not demand the very best in leading our legislature?

JoAnne Omar

Liberty, NY

Layout ‘knocked it out of the ballpark’

Thank you, Amanda Reed, for the beautiful layout on both the Hawley senior center and the featured Derick Melander’s work, “The Witness,” in last week’s issue of the River Reporter.

It is frustrating flipping through pages to find that which is  “continued on pg…” when your eyes have seen better days. Last week you knocked it out of the ballpark.  You do a very difficult job.

It makes a difference when photos are large enough to appreciate, with the storyline all set on the same page or pages.  A sweet indulgence for the eyes at any age. Thank you again.

C.A. Grant

Narrowsburg, NY

Builders put it together

“The Catskill Project,” the sustainable home development near Livingston Manor, has been in the news a lot lately. As well it should be. It’s a bold and interesting new concept of home with a focus on energy efficiency utilizing the latest in building technology to create houses that are super efficient to heat and cool thereby leaving a very small imprint on our environment.  

Being a builder myself I couldn’t wait to attend the open house for the “Balsam,” the model home of the project. I was made aware of the complex systems and features that went into its construction from my nephew, Terrance Fink, and his dad Teb who built it. While there I admired the crispness of the minimal moldings and the attention to detail and congratulated Buck Moorhead, the architect whose vision Terrance and his dad translated into reality. But sad to say, in all the feature articles I’ve read about the project, as well as a lengthy ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring the project owners and local politicians, no one so once as mentioned or gave credit to the builders whose hard work made it all possible.

Zeke Boyle

Callicoon, NY

Sullivan County, legislature, leadership, Amanda Reed, layout, The Catskill Project, builders

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