Callicoon’s beautiful Main Street is the work of a community

This year, beautification on Main Street in Callicoon was sponsored by the Callicoon Kiwanis, which contributes thousands of dollars for the youth in our area. 

The Kiwanis, with the financial support of the Sullivan Renaissance as well as Delaware Valley Farm & Garden Center, helped arrange the immense hanging baskets full of potato vines and trailing geraniums. The Kiwanis helped with the planting of the sidewalk planters overflowing with purple salvia; the variegated leaves of trailing mezoo; and ruffled, multicolored zinnia blossoms,  which were seeded and donated by the lovely folks at  Willow Wisp Farm in Damascus, PA.

Now that winter has finally arrived, we are looking for the following evergreen branches for use in the sidewalk planters: white pine, Norway spruce, holly and arborvitae. These particular evergreens hold their color, their leaves and their form for many months when used outdoors during the cold season. 

If anyone is doing some trimming or tree cutting and has some of these tree branches to donate to the holiday beautification of Main Street in Callicoon, please contact John Erik at stonewoodwater@gmail.com  so we can arrange a pickup or drop-off time.

A big thank you to everyone who works so hard to make Callicoon beautiful, including the Callicoon Kiwanis, Sullivan Renaissance, the Callicoon Business Association, Kaelin and Kyle from Delaware Valley Farm & Garden; Migaly Perez, co-designer for the beautification committee; and Gavin Bassney, our hard-working Sullivan West High School student who kept Main Street and the Callicoon Depot well hydrated all summer.

John Erik Karkula
Callicoon, NY

Vote ‘No’ on Eldred school bond request

I found the article in the October 20 edition on the bond request being made by the Eldred School District administration and board to be interesting and enlightening. I have read about this bond from several sources and publications, and the River Reporter article was the only medium that reported some details of the planned expenditures. Those details were quite revealing.  

There seem to be a lot of holes in the request, which is being marketed as resulting in no increase to taxpayers. This is because the amount being sought is being rolled over from an already existing bond that is soon to be paid off. What is not addressed by that statement is what the taxpayer might save if the project costs were subjected to some scrutiny. 

Nearly $6 million, approximately half of the proposed bond cost, seems to be dedicated to revamping the sports fields and facilities. It has been said that attendance at the most recent homecoming was so large that the restroom facilities and bleachers couldn’t adequately service the crowd. For a one-evening event, bringing in portable restrooms and seating would save millions of taxpayer dollars. 

Despite the superintendent’s statement that the proposed improvements will support and expand students’ advancement in literacy, math, science and multi-media (as well as sports), less than $500,000 of over $12.5 million of projects seem directed to academic pursuits. That is four percent of the total cost of the bond.

I urge voters to vote “no” on this bond vote and urge the administration and board to sharpen their pencils and come up with a better-thought-out plan for expending taxpayer funds. 

Leonard Golden
Yulan, NY