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Register-Star,
July 28, 2006: My View
Turning blind eye is not the way to prepare for growth
To the editor:
At the
end of May I hand-delivered to the Claverack Town Board, several copies of
a 129 page document which I created entitled A Case for a Moratorium for Claverack.
It was my second message to the Board members that a moratorium is an
essential initial step toward ensuring that the Town’s future growth
is based upon a healthy environment and a sound economy. Unfortunately
for all of Claverack’s tax payers, both long time and newly established
residents, (the “us” and the “them”), the Town Board summarily
dismissed the document and not only refused to consider a moratorium but astonishingly,
denied what was patently obvious to members of the public who attended the
meeting and what many of Claverack’s municipal neighbors already know.
Local governing boards in Ghent, Chatham, Red Hook, Pine Plains, Austerlitz,
Stuyvesant, Ancram, Kinderhook, and Red Hook, among others, have all acknowledged
and are actively seeking ways to address what the Claverack Town Board members
seem hell bent on denying; the mid Hudson valley is changing dramatically,
and it is changing fast.
This story is not a chicken little tale told by one shrill voice in the farm
yard. As my documentation clearly demonstrated, residential sprawl and
the concomitant loss of farmland is a cause for concern in Columbia County.
Between 1999 and 2005, Columbia County lost 85 of its 560 farms along
with 2,500 acres of farmland. Claverack’s neighboring municipalities
have mobilized quickly not only to protect the environment, including many
renowned scenic views in Columbia County, but because protecting farm land
and controlling residential growth makes sound economic sense. The fact
is farm land is cheaper to maintain from a town’s perspective than land
used for residential development. According to the American Farmland Trust,
for “every $1 of tax revenue colleted locally, $1.35 is spent on services
(roads, fire protection, schools, etc.) for residences, while only 29 cents
is spent on services for farms.
Aside from what should be by now the obvious tax consequences of the loss
of farm land, farming in Columbia County is big business. The Chatham Keep
Farming project recently found that gross sales for farms in the town totaled
about $4.7 million in 2003, and farmers put back into the county’s economy
$1.2 million spent on goods and services that same year.
In a lame defense of his short sighted rejection of a moratorium and his indefensible
denial that sprawl is a problem, Supervisor Keegan stated he was unconcerned
about sprawl since “only one major subdivision has been approved”
in recent years. That single approval, however, misses the point –
it is not the concern – it is the 30 year old antiquated code –
and the vast amount of acreage for sale, plus many large and small scale developments
winding their way through the process that should cause significant concern.
By my calculations, in Claverack right now, some 650 acres are for sale, and
the Planning Board has before it applications for at least 325 residential
units in several subdivisions, not including the proposal for the Won
Buddhist Monastery & Sanctuary which alone could result in 100 new temporary
housing units. If built, these new homes will likely result in even higher
land values, greater demands on local services, and higher taxes.
And, one can not simply look at “large” subdivisions alone to determine
the existence or extent of the threat facing Claverack. Statistics on
the Town’s new housing starts between 1993 and 2005 are cause for concern.
Between 1993 – 1995 there were 41 new homes and 10 mobile homes built
in Claverack. Between 1996-2000, an additional 47 new homes and 24 mobile
homes were added to the housing stock. But, between 2001-2005, 114 new
homes and 14 mobile homes were built, increasing of number of new homes in
half the time, by nearly 30% over the number of new homes built during the
proceeding 8 year period.
Unfortunately, the Supervisor’s refusal to even acknowledge the problem
of sprawl appears to be just a symptom of a leadership which has turned a
blind eye to the public good. I have watched this leadership and its
lawyers at work on the Town, Planning and Zoning Boards for more than 3 years
now, and I am not impressed. I have seen public comments ignored and
certain public documents suffer the same fate as the one I submitted, such
as a survey recently conducted by the Town’s own Comprehensive Plan Committee
which was derided by one board member as “garbage”. I have
observed questionable if not down right illegal interpretations of the State’s
environmental review law made by the planning board seemingly at the advice
of its attorney. And, despite the fact that I have lived here for almost
three decades, I along with others, have been referred to as “one of
them” or “those people”. The Town Board is supposed to act
in the best interest of the public – not just some members of the public.
Because of these questionable and disrespectful actions by some of our elected
public officials, I began digitally recording many of the Town’s proceedings
this year. While I have offered to make these recordings available to
the public, I would instead encourage any resident interested in the future
of Claverack to attend Town Planning and Board meetings, to get involved and
to hold Supervisor Keegan and our other elected officials accountable to all
of the public and to the public good.
Howard Brandston
Top
Register-Star,
March 18, 2006, Letter to the editor
Get to know COARC services
To the editor:
Following COARC's presentation at the recent Claverack Town Board meeting,
I did some research into an organization that, until now, I've been rather
minimally aware of. I'm pleased with what I found, and I urge others to look
further, too.
As stated in the "CO" part of COARC's acronym, "creating opportunities" clearly seems to be what this not-for-profit organization is all about -- creating opportunities for individuals around us whose opportunities are markedly fewer than what most of us enjoy. COARC makes it possible for the developmentally disabled to stay in their own towns, to discover occupations that they can find rewarding, and to do important work (at its Mellenville facility) that otherwise might not be performed at all because most of us don't choose to take on that kind of work.
COARC can't create these opportunities without the CO-operation of those of us who, by the sheer luck of our birthright, already enjoy so many opportunities ourselves.
For some time now I've observed a sign outside COARC's Mellenville facility that invites people to become members for only $15. Finally I've accepted that modest invitation. But I want to learn more, and I see from COARC's Web site that it will be offering tours of eight of its group homes around the county, which began yesterday with its Greenport home. I encourage readers -- and especially those from Claverack, where COARC hope to build a home for five -- to visit coarc.org/events.php and choose a home to tour.
I also encourage the Town of Claverack -- within the boundaries of which are now two group homes run not by COARC but by other organizations -- to reconsider its attitude of opposition to a COARC home. It would be, after all, for five county residents who, right now, simply don't have the opportunity to live in the sort of home that most of us take for granted.
Virginia Martin
Claverack
Register-Star,
Wednesday, March 15, 2006, Editorial
ROGER F. COLEMAN, Publisher; THERESA E. HYLAND, Executive editor, NICOLE A.
WEINSTEIN, Managing editor
OUR
VIEW
Claverack should reconsider its position on group home
We have one question for the Claverack Town Board: What are you thinking? A big to-do Monday night at the Town Board meeting centered around COARC's plans to place a group home on land they have purchased on Shasta Drive in the town. The five-bedroom, single level house would be a home to five individuals, including one who needs a wheelchair.
The board took issue with the way COARC announced their intentions — first purchasing the land, and then proposing to build the house — without first notifying the board and the public of their intentions. COARC defended themselves by saying that they were not intending any "sly or underhanded" actions, it is merely difficult to find a five-bedroom, single-story home in a rural area suitable for their consumers.
Residents then discussed an alternative site on Kittle Road. Also mentioned were deed restrictions on the Shasta Road property — all of which COARC said they could meet.
So, we wonder why this is such an issue. Until we read further into the story where a member of the public talked about how their feelings should be considered. Supervisor James Keegan said the Town Board could potentially face angered or upset residents. "The Town Board is in a no-win situation," he said, adding how the Mental Hygiene Law was set up it was "putting the local Town Board in a vice."
Ladies and gentlemen, what seems to be the issue? The people who will be living in this home are people who are developmentally disabled and have issues that allow them to receive COARC's services. These are not common criminals that are out to rob you blind, but persons with disabilities who are being given a chance to live on their own, being taught valuable life skills and who are constantly monitored by staff who will keep them safe from harm.
Representatives from COARC mentioned that they had never had experienced this much opposition against a group home proposal in Columbia County thus far.
Quite frankly, we haven't either.
We encourage the board to think a little more about this and to be a little more courteous to COARC and what they are trying to accomplish — and the good these homes will do for these residents, who by the way, when they are living there, will be residents of Claverack, too.
Also, COARC has around 10 group homes in and around Columbia County, has made their home base in Claverack, and has been a good employer and neighbor in this area. Don't they deserve a little more respect than what they got at Monday's Town Board meeting?
Register-Star,
Wednesday, March 15, 2006, Letter to the editor
Support for rail trail
To the Editor:
Many people in the county have been watching with interest the flurry of letters in the local newspapers concerning the conversion of the old Boston and Albany railbed into a trail for the benefit of all Columbia County residents (and possibly a few others).
The writers of some letters do not seem personally familiar with trails of this type. I therefore invite them to go to Copake Falls or Millerton on a weekend to observe the many kinds of people, young and old, from babies in strollers, youngsters on tricycles and bicycles with training wheels, to all ages on all types of bicycles. Others are walking or running or in-line skating. There is no auto traffic to threaten them. When you meet people on the trail, they smile and say hello.
The trail is clean of debris because most users are cooperative to the posted rules, but volunteers often patrol to pick us anything on the trail including blown-down trees, branches and even leaves. Portolets are provided at the trailheads in Copake Falls and Millerton. Benches are placed along the trail on which to rest and enjoy the scenery which is spectacular.
My husband and I have been users of rail trails for 25 years. We have traveled extensively with our grandchildren to find such trails (Cape Cod in Mass., the Ashiwilticook in Mass., the Erie Canal Bikeway along the Mohawk, the bikeway along the St. Lawrence, the Burlington Bike Trail, to mention just a few). We were secure, as were their parents, in knowing that even when they were very young, there would be no cars to strike them down.
The eight-mile section of the Boston and Albany from Mellenville to Ghent as proposed, would make an excellent loop along with the Harlem Valley Rail Trail. The cinder surface of the B & A actually needs very little work to make it usable even now. There is no loss of revenue or expense from the conversion since the county (including all the residents) already owns the railbed. No taxes are collected on it now.
The railbed at present is being used unofficially only by its neighbors rather than all county residents. I have been a member of the Harlem Valley Rail Trail Association for 25 years, working to establish a trail from Wassaic to Chatham. I have been on the HVRTA Board of Directors for the past 10 years, and have faithfully attended all meetings. There is no documented proof of any "crime escalation" as has been rumored. I have heard of the many people who are thrilled with the trail (some of whom originally opposed it and now endorse it as an asset). The worst crime I can remember is a couple of boys who used spray paint injudiciously and for their trouble were assigned to a week of supervised trail cleanup.
One letter said the trail is "unneeded." Open land that can be utilized by the public is rapidly shrinking in Columbia County. More and more farms are turning into developments in the Ghent area. More and more land is posted against trespass of any kind. At this time, we have a rare chance to protect an eight-mile section of railbed for public use now and for the children of the future. We must take advantage of this opportunity before it is lost forever.
Our public officials should seize this rare moment to turn the B & A railbed into a lasting monument to their wisdom and farsightedness.
Readers: If you feel as I do about preserving open space for Columbia County residents now and of the future, please contact your supervisors: Gerald Simons, Lawrence Andrews, and Edward Keegan, and your legislator, Patrick Manning, to add your voice to the many who have already endorsed the Boston and Albany trail.
Dorothy von Bieberstein
Ghent
In brief
Churchtown Fire Company dinner and dance
Register-Star, Wednesday, March 15, 2006
CHURCHTOWN — The Churchtown Fire Company will conduct a St. Patrick's Day dinner dance Saturday at its banquet hall on County Route 27 in Churchtown.
The evening will begin at 6 p.m. with hors d'oeuvres and cocktails, followed by a full Irish dinner of ham, corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, dessert and coffee.
Wine, beer, soda and mixes will be provided. Music will be by "Visions."
Tickets are $20 per person and may be purchased by calling 518-851-9766 or 518-851-2192.
Proceeds from the event will be allocated to the Churchtown Fire Company Scholarship Fund. Each year, a student(s) from the fire district and attending college receives the award.
Residents
protest proposed COARC residential home
Group residence would be home to people with disabilities
By Kate Kirschenheiter, Register-Star, Tuesday, March 14, 2006
CLAVERACK — The Town Board expressed feelings of being "backed against the wall" and being in a "no-win situation" at Monday night's meeting when representatives of COARC and the state Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities came before them with a proposal for a group home.
On Feb. 15 the town received a letter from COARC announcing their intentions to open a group home on Shasta Drive, a road ending in a cul-de-sac off Fish and Game Road. The town has 40 days from the date of receipt to accept the proposal, offer an alternate site, reject the site or do nothing and the site goes through as proposed.
Under the state Mental Hygiene Law, when a proposal such as this is made, grounds for rejection are very specific and are hinged on whether there is a strong concentration or "saturation" in the area of similar facilities.
Town Supervisor James Keegan noted there are other facilities in the town—a Devereux-run facility on Route 217 across from the Ockawamick School and a state-run facility on Fish and Game Road, which he said was probably within a mile of the proposed Shasta Road site.
Alex Schneider, director of development and community services for COARC, presented the proposal to the board, beginning with a quick run-down of what COARC does as an organization.
"We are a local chapter of ARC," he said. "We provide services to the developmental disabled and we serve primarily people from the county. There are very few who come from outside the county. We try to give them quality service."
COARC group homes, as per Mental Hygiene Law, are considered to be "single-family residences" despite the fact they are staffed by COARC employees during the day and night.
The proposed home on Shasta Drive would be home to five individuals, including one who needs a wheelchair, and Schneider and fellow COARC representative Bruce Drake said it is practically impossible to find a five-bedroom, single-level home in the county that would suit the residents.
So the not-for-profit purchased the land on Shasta Drive, which they felt was perfect for the five people slated to live in the home — before coming to the board with the idea of the home, which is perfectly legal, but was a point of unrest to the board members.
"Isn't it a little presumptuous?" Councilman William Blaauw questioned. "Almost doesn't give the public much of a chance to say anything." He expressed disquiet with the approach COARC had taken with purchasing the land and proposing the home afterward.
Schneider assured the town there was nothing underhanded, sly or backroom about it.
"We weren't purchasing it to bypass anything," he said. "It was a nice piece of land."
There was brief discussion on whether the land would go through Zoning or Planning Boards, but Diane Czachorowski from the state Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities said the home would not need to go through either of those boards.
"It is considered a single-family home," she said. "We would need a building permit and go through the Zoning Office."
Town Attorney Robert Fitzsimmons confirmed the statute exempted the group home from falling under Zoning or Planning Board jurisdiction.
Residents of Shasta Drive brought up another blow to the proposal, which the Town Board has no control over, but seemed to take into account in their decision-making — Shasta Drive has deed restrictions.
Resident Gary Steenburn outlined the restrictions, reading from his own deed, and told the board and assembled public that no property on Shasta Drive can be subdivided, nor could there be commercial, modular or trailer homes placed on parcels.
He went on to emphasize the "commercial" aspects of IRAs, which the COARC group home is categorized as, saying that the fact they employ staff, and that the staff's official work address would be the Shasta address, would violate the deed restrictions.
Steenburn also pointed out how COARC's Route 217 facility is a manufacturing facility where many of their group home residents work — and how they are usually bused from their homes to the facility.
"I think it is going to be much more than teenagers learning to drive," he said of the increase in traffic on Shasta Drive, referring to a comment made by Schneider earlier in the presentation.
After outlining the Shasta Drive restrictions, Steenburn then took the issue further — he offered an alternative site on his Kittle Road property.
"We own 15 and a half acres on Kittle Road," he said, "about 1 and a quarter mile away, with multiple entry points. We made an offer to COARC — we would take a piece of our property, would value it per acre at lower than market value."
For a piece next to them they would make the offer of $65,000. And on top of that, said they would donate $25,000 to COARC in memory of a family member.
While deed restrictions were the catalyst for most of the arguments against the Shasta Drive site, Czachorowski did state at one point that "by law, we can meet all the deed restrictions."
Still, the situation didn't sit well with the Town Board.
"Agencies usually speak with the town before purchasing," Blaauw stated.
A member of the public said COARC should not just take their residents' feelings and rights into account; they should also take into consideration the feelings of neighboring residents.
Schneider responded that was the reason they were there Monday night.
However, should the town decide to formally offer the Kittle Road alternative, and should COARC accept the alternative site after review, the issue would be complete and there would be no more public involvement.
They were warned numerous times that once the alternative was accepted, things were settled.
Councilman Mike Johnston was of the mind that would be no different from where they were now, with their "backs right to the wall."
The board must make their decision — whether to allow the home on the Shasta Drive parcel or to offer the alternative spot on Kittle Road.
Either way, Keegan pointed out, the Town Board could potentially face angered or upset residents. "The Town Board is in a no-win situation," he said, adding how with the Mental Hygiene Law was set up it was "putting the local Town Board in the vice."
The board decided to review the Kittle Road alternative Steenburn was offering and make their decision before the 10 days were up. If they decide to take action, Keegan said the board would call a special meeting to do so.
The COARC representatives reiterated how they had and have no intentions of bypassing anyone and how many communities are pleased with the group home operations.
"We are conscious of the fact we are neighbors," Drake said. "We maintain the property, cut the lawn. We have 10 or 11 group homes around Columbia County at this point."
It was also pointed out at the meeting that COARC had never experienced this much opposition against a group home proposal in Columbia County thus far.
The group home proposal came about since COARC is attempting to create smaller homes for their consumers, and they are breaking up a 10-person, seven-bedroom facility in Stockport.
"We're trying to make some of our biggest houses smaller," Drake explained.
Hudson
City School District Board presents preliminary budget
Under current plan, taxpayers would see a 5.9 percent increase in budget expenses
By Bryan F. Yurcan, Register-Star, Tuesday, March 14, 2006
HUDSON — The Hudson City School District Board of Education presented what it termed a "very preliminary" budget for the 2006-07 school year Monday evening.
The board presented a tentative budget of $32,479,329, a 5.9 percent increase over the current contingency budget which limited spending at $30,664,561. The district had to adopt the state-mandated contingency budget when voters twice rejected the budget last year.
Board President Jack Mabb said the final number could change depending on the outcome of union negotiations and other factors. All of the five unions representing district workers are in contract talks with the district.
Additions to the preliminary budget that were not in the current year's budget include approximately $240,000 for sports, which doesn't include transportation. The entire sports budget this year was raised by the Hudson City School District Booster Club.
The preliminary budget also reinstates one of the two high school music teacher positions cut in this year's contingency budget.
One part of the budget where the board said money could be saved is the recently unveiled plan to rent the Claverack School to Questar III.
Board members and Facilities committee liaison Peter Rost reported the district has been in talks with Questar to rent the building to them at a rate of $100,000 to $125,000 per year. Questar would also be responsible for reimbursing the district for operating costs, utilities, and custodial expenses. The Claverack School currently houses the district's central administration and receiving departments.
As part of a $6 million proposed building project that may be on the ballot this May if the board decides to put it up to a public vote, those departments would be moved to a new space in Hudson, possibly adjacent to the high school. Rost has said the project would be 95 percent covered by state aid.
Some members of the public asked that since the board is already including the revenue from renting the Claverack School in the preliminary budget, if that meant they had already decided they will approve the building project.
Mabb replied that the building project passing was not tied to the budget.
Under the preliminary budget, the district would also save $93,000 on a middle school administrative position that was lost, and $416,000 in a realignment of eight teacher positions.
The board proposed reinstating the position of assistant superintendent for curriculum, as was recommended in the "Baldwin Report", which would be an expense of $133,000.
Additionally, projected salary and benefits costs increased by about $1.2 million.
The tax levy, which is currently $14,691,098, would rise to $16,010,347 under the preliminary budget.
District Superintendent Marilyn Barry stressed that these budget figures would most likely continue to change.
"This is very preliminary," she said. "There are so many things still coming in and going out."
Currently, the district is projected to receive $15.1 million in state aid. Barry said that number could rise when the state adopts its budget, and if so, the district's preliminary budget would change.
Claverack
school reunion
Register-Star, Tuesday, March 14, 2006
CLAVERACK — Plans for the Claverack School reunion have been updated, with many alumni planning to attend, traveling from all points on the map.
The reunion is being planned for June 3-4. Saturday night dinner party reservations must be in no later than mid-May. Events on Sunday are pending.
Reservations may be made by calling Kitty Osterhoudt at 518-851-3609 or Billy First at 518-828-0822.
Claverack
Seniors to meet
Register-Star, Wednesday, March 8, 2006
CLAVERACK -- The Claverack Seniors will meet 1 p.m. Friday at the Town Justice Building. The program topic will be the Retired Senior Volunteer Program.
All are welcome to register for the following trips: March 17, St. Patrick's at Chez Josef in Agawam, Mass., $43; April 4-5, Amish country, including "Behold the Lamb" show, $184; May 7-13, Mackinac Island, $543; May 24, Kyquit, home of John D. Rockefeller in Tarrytown, dinner at Coppola's and a visit to the Samuel Morse home, $50; June 19-21, Boston and Newport, $285; and June 29, Westchester Theatre in Elmsford, "Barnum" show and dinner, $54.
Non-Claverack residents pay an additional $10 for day trips.
For more information, or to sign up for any of the trips, call Greta Miller at 518-672-7524.
Claverack
Garden club to have meeting Thursday
Register-Star, Monday, March 6, 2006
CLAVERACK -- The Claverack Garden Club will meet at 1 p.m. Thursday in the library of the Reformed Dutch Church of Claverack. The newly elected officers for the 2006 year will be installed by Reneta Benenati, past district director and member of the Kinderhook Garden Club.
Officers for 2006 are Louise Bliss, president; Mary Ginouves, vice president; Margaret Chippari, secretary; Greta Miller, acting treasurer; and Sylvia Schaummann, corresponding secretary.
The central theme on which the Claverack Garden Club's programs, enrichment trips and projects will focus during the year is the interrelatedness of design, material and technique. Throughout the year, the elements of design, color, texture, line, shape and space in gardens and floral arrangements will be studied and the development of design principles, and balance, emphasis, contrast, repetition, movement and variety will be practiced in various venues. Guest speakers will demonstrate how the elements and principles of design are essential in designs that please the eye.
The club will continue the planting and care of the public gardens in Claverack and Mellenville. Arbor Day tree plantings will take place April 28 at the Pine Haven Home. The butterfly protection program endorsed by New York State Garden Clubs Inc. and the National Garden Clubs Inc. will continue this year under the leadership of Sue Ihlenburg. The club's fundraising sale of plants and baked goods will be conducted on June 3 in the Claverack Park at the intersection of Routes 9-H and 23 B.
Hostess for the meeting will be Elane Seltzer. Program chairperson is Mary Ginouves. If any person would like to join the Claverack Garden Club, call Louise Bliss at 518-828-7884.
Register-Star,
Monday, March 6, 2006, Letter to the editor
Against B&A rail trail
To the editor: I am writing in opposition to the donation of land by Columbia
County for the purpose of constructing a rail trail on the old Boston and
Albany rail lines extending through the townships of Claverack and Ghent.
Although there were two meetings held in the area for questions and answers,
it is disturbing that there has been no forum for discussing and debating
the many issues and concerns of the area residents of the proposed rail trail.
It is equally upsetting to note that the Columbia County Land Conservancy, which is a participant in the land transfer process, is biased in its position and stands to benefit greatly in achieving its purpose at the expense of the residents, land owners, sportsmen and taxpayers of Columbia County.
Without properly studying the lasting impact, and without the consent of the residents of Columbia County, it would seem careless and foolhardy on the part of our elected officials to freely give away county assets and potential tax revenues worth hundreds of thousands of dollars which have been entrusted to their care. There are issues important to area residents, landowners, sportsmen and taxpayers which cannot be carelessly dismissed or marginalized.
I am AGAINST the proposed B&A rail trail. I question the need of a rail trail that is parallel to and will exist in the shadow of another. Most of the proposed B&A rail trail is within a half-mile of the Harlemville Rail Trail. I have real concerns about issues relating to sportsmen and land owners, safety, privacy, liability, easements, land values, taxation, litigation, trail maintenance, security and Lyme Disease to mention just a few. PARTICULARLY after hearing first-hand accounts from a gentleman who lives south, next to the Harlemville Rail Trail. The crime rate has escalated, the trash is a constant problem, and the people who use the rail trail completely disregard the privacy of the home owners near the trail, even going so far as to knock on their doors to use the telephone or the bathroom.
These concerns are real and important not only to me but to all residents, land owners, sportsmen and taxpayers of Columbia County. Please use the POWER of the press, and make every effort to stop the transfer and utilization of county land which consists of the old Boston and Albany rail lines that extend through the townships of Claverack and Ghent, for the purposes of an unwanted and unneeded rail trail.
Elizabeth W.
Forsyth
Ghent
An
off the grid 'round' about way to live
House provides for unique living
By Kate Kirschenheiter, Register-Star, Sunday, March 5, 2006
CLAVERACK -- Victorian, colonial, federal, mobile -- round? One of these houses is not like the other and the obvious answer would be the round one.
But round houses are becoming more and more popular, especially in the Gulf's hurricane-ridden neighborhoods where round is better in dealing with high winds.
Chris Stern and his family, who live on Thielmann Road in Claverack, didn't decide on a round house for the wind benefits, rather because they didn't want to live in a box.
"It's 2,230 square feet, with two wings on it," Stern said while showing off the architectural details of the round home. "The main circle part of the house is 1,500 square feet and has a diameter of 46 feet and a height of about 14 1/2 in the middle"
The walls are 9 feet high where they meet the slope of the roof and each of the 17 segments of the circle consists of a wall about 8 feet in length.
The round portion of the home is a prefabricated design from Deltec Homes, an Ashville, N.C.-based manufacturer that specializes in these unique designs.
According to the Deltec Web site, the company has been in business for 35 years, creating "custom-designed, quality homes that are beautiful, adaptable and economical."
The circular homes are hand-crafted to suit the owners and boast open floor plans and panoramic views.
They tout their homes as all encompassing "whether you're looking for a hurricane resistant home for the beach, an energy efficient home for the mountains, a luxurious and unique home for the city, a retirement home for that perfect site or just a simple round house for a private getaway."
To learn more about Deltec visit www.deltechomes.com.
"It took four days and four hours to erect," Stern said of the rounded portion. "We put it up and once the foundation was down, the rough plumbing and electric went in."
The round house and wings encompass two bedrooms, a spare bedroom, an office, utility room, boiler room and root cellar, a large living space, kitchen area and a room for Stern's daughter, Abigail.
To design the home, Stern couldn't just choose any old architect.
"The company sends you a blank paper," Stern said. "The rest is up to you. A lot of people had no experience dealing with the round house. We worked with a wonderful architect and she did a great job helping. It got real interesting."
The finishing work Stern and his wife, Betsy Cashen did much of themselves, though they hired people to do the sheet rocking.
"They used quarter inch and used two sheets," he said.
A circular element in the main living area is eye catching and unique, and while it doesn't appear to have any architectural purpose, it does lend a sense of mystery to the design -- visitors can't help but wonder what is in it or behind it -- if anything.
There definitely is something behind and inside it: Abigail's room. And the smooth, rounded wall in it gives the room a special feel and makes for a conversation piece as well.
Stern said interior decorating wasn't really a challenge as one might expect with a round house because the round was really a series of straight walls.
"There's not too many couches beyond 8 foot," he joked. "But because of the circle, each room is unique. Each has a sloping ceiling and usually part of the outside wall. It's a nice, comfortable feel."
Stern and Cashen can easily entertain 30 people comfortably in the living area, he said.
The fact the home is round isn't the only unique aspect of it, perhaps even more unusual is the fact that it is not in any way connected to a power grid.
"We're off the grid," he said. "It means we're not hooked up to Niagara Mohawk or any other power company. We have solar panels and we generate our own power."
In order to hook up to the power grid, Stern and Cashen would have had to fork over approximately $29,000 at the time they built their home about two years ago.
The sun is also used as a primary heating source, with large windows facing true south and well-insulated walls and ceilings.
When the Register-Star visited the round house in January, it was 71 degrees inside with nothing but the sun to heat the interior.
To keep the power up and running as the sun treks across the sky, the outdoor solar panel has a photoelectric eye that tracks the sun -- helping assure the panel is facing the sun at all times.
And on overcast days when the sun isn't anywhere in sight the family depends on massive batteries located below one of the wings in a cellar.
"In the summer, we can last 10 to 12 days on the batteries and in the winter, maybe 3, 4 or 5 days," Stern said. "We have a generator too and can recharge the batteries."
The Deltec home was perfect for the family since they are living off the power grid.
On the company's Web site they explain why Deltec homes are energy efficient, explaining the unique roof ventilation system and overhang.
"As the roof of the home warms, air flow is increased through the vents and expelled out the cupola's vents," the site said. "In the winter, just enough air flow is maintained to keep the insulation dry and at its maximum effectiveness."
With their power system being as volatile as it is, and as dependent on an unpredictable entity such as the sun, the house's appliances are unique as well.
"We had to go to very efficient appliances," Stern said.
Looking at the thick, commercial-looking refrigerator is evidence enough that the appliances in the round house are something special.
In a few spots throughout the home, there are also "sun tunnels," which allow for natural lighting to filter through the roof into the house -- and for moon-lighting at night.
One such tunnel is located in a closet, for instance, giving it a unique feeling of natural light, which isn't nearly as harsh as artificial.
The homely, classic and antique feeling is also interspersed throughout the different areas of the home.
"Inside we used a lot of architectural recycled things," Stern said. "Windows that came from other buildings, a lot of pocket doors that are recycled. We tried to bring an old element as well as a new element."
Stern and Cashen aren't the only ones who take to the unique architecture and decorations.
"People who come in seem to have a really good feel to it," he said. "They think it's unique. We've had three people come here that decided they wanted to build one. It's been that impressive to some folks."
While living in the round house is fun, cozy and unique, it takes someone willing to adapt and learn to make it successful.
"This is our second winter," Stern said. "We have learned a lot and we are still learning."
Independent,
March 3, 2006, Letter to the editor
Plenty
of Volunteers
To the editor:
I take exception to several points that you make in your editorial about Mr.
Grandinetti’s position as youth commissioner in Hudson. But I will address
only one.
You state that “Town and city officials frequently bemoan the difficulty
of finding people willing to devote the time—and to develop the expertise—required
to serve on planning and zoning panels.”
I strongly disagree. What I’ve seen is that, when a vacancy opens up
on one of these boards, there are typically several to a half-dozen people
willing to devote the time, and to develop the expertise, to serve. But those
civic-minded people don’t happen to be the favorites of the boards making
the appointments.
Any bemoaning you’re hearing is from elected officials who can’t
find people who think like they do who are willing to serve. I’ve seen
vacancies persist for months, and even a year, while a search for a like-minded
person ensued—as willing volunteers were rudely ignored.
Virginia Martin
Claverack
Prize-winning
Latino poet reads at Claverack library
Register-Star, Thursday, March 2, 2006
CLAVERACK -- The second program in the Claverack Library's "Distinguished
Poets" series will feature a reading by Ray Gonzalez and is slated for
3 p.m. March 19.
Gonzalez lives in Minnesota, where he has taught at the University of Minnesota since 1996, and Texas, where he was born and raised and where he won the 2003 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Border Regional Library Association.
He is a leading voice in the Latino literature of contemporary America.
Gonzalez has published nine books of poetry including his latest, "Considerations of the Guitar" (BOA Editions, 2005), and "The Hawk Temple of Tierra Grande" (BOA, 2002), which received a National Book Critic's Circle Award and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.
His poetry takes the reader to the heart of the Southwestern and Mexican-American experience.
Known for his magical realism, the poems are suffused with the imagery and mystery of the desert.
The poems tell the stories of native peoples, invading Westerners and the Chicano fathers and grandfathers who have long been silent.
"Ray Gonzalez writes poetry that troubles the waters and heals simultaneously," stated famed poet Yusef Komunyakaa, according to a library press release.
Gonzalez has served as poetry editor of The Bloomsbury Review for 22 years and founded LUNA, a poetry journal, in 1998.
Through the 12 anthologies he has collected and edited, he has been a major influence in bringing other Latino voices to the forefront and has also written highly regarded collections of short stories and non-fiction.
Now in its 7th year, the Claverack Library's "Distinguished Poets" series has presented writers such as Sharon Olds, Richard Howard and John Ashbery, all New York State Poets Laureate.
Winners of many awards including the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, National Endowment for the Arts and Guggenheim fellowships and the MacArthur "genius" grants, have appeared in the series.
"The distinction of our roster of poets has encouraged other writers to accept our invitation to come to this small, rural community to do a reading," said library board member Joan Steiner. "This is a rare opportunity to sit in a very informal way with amazingly interesting writers who are deeply thoughtful, very unique and often quite funny as well.
Steiner gave credit to a local writer for assisting the library in finding talent to partake in the poetry series.
"We have been very lucky to have the help of poet Joan Murray, who lives in Old Chatham, in recruiting such outstanding writers," she said. "We have also been fortunate to have the support of Poets & Writers Inc., with public funds from the state Council on the Arts. Without their support, a series of this calibre would not have been possible"
The final reading in the 2006 series will be 3 p.m. April 2 with Carolyn Forche, who is regarded by many as America's premiere poet of social conscience.
The readings are followed by refreshments and a booksigning and the program is free.
The Claverack Library is located at the corner of routes 9H and 23B in the center of the hamlet and can be reached by calling 518-851-7120.
Town
closer to identifying vision for future
By Kate Kirschenheiter, Register-Star, Wednesday, March 1, 2006
CLAVERACK -- The town Comprehensive Plan Committee is well on its way to determining the "vision" for the town's future and hopes to have it officially identified by their March 23rd meeting.
"We hope to have on our March 23 meeting our consultant there and we're hoping to have all the data compiled from our survey and all the information from workshops and finally by the 23rd have our vision for Claverack identified," said Comprehensive Plan Committee Co-Chair Christopher Post on Monday.
The deadline for the surveys, sent out in January, was this past weekend and they are now bound for compilation by an associate of the committee's consultant Nan Stolzenberg.
"I understand the number [received back] was over 800," Post said. "But that is unscientific; someone looking at a cardboard box."
He did add that around 800 was the expected response for the survey, which was a few pages long and asked residents to rate things in order of importance to them. There was also room for additional comments and an envelope, without postage, was provided for returning them.
The committee also held their second visioning workshop on Feb. 11, which Post said was well-attended and drew a different crowd from the last one held late in 2005.
"We had a very good workshop two weekends ago at [the] Hudson River School," he said, "Fifty-five people came to that and the format was very similar to the first one we had."
Participants gathered into small groups to brainstorm what they felt was most important for Claverack's future -- with popular desires at the last meeting being a clearly defined town center, housing opportunities, careful development and preserving rural character.
And the attendees were from a different area as well, which was another positive aspect of the Feb. 11 meeting, Post said.
"We had Philmont and Mellenville residents this time," he said. "We didn't end up too hamlet oriented."
Currently, the committee is working to educate themselves and those residents who are interested in various topics of concern.
"We're still having our regular Thursday meeting, the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month," he told the Register-Star. "We're met with Jim Galvin from Columbia Hudson Partnership. We just had our meeting Thursday and we had a farming-themed meeting with 25 people in the audience plus the committee and representatives from Columbia Land Conservancy, Eric Ooms from the Columbia Farming Association and Claverack farmers."
The farm-themed meeting was successful in starting a dialogue between local fanners and Ooms and Post added it was the intention of the Comprehensive Plan Committee to create a farming subcommittee.
"One person from the Comprehensive Plan Committee would oversee it," he said. "It would be comprised of farmers. We would really like to come up with relevant and workable solutions and fanners are the best ones for that."
Anyone interested in sitting on the subcommittee can contact Post at 851-5950.
The next meeting, 7 p.m. March 9 at the town hall on Route 217 in Mellenville, is slated to be a discussion on housing.
"We're having Kevin O'Neill from Hudson Housing Resources to come in and talk about housing, different ways to cluster housing and preserve open spaces," Post said.
Local
organization forms to 'make sure every vote is counted'
By Kate Kirschenheiter, Register-Star, Wednesday, March 1, 2006
COLUMBIA COUNTY -- The age of the old lever-action voting machines is rapidly drawing to a close as counties across the state await the state Election Commission's certifications of new voting technology.
Though the state Board of Elections recently stated new voting machines couldn't possibly be ready for this fall's elections, the move to new ones is inevitable under the federal Help America Vote Act which actually required New York to be online by 2006's election season.
With more than one voting machine likely to be certified for use by municipalities, it is important for voters to be aware of the pros and cons of each machine.
Enter MidHudson Verified Voting -- a group that will function as a regional chapter of New Yorkers for Verified Voting and is a non-partisan group devoted to insuring that every vote is counted," according to their Web site.
"We're concerned that more technology comes between us and our vote," said MidHudson Verified Voting Spokeswoman Vicky Perry Tuesday. "The more technology there is, the harder it is to know if a vote is being counted. It's hard to reconstruct an election if the numbers don't add up."
The recently formed chapter has already set up several public hearings in Dutchess County on the implementation of HAVA and the voting machines.
"We have made one presentation in Columbia County," Perry said. "We're hoping to reach out to more people. The issue hasn't received a lot of coverage in Columbia and Greene counties. We're trying to pull together the people who do have information and get that material out to those who haven't heard about it."
MidHudson Verified Voting hopes to act as a citizen's voice in the process of deciding which voting systems will be implemented in local municipalities.
"At the state level, they're going to finish up with their regulations and then the machines will be tested and certified and after that happens, Boards of Election are going to start buying machines," Perry said. "We're hoping members of the public can be involved. Ask questions about the technology and bring their own experiences as voters into the process."
Front-runners for certification by the state are the optical scanning machines and the touchscreen voting machines.
For MidHudson Verified Voting, the choice between those two is clear -- optical scanning.
"Technically speaking, there are no choices until machines are certified," Perry said. "But there are two basic kinds we will probably choose from. The one which my group favors is voting with paper ballots, fill in the bubble kind of like standardized tests which have been used for about 20 years all across the country. Then the paper ballot is scanned to count them."
Perry said having the original paper ballot is key to supporters of this technology.
"What's nice about this is it's very reliable," she said. "If there is a breakdown, people can still vote. You still have the original ballot."
The other machine, the touchscreen, would also have a paper printout to create a paper trail, but it is the group's position that a lot of people won't check the paper.
"And a printed page is not the same as you making your own paper ballot," Perry added. "We're kind of working really hard because it seems that a lot of election commissioners have expressed support for the touch screen since it's more convenient and they don't have to store paper. They have also been lobbied very heavily by the machine manufacturers"
Perry said the manufacturers have spent a $1.5 million in New York state alone.
"We're a market," she said. "We're customers to them and they're very aggressively going after the money involved. We're talking $220 million in HAVA federal funds."
Columbia County's Republican Election Commissioner Donald Kline, said Tuesday that there hasn't been any serious discussion about which machines the county would elect to purchase because the certifications haven't been made.
"I haven't come to any decision," he said Tuesday. "I know there are pros and cons for both and I think from some of the material I've read, certainly the optical scanning device is the, most foolproof for maintaining a paper trail. The other ones, the touch screen type, certainly aren't as foolproof."
Democratic Commissioner Ken Dow couldn't be reached for comment.
Perry hopes MidHudson Verified Voting can recruit more members, especially in Columbia and Greene counties.
"We have one member in Greene County, a core committee person, but we haven't had a presentation yet," she said. "We're hoping to get more active members up in Columbia County too, who can organize some meetings."
The organization is willing to visit town boards, civic groups and school boards to educate people on the voting machine situation.
"We'd be happy to go and visit," she said. "We definitely want to get more people involved."
For more information, or to join the organization, visit their Web site at www.mhvv.org. Interested people can email Perry at mhvvadmin@mhvv.org or call her at 845-758-2933, if they don't have access to a computer.
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