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| In the news, December '05—February '06: |
THE COST OF SPRAWL: JAMES SHELDON AT FOH
News release, Friends of Hudson, February 28, 2006
This month we are taking a slight departure from our last Saturday of the month Open Office. Instead the office will be open the first Sunday of March (March 5) from 10 am until noon. The topic will be the cost of sprawl. We are fortunate that James Sheldon will be meeting with us that morning. James Sheldon’s talks and columns have helped many of us better understand the financial burdens to individuals and communities that result from unmanaged growth and development.
Many of you have heard James or heard about him. For those who don’t know him, here is a bio from his website, Little Town Views: http://www.littletownviews.com/james.html
James Sheldon began his career as a news reporter covering local politics and land use issues in eastern Long Island in the late 1970s. After stints as a journalist and financial writer in Europe and the U.S., he joined the investment business where he has worked for nearly 20 years researching various industries around the world and managing global equity portfolios. He managed investments for Alliance Capital, Lazard Freres, Omega Advisors, and Oppenheimer Capital. He founded his own investment firm, Orchard Capital Advisors, in 2000.
Since 2003 James and his family have lived fulltime in the Town of Gallatin in Columbia County, New York. His monthly column on local land use and finance issues “Views From Gallatin,” also appears in The Independent and The Millerton News. James holds an M.B.A. degree from Columbia University and serves on the Investment Committee of the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation.
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Impact studies must be put on Web
Environmental law begins in N.Y. this week
by Dan Shapley, THE POUGHKEEPSIE JOURNAL, 26 February 2006
If a new housing development is built, will it clog your street with traffic or make your well run dry? Will a new smokestack be ugly? and exactly what will spew out of it?
As of this week, it should be easier for people to answer those types of questions, at any hour of the day from the comfort of their homes. A new state law requires all environmental impact statements be accessible on the Internet.
The state Environmental Quality Review Act, known as SEQRA, defines the review process, and gives the public its single-greatest opportunity to influence projects considered by government.
As part of the review process, environmental impact statements must be prepared before approval of most projects, government decisions or laws that may harm the environment.
The statements detail effects ranging from water and air pollution to aesthetics, noise and changes to "community character."
Paper copies are usually available at town halls and libraries during business hours. Citizens can order copies under the Freedom of Information Law, typically at 25 cents per page, a fee that can add up quickly on big projects.
Time to participate
"We often hear it said that people are not getting involved in community issues these days. Part of that is due to lack of time, especially to those that commute," said Doreen Tignanelli, a Town of Poughkeepsie resident and environmental watchdog.
"This will make it much easier for people to intelligently participate," she said. "After all, you can't expect people to show up at a meeting and ask the right questions if they have not had an opportunity to review the data ahead of time."
The law applies to environmental impact statements prepared as of today, so the posting of documents for projects already being reviewed is optional.
Towns can choose to post the environmental impact statements on their Web sites, or require developers to post the documents and publicize the Web address.
The new state law, proposed by Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, was passed last year with near-unanimous support in both the state Senate and Assembly.
"Information is power. Citizens should have the opportunity to review this information in as easy a format as can be provided," said Judith Enck, a policy analyst for Spitzer's office. "We don't think it's going to be burdensome on the business community and local government. Lots of teenagers have their own Web sites, so a viable company should have no problem."
Jean Rowe, the executive director of the Builders Association of the Hudson Valley, said her main concern about the law is it could slow down the approval process. The cost of complying shouldn't be a burden for builders.
Hyde Park upgraded the capacity of its Web site last week in preparation for the new law, Supervisor Pompey Delafield said. The town plans to post all future environmental impact statements on its Web site. It hasn't decided whether to post statements for projects that are already in review.
"It does cost money for the towns to do this because somebody has to post it and watch over it," Delafield said. "Somebody's got to make sure it's kept up to date. Whether it's worth that cost or not, it's one more of those unfunded mandates put down on towns. I'm sure there will be a few people who take advantage of the service, and in that sense it's a good thing."
SIDEBAR: Environmental Quality Review Act
The Environmental Quality Review Act gives citizens a big role in decision-making, but the process can be long and complicated.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation has a Web site with comprehensive information about the act: www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dcs/seqr/index.html.
Here's a quick look at the process:
Dan Shapley can be reached at dshapley@poughkeepsiejournal.com
No snow no problem for Claverack library's second annual Winter Festival
By Joe Prout, Register-Star, Sunday, February 26,
2006
CLAVERACK -- The cold came back in time for Claverack Library's Winter Festival, but the light dusting of snow that came with it wasn't enough for planned outdoor activities.
Library representative Jeanne Leonard said the conditions brought back memories. "We didn't have any snow last year either," she said.
Maybe someday the annual event will have an outside component -- like a snowman contest -- but this year there was plenty to do indoors to keep visiting families busy.
In addition to a planned egg relay race, visitors could enjoy a range of arts and crafts, including paper snowflake construction, wax snowflake construction, paper postcard making and cookie decorating. There were also board games and puzzles available.
Building on experiences from last year, the library volunteers held the event in February, at the end of the holiday week. Leonard said the plan was to draw in folks in search of something to do with their families at the end of what had been an extended break from school.
The tables were starting to fill up early on in the event, with a variety of crafts and games for visitors to pick from. Leonard estimated there were 40 visitors last year.
"We try to have events that reach all age levels," Leonard said.
Leonard said the festival promotes library awareness, and the library benefits greatly from space donated by members of the A.B. Shaw Fire House. "We're always grateful to the fire department for letting us use their space," she said.
The library also plans to hold a memoirs workshop for folks 55 and older on Wednesday, and a graphic novel event for teens on Thursday. In April, the library will host a young poets workshop for ages 7 to 12.
Leonard said the library's busy season is in the summer, when there's a reading club and several special events planned. The summer season starts the last Saturday in June.
Leonard said there are plenty of sources of information about what's happening at the library. In addition to postings in the What's Happening section of the Register-Star, Leonard said the library sends out a newsletter twice a year and sends home event reminders with children already involved with the library. There's also a brochure, and computer users can search for the Claverack Library online.
Graphic novel workshops to be conducted
Register-Star, Saturday, February 25, 2006
CLAVERACK -- Teens who are interested in creating their own comic books or graphic novels can sign up for a series of four workshops being given by the Claverack Library on at 7 p.m. Thursday and March 9, 16 and 23.
The workshops will be led by Barbara Slate, a cartoonist who has written, drawn and created many stories for Marvel and DC Comics, as well as writing Betty and Veronica for Archie Comics. A Stockport resident, State has just completed a graphic novel as well.
The workshops will explain how to write and illustrate a graphic short story. Whether your interest is a super hero, a girl next door, a character from outer space, or "you know it's in there somewhere dying to get out," Slate will teach you how to develop characters, plotline stories and offer all sorts of tips on the creative process along the way.
At the end of the series, workshop participants will have created a six- to 24-page graphic novel/comic book of their own. "Bring your drawings," said Slate. "And if you don't have any, come anyway."
The workshops are free and limited in size. To register, call 518-851-7120 or stop by the library, which is located at the corner of Routes 9H and 23B.
The program is made possible in part with public funds from the Decentralization Program of the state Council on the Arts, administered through the Twin Counties Cultural Fund in Columbia County by the Columbia County Council on the Arts. Major support was provided by the Friends of the Claverack Library and by residents of Claverack through the town budget and individual contributions.
Cartoon caption: Cartoon by Barbara Slate announcing the graphic novel workshops.
Full-time pastor joins Reformed Dutch Church
Register-Star, Thursday, February 23, 2006
CLAVERACK -- "Good things come to those who wait," claims a familiar adage. Given the recent happenings at the Reformed Dutch Church of Claverack, members will readily attest to the above belief.
After more than five years of searching for a full-time minister to replace the church's 23-year pastor, the search committee had its find -- the Rev. Mitchell Brink.
Pastor Mitch, as he prefers to be called, now resides with his wife, Heather, in the church's spacious parsonage. Adding a tiny new family member is an eventual possibility, according to the young couple, although Archie, their recent puppy purchase, has livened up the household. Also sharing their abode are two parakeets, Sweet Pea and Norm.
Both members of this husband and wife team are only 26.
"I grew up in Hamilton, just outside of Holland, Mich., Mitch said, "graduating in 1998, ninth out of 125 in my class. Actually, I could have been valedictorian, if not for gym," he laughed.
He admitted to being neither a sports enthusiast nor participant. The minister enjoys music and tooted the tuba in his high school band. A piano is a household fixture, used primarily for their personal pleasure. Mitch took lessons for five years, Heather for 10. Not only do both have lovely voices, they also add their ringing to the bell choir during services.
Pastor Mitch has only one sister (now in Germany with her husband, who recently returned from serving in Iraq), while Heather's family includes three sisters and a brother who are spread throughout the country.
Mitch and Heather met while attending the Reformed Bible College in Grand Rapids, Mich. "It's a small college -- there were only about 300 students," Mitch said. "All graduates get a degree in Bible and Theology, with a minor in Western Civilization. My second major was Pre-Seminary Studies, with a second minor in Greek."
Heather's undergraduate studies consisted of Bible and Theology and social work. As a social worker, she provided case-management service for 25 developmentally disabled adults in a sheltered workshop setting. Soon after the couple's arrival to Claverack, she joined the adult choir and assisted with children's sermons. She is currently conducting a women's Bible study class.
Mitch detailed some history of his decision to enter the ministry. "As a junior high school student, I was asked by my youth pastor if I ever considered becoming a minister. He told me that he saw qualities of a pastor in me. Sensing the call to serve, I made the choice that year."
From high school to college to seminary, with no self-doubts or serious obstacles, the path proceeded as planned. Even better than anticipated, it would seem, since he met the woman with whom he vowed, in 2001, to loveand cherish for the rest of his life.
After Mitch's resume was supplied to and impressed the church's search committee, he was invited to preach at a nearby neutral parish with a few committee members present. In July, he was called by the Reformed Dutch Church in Claverack, hired, moved to his new home and installed in October 2005.
"I had to have faith that God had a place for me," he said. Admittedly, this part of the country wasn't the destination the couple had anticipated. "We love the beauty of the area and the people have been warm and friendly. But this is the first time I've been further than an hour or two from my family," Mitch said. "My parents are still in the same house since their marriage. My grandfather lives right next door. All my relatives are in Michigan"
The two newcomers are adjusting well. "I'm certainly enjoying it so far and feel I'm in the right place," Mitch said. "We'll just continue to see what God has in store for us."
If readers feel inclined to visit an historic church with an active congregation, an impressive number of young families and a new minister and his spouse, stop in (Route 9H, just north of the Claverack light) any Sunday morning at 9:30. Parents may havetheir youngest children cared for in the nursery during service while those who are 3 through high school-aged are invited to attend Sunday School.
Village code book to be streamlined into a more efficient electronic format
By Joe Prout, Register-Star, February 21, 2006
VALATIE -- Looking to both streamline expected changes from Valatie's comprehensive planning process and to make it easier for residents to peruse the laws they live by, the Village Board chose to change their paper code book to an electronic format.
To accomplish this task, the board chose to pay an hourly wage to Karen Zelno, the secretary for the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals. She will add to work already completed by Mayor Gary Strevell, scanning in pages of text into a format that a word processor can use and reproduce.
Strevell said the board chose to pursue this matter in preparation of the changes the comprehensive plan committee is expected to produce. The board anticipates more than 100 text changes in various areas of the existing code book, and Strevell said it would be easier to update an electronic code than to have new sections reprinted.
"When you look at what some of the places that produce code books want, that's a lot. The last amount I got was $11,000," Strevell said during a phone interview Monday night.
Strevell said printing places wouldn't provide electronic resources, only print outs -- which meant the village would have to pay again for a future update.
"It makes it easier to incorporate new laws or change existing laws. And as an added bonus, I get to put it on the Web site," Strevell said.
It's too early to say how many hours Zelno will work. Strevell previously started this project, and scanned about 66 of a total of 130 chapters, but he couldn't estimate how many hours he worked. An exact page count wasn't available, since chapters have different total page counts.
Strevell said the Village Board doesn't plan to look at proof reading initially, but may get feedback from Zelno on things she observes, to address issues later.
"There have been multiple laws passed since that code book was passed," Gary said. "Those really all need to be incorporated into the proper sections," he said. The current code book is at least 10 years old, Strevell said, and there's a possibility that some laws are being overlooked.
Strevell said the main objective is to make certain all up-to-date material gets referenced. "When somebody comes to look it up, we want people to be able to find it," he said.
In terms of the expected comprehensive plan changes, some added language will be for new laws and some will be modification of existing text. Strevell said there may also be deletions, but he doesn't yet have actual examples because the committee reviewing the plan isn't finished.
Strevell used the noise ordinance code as an example of why Web site access would be valuable. He said prior to having computer-based resources, the village had to copy a book and provide a hard copy to whomever requested information. "Boy was I making copies of that for a while," Strevell said.
In other village news, the animal control officer requested the drafting of a new local law concerning waste from dogs walked in the village last week. The board had a draft of the local law available, and a public hearing on the matter will take place at 7:25 p.m. during the regular March meeting.
The board will also hold a public hearing on a grant application, but the grant proposal hasn't been completed. Strevell said the language of the draft is still being formulated, and there will be another chance to review the proposal at a second public hearing in April.
Reunion being planned for the summer
Register-Star, Tuesday, February 21, 2006
CLAVERACK -- The alumni of Claverack Union Free School are planning a reunion this summer. So far, several classes have expressed great enthusiasm. The events are scheduled for the weekend of June 3-4.
The class of 1961 has already completed many details and more information will be forthcoming via e-mail or phone to all respondents.
The class of 1959 is looking for the following people: Jimmy Wenger, Mary Bagley, Charles (Chetty) Myles, Vince Graziano, Jackie Wycoff and Pam Evans. Anyone with information is asked to call Kitty Osterhoudt at 518-851-3609.
Any former class members and teachers are welcome to attend. For more information, call 518-851-3609 or 518-828-0822.
In Brief: 280 modular homes planned for Coxsackie
Times Union, 2/18/06
Coxsackie-United Mobile Homes Inc. disclosed plans for 280 modular homes on 106 acres in the Village of Coxsackie Thursday.
UMH, of Freehold, NJ, told the village planning board that the homes, for residents 55 and older, would generate about $1 million annually in property taxes.
The plans call for the homes to be erected over several years, with gardens, walking trails and a clubhouse.
The company expects to study traffic and environmental concerns as the review and application process continues.
--Kevin Harlin
Register-Star, February 18, 2006, Letter to the editor
In opposition to the Boston-Albany trail
To the editor:
As president of the Hudson Fish and Game Club, I represent 170 plus sportsmen in Columbia County. Many of them reside, vote and pay taxes in the county.
At our most recent meeting we discussed the impact of the proposed rail trail on the old Boston and Albany rail bed. This proposed rail trail extends eight and one half miles along county Route 9 from Mellenville to Ghent of which our members hunt, fish and trap. The county is presently discussing that this land will be given to the Columbia County Land Conservancy which will then be transferred to the state. We lend our voice with those in opposition to this rail trail for the following reasons.
First, the proposed rail trail extends through several miles of land which our members hunt, fish and trap. We help the land owner to maintain populations of wild game that is harmful to crops, residential shrubs and gardens, while enjoying hunting, fishing and trapping, which is an integral part of our American culture and tradition.
Should the rail trail be implemented, it would have an adverse impact on hunting, trapping and fishing in several ways. The most obvious is that sports hunting, and trapping, would be prohibited along the trail. The carrying of unloaded firearms to and from hunting areas on or along the rail trail would be prohibited as is the practice on the rail trail in Millerton. Plus, there would be a buffer zone of 500-foot on both sides of the rail trail that could not be hunted which would extend the eight- and one-half miles.
It is reasonable to assume that in light of increased potential for liability insurance and litigation, that land owners will prohibit the use of their land for the purpose of hunting. Trapping would be affected as well. Pets may stray from their owners and become caught in traps. This could lend itself to litigation and the restriction or discontinued use of land. Fishing could be restricted aswell where the rail bed now runs along the banks (in part) of the North Creek (some of which has already collapsed into the creek).
This reduction will most likely result in increased population of wild game that can pose a detriment to the landowners and residents in the community. One can reasonably expect an increase in property damage to crops, hedges and gardens with the increase in deer population. Incidences of deer/auto collision can also be expected to climb. Lyme disease, of which Columbia County leads the nation, will multiply and take its toll.
We might note that wild game is a supplemental food source for many in Columbia County. Is the county so financially secure that it can give away land arguably worth hundred of thousands of dollars, not to mention the potential future tax revenues, to a special interest group like the Columbia County Land Conservancy for a recreation trail? The increasing demand and depleting food stores at area food pantries suggests otherwise.
There remains a real question as to the need for another rail trail. The proposed B&A rail trail will run parallel to the already planned extension of the Harlem Valley Rail Trail. It will be a mere two-minute drive or a 10-minute walk between the proposed trails in Mellenville and Philmont. Does not an other trail only minutes away seem silly and pointless?
Finally, there is and has always been a unique relationship between the land owners and sportsmen of Columbia County. There is a unique balance between land/wild game management, which has amicably co-existed for generations to the mutual benefit of all. We stand unified in opposition to this rail trail and urge that the county consider the lasting impact that this proposal will have on the sportsmen and land owners of this county. This matter is foremost to us and the decision will be lasting and irrevocable.
Randall Belkola
Germantown
Independent, February 17, 2006, Letter to the editor
Rail trail will enrich the area
To The Editor,
For many of us living in and around Ancram, which any map will show you is between Ghent and Millerton, the controversy over the proposed Boston & Albany rail trail sounds remarkably familiar. Just as in Millerton, when an extension of the Harlem Valley Rail Trail was being considered there, a very vocal minority (I was at that hearing in Ghent, despite what you may have read in news reports, those speaking out against the proposal were clearly in the minority) is raising unfounded fears. Like Millerton, letters to the local papers imagine a rampant crime wave in people's backyards, public lands closed to sportsmen, skyrocketing taxes, and the state and local land conservancy acting like Big Brother. If they really believe that, I suggest they take a ride down to Millerton and see what the rail trail has done for local businesses, which are now thriving as never before. They might also note that most if not all of those who spoke out against the project are now firmly in the pro-trail camp.
You can't make everybody happy, but I hope the elected officials of Ghent and Claverack, as well as the county, refuse to give in to the hysteria of a few. Instead, I hope they will imagine the more likely result of a Boston & Albany rail trail: that people like myself, hungry for places to hike and ride their bicycles, will flock to this new recreation area and spend their money at local shops and restaurants. Instead of closing their minds to a project that will enrich their towns--an opportunity most towns would happily jump at--I suggest the good people of Ghent and Claverack consider opening a bike shop.
Paul Spencer
Ancramdale, NY
518-329-2616
Upcoming events at the Claverack Library
Wednesdays at 11AM, March 1, 8, 15 & 22: The Claverack Library offers four memoir writing workshops, led by writer Joan Murray, to adults 55 and older who are interested in writing about their lives and times. To register, call 851-7120 or stop by the library. Free.
Thursdays at 7PM, March 2, 9, 16 and 23. The Claverack Library offers four workshops for teens who are interested in creating their own comic books or graphic novels, led by cartoonist Barbara Slate. Register at the library or by calling 851-7120. Free.
Sunday, March 19 at 3PM: Celebrated writer Ray Gonzalez will read in the Claverack Library's "Distinguished Poets" series. Light refreshments and a book-signing follow the reading. Free. Corner Rtes. 9H and 23B. 851-7120.
Panel discussion: "Affordable Housing: Possibilities for Meeting the Needs of Our Community"
A panel discussion, "Affordable Housing: Possibilities for Meeting the Needs of Our Community," will take place in Hillsdale on Monday evening, February 20, 2006 at 7:00 p.m. at the United Methodist Church, junction of Routes 22 and 23. The panel will feature four speakers who will give an overview of affordable housing issues and discuss a spectrum of possible solutions. The audience will be invited to participate in a question, answer, and discussion session following the talks.
Tim Geller is Executive Director of Tri-Corner Community Development Corporation, which creates affordable housing and economic development opportunities in eastern Columbia and Dutchess counties, NY, northwestern Litchfield County, CT, and southern Berkshire County, MA. He has been involved with housing development in southern Berkshire County since 1998, and will give specific examples of affordable housing activities around the region.
Deborah S. McMenamy, Chair, Board of Selectmen, Town of Stockbridge (MA) will will represent an elected official's perspective on the issue of affordable housing, and will describe how that town has responded to the need for creating and preserving affordable housing stock. Deborah is on the Stockbridge Affordable Housing Committee and is a past member of the town's Finance Committee.
Kevin O'Neill, Executive Director of Housing Resources of Columbia County, will give a summary of the broad range of programs and policies that a community might adopt to respond to the affordable housing need, including some small zoning changes, rehabilitation of existing housing, small scale development projects, education for prospective first time home buyers, acquisition of additional rental housing subsidies, and others.
Susan Witt is the founder and Administrator of the Community Land Trust in the southern Berkshires, and the Executive Director of the E. F. Schumacher Society. She has written and spoken widely on economics and community land trusts and has been involved with both organizations for twenty-five years. She will describe an alternative model for affordable housing.
The program will be moderated by Frank K. Upham, Wilf Family Professor of Property Law at New York University School of Law, where he teaches in the areas of property, law and development, and comparative law. Prior to joining New York University in 1994, he taught at the law schools of Ohio State University, Harvard University, and Boston College and at various institutions in East Asia. At New York University, he has served as Faculty Director of the Global Law School Program and he created the Global Public Service Law Project, which brings public interest lawyers from developing countries to NYU for a year of study and interaction. Professor Upham is a resident of Hillsdale.
This is the fifth forum in "The Future of Hillsdale" series and is jointly sponsored by the Hillsdale Land Use Group and the Affordable Housing Subcommittee of the Hillsdale Comprehensive Plan Review Committee.
The evening is free to all. Light refreshments will be provided. For more information, call Kathy Schmidt at 518-325-7265, or Ellen Levy at 914-552-5674.
Environmental Advocates of New York's Campaign for Community Preservation
February 15, 2006
Environmental Advocates of New York is launching The Campaign for Community Preservation to pass the Community Preservation Act. The Act will give New York’s cities and towns the power to voluntarily create a community preservation fund to protect natural areas, support family farms, and preserve historic structures and heritage. Guided by local leaders, the Community Preservation Act creates a pay-as-you-go system to support land conservation and historic preservation.
Visit the Campaign for Community Preservation webpage.
Sportsmen express dismay with rail trail developments
Proposals create issues with former hunting grounds
By Kate Kirschenheiter, Register-Star, February 15, 2006
COLUMBIA COUNTY -- With rail trail development proposals currently floating around, sportsmen have begun to express discord with the potential disturbance to their former hunting grounds.
"Hunters, sports enthusiasts and property owners have become increasingly irritated by the recent proposals to convert the old Harlem Valley Railbed from Copake Falls to Ghent where it has been advocated to join the vacated B&A Railbed from Claverack," Ghent resident Albert Wassenhove said in a statement to the newspaper.
Wassenhove provided the newspaper with a photograph of a sign at the Copake Falls Harlem Valley Rail Trail trail head that conspicuously states "no hunting," an issue that has come up numerous times during discussions of the proposals.
"This clearly states NO HUNTING, whereas at the Ghent meeting it was stated by the rep from Office of Parks that hunters would be permitted on the trail with a rifle," Wassenhove stated. "The avid hunter we have in Columbia County and the various federations are not 'buying' into this scenario."
Columbia Land Conservancy representative Tom Crowell explained the reason why hunters were told they could carry a rifle over the trail.
"People are mixing a couple of issues together," he said. "Both the B&A line and the Harlem Valley line pass the Ghent Gun Club. They have a range and want to know if it would be affected by the rail trails. Assemblyman Manning has pledged to work with them so that the trails would not affect that use of that property."
In regards to the comments on rifles being allowed on the trail, he clarified that statement.
"On the existing trail itself, it is much like the laws of a highway," he stated. "You can't actually discharge your firearm from the trail. At the Ghent meeting John Spoilable [from state parks] said that you could carry an unloaded weapon on the trail and during hunting season you could cross the trail with an unloaded gun."
Crowell acknowledged that in "that sense you would be closing off access, you couldn't actually stand on the trail and fire."
Restricted access is exactly how some hunters in the county seem to feel about the rail trails and Hudson Fish and Game Club President Randall Belkola put some concerns in writing recently in a letter to the editor.
"Should the rail trail be implemented, it would have an adverse impact on hunting, trapping and fishing in several ways," he stated. "The most obvious is that sports hunting and trapping would be prohibited along the trail."
He cited practices on the rail trail in Millerton, which prohibits crossing the trail with firearms, even if they are unloaded and he notes the 500-foot buffer zone as well.
That isn't all he and his fellow sportsmen are worried about.
"It is reasonable to assume that in the light of increased potential for liability insurance and litigation, that land owners will prohibit the use of their land for the purpose of hunting," Belkola also wrote.
While the trails would restrict hunters from doing what they love to do, Belkola also points out further-reaching affects of hunting restrictions.
"This reduction will most likely result in increased population of wild game that can pose a detriment to the landowners and residents in the community," the letter said. "One can reasonably expect an increase in property damage to crops, hedges and gar-dens with the increase in deer population."
Crowell also points out a 500-foot buffer zone, but not the one around the rail trail, the one already observed around residences and roads, and he adds that the Harlem line is in very close proximity to route 23.
"In some way the highway being there is going to be the issue," he said. "Environmental law dictates what is and isn't allowed as far as hunting"
Proposed trail confusion made clear
By Kate Kirschenheiter, Register-Star, February 15, 2006
CLAVERACK and GHENT -- With all the talk about rail trails in the media and on the street, knowing which rail trail is which couldn't be more important to those with an interest in the future of Columbia County.
The proposed Boston and Albany Rail Trail, which would span an eight-and-a-half-mile stretch of the old railroad bed from the hamlet of Mellenville to the hamlet of Ghent is west of the proposed portion of the Harlem Valley Rail Trail.
"The two trails do connect in Ghent," said Columbia Land Conservancy representative Tom Crowell. "The Harlem line is mostly now in private ownership, which state parks is working to acquire with federaI transportation money. The section of the B&A is all with one exception owned by the county."
Looking at a map, the B&A rail bed begins further from the Harlem line and gradually comes closer and closer until the two meet in the hamlet of Ghent.
At the top portion of the trail the two are quite close together."A lot of people don't like out and back trails," Crowell said in support of developing both to rail beds. "These two slowly get further and further apart (going south) and are connected by smaller secondary roads. It would accommodate different users. Some people like 20 miles, some family only want a mile and half."
Crowell said the B&A runs largely through open fields parallel to county Route 9, while the Harlem line is a bit further east. From Ghent to Chatham, the line continues as the Harlem Line.
Rail Trails map caption (click here for map)
by Kate Kirschenheiter, Register-Star, February 15, 2006
A map created for a 1999 feasibility study depicts the proposed Boston and Albany Rail Trail, (arrow A) and a proposed portion of the Harlem Valley Rail Trail, (arrow B) running from the hamlet of Mellenville and the village of Philmont, bottom left and center, to the hamlet of Ghent, top right, where they come together as one line.
District may present residents with $6.4M project for spring vote
By Bryan F. Yurcan, Register-Star, February 14, 2006
HUDSON -- The Hudson City School District is considering presenting a possible $6.4 million buildings upgrade project to voters this spring that could include moving district offices out of the Claverack School and selling the building to the Town of Claverack.
The district's facilities committee presented a draft list of recommendations on the project during a board of education meeting Monday evening.
Peter Rost, the board's liaison to the facilities committee, gave an overview of the proposed project, while also answering questions from district voters who were leery of any increased tax burden the building project might add.
Rost, however, maintained that the project would be "budget neutral" -- it would not increase the tax levy, and would be funded 96.5 percent by state aid.
The project would cost taxpayers an additional $6 per year to homeowners without a STAR tax exemption, $3 for those with the senior STAR exemption, and $4 with a standard STAR for a tax rate of 6 cents per $1,000 of real property value.
However, Rost said cost-saving measures the committee has identified would negate any cost to the public.
The board is taking these steps as a result of a five-year report by conducted by Rhinebeck Architecture, LLC on the district's buildings, which was mandated by the state Education Department. The report labeled three of the district's four schools "unsatisfactory" due to health and safety issues.
Also, Rost said several of the buildings are still not in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The district currently spends $70,000 per year maintaining the Claverack building, which houses the central receiving and administrative offices. It also spends $14,000 per year renting storage space in Hudson since the Claverack School is not adequate to house everything.
He identified those costs as potential savings after the administration and receiving departments had been moved to a more central location, most likely in Hudson. The report from the committee recommended renovating existing space at the High School for the administrative offices.
Rost also said there is interest by the Town of Claverack in purchasing the building once the district offices are moved out. The town has said it is may be interested in converting the school to a a community or civic center, where there could be a library as well It has also discussed moving the town hall there.
The proposed project would also include upgrading the high school's science and technology classrooms, which Rost said are out of date. He said the science and technology upgrades would allow the district to rent those renovated classrooms to the Columbia-Greene-Rensselaer Board of Cooperative Education Services for $18,500 per year for' 10 years could be further additional savings. The report also discussed collaborating with Columbia-Greene and Bard for an advanced science curriculum.
"This is a short-term solution to address the most pressing issues," Rost said of the project. "It's a solid beginning to what we need to do."
He said the facilities committee would be expanded shortly to work on a long-term master plan to identify solutions to all of the district's building problems.
Some of the additional proposed plans as part of the project are:
John L. Edwards School:
Greenport School:
High School
Rost said the committee is only recommending to the board doing what is immediately necessary for immediate.
If the board votes to move ahead with the project at its next meeting on Feb. 27, it would be on the ballot in May and left up to district voters. The committee will also begin work on a long-range master plan to address further needs.
An expanded facilities committee would need to address the following:
Rost was asked by a member of the public what would happen if voters approved the project, then the district found out they couldn't get the 95 percent state aid.
He said that some wording would be added to the proposition that would require the state aid for the project to be at least 95 percent or else the project would be halted.
"We'll only move forward if the building aid is constant," he said.
This project is part of $41,406,000 worth of work that needs to be done over the next five years, per the SED.
Register-Star, February 11, 2006, Letter to the editor
Wants to start a voting group
To the Editor:
Let's start a regional verified voting group today! Voting activists in Ulster, Columbia, Dutchess and elsewhere in the Hudson region can unite to ensure election integrity.
I propose the group be named "Mid-Hudson Verified Voting." I'm happy to discuss other names.
We can be a chapter of New Yorkers for Verified Voting; Bo Lipari has said that NYVV.org wants to create chapter groups.
I am willing to create a Web site for the group. We can handle sign up, information posting, event listings all through this web site.
Who is in?
We need to act on this right away as the voting machine issue is a fast-moving target. Please send me your thoughts, insights, comments as soon as possible.
Vicky Perry
Red Hook
James Sheldon: Rail Trail Opponents Are Off-Track
February 10, 2006, LittleTownViews.com
The latest uproar against proposals to expand two “rail trail” networks in Columbia County raises important questions about the cost to taxpayers of improving the trails. Judging by recent letters sent to local newspapers, however, the trail program’s opponents seem to be missing the forest for the trees.
Any net increase in our taxes from improving the rail beds for public use would be minuscule compared to the additional school, town and county property taxes that would be needed to serve the large-scale residential developments now proposed in many towns in our region.
Those who rightly protest they are “being whipped by ever-increasing taxes,” as one letter writer put it, should consider the detailed research I have conducted on two school districts that serve towns in southern Columbia County. Every 100 new houses built in the districts, my findings suggest, will raise school taxes alone on existing property owners by $750,000 to $1 million each year.
One staunch rail trail opponent, Albert Wassenhove of Ghent, wrote in a recent letter to the editor, “We cannot afford to surrender our property rights to the fancy and whim of those that say ‘it’s not going to cost anything.’”
Let’s hope that Mr.Wassenhove, and other tax-savvy residents of the county, will cast an equally skeptical eye on housing developers who promise our planning boards that their subdivisions will bring great benefits to the community and won’t cost taxpayers a cent.
Hunters view rail trail with caution
by Richard Roth
The Independent, Friday, February 10, 2006
GHENT-The proposal to convert an abandoned railroad right-of-way between Mellenville and Chatham into a hiking and cycling trail has mobilized residents on both sides of the issue, according to Chairman Gerald Simons of the Columbia County Board of Supervisors.
"We're getting a lot of letters for the rail trail, and a lot against the rail trail," said Mr. Simons. "A couple of major issues are coming up. One is that there would be two rail trails, and a lot of people feel that two is an overkill."
The Mellenville-to-Ghent trail, on the old Boston and Albany rail bed, which is now owned by Columbia County, would run parallel to the northern end of the Harlem Valley Rail Trail, which begins in Dutchess County and could eventually reach more than 30 miles. The two trails would intersect near the Village of Chatham.
Opposition to the trail comes mainly from two groups, according to Mr. Simons: adjacent property owners, some of whose homes are less than 20 yards from the right-of-way; and sportsmen, who are worried about losing access to valuable hunting land.
The Ghent Rod and Gun Club is located between the two trails, and its shooting range is oriented toward the proposed Harlem Valley trail. Eliminating the range, which cannot be moved without endangering neighboring properties or the roadway, would not only inconvenience the Rod and Gun Club's 250 members, says member Dick Leggett, it would also disrupt their fundraising activities.
"It would restrict us completely as far as our shooting range," said Mr. Leggett. "A couple of times a year we have a turkey shoot or a ham shoot to raise money for our projects, and it would pretty much eliminate that."
There is speculation that hunting would be prohibited in a 500-foot buffer zone on either side of the trail, according to Mr. Simons. But a State Trooper who teaches hunter education said he was not aware of any such regulation, though he suspected some restrictions would come into play. "The government doesn't too often say: You're an adult, use your own judgment," said the Trooper, who asked to remain anonymous. "I wager that somewhere there would be a paragraph."
Assemblyman Patrick Manning (R-103rd), who supports the trail development, says he will make sure the Rod and Gun Club's interests are protected. "If that means we have to help re-do the shooting facility, I've applied for money to do that," said Mr. Manning. "The bottom line is, we don't affect the use and enjoyment of their facility. If I thought it would, this project would never go forward."
Mr. Manning says it's important to keep in mind that the rail trail would cost county taxpayers nothing. Columbia County currently holds title to the land; it would be sold for a nominal sum to the Columbia Land Conservancy, which would then make a gift of it to the state. This, in turn, would make the project eligible for federal funds.
"That's not [federal] money that would go to lowering taxes or reducing debt," said Mr. Manning. "It will go to some other park project [elsewhere] in the United States, and I would rather have it in Columbia County."
Not all sportsmen are opposed to the trail. But Lance Dellavechia, who writes a column on outdoor sports for The Independent, said he could understand the concern some hunters have about losing more open space.
"The bubbas are worried about turning [Columbia County] into New Jersey," said Mr. Dellavechia, who grew up in this area. "A lot of the hobby farms that get bought up, the first thing the outsiders do is shut it down. We've gone from being able to hunt 7 miles in a row to 10 acres here and 40 acres there."
Nevertheless, Mr. Dellavechia said he would not be against establishing the trail. "For the animals to be guaranteed the habitat would override the inconvenience of not being able to hunt there," he said.
"I'm not 100% opposed to it," said Ghent Rod and Gun Club President George Kerner. "But I'm not sure it's right for people who live along there."
Neighboring residents have expressed two concerns. Some say the rail bed cuts through private property, and that could make access difficult for farmers who work land on both sides of the proposed trail. Others say they worry about being sued if someone using the trail should happen to wander onto their property.
Neighbors need not be concerned about liability, according to Mr. Manning, who said he had investigated the subject after it was brought up at an informational meeting in Ghent last month. "Right now, if somebody walked off that county property and broke their leg, [the property owner] could be sued," said Mr. Manning. "But if the state owns the property, [adjacent landowners] would be protected under the state policy."
Mr. Manning also said access to both sides would not be a problem, because similar situations have been successfully dealt with along the Harlem Valley Rail Trail. "If we were going into this blind, it would be one thing," he said. "But it's all been addressed in Dutchess County."
Mr. Leggett, who is involved with nuisance animal control, says it's not only hunting that needs to be protected, but trapping as well. "There are getting to be fewer and fewer trappers out there," he said, "and to keep the populations healthy it's necessary to do some trapping."
Past health problems among mammals like muskrat, beaver, fox and coyote have included rabies, distemper and mange. Some hunters have predicted an increase in Lyme disease if deer populations are not kept under control; ticks spread the disease from deer to humans.
Deer hunting has another important benefit, according to Mr. Leggett. The Hunters for Hungry program contributed at least 60 deer to area food pantries during the 2004-05 season. The Columbia Sportsmen's Federation has purchased several freezers to store the meat at various locations, including the Ghent Rod and Gun Club, before distribution.
Mr. Leggett says he believes things could be worked out between supporters and detractors of the rail trail proposal, provided both groups are willing to compromise. "I think a lot of talking and negotiating would have to take place first, before it could be beneficial to everyone," said Mr. Leggett.
Mr. Manning, who recently attended the Columbia Sportsmen's Federation awards dinner, says he is confident sportsmen will lose none of their rights in the process. "I'll stake my career and my word on that," said Mr. Manning. "Sportsmen will be protected."
Friends of Hudson: News Release, February 10, 2006
Monthly Speaker Series
Thursday, February 16 at 7 PM
611 Warren Street, 2nd floor
SEQR 101
Presented by attorney Jeff Baker
Type I Action? Type II Action? Unlisted Action? Involved Agency? Lead Agency? Pos Dec? Neg Dec? Scoping? EAF? DEIS? GEIS?
Confusing? Incomprehensible? These are some of the terms flung around with abandon by those who are involved in a SEQR process. SEQR? SEQR is the State Environmental Quality Review.
A SEQR review is required in NYS if any state or local agency has the authority to issue a discretionary permit, license or approval for the action. It is also required if an agency funds or undertakes a project, resource management plan, rule or policy that affects the environment.
Getting clearer, but now you really want to know more? Still confused?
Never fear-help is on the way.
The next offering in FoH's monthly Speaker Series will feature Jeff Baker presenting "SEQR 101." Jeff Baker, a partner in Young Sommer... LLC in Albany is a well-known and highly respected attorney in environmental issues. He is also, of course, the attorney who so ably drove FoH's legal strategy in the fight against SLC. He was recently appointed Special Counsel to the Planning Commission and the Zoning Board in the city of Hudson.
This will be an important session for all of us because SEQR will play a major role in most of the development projects that are springing up lately as well as in other proposed actions such as mining permits that we continue to be faced with.
In his presentation Jeff will provide a basic overview of the SEQR process and describe how the public can be involved in a SEQR process. Jeff will be available to answer questions regarding SEQR and help us to understand what the public can expect of SEQR--what it does and doesn't do, the rights and responsibilities of applicants and agencies in the process, and how the public can effectively participate.
Reservations are required because seating is very limited. Please e-mail me (sfalzon@mac.com) or call the office (518-822-0334) to make a reservation.
The Friends of Hudson Speaker Series is offered free of charge to FoH members. Attendees who have not yet done so will be invited to join so that we may continue to offer events like these to all our members.
Save the Date: In March the Speaker Series will be a panel discussion on "Alternative Energies for Municipalities: Exploring the Possibilities" on Saturday, March 18 at 1 PM at St. Mary's Gym (3rd and Allen Streets in Hudson).
Register-Star, Wednesday, February 8, 2006, Letter to the editor
Claverack invitation
To the Editor:
I am writing to invite all town of Claverack residents to the Visioning Workshop sponsored by the Comprehensive Planning Committee. The Workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday, February 11th, at the Hudson River Academy (the old Ockawamick School building) on Route 217.
Town residents who didn't have a chance to attend the previous meeting at the Claverack Firehouse now have another opportunity to participate in the process of aiming the direction of the town of Claverack. Citizens' voices, visions and inputs are the cornerstone of a comprehensive plan to carry the town forward through the next generation.
Please mark Saturday, February 11th, 9 to 11 a.m. on your calendars and attend this historic event!
Michael Brandon,
member
Claverack Comprehensive Planning Committee
Claverack Library: News Release, February 8, 2006
Claverack Library Winter Festival
Bring your extra hats and mittens and join us at the Claverack Library and the A. B. Shaw Fire Hall on Saturday, February 25, 2006 from 10:30-12:00 a.m. for a fun-filled morning. If we have a good snowfall we will build mini-snow people. Regardless of the snow or lack thereof, we will create winter crafts, play games and hear a story.
This event, sponsored by the Claverack Library, is free and open to all families. The library is located at the corner or 9H and 23B in the hamlet of Claverack. For further information please call the library at 518-851-7120.
Register-Star, Tuesday, February 7, 2006, Editorial
OUR VIEW
Town of Claverack has the right 'plan'
We applaud the way Claverack is going about working on its Comprehensive Plan. The town is going above and beyond in an effort to include residents and landowners to voice their opinions and take ownership in the Comprehensive Plan for the town.
Each household in Claverack will receive a written survey about the plan, to be returned to the plan's committee by Feb. 18.
Then, the town will host a public workshop to discuss and explore strengths and weaknesses to develop a long-range plan for Claverack.
A Comprehensive Plan is a very important document for towns to have -- it contains visions, goals, policies and strategies to guide growth and development in communities. Claverack is hoping their final plan will guide them through the next decade -- or more. So, it is very important for residents to respond and take part in the sessions that help enhance life in the town.
Issues that residents will consider are agriculture, residential development, open space and community character. Towns and villages all over the state are grappling with these issues, and to protect the character of Claverack -- and to ready it for future growth -- it is imperative that residents become involved.
If you don't think this is important, think about these issues that you might face: housing developments and the look and design of them, preserving open space and potential park land, preserving the agricultural integrity of Claverack.
If these issues are important to you, we urge you to become involved. Other towns and villages in the county that are grappling with Comprehensive plans can take note and residents of those areas start thinking about the importance of these plans.
It will affect your life, so get involved.
[Note from Chris Reed: Recently I had a conversation with a friend who works for the NYC Department of Environmental Protection on watershed management issues. He said that his colleagues are acutely aware of
changes in weather patterns due to global warming and the effects of tropical downpours such as we have been experiencing this winter on regional dam safety and other water control systems not built to handle such stresses. The following item about the landslide in Greenport earlier this week should provide yet another wake-up call about the wisdom of clearcutting and intensive building on such sensitive areas as Summit Hill in Philmont with its 12% (or greater) grade.]
Earthen dam threatens homes
Debris from landslide holds back creek, posing downstream concern
Times-Union, Sunday, February 5, 2006
GREENPORT -- Officials are concerned that an earthen dam that formed when a landslide tumbled into the Claverack Creek earlier this week may break apart, threatening downstream homes.
The new fears prompted local and state authorities to declare a limited state of emergency and to reopen a command post on the site where a 300-yard-section of embankment tumbled into the creek on Thursday.
The landslide has diverted Claverack Creek from its normal path and has led a considerable amount of water to build up behind the massive pile of earth and rock that was formed.
"We're concerned that if the blockage lets loose, a sudden surge of water will come through, especially in low lying areas," said town of Stockport Supervisor Leo Pulcher.
A couple dozen homes in Stockport, about two miles downstream from the landslide, lie in the creek's path, Pulcher said. Officials plan to continue around-the-clock presence at the site, in case the dam begins to give away.
If it does, authorities expect high water that could dampen homes, but not a massive flood.
"You're not going to have a 15 or 20-feet wall of water coming through," Pulcher said. "We just want people to know what's going on."
-- Matt Pacenza
Register-Star, Sunday, February 5, 2006, Letter to the editor
Seniors state concerns
To the Editor:
I have tried to keep abreast of the issues regarding the proposals to develop the old Claverack/Ghent B&A railroad right of way (ROW) into a recreational park and the similar, but larger proposal to extend the Harlem Valley Rail Trail (HVRT) into Chatham Village.
We senior citizens who are constantly being whipped by ever increasing taxes and costs, recognize these issues for exactly what they are -- the birth cry of a new way to suck more taxes from us to pay for a special interest group's seasonal recreation.
WE have all heard, "But it won't cost you anything" from too many politicians too often to believe it anymore. We know that, "If it sounds too good to be true, IT IS."
The B&A land has already cost us $15,000 in County funds and thousands more in lost tax revenue. The owners of the land adjoining the ROWs have already been denied their right to security and privacy and will see it further greatly diminished when strangers flock past their back yards. These landowners are caught in the paradox of seeing their land value and taxes increase while their ability to develop and sell is limited to buyers who find intrusion acceptable. If all HVRT users are law abiding and respectful, why is the trail patrolled by the Sheriff's Deputies on ATVs? Why are trail head gates padlocked? Why are users encouraged to lock their cars and bikes?
I recently was told by a rail trail proponent that the sales taxes generated here by the trail users would pay for the trail development and maintenance. That indeed would be very nice, but I cannot believe that an $.08 on a dollar tax, paid solely by trail users, in local businesses, is ever going to generate significant tax income here. It hasn't in Amenia or Millerton. To pay off only $1 million of the several million dollars of development costs would require $12.5 million in gross sales.
So here we go again, seniors are faced with another tax increase to support an extravagance promoted by people who are obviously financially immune to the tax impact themselves. It may not be politically correct to put this issue in a "We vs. Them" context, but it is obvious to me that if "WE" don't start fighting back, then "THEM" are going to be the only ones that can afford to live here.
Vincent Wallace
Claverack
Committee receives $179,264 in funding
Register Star, February 4, 2006
Sally Baker of the Development for the Philmont Beautification Committee announced the "You Can Do It" Revitalization Project has been selected to receive $179,264 funding from the state Housing Trust Fund Corporation for the application submitted to the New York Main Street (NYMS) for facade renovation, building renovation and streetscape enhancement.
The award is 100 percent of the requested grant amount and aims to assist with renovation and restoration at a total of 12 project sites at six buildings on Main Street, Philmont, located between Ellsworth Street and Elm Street, one streetscape structure, lights, and signage.
The Philmont Beautification Committee "You Can Do It" Revitalization Project intends to foster community understanding of how preservation of historic buildings and re-use adaptive renovations can be an effective tool for boosting the local economy, strengthening community pride, and stimulate economic revitalization of the existing mixed-use downtown. In this way, the project aims to encourage a more informed community on the aspects of smart growth that provides a place to live, play and create community.
The project additionally aims to lead to increased employment, increased economic activity, and provides local construction and professional service opportunities. The Streetscape component will include a master-craft youth apprentice stone masonry component to preserve the historic local craft of granite stone wall building.
Community outreach educational components aimed at informing residents on the progress of the "You Can Do It" Revitalization Project will be held on a quarterly basis, and will include presentations made by project participants on the renovation rehabilitation process of particular project buildings, and project site walk-through educational promotional tours.
Outreach presentations will include information on how to increase home ownership in the village of Philmont by low-income tenants, weatherization assistance, information for minority-women owned businesses, artisan business building, across-the-ages community participation and information regarding local funding programs aimed to increase business and employment opportunities within the community.
For more information regarding the award, call Baker at (518) 672 7556 or Barbara Sagal, director, at (518) 672 7152.
The Philmont Beautification Committee is a fund of Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation a 501 (c)(3) organization.
Register-Star, Friday, February 3, 2006, Letter to the editor
Opposes rail trail construction
To the Editor:
I am writing in opposition to the proposed donation of land by Columbia County for the purpose of constructing a rail trail on the Old Boston and Albany rail bed extending through the Townships of Claverack and Ghent.
This land was purchased by Columbia County for $15,000 on March 14, 1961 as per deed filed in the County Clerk's office Liber 373, page 241. In researching back, the county paid the average price per acre for the time. As you know the property values have increased dramatically, and if the county was to give this property away you would be giving away several thousand dollars of the taxpayers money.
You can figure in today's market the land would be value between $10,000 to $15,000 per acre. Do the math.
Why is the Columbia County Land Conservancy involved in this? The Land Conservancy is very biased and stands to benefit greatly in achieving its purpose. I feel it would be foolhardy for our elected officials to give our assets away that has been entrusted to you.
If you have studied the Harlem Rail Trail in Copake and Dutchess County you will know that motorized wheel chairs are not allowed and they do not have handicapped rest rooms. Therefore eliminating the use by our handicapped. They do not allow firearms, which would impact our sportsmen.
I am against the B & A Rail Trail as it is in the shadows of the Harlem Valley Rail Trail. I question the need, it is more of "I Want." This trail is so close to the Harlem Valley Trail that you can see it and very easily trespass on private property to change trails. We are already inundated with trespassers from the power lines and the rail beds. The impact on land owners is unbelievable. Liability, privacy, safety, land values, litigation and trail maintenance just to mention a few.
In closing I must say that the supervisors of this county should make sure that the Rail Trail in Copake be brought up to handicapped standards immediately and not at the expense of the taxpayers but at the cost of the Rail Trail.
Nicolette Booream
Ghent
Claverack seeks more input on comprehensive plan
Register-Star, Thursday, February 2, 2006
CLAVERACK -- In its ongoing efforts to involve Claverack residents and landowners in the development of the new comprehensive plan, the town board along with the Comprehensive Plan Committee has developed two additional opportunities for citizens to voice their opinions.
First, each household in Claverack will receive a written survey in the mail. The town requests that the survey be filled out and returned in the self-addressed envelope provided in the mailing or drop it at the Town Hall by Feb. 18.
Second, the town will be hosting a second public workshop where we will be further exploring the strengths and weaknesses of Claverack and developing a long-range vision statement. This workshop, the same as one held Nov. 17, will be an informal workshop facilitated by our consultants and will be held at the Hudson River Academy on Route 217 (the former Okawamick School).
The Comprehensive Plan Committee hopes that residents from all parts of the town will attend the second workshop on Feb. 11. More than 70 residents attended the first workshop.
The survey provides citizens with an opportunity to participate in the planning process and to share thoughts about Claverack's future.
It is very important the town objectively collect specific information to accurately document what the residents of Claverack want and do not want.
This survey will be an effective means to hear what is of concern to residents and help the town understand the goals and objectives you want to guide the future development of the community. All survey responses will be kept anonymous and confidential. They will be summarized and used for the sole purpose of developing Claverack's comprehensive plan.
If residents know someone who did not receive a survey, or you need another one, extra copies are available at the Town Hall, Claverack Library, Philmont Library, or they can be downloaded from the town Web site at www.townofclaverack.com.
The town has initiated a comprehensive planning project which is coordinated by an appointed steering committee. Planning consultants from the firm Community Planning & Environmental Associates in Berne have been hired to assist the committee in this update. The town's previous comprehensive plan was written in 1970.
A comprehensive plan is a written document that identifies the vision, goals, policies, and strategies to guide growth and development in our community over the next 10 to 15 years. It is the policy foundation upon which the future of Claverack will be built.
This plan will guide the town when decisions are made that affect the immediate and long-range protection, enhancement, growth and development of Claverack.
The objective of this planning and visioning workshop is to incorporate thoughts, opinions, hopes, and aspirations of the residents into the new comprehensive plan.
During the visioning' session, participants will work in small groups to identify the strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities in the town that should influence future development, as well as develop a town-wide vision for the future of our community.
This is a chance for residents to offer their thoughts on such topics of concern in the town as residential development, agriculture, open space, community character, and other issues.
From the Columbia Land Conservancy, January 31, 2006:
Dear Virginia:
As you are aware, the Columbia Land Conservancy (CLC) has been working with the Columbia County Board of Supervisors, Assemblyman Patrick Manning and the New York State Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation to reexamine the feasibility of utilizing the county-owned portions of the former Boston and Albany rail line as a public trail.
At the request of the Supervisors, CLC organized public forums in Claverack and Ghent, the two towns the trail would pass through, to discuss the proposal. Assemblyman Manning moderated both meetings. Approximately 60 people turned out for the first meeting, held at the American Legion Hall in Philmont. The public comments were fairly well balanced between trail supporters and those with concerns.
The second meeting, which was held at the V.F.W. Hall in Ghent, attracted a standing room only crowd of more than 250 people. Jim Sponable, Director of Real Property for New York State Parks, along with Tom Crowell from CLC and Dan Haas, Harlem Valley Rail Trail Association co-chair for Columbia County, were on hand to answer questions.
Assemblyman Manning did an excellent job allowing everyone to express their feelings and ask questions. Overwhelmingly, the majority of the speakers were in favor of the County making this resource accessible to the general public.
Project Proposal: Trail would become part of State Parks system
The project as outlined, would involve the interim transfer of the property to the Columbia Land Conservancy, until we could in turn donate the property to New York State. This donation would be timed to coincide with applications for federal transportation grants to improve the trail, and would allow the value of the underlying real estate to be used as the local match requirement for these grants. Under this scenario, no additional local funds would need to be allocated to the project, and since the property is already county owned, this transfer would have no impact to the local tax base.
Public Opinion Voiced: Majority support a new trail
People spoke about the current limited recreational opportunities in the county, the advantages of rail trails as a place to provide safe, off-road recreation, and the improvement to the quality of life trails bring to the neighboring communities.
There were many questions regardi
