The Catskill Chronicle

Nineteen Sullivan County non-profit organizations received $20,000 in Decentralization Grants (DEC) for 2010 cultural programming at a special awards ceremony held on Saturday, February 6 at the Delaware Arts Center in Narrowsburg, NY. Assemblymember Aileen Gunther was on hand to present the award checks. And in the photo on left Gunther is shown presenting a Decentralization grant to Carolyn Steinberg of the Delaware Valley Chamber Orchestra for a 2010 local composers concert.

Allocated by the New York State Council on the Arts, the funding is administered by the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance (DVAA). The granted organizations represent 10 townships throughout Sullivan County, including the Towns of Tusten, Delaware, Callicoon, Liberty, Fallsburg, Lumberland, Forestburgh, Rockland, Thompson, and Highland.

Granted organizations are:

   Callicoon Center Band for a summer concert series

   Callicoon Creek Park Association for a concert series

   Cornell Cooperative of Sullivan County for art workshops

   Delaware Valley Chamber Orchestra for a local composers series

   Delaware Youth Center for art and theatre workshops

   Ethelbert B. Crawford Library for 12 free family events

   Forestburgh Theatre Arts Center for a theatrical production

   Friends of Sunshine Hall Free Library for winter cultural program

   Icehouse Arts for three youth video workshops

   Liberty Free Theatre for theatrical production

   Livingston Manor Free Library for a Johnny Darling Frolic

   Sullivan County Community Chorus for two concerts

   Sullivan County Historical Society for music at the museum

   Sullivan Performing Arts for the Liberty Jazz Festival

   Town of Fallsburg for two free Chamber Music at St. Andrews

   Town of Lumberland for concert cultural series

   Triad Dance Ensemble for a post modern dance performance

   Tusten Historical Society for a Narrowsburg Women’s Chorus concert

   Western Sullivan Public Library theatre classes for young people

DVAA seeks candidates to serve on future grant review panels. A likely panelist is a citizen informed about the arts and/or county cultural events. Duties consist of reading applications and participating in two meetings. To be considered, or for more information about the Decentralization Grant program, call (845) 252-7576. For more about this and other DVAA programs, visit ArtsAllianceSite.org.

NY-ALERT – This is an actual event issued by the National Weather Service (NWS).

On Tuesday, February 9 at 3:40 a.m. EST, the National Weather Service in Binghamton issued the following alert: A winter storm will impact the region tonight into Wednesday evening. An area of low pressure will move north into the Ohio valley during the day before weakening overnight.

A stronger storm will then develop along the East Coast overnight and intensify rapidly off the Jersey shore on Wednesday.

Widespread snow will move into Northeast Pennsylvania, the Southern Tier of New York and portions of the Western Catskills late tonight and continue through the day Wednesday. Significant snow accumulations are expected across the Poconos region with lighter accumulations further north, before the snow winds down Wednesday night.

This alert affects the following areas: Sullivan, Wyoming, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Pike, Southern Wayne, including the cities of: Monticello, Tunkhannock, Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Hazleton, Milford, Honesdale.

Additionally: A winter storm warning is in effect from 7:00 p.m. this evening to 1:00 a.m. Thursday. Snow will move into the region this Evening, continuing through the day Wednesday, before winding down late Wednesday night. The steadiest and heaviest snowfall will occur Wednesday afternoon. Total snow accumulations of 6 to 10 inches are expected by Wednesday evening. The highest amounts will likely occur across the Poconos from far Southern Luzerne to Southern Pike County.

As the storm intensifies off the East coast, north winds will increase to 20 to 30 mph, with higher gusts possible. This will result in blowing and drifting snow Wednesday afternoon into the overnight hours.

Precautionary/preparedness actions: A winter storm warning for heavy snow means severe winter weather conditions are expected or occurring. Significant amounts of snow are forecast that will make travel dangerous. Only travel in an emergency. If you must travel,keep an extra flashlight, food and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency.

Please stay tuned to your local radio or TV station for more information.

Story and photos by Ted Waddell

MONTICELLO– Times are tough for 20-year old Matthew Mann and his girlfriend Christina Conklin, 34, and even more so for nine-month old Ryan.

Especially when they got a notice from the landlord kicking them out of the apartment at 33 St. John Street that they were sharing with one of Conklin’s girl friends, a single mom with four kids of her own.

Three adults, four kids and a little baby make for some pretty cramped quarters in an apartment no matter how you cut it.

As a perfect example of hard times in the county, Conklin said that when the folks from Child Protective Services (CPS) came calling one day, they found “mold and a number of violations, and the landlord just don’t want to deal with 30 days, so he said everybody had to get out so he could fix it up.”

Mann said he’s looking for a job, but isn’t having any luck finding any work as times are rough these days in a county hard hit by economic trouble, as the woes of Wall Street trickle down to Main Street, Anywhere, USA.

“I’m looking for a job, whatever is available really,” he said.

His take on getting kicked out of the shared apartment, which according to the federal definition of “homeless” (a person is considered homeless if they “lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence…”) qualifies them to be “Homeless in the Land of Plenty.”

“We’ve had to be out in two weeks, the landlord sent a notice cause we’re living with a friend who actually paid for the apartment, but hasn’t been paying rent…it got ‘condemned’ so all eight of us had to get out,” said Mann.

Happy New Year 2010 folks, you’re out of a place to call home and your baby needs a little shelter from the storm.

The other day they showed up at the county’s only soup kitchen to grab a hot lunch and get some help from the Sullivan County Federation for the Homeless (SCFH) in finding a place to live.

“This is the first time I’ve ever had to deal with the homeless part you know, I just usually come here to eat,” said Conklin.

*To read the next two installments in this series visit our section – Homeless in the Land of Plenty – A Series and look for more updates on this important topic in the near future.

Monticello, NY: (Pictured left to right) Kaytee Warren, Chief Professional Officer of United Way of Sullivan County receives a gift of $1,000 for Project Care from M&T Bank Branch Managers, Eileen Mershon, Roscoe, Timothy Brosnan, Liberty and Sean Soliva, Monticello. The contribution was in addition to M&T’s annual corporate support and is designated for the holiday project that helps local residents who are struggling through tough economic times.

United Way of Sullivan County is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to mobilize the caring power of the community through participation in fundraising, volunteerism, advocacy, education and partnerships for the purpose of improving lives and building a strong and vital Sullivan County. United Way focuses on identifying and resolving pressing community issues to achieve permanent, measurable changes. To learn more visit the website at www.unitedwayofsullivancounty.org.

Photos by Lori Rubinstein-Fleck

Monticello, NY – The 2^nd Annual Great Sullivan FoodRaiser proved to be the success it promised and then some. More than 350 guests attended the seven-hour non-stop music festival at Mr. Willy’s Restaurant in Monticello, NY with proceeds topping the $10K point.

“What a great event! Even in such a difficult economy, Sullivan County came out in force to support the Federation for the Homeless. Stacy Cohen and Steve White organized an incredible 2nd year of what I hope will be an annual event. Bravo to all who attended and all who performed,” said Assemblymember Aileen Gunther.

Sabrina Artel, a Community Unity supporter and Creator/Host of Trailer Talk said, “The Community Unity fundraising event on Saturday night at Mr. Willy’s was proof that even in the cold, in the middle of winter and during these challenging economic times, neighbors care about each other as they gathered to show support for the critical community organizations that rely on volunteers and contributions.”

From the moment doors opened, locals poured into the place, donating what they could despite economic hardship. All proceeds from this event will directly benefit the 15 food pantries throughout the county of Sullivan.

“This event definitely lived up to our expectations – a great turnout; great music and great people all for a good cause. I am grateful for all the people who made it a successful event,” said Steve White, Program Administrator for Federation for the Homeless.

Coordinated and organized by Stacy Cohen of Stacy and Friends, more than 80 musicians and 15 bands donated their time and talent toward this cause. Local favorites like Somerville, The Slam Allen Band and The Rausch Brothers truly added icing to the cake.

Event organizer Cohen stated, “It is a great feeling to know that every penny raised goes directly to the cause!  I can’t wait to do it all again next year at the 3rd Great Sullivan County FoodRaiser.”

Mr. Willy’s owner Bill Sipos, a longtime community activist spoke from the heart, “Thanks to all who supported the Great Sullivan County food raiser. Not only in this tough economy and trying times, but always we need to stay connected. On a bitter cold winter night caring people come out to show they are connected and truly care. My heartfelt appreciation goes out to Stacy Cohen, all the musicians that gave there very precious time, to Steve White, who is continually working overtime to make  better quality of life for people, to the woman who sent a letter stating her husband had just been laid off, sorry she couldn’t be there, and enclosed a $5.00 donation, she is truly connected.”

All’s well that ends well. RCS Superintendent John Evans holds his kindergarten diploma from Roscoe Central School.

Story and photos by Ted Waddell

ROSCOE – It’s a good thing for Roscoe’s new superintendent that the statute of limitations on elementary school misdeeds has run out, or at least he hopes so…Once former superintendent Carmine Giangreco decided to head to a warmer climate in the south, Craig Stevens took over as interim superintendent for a few short months until Evans was picked to take over the driver’s seat …

The full story can be found in the School Pages section under the heading Academically Speaking, or simply click this link – John Evans Looks to the Future.

ROSCOE – The Roscoe Rockland Chamber of Commerce is the recipient of a $200,000 grant from the New York State Housing Trust Fund and the Office of Community Renewal.

The grant is part of the agency’s Main Street Program and is designed to assist communities in downtown renewal with an emphasis on façade improvements, capital improvements to businesses within the defined town center and improvements to residential units above business properties.

The Chamber received technical support on applying for the grant through Sullivan County’s Division of Planning and the Sullivan County Department of Grants Administration.

The project is a direct result of a series of community visioning meetings under the auspices of Sullivan Renaissance and Community Planner, Helen Budrock. In addition, the Chamber has also applied its $50,000 Golden Feather award from Sullivan Renaissance to the project in order to include streetscape work in the project in the form of new and improved sidewalks, and enhancements to the downtown business district.

The Grant process, similar to the successful project in Kauneonga Lake several years ago, requires the Chamber to establish design criteria, and solicit applications from building owners. The criteria  will then be assessed as to their readiness and viability by an independent review committee.

The program requires a 75/25 match with 25% of the cost of the renovations being the responsibility of the building owner or additional funding source.

The program is expected to take two years to complete.

The committee has been active in developing partnerships and soliciting and applying for additional funding to assist the business owners, many of whom suffered physical losses in a series of floods in 2004, 2005 and 2006 as well as economic losses due to road closures from the Colchester flood of 2007.

Newly installed Chamber President Elaine Fettig credits her predecessor Rick Baxter with developing the project to this point, and is in the process of organizing a series of public meetings, education and outreach regarding the program and its benefits to building owners in the target area.

Local artist Jack Yelle has been preparing artistic renderings of the concepts which will be displayed at a public meeting scheduled for Thursday, February 4, 2010 at the Roscoe Central School Cafeteria at 7 PM.

For additional information, contact Pat Pomeroy 607-498-5757 or Elaine Fettig 845-439-4039. In the event of inclement weather or school closure the meeting will be rescheduled for the same time on February 11.

LIBERTY – Thunder 102 ThunderHeads and local businesses turned out in droves Wednesday, January 27, 2010, to help smash Sullivan County blood drive records by donating 125 units of blood at the 4^th Annual Thunder Blood Bowl held at The Lodge at Rock Hill.

Thunder 102 and the American Red Cross, along with Catskill Regional Medical Center, Dutch’s Tavern and Café and The Lodge At Rock Hill sponsored the Thunder Blood Bowl to help facilitate blood donations for the local chapter of the American Red Cross.

Between 1 and 7 p.m., 150 people came through the door donating 125 units of blood with 18 of those people being first time donors. “Our ThunderHeads never cease to amaze me,” commented Paul Ciliberto, New York Region Market Manager and host of Ciliberto & Friends.

Thunder 102 and its parent company, Bold Gold Media Group, were honored in 2007 as Sponsor of the Year for their work with the American Red Cross Blood Services.

Thunder 102 asks its listeners to support the American Red Cross by giving blood at local blood drives. In addition, the Thunder 102 American Red Cross Minute keeps its listeners apprised of upcoming blood drives, which helps raise awareness for the need for blood donation throughout its listening area.

About Catskill Regional Medical Center

CRMC and the American Red Cross have joined together to sponsor regular monthly blood drives at CRMC. Please visit the CRMC website to view the full 2010 schedule. An affiliated member of the Greater Hudson Valley Health System, Catskill Regional Medical Center is dedicated to providing the highest quality healthcare to residents in the Sullivan County region. For more information, call 845-794-3300 or visit www.crmcny.org.

About Thunder 102

Serving Sullivan, Orange and Ulster Counties in New York and Wayne and Pike Counties in Pennsylvania, Thunder 102 is a community focused hot country station that has taken its listening area by storm through it promotions, concerts and fundraising efforts for local events. Thunder 102 is on Facebook and Twitter and streams live. To listen live or for more information on upcoming events, please go to www.thunder102.com.

NYC Commissioner of Corrections Thomas A. Beilein (to his right: Richard Kinney, Supervisor Commission of Correction.

Story and photos by Ted Waddell

Down in the belly of the beast.

After a tour of the jail on Wednesday, January 23, NYS Commissioner of Corrections Thomas A. Beilein called it the worst he’d ever seen, and announced at a public meeting later that evening that he’d ordered the entire third floor closed, likening it to “a dungeon.”

Joining the state’s top corrections official and NYSCOC Supervisor Richard Kinney on the tour were representatives from the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office, jail administrators and a representative from the NYS Governor David A. Paterson’s Office.

More than 100 local folks turned out to attend the special meeting held at the hearing room of the county government center, and although they were invited to submit written questions to the commissioner, verbal questions/comments were prohibited.

Chairman Beilein holds the distinction of being the only former sheriff in the history of the NYSCOC to serve as chair, and as Niagara County Sheriff from 1994-2008 (at which point he was appointed to the chairmanship by the governor) ran a jail with an average population or 450 inmates.

The public meeting attracted a standing room only crowd.

He said that based upon his tenure as a county official, he was sensitive to the economic stresses mandating the construction of a new jail facility will have on Sullivan County, one of the poorest in the state, but would not be deterred in his determination to order the construction of a new jail to protect the health and safety of both jail personnel and inmates.

“Your jail is crumbling,” he said, noting that while the jail itself is the worst of the worst he’s seen during his two years in the post, the jail staffs are some of the best.

“You have some excellent employees working for the sheriff and working in that jail,” added Beilein.

The booking area is part of the original 1909 facility.

He said that upon entering the booking area, part of the original 1909 facility, he saw exposed wires and numerous other safety concerns,  calling the possibility of serious injury to staff and/or inmates “really tremendous.”

“It’s not a good structure…it’s a structure that’s deteriorating…it’s completely unacceptable…” said Beilein.

He said that while touring the ca. 1950’s section of the jail things are a little better but still need to be fixed, “But we would approve them on a short-term basis.”

Then he gave his report on a walkthrough of the 36-cell modular unit constructed in 1989, designed for a five-year life span.

Sullivan County Sheriff Michael Schiff addresses the audience.

Twenty-one years later, Beilein said jail administrators pointed out sagging ceiling supported with pieces of angle iron and the horizontal bars on cell doors warping from the pressure of a slowly collapsing structure.

He noted that a NYSCOC 1989 report on the SCJ noted 96 violations of minimum standards.

“I don’t see where things have changed, but the cost of construction has changed,” said Beilein.

After the public meeting, SC Manager David P. Fanslau talked in detail about the process of building a new jail facility.

According to County Manager David P. Fanslau, the current estimated cost of constructing a new jail facility for about 250 inmates is approximately $70 million.

He said this would mean a 10-percent increase in local property taxes, but continuing to board out (the practice of sending SCJ inmates to other jails outside the county at local taxpayer expense) would result in a 10.2-percent rise in taxes.

“Nobody wants to hear about ‘poor inmates,’ but the reality is that many of our inmates aren’t convicted of anything until [it’s] determined if they are guilty or innocent,” said Sullivan County Sheriff Michael A. Schiff.

“It’s not a safe environment…I don’t think there’s anybody in this room who would work under these conditions, but our employees do it day in and day out.”

Sullivan County District 1 Legislator David A. Sager.

Sullivan County District 1 Legislator David A. Sager received a round of applause when, as the only legislator to tackle the issue head on before the commissioner, he pleaded for some relief on imposing the construction of a new jail on a county strapped for cash.

“We have been borrowing from Peter to pay Paul,” he said. “And now Peter’s on the floor with nothing left to give.”

Beilein replied, “I understand the stress on counties, but I am responsible for the health, safety and security of the inmates and the corrections officers, and I will not let these conditions persist.”

“I won’t turn my back, and I will not walk away from it…steps should have been taken before January 2010 to address this situation; it’s not going to go away.”

Col. Hal Smith, SCJ Administrator explained jail operations.

Perhaps former Sullivan County Sheriff Daniel Hogue summed it up best when he said before the meeting, “In the good times they procrastinated, now in the bad times I think the state’s going to make ‘em do it.”

To view more photos or to purchase prints from Commissioner Calls Jail “A Dungeon” visit the Chronicle on Zenfolio.

Story and photos by Carol Montana

WHITE LAKE - What recourse is there for someone who has a job interview or a new job, but doesn’t have the proper clothing?

The answer is Dress for Success, an international, not-for-profit organization, which provides professional attire to economically disadvantaged people who need to look good for an interview or a job.

Locally, a Mongaup Valley business partnered with an elementary school in White Lake and a national jewelry company to collect gently used clothing for Sullivan County workers.

Dr. Jamie Noeth, the owner of Body, Mind and Spirit Wellness Center in Mongaup Valley, working along with several other people from her practice including office manager Barbara Sush, worked with Patty Sonnenschein, principal at the Duggan School, as well as the jewelry company Lia Sophia on this clothing drive held on Thursday, January 21.

Sush explained that while Dress for Success is international in scope, “we hooked up with our local organization, [administered through the United Way of Sullivan County]. So everything donated today will go to Sullivan County Women.” 

Dr. Noeth talked about the partnership with Lia Sophia, which “is a jewelry company. They have different levels of jewelry, real high-end jewelry that’s really big in Hollywood, and they have everyday collections that are becoming really popular. Lia Sophia is one of the corporate sponsors of Dressed for Success. They donate a portion of their proceeds to the cause.”

Every piece of clothing collected at the event was to be taken to the United Way office in Monticello. There, anyone who needs a good piece of clothing, “… college students, anyone who doesn’t have that available cash, can go get a nice wardrobe and feel good for the interview and good for the job,” said Sush, who added that they also had piles of clothes in their office from the pre-event publicity.

“We reach out to the community to get the clothing,” said Noeth, “and then we bring it to the United Way and they’re in charge of getting it out to the different groups. They’re in touch with all the other [social service] organizations.

After people came in with their dresses, suits and fancy blouses, lots of shoes and tons of purses,  they also enjoyed dips and chips, cheese and crackers, and punch, juice or water. They also got to look over the latest catalogs from Lia Sophia, with a discount card of $10 off a sale of $100 or more. The discount is valid through July and can also be used at the Lia Sophia “Everything Chocolate” event on February 11 from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. at Dr. Noeth’s office.

Patty Sonnenschein, principal of Duggan Elementary school for nine years, found out about the Lia Sophia connection through her best friend who also sells the jewelry. “I’m supporting this because it’s tied to Dress for Success. Because it’s a non-profit organization we can have this at our school.”

Explaining that the Duggan school strives to promote and support the community, Sonnenschein said that the school is open to many other activities. “The school is a community building, not just a school building, so we promote after-school programs, we have girl scouts and boy scouts, tae kwon do, yoga, and we want to foster more of that.”

The school was on the chopping block last year and Sonnenschein says the teachers and support staff know they are fortunate to be there. “We want to be sure that our taxpayers value the Duggan community, not only as an academic community, but a community that builds relationships, citizenship, health and wellness, and extends the community to the school.”

As the recipient of the donated clothing, the chief professional officer of United Way of Sullivan County for the past two years, Kaytee Warren explained that the local program is overseen by her office. “Our program is called Wardrobes for Work, and we’re part of the national Dress for Success. It already existed when I came on board. It’s in our building and we oversee the day-to-day running.”

Wardrobes for Work used to be utilized strictly by referrals from county work agencies like Workforce Development, “but now, because the economy is so bad and so many people don’t have clothing for work or are trying to maintain clothing for a job, we’re now open to the public on Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.,” said Warren.

Clothing for men is also accepted and there are people on hand to help with the choosing and fitting of the clothing.

The United Way of Sullivan County, which used to act as a channeling agency for donations to other not-for-profits, now mainly works on what they call Community Impact Projects. “We’re part of the partnership for 211, the information and referral number. 211 is a seven-county collaborative, which includes Sullivan, Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Orange, Ulster and Rockland.”

Warren says that the collaborative is especially needed in times like this. “There’s such a maze of services and people don’t get what they need because they don’t know who to call, 211 can find help for a wide range of services: if you need help for a parent with Alzheimer’s, if you’re looking for a lawyer, help with education expenses, any kind of health care …” The program is sponsored by the State of New York. However, like many social service programs, the 211 collaborative got a 92% cut in funding in 2009. It is now funded by the participating counties’ United Ways and by private foundations.

In 2009, the United Way of Sullivan County distributed over 2800 holiday gifts through it’s Snowman & Dreidel Tree Campaign. The organization also runs food drives to restock county food pantries, administers food and shelter monies that comes from FEMA for one-time emergency help. “We do a golf tournament to raise money, we oversee the SEFA campaign for state employees, and the United Way campaign, and right now we’re doing Haitian earthquake relief,” explains Warren. 

Clothing donations for the Dress for Success / Wardrobes for Work program can be brought to the Body, Mind & Spirit Wellness Center at 12 Plank Road in Mongaup Valley (583-6181). or to the United Way Office at 33 Lakewood Avenue in Monticello (794-1771).

To view more photos or to purchase prints from Dress for Success visit The Catskill Chronicle on Zenfolio.