The Catskill Chronicle

Commander Bruce Pesci of Alan Milk Memorial Post 7276 – Long Eddy.

Story and photos by Ted Waddell

Jim “Beetlejuice” Keith answered America’s call to arms during the Vietnam War in the 1st Cavalry Division.

LONG EDDY – At 11:00 sharp, on the 11th hour of the 11day day of the 11th month of 2009, folks gathered at the local firehouse to honor the nation’s veterans, the military personnel who have fought to protect our freedom and way of life since the Revolutionary War.

Joining Alan Milk Memorial Post 7276 of Long Eddy were representatives from the Emmett Turner American Legion Post 276 of Jeffersonville, Callicoon’s VFW Post 5808, and the Marine Corps League.

The 143rd NYVI rifle guard: 1st Sgt, Dennis W. Bernitt served in Vietnam, and was joined on Veteran’s Day 2009 by privates Tyler Jon Bernitt, Kolin R. Bothun and Brett Dirie.

The 143rd New York Volunteer Infantry (NYVI) served as the rifle guard, as a fitting complement to the color guard.

November 11 was originally declared “Armistice Day” 8 years after hostilities ceased in WWI as a way of honoring those who served in that bloody conflict. In 1954, it was renamed “Veteran’s Day’ to pay homage to all veterans who served America in war and defended democracy, whether in battle of peacetime duty, from the Revolutionary War, to WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and the ongoing international War on Terrorism.

“Fellow comrades, ladies auxiliary, Long Eddy fire department, fellow patriots, we welcome you here today in remembrance of all our comrades who have served, and are serving in all branches of the armed forces in this country and abroad,” said Bruce Pesci, Commander of Alan Milk VFW Memorial Post 7276.

The Alan Milk Memorial Post color guard: Jim Keith, Jerry Murphy, Kirk McGraw, Horace Finis, Verl Ringgenberg.

“Veteran’s Day is a day of honor and pride, and also a day of remembrance for all those who have given the ultimate sacrifice of themselves for their country and this great nation of ours…[it] is a special day in the hearts and minds of Americans everywhere. God Bless Her.”

Betty Ringgenberg of the Ladies Auxiliary said, “Today we honor all our veterans who unselfishly placed their lives on the line for our freedom…Those men and women were ordinary people until they heard the call of duty and answered it. They left their families, their homes, and their lives not for recognition or fame, or even the honor we bestow upon them today. They fought to protect our country, to maintain our way of life…The defense of freedom is not just for those in the military, each of us shares that duty and that responsibility.”

Kathleen Geosits sang “God Bless America” and the National Anthem.

“Veteran’s Day is a day to remember why they were fighting and a day for all of us to begin our journey of protecting our freedom, and the freedom of many future generations,” added Ringgenberg.

To view more photos or to purchase prints from Honoring America’s Legions of Veterans visit the Chronicle on Zenfolio.

Xhesika Lushaj performed a colorful traditional Albanian dance.

Story and photos by Ted Waddell

Taris Kevii gets a leg up on his piano career.

LAKE HUNTINGTON – The National Honor Society of Sullivan West Central School hosted their 6th annual talent show on Tuesday night, November 10, in the high school auditorium.

Emcees Hannah Rettoun, Brendan Creegan, Jackie Ellmauer and Kate Bunch kept the acts moving across the stage, and in between the performances, entertained the audience with some sprightly banter and a few jokes. The popular “pack ‘em in the seats event” was produced by Nick Cucci and Cindy Szeflinski.

The talent show opened with Cucci’s piano solo of Fredrick Chopin’s “Minute Waltz,” and the first half continued with Rettoun and Creegan teaming up on  “Baby It’s Cold Outside” by Dean Martin.

Cindy Szaflinsky, one of the behind-the-scenes tech crew does a sound check.

Continuing in the first half: Margaret Bruetsch playing the piano and singing Sara Bareilles’ “Love Song,” then switching to guitar singing “For What Its Worth” by Buffalo Springfield; Xhesika Lushaj performing a traditional Albanian dance; a flute solo by Brian Calvert, of Anderson’s “Scherzino;” the band Echo (Bonnie Wiest, Justin Maggio, Joey Fredenburg, Dan Turner) performing “Heart Shaped Box” by Nirvana and Evanescence’s “Bring Me to Life;” Taris Kevil sang “Wonderful” by Lady GaGa; Catherine Peters sang “Better When You’re Not Mine,” an original composition; Shawn Bailey sang “Sea of Faces” by Kutless; and November Fallen (Chris Murphy, Anthony Nicoletti, Nick Scott, Russell Bryan) sang the original “Bears Are Wolves But Bigger.”

Jeff Yeung, lead guitarist with Paint the City.

Right before intermission, several Sullivan West faculty appeared on stage for a wonderfully wacky skit titled “Night Crew”, that answered once and for all the question, “What do the night-time custodians really do after all the students and teachers leave for the day?”

It’s amazing what lurks in the artistic heart of faculty members when they have a chance to rock with a few drumsticks, garage can lids and empty metal cans.

Just in case you want to send a few kudos or tomatoes their way, the members of the Night Crew were Trish Ellmauer, Mike Ellmauer, Sue Andrews, Marlene Kinch, Margaret Tenbus, Catherine Lunn, Lynda Bracken, Nora Botta, Anthony Durkin, Amy Hellerer, Cheryl Graham, and Kim Eschenberg.

Catherine Peters, lead vocalist with Split Ends.

The second half curtain unveiled Paint the City featuring Max Carmack, Jeff Yeung, Christian Calvo, Louie Brahm, Allie Ellmauer, Hannah Rettoun) singing their originals “Nostalgic For You” and “Ballad 92”, along with “Sweet Child O’Mine” by Guns and Roses, and “Use Somebody” by Kings of Leon.

Next up was Allie and Jackie Ellmauer teaming up to sing Taylor Swift’s “Crazier;” Jackie Parsons singing “My Heart” by Paramore; a guitar solo of Metallica’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls” by Angelo Bibbo.

The final act of the evening was blow the doors off performance by the Splint Ends featuring Kendra Baker, Catherine Peters, Danielle Strassman and Anna Dexheimer, as the band vocalized “Audience of One” by Rise Against and Paramore’s “When It Rains.”

Bonnie West, lead vocalist with Echo.

Pat Hawker, high school nurse and National Honor Society adviser, said of the 2009 talent show, “It had the most acts, the best talent, and the most attendance.”

To view more photos or to purchase prints from Talent Lurks in the Artistic Heart of Sullivan West visit the Chronicle on Zenfolio.

Joe Collura with the hand of fellow board member Arlene Hussey, on his shoulder. 

FALLSBURG – Fallsburg Board of Education member Joseph Collura recently returned from a year of military service for our country. 

Collura was attached to Naval Special Warfare, Special Operations Task Force West, Task Unit SWAT, in Al Ambar Province, Iraq. 

At a recent Board of Education meeting, Board Vice President Shawn Wiles warmly welcomed him upon his safe return and thanked him for his sacrifice over the past year.  An appreciative Board, as well as members of the audience, stood as one in greeting him.

Reflected in this fire fighter’s glasses is the 11th Annual Woodbourne Veterans Parade as it makes it way down Main Street towards the Woodbourne Firehouse at the edge of town.

Story and photos by Ted Waddell

A huge American Flag was suspended between the raised steel towers of aerial apparatus from Loch Sheldrake and Ellenville.

WOODBOURNE – It was a glorious day to honor the nation’s proud veterans, countless legions of men and women who have answered America’s call to arms, defending our freedom under Old Glory.

Led by a Fallsburg Police Department patrol vehicle and color guard, the line of march stepped out smartly down the main drag, and the parade wrapped up at the local firehouse, passing in review before a huge American Flag suspended from the raised towers of aerial apparatus from Loch Sheldrake and Ellenville.

Grand Marshall US Army Sgt. James K. Richardson fought as a combat infantryman in Vietnam.

US Army Sergeant James K. Richardson was this year’s Grand Marshall, and he drove an Army Mule mounting a heavy caliber machine gun down main street. Just the ticket for summer time motoring in the Catskills.

At the age of 18, Richardson left Liberty High School and enlisted in the US Army, and in the wake of training and several assignments both stateside and overseas, was sent to Vietnam and assigned to Company C, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry, 199t Infantry Brigade USARPAC. On March 27, 1968, he was painted by light from an exploding land mine, thus earning the Purple Heart.

Richardson earned several other awards and decorations, and is a life-time member of Vietnam Veterans of America, Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Disabled American Veterans.

A couple of other local vets served as guests of honor during Woodbourne’s Veterans Day Parade of 2009.

US Army Sergeant Sharon G. Doyle served in Iraq.

US Army Sergeant Sharon G. Doyle graduated from Liberty High, and on October 10, 1990 was company honor graduate at Paris Island in South Carolina. Before starting a career in NYS Corrections, she completed specialized intelligence training with the US Navy and US Marine Corps.

In 2003, Doyle joined the Neversink Fire Department, and two years later the Army Reserve Unit 854th Engineering Battalion of Kingston, NY. She was attached to the 479th EN BN out of Watertown, NY for deployment to Iraq. Once overseas she served as the lead gun truck driver for a convoy security team, logging more than 10,0000 combat mission miles.

Sergeant Doyle holds several awards including the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal with Star, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with M Device, National Defense and Overseas Service Ribbon.

Dressed as WWII combat soldiers driving a vintage Jeep are Lance Corporal Bottaro and Paul Bottaro.

USMC Staff Sergeant Wayne W. Doyle wasn’t able to attend, but was recognized by the community as the parade’s second guest of honor. On October 22, 1999, he completed recruit training at Paris Island, later attending military police school.

The Staff Sergeant was stationed aboard the MCAS Futenma and MCAS Iwakuni, serving as a military police patrolman and military customs inspector. From August2004 to March 2005, he was deployed with the31st Marine Expeditionary Unit to Iraq and participated in Operation Phantom Fury and Operation Al Fajr.

Subsequent to completing explosive ordinance disposal school, Staff Sergeant Doyle was sent to Afghanistan as an explosive ordinance disposal technician, and on March 20, 2009 was injured on dismounted patrol in Golestan, Afghanistan.

Coming or going, these two young men know a salute is a sign of respect

He is the recipient of numerous awards including the Combat Action Ribbon, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and the Purple Heart.

To view more photos or to purchase prints from the 11th Annual Woodbourne Veterans Day Parade visit the Chronicle on Zenfolio.

Story and photos by Melissa Holden

LEW BEACH – The 3rd Annual Beaverkill Mountain Road Race took place Sunday, October 11, in the Beaverkill Valley near Lew Beach, NY.

96 runners lined up on a frosty 30 degree morning for the ½ marathon and 5k courses, which began at the historic Beaverkill Valley Inn and took participants through the peak fall colors and beautiful countryside.

The ½ marathon, a challenging, mountainous course over Shin Creek Road was won by Tim Decker of the NY Flyers running club in 1:33:28 – Tim, the event’s defending champion, has now won the race 3 years in a row.

The first female finisher was also from the NY Flyers- Monika Gross crossed the finish line at 1:56:01. 2^nd and 3^rd place men were Alex Ackermann and Nick Jackson respectively. Female 2^nd and 3^rd place winners were Diana Tulley and Katherine Rogers.

In the 5k division, Livingston Manor Central School student, Neal Mock, only 15 years old, won the race in 19:38. He was followed by Paul Barnett and Matt Jackson in 2^nd and 3^rd places. The first female finisher in the 5k was Anastasia Stekes in 24:15 followed by 2^nd and 3^rd place women, Montana Azzolini and Sophie Barnett.

11 of the top 15 runners in this year’s main competitions were under the age of 18. Prior to the start of the ½ marathon and 5k events, 50 children kicked off the day of festivities with the kids’ fun runs. Age group heats raced mad dashes on the lawn of the Beaverkill Valley Inn, vying for fun prizes. The family oriented day celebrates the beauty of the Catskills and aims to encourage kids of all ages to participate in the sport of running.

Post-race, runners and their guests were treated to an outdoor brunch by the host, The Beaverkill Valley Inn, as well as organic bamboo t-shirts. Prizes were donated by local businesses including Hamish & Henry Booksellers, Willow & Brown, Morgan Outdoors, CAS Arts Center and Snowdance Farms.

Each year, the race seeks to raise awareness and funds for local non-profits. This year, proceeds benefited the Catskill Mountainkeeper, headquartered in Youngsville, NY.

Catskill Mountainkeeper is an advocacy organization working to protect the scenic Catskill region which is so important to area runners and other outdoor enthusiasts.

Donations were also made to the Beaverkill Valley Volunteer Fire Department, whose members volunteer their time to help along the course providing safety, water stations and organizational assistance.

The Livingston Manor Volunteer Ambulance Corp was also on hand to make sure all runners finished safely.

Charlotte Elmowitz and the Vegliante Kids.

FALLSBURG – Charlotte Elmowitz, raised in Poland and survivor of the Holocaust, shared her story of surviving death camps as a child, losing her family, and emigrating to the United States in 1947 when she spoke to a meeting of the Fallsburg Lions Club on September 17.

Ms. Elmowitz spoke of the…Christian families who tried to protect victims of the Nazis from persecution and extermination. Her story was uplifting and important for the very young and old in the audience.

Lion members Ira and Jill Steingart came with their two elementary school children, and Lion Steve Vegliante had his junior and senior high school aged children there as well.

As Steve said, “It is important for the children to know what happened in the Holocaust.”

PRASAD CDHP Program Administrator Dr. Cecilia Escarra presented Jamie Parker, a full-time student, and a cashier in the store, with an iPod.

LIBERTY —A recent campaign has boosted public interest in PRASAD Children’s Dental Health Program (PRASAD CDHP). ShopRite, on Route 52 in Liberty, hosted the event to raise funds and awareness on behalf of PRASAD CDHP.

Store employees reached out to shoppers to tell them about PRASAD CDHP, a philanthropic expression of the SYDA Foundation, which provides dental care and dental health education for children in Sullivan and Ulster counties.

Jamie Parker, a full-time student, and a cashier in the store, took the lead in promoting the campaign. She said was able to share her own knowledge of the dental program, “…because I’ve used their services.”

After the event, PRASAD CDHP Program Administrator Dr. Cecilia Escarra presented Jamie with an iPod. “We thank Jamie, and ShopRite’s staff and customers, for supporting us in this wonderful way,” Dr. Escarra said.

Shopper Advocate Tamarr Crawford called Jamie her main go-getter when it comes to promoting the store’s efforts on behalf of local nonprofits.

PRASAD CDHP uses a state-of-the-art mobile clinic and portable dental unit to deliver services to local children. The organization chose this approach because of the rural nature of the county and the lack of public transportation. The program accepts most insurance plans, including Medicaid. For uninsured children, an application for a sliding fee discount is available. For information, visit www.prasadcdhp.org or call 845.434.0376.

SULLIVAN COUNTY – The Catskill Mountain Business & Professional Women’s Club of Sullivan County has announced the 2009 recipients of its two highest honors.

Pamela Henning has been selected as the 2009 Woman of the Year and Lori Rubinstein-Fleck will be this year’s Community Service Award honoree. Both will be recognized at the Catskill Mountain BPW 31st Annual Woman of the Year Celebration which takes place on Sunday, November 8 at 1:00 p.m. at The Eagle’s Nest in Bloomingburg, NY.

Pamela Henning is a woman who began her professional endeavors as an adolescent. From that early time, whether is was supermarkets, hotels, radio stations, newspapers, advertising, real estate, marketing or magazine publications, she has flourished in each field she has entered, not only embracing what it had to offer, but enhancing it along the way. Her professional career should be a model to us that success can come in all areas as long as you have the drive and desire to succeed.

Lori Rubinstein-Fleck, the Community Service Award honoree, has provided countless hours volunteering to community groups, not only in the town in which she resides, but all throughout Sullivan County and the Hudson Valley region. She has utilized her skills in education, public relations and event planning while serving on numerous executive boards, and as media liaison for non-profit organizations. Chambers of commerce, children’s programs, community coalitions for those in need, street fairs and events such as the Annual BPW Woman of the Year Gala, would not have been as successful as they have been without the talents and dedication that Lori has continuously given of herself. 

The proceeds from the event journal contribute largely to the BPW Scholarship Fund, the main focus of the organization’s fundraising efforts, enabling BPW to assist Sullivan County high school seniors, as well as mature women, in furthering their education

For information and reservations for the upcoming award ceremony, contact Woman of the Year Chairperson, Christina Mace at woy@catskillmountainbpw.org or call 845-798-8701.

Story and photos by Carol Montana

Once a year the Senior Legislative Action Committee gets a very special visitor.

This year, Director of the New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) Michael Burgess started his visit with an announcement about a new program. “I’m coming with good news about giving you money for a project that our office is funding – Community Empowerment with Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Sullivan County.”

Burgess explained that the aim of his office is to enable people to “remain living independently in the community.”

Towards that goal, Bonnie Lewis, Caregiver Resource Center Coordinator for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Sullivan County has been tasked with having “the TRIAD group … bring together people who are active to look at doing an assessment on how you can help people to remain living in the community.” In fact, a forum was held last month seeking input on that very subject. (See the Chronicle story on “Empowering Sullivan County to Build Aging-Friendly Communities.” )

TRIAD is a partnership of senior citizens, senior providers and law enforcement dedicated to reducing victimization of the elderly through assessing the needs and concerns of senior citizens and educating senior to the dangers of scams and abuse. 

Burgess said that Sullivan County is a “great community to pick for this kind of project because you do have a lot of active people here.” And he maintains that it’s important for older people to be involved in the process.

The best way to achieve success in a program of this kind is by utilizing volunteers, Burgess said. “We believe that neighbor-to-neighbor still makes a difference. … We get into the habit of thinking that we can’t do anything unless it’s directed by Albany , but that’s not true.”

As he gave examples of volunteerism, Burgess announced a new initiative. “Here’s an example of something that we’re working on and I hope it’s something that you will consider doing. We call it the Health Care Navigator. We think that using volunteers to follow people when they come home from the hospital can help us to reduce the number of people who get readmitted to the hospital. There’s about 18 percent readmitted after 60 days. Some of this is because we haven’t been making people have the right kind of support when they get home – making sure they got their medicine, transportation to the doctor.”

The initiative will involve training. “It’s really like having an advocate or care-transition person to assist them when they come home from the hospital,” Burgess explained, “especially if they didn’t have a caregiver or family member.”

Some of the tasks the volunteer would be asked to assist with, Burgess said, are grocery shopping, reading mail, contacting the individual to see that they’re doing okay. “We think this is a way to help people live in the community … using neighbors and friends.” And then, referring to the current health care reform debate, he continued, “ … that’s one way to save money on health care is to stop people from having to go back into the hospital.”

Not all the news was good, of course. Burgess talked about the budget problems in Albany, and jokingly mentioned that, “Thank God Washington doesn’t have to balance its budget because we are getting a lot of money into the state for some things like the nutrition program got an increase from the stimulus package – $6 million, a little bit more for older workers on the Title 5 program.”

He went on to explain that Governor Paterson has asked for a five percent cut across the board in all the NYSOFA programs. “We got more from the state budget when it was passed earlier this year, so we’re going to lose a little bit of what we gained,” Burgess said. 

He also cautioned the audience about the national health care debate. “It’s important to get all the facts, you hear a lot of negative things, but there are a lot of good things about it, we’re hoping that the Medicare donut hole under Part D will be partly filled in … one provision provides for some with help with long-term care. We don’t know what will be in the final version …”

Burgess clarified that the rumor on so-called death panels for seniors is not true. “It’s unfortunate that it got twisted around that way because it’s simply giving doctors reimbursement for providing information about doing a health care proxy, about doing living will, explaining that to people … actually giving you a greater choice about making decisions.”

At that point in the meeting, SLAC President Priscilla Bassett made it clear that, “Seniors cannot afford any cuts, period. We’re saying across the board, no cuts.”

Burgess promised he would take that to the governor’s office. “I don’t make those budget decisions, unfortunately, I recommend what we think should happen … Last year we were successful in preventing a lot of the cuts to senior programs … it’s getting more and more difficult to do that every year, the deficit for the state if $3.2 billion in this year’s budget, that’s a pretty big number, and another $3-4 billion for next year.”

Roz Sharoff, VP of SLAC and President of the Monticello Seniors shared another concern. “Some of these programs offer the seniors the only time they get to see another human being,” she said. “People are strapped to their homes, they can’t get out for one reason or another, they get a worker come in or they get somebody delivering a meal, it’s the only time they have to see someone, to socialize with someone, to say what’s the weather outside. That’s such an important factor.”

For Burgess, Sharoff’s comment just solidified his belief that local resources are the best way to accomplish anything. “Regardless of what government does, it’s still at the local level — neighbors taking care of neighbors. Your generation did all of this – look at what you did during WWII, you know how to do this, you know how to make sure how people are safe and protected.”

Burgess calls seniors “social capital.” In Sullivan County, he said, the seniors are a resource. “If you can do this with all the connections you have in this community, mobilize that with the faith community and other organizations, I think that you can be a real good model, showing how you can help take care of each other and do even more because through these difficult time we’re going to have to see that happen. But I know you can do it. You’re a good group of people and this is one of the most active groups that I see every year when I go around the state. I always look forward to coming here.”

Story and photos by Ted Waddell

LAKE HUNTINGTON – The Upper Delaware River Valley is a scary place to live these days, as a lot of folks in these parts are haunted by the specter of gas drilling taking over the area.

On Saturday, October 31, the Damascus Citizens for Sustainability celebrated Halloween 2009 with “Fear-Fest”, a fund-raising event at The Nutshell, billed as “Be Very Afraid of Contamination, Secrets & Lies, Explosions, Chemicals, Radiation, Sickness, Poison, Toxins, and Fear,” just the ticket to make your hair curl if drilling for natural gas in the valley gets a green light.

The evening featured Pat Carullo as “DJ Boo”, along with a couple of glittering and scintillating belly dancers named “Sabah” and “Suraya,” horror movies and video walls.

Taking center stage was the talented poet Laura Moran, accompanied by musicians Dan Brinkerhoff and Kurt Kunuth, in vignettes from Moran’s performance work “Eden”, an exploration of desire.

“I’m cool as a cucumber with all my bling and discs, and we’re going to scare away all the drillers,” said DJ Boo, who in the real-world guise of Carullo, added that the event raised more than $2,000.

Damascus Citizens for Sustainability (DCS) is a grassroots nonprofit group from Damascus, PA “dedicated to protecting the Upper Delaware River Basin and beyond from the ravages of deep-shale gas extraction and the threat posed by the natural gas industry.”

Moran’s take on gas drilling?

“I think it’s an irreversible decision…if we go there, it will be very difficult to come back from that decision,” she said. “We have to be careful, we have to protect ourselves, and we have to think about the whole community…it can’t be done recklessly and dishonestly.

Setting down his fiddle for a second, Brinkerhoff said, “It’s all about education…I’m against it, and I think it’s unsafe.” “A great many people will lose, and a few people will win. It will completely change the valley, and a lot of people are being left out of the process.”

Folks from the local anti-drilling faction handed out a couple of in-your-face bumper stickers: “Don’t Bite The Land That Feeds You” and “Don’t Let The Gas-holes Destroy Our Watershed!”

To view more photos or to purchase prints from Fear This! visit the Chronicle on Zenfolio.

Story and photos by Ted Waddell 

Deputy Blake Starner is the son of Sandi & George Starner and the nephew of SCSO Deputy Don Starner. During a training scenario, tactical team commander Det. Ed Simon critiques the training exercise.

After the decision was made to create a local SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics) team, the sheriff’s office applied for and was awarded several federal/state grants to provide specialized training, state-of-the-art weaponry, and body armor including heavy duty protective gear and ballistic helmets.

Specialized weapons include UMP Heckler and Koch 40-caliber submachine guns (chambered for 40-caliber rounds to match side-arms), a mixed bag of semi and full-auto AR15’s, along with non-lethal devices. 

Once the grants were in hand, the Sullivan County Legislature signed off on the project to form a SCSO emergency response team, a team that was created and equipped without local tax dollars. 

In the works is an old surplus Brinks Armored truck (bought for $10) that is being reconfigured to SCSO response team use by the county’s DPW. As new grant money becomes available, thermal imaging and night vision will be added to the team’s bag of tricks. 

In a recent training exercise the team donned gas masks and crawled through a maze in heavy smoke at the Sullivan County 911 Training Center.

“It’s all about the tools for the job,” said Schiff. 

Members of the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office elite response team: Detective Ed Simon (tactical commander), Lieutenant Paul Pratti (team leader), Detective Jason Gorr (assistant team leader), Sgt. Ed Clouse (assistant team leader), Sergeant Chris Lopez, Cpl. Time Search, and dupities Peter Ramos, Blake
Starner, Kyle Muthig (sniper), Charles Blackburn, Dale Niemann, Lamar Jackson, Martin Gorr and Scott Jordi (paramedic). 

The 15-man team has a combined total of 192 years with the SCSO (an average of 12.8 years), and the pack is led by Simon and Pratti, who between the two have a total of 57 years of dedicated service on the front line of local law enforcement. 

Sheriff Mike Schiff fires a vintage Thompson submachine gun from the days of Elliot Ness and Al Capone; the SCSO has owned the Navy surplus weapon for decades.

History once again proves there’s almost nothing new under the sun: an old patrol manual back from the days of former Sullivan County Sheriff Joe Wasser mentions a SWAT team and snipers, and the SCSO has owned a 1920’s U.S. Navy Thompson 45-caliber submachine gun for decades. 

The first SWAT team in the United States was established by the Los Angles Police Department (LAPD) in 1968, and since then similar elite tactical units have been formed in many American and international jurisdictions, performing hostage rescues and counter-terrorism operations, serving high-risk arrest warrants and search warrants, subduing barricaded suspects, and engaging heavily armed criminals. 

Since it’s inception, the SCSO rapid response team received initial tactical training from LAPD SWAT, has since trained with similar units in Ulster and Orange Counties under mutual aid, completed a basic 40-hour course, and is required to attend 40-hours continuous training annually, and every month, an 8-hour in-service – all to standards outlined by the National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA). 

Lieutenant Paul Pratti is the tactical team leader.

Lieutenant Pratti serves as the lead team leader of the SCSO’s rapid response team. 

“The level of professionalism has increased dramatically in the last three years, the training has been fabulous, phenomenal compared to the last 25 years,” he said. 

His take on the new emergency response team? 

“A good bunch of guys working together.” 

Detective Simon wears a lot of hats with the SCSO response team, and in addition to his training officer’s black boonie hat and the ballistic helmet he wears leading intense field training exercises as tactical commander, serves as range master during live-fire practicals. “Our rules of engagement are different than in the military…a deputy can use deadly physical force if he or another is threatened with the use of deadly force. 

Of particular note is the fact that Deputy Jordi, the newest member of the team, takes to the field as the first paramedic police officer in NYS. 

“This isn’t something you put together ad hoc and go ‘yahoo!’, it’s an actual discipline in law enforcement,” said Chaboty. 

Practicing serving a high-risk arrest warrant on a bad guy.

Reflecting back on those near-tragic events of February 2006, Schiff said, “I decided that if we have an active shooter in a building or a public school, we can’t wait outside, and I don’t want it on my conscious to send people in untrained, unprotected, and without the proper offensive gear to get the job done.” 

“In a situation where someone is shooting your loved ones, we are expected to go in with the best training, weaponry and protective gear so they’ll be able to go home at the end of the day.” 

“Nobody expects it to happen in their backyards, but when it does we’re required to respond,” added Schiff of events following Columbine and the world after 9-11-2001. 

To view more photos or to purchase prints from Sheriff’s Office Unveils New Tactical Response Team visit the Chronicle on Zenfolio.

Barbara Arrindell, founder of Damascus Citizens for Sustainability, held up a sketch of property that would be affected by gas drilling.

 Story and photos by Ted Waddell 

An attendee at the DEC public meeting looks at a chart showing the extent of proposed horizontal gas drilling.

LOCH SHELDRAKE – To some folks the idea of drilling for natural gas in the Upper Delaware River Valley represents salvation from a stagnant local economy. Others think the extraction process, disruption, and damage to the area’s infrastructure, along with potential health and safety issues, will change their way of life forever, and the gas drilling company is the devil incarnate.

On Wednesday, October 28, the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) held the first of its four scheduled public meetings to solicit input on their 800-plus page draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact State (dSGEIS) on oil, gas and solution mining regulatory program regarding Marcellus Shale.

Three concerned citizens prepare their written comments: Helle Hendriksen of Narrowsburg, Susan Sullivan of Narrowsburg, Zeke Boyle of Callicoon.

More than 300 concerned citizens and government filled Sullivan County Community College’s Seelig Theatre to overflowing.

The meeting started out with several town highway superintendents stating that if drilling is approved, in essence they want their respective municipal jurisdictions compensated for damage to town roads. However, many of the highway bosses supported the idea of drilling as a way to bolster the region’s dwindling economic base.

The meetings comes a day after it was announced on October 27 in the New York Times that the Oklahoma City–based Chesapeake Energy Corporation, a major player in the world of natural gas extraction, said it would not drill for natural gas within the upstate New York City watershed, (an area of 5,000 acres that Chesapeake acquired when it bought Columbia Natural Resource a few years ago) The natural gas industry, as a whole, was exempted from the federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), under energy legislation passed in 2005.

Chesapeake is the sole leaseholder in the NYC watershed area, and is the largest leaseholder in the Marcellus Shale, a subterranean layer of shale rock that extends from New York through Tennessee, and is believed to hold huge natural gas reserves.

Several members of the public expressed reservations about the timing of the statement, calling one woman to comment for the record, “It looks like a sales pitch…everyone would feel easier if the regulations were in place before drilling starts, [but] we’re not ready for this.”

As the meeting progressed, Scott Rotruck, Chesapeake’s vice president of corporate development and state government relations, spoke on the record.

Scott Rotruck, Chesapeake Energy’s vice president of corporate development and state government relations said in part “…most of the public controversy seems to relate to this issue, which in fact is not a realistic or legitimate cause for concern…”

“…Once again, most of the public controversy seems to relate to this issue, which in fact is not a realistic or legitimate cause for concern. Focus on this issue only serves to detract from the unprecedented opportunity that Marcellus Shale presents to New York State to bolster a sagging economy and produce this clean, indigenous resource.

…Chesapeake is convinced that it can safely drill and stimulate wells utilizing hydraulic fracturing anywhere, including those areas that are part of the New York City water supply, as a business decision.

Chesapeake has been and will continue to focus its leasing and drilling efforts in New York State in other areas across the Southern Tier and does not intend to drill horizontal Marcellus wells on its small amount of acreage that is part of the New York City watershed. We believe there are much more prospective areas for Marcellus Shale development and we will be spending our investment dollars in those areas, well outside the New York City watershed.

We have nearly 50 permit applications pending awaiting the finalization of the SGEIS to process and none are near the New York City watershed…As is reflected in the draft SGEIS, through proper planning, control and oversight, drilling and hydraulic fracturing can occur in New York State without threat to the environment…”

Zeke Boyle of Callicoon, said the issue of gas drilling represented “nothing less than the future of our most valuable resource is at stake.”

Rotuck’s latter statement elicited a series of negative comments from some of the more vocal gas drilling opponents, including shouts of “Liar!” These unsolicited comments caused meeting moderator Stu Gruskin, NYS DEC Executive Deputy Commissioner, to quickly call for order and respect for all speaking.

Kathy Bowers of Callicoon, held up a copy of DEC’s 800-plus page dSGEIS report and called for a longer period of public comment. She said the document “reads like an 800 pound gorilla.”

Continuing, the gas drilling company’s spokesman said, “…Chesapeake agrees with the DEC that drilling can occur safely statewide, including areas within the watershed…Chesapeake does not plan to pursue development of the Marcellus Shale utilizing horizontal drilling or hydraulic fracturing on the small number of leases it holds in the New York City watershed area.

“We also note that it would be improper to ban drilling in any particular area of the state, as such a ban is inconsistent with the declared legislative policy to promote recovery of this resource and amounts to a regulatory talking of the mineral interests affected by such a ban.”

Rotuck called upon the DEC to finalize the SGEIS process and “give industry the opportunity to demonstrate its ability to produce this clean, indigenous resource with environmental consequences.”

Luiz C. Aragon,. Sullivan County Commissioner of Planning & Environmental Management said the DEC regulations pertaining to potential development in floodplains “do not go far enough…with respect to practices of handling, storage, and transport of frac fluids and flowback materials, the welfare and safety of our residents and workers is paramount.

Luis C. Aragon, Sullivan County Commissioner for Planning & Environmental Management, said that despite the DEC efforts to date, the county “legislature and many of its citizens remained concerned about the findings and recommendations on several issued evaluated in the draft supplement.”

Glenn Goldstein spoke out in opposition to the noise and truck traffic associated with non-stop drilling operations.

Noting that NYS “clearly acknowledges that the development of gas drilling might have an unprecedented and profound effect” on communities statewide, Aragon cited six areas of major concern to the county: impacts on floodplains and flooding, the disclosure of frac fluid contents and the storage and handling of frac fluids, road-use impacts, pipeline and transmission impacts, groundwater and surface water impacts, and notification to municipalities.

In closing, Aragon called for the DEC to extend the period for public comment, and hold additional meetings as warranted, and urged DEC “to ban all drilling in flood plain zones.”

At present, NYS DEC has stated that it will not accept public comments regarding Marcellus shale after November 30, 2009.

James Greier, Town of Fremont supervisor, said farmers have always been “the best stewards of the land.”

James Greier, supervisor of the Town of Fremont, called for 100% cooperation between the DEC and gas drilling companies, adding that “farmers have been the best stewards of our lands [and] leasing of mineral rights will allow them to stay in business.”

Maria Grimaldi is a member of Catskill Mountainkeepers (Protecting the Future of the Catskills) and an organic farmer in the hills of Shandelee. “Gas drilling is not compatible with our environment,” she said, adding that in her opinion there is a “conflict of interest between state government and the gas industry.”

Maria Grimaldi of Shandelee spoke out against gas drilling in the area.

“It’s like closing the barn door after the horse is gone…it must be regulated…an entire ecosystem in Pennsylvania was destroyed. Can we afford to have this happen here? No!” said Grimaldi.

Zeke Boyle of the Beechwoods grew up on a family farm with a view of the Delaware River, a boyhood spent fishing for rainbow trout, said it was a time that gave him, “an appreciation for these crystal clear waters and natural beauty. It nurtured and instilled in me a knowledge of the interconnectedness of all living things, a gift for which I’m eternally grateful…there is nothing less than the future of our most valuable resource at stake.”

Barbara Arrindell, founder of Damascus Citizens for Sustainability, said the gas company had a “callous disregard for public health,” to which fellow member Joanne Wasserman later added “NYS DEC has been unable to protect this environment [with the dSGEIS]…the bar is so incredibly low.”

Noel VanSwol, president of the Sullivan County Property Owners Association, said he “totally supports the DEC draft regulations [as a] testament to the staff of DEC.”

VanSwol, who gained local notoriety several years ago as a vocal opponent of the National Park Service presence on the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River and later on his views on the Sullivan West Central School District merger, said that “everyone should realize NYS is virtually bankrupt” and in essence gas drilling revenues might be a way of the state’s financial mess.

“Let us take advantage of this,” he added before describing a large majority of the audience as “a small group of environmental radicals.”

To view more photos or to purchase prints from Are We Running on Empty? visit the Chronicle on Zenfolio.

A high-risk arrest warrant training exercise at an abandoned hotel, while in the background, Undersheriff Eric Chaboty watches the team deploy. 

Story and photos by Ted Waddell

SULLIVAN COUNTY – “When the bell rings, you’ve got to go in and stop the carnage,” said Sullivan County Sheriff Michael A. Schiff of the county’s new emergency law enforcement response team.

A full-auto live training exercise at a shooting range.

In recent years, the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) has witnessed a dramatic transformation on the watch of a trio of former New York State Police Troopers: Sheriff Michael A. Schiff, Undersheriff Eric J. Chaboty, and Chief of Patrol Arthur J. Hawker.

Over the past four years, the SCSO has added a fleet of distinctive black and white patrol vehicles, a ramped up marine unit, a horse mounted patrol, and on May 1, 2009 a rapid response team became operational.

“In February 2006 we had one of our deputies fired upon going to a domestic in a hostage/standoff situation on a bitter cold night,” recalled Sheriff Schiff of the February 3, ’06  incident outside Narrowsburg in which Deputy Cyrus Barnes responding in a marked patrol car to a call at the residence of 51-year old William “Chris” Morris was promptly fired upon by Morris wielding a vintage 45-70 Springfield rifle. One slug from Morris’ rifle punched a large hole in the driver’s side door, a shot that narrowly missed the officer.

Practice makes perfect. Serving a high-risk arrest warrant on a bad guy in a vacant hotel.

That scenario sparked the local sheriff and undersheriff to put the creation of a response team on the front burner. It was already on their minds in the wake of the Columbine High School massacre of April 20, 1999 in which two students gunned down 12 fellow students and a teacher before taking their own lives. The Columbine incident marked the fourth deadliest school massacre in U.S. history, after the 1927 Bath School killings, University of Texas shootings of 1966 and the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre.

“We started thinking about it seriously after deputy Barnes pulled up in the driveway and the guy took a shot at him with a buffalo gun,” said Chaboty. “It was an inch below his butt…Cyrus had the presence of mind to shine the car’s spotlight in the guy’s face, back out of there before the guy could reload, and then call for backup.”

A live-fire night training exercise.

Less than a month before the SCSO team got the green light to go operational, a suicidal gunman killed 14 people in Binghamton, NY, about an hour from the Sullivan County border.

Schiff stated that in the aftermath of Columbine, tactical law enforcement response to armed and deadly hostage/shooting situations changed in essence from “sit back and see what happens” thinking, to a pro-active response to shut down the suspect(s) quickly without further loss of precious life.

On that cold and rainy night back in February ’06 deputies responded from Monticello – and those who were off-duty – from home; with their own weapons, and although a NYSP tactical rifleman (sniper) responded in short order, it took almost  3 ½ to four hours for a NYSP mobile response team to arrive at the scene.

Sheriff Mike Schiff and his tactical response team at a shooting range.

“People are under the misconception that here is a [NYSP] SWAT team standing by at the Liberty barracks or at headquarters in Middletown waiting to be called out, but that’s not the case,” said Chaboty. “Those guys do a great job, they’re phenomenal, but it takes a while to assemble them…we need a team that’s able to respond now, resolve it quickly, or hold it down until the State Police arrives.”

“This isn’t instead of the State Police, it’s until they can take the field,” added Schiff.

To view more photos or to purchase prints from Sheriff’s Office Unveils New Tactical Response Team visit the Chonicle on Zenfolio.

Story and photos by Ted Waddell

HIGHLAND LAKE – If your idea of a librarian is a wire rim spectacled little ‘ole lady sitting quietly behind a stack of dusty books, forget about it!

On Saturday night, October 24, Laura E.J. Moran, the adult programming coordinator at the Western Sullivan Public Library and much-published poet, pulled out all the stops before an overflow crowd during a benefit performance for the North American Cultural Laboratory (NACL). Her stunning performances proved once and for all that librarians can be smokin’ hot in addition to being well read.

“Eden’s collection of poetry, found art, film and sound track speak directly to that moment when Eve is deciding whether to take that bite of not,” said Moran. (Looking at the photo on the right it is evident that the question of whether or not to take a bite out of that apple resonated with many in attendance.)

Advertised as an “Art Installation & Spoken Word Tunes”, the show lived up to it’s billing as when the black curtains were pulled back, the audience stepped  into the Garden of Eden Art Installation, a universe complete with a stark red tree trunk below which was a pile of bibles surrounded by crosses fashioned from branches, all bordered by old rusty truck hoods upon which were written biblical quotes referring to Eden, creation, and the forever ordained battle between good and evil, the dark side versus the light of salvation.

The art installation was a co-creation of Moran and John Roth, and the text painted on the abandoned hoods was taken from Revelations, Genesis, Songs 8.5, with a bit of St. Augustine and the Song of Solomon 2.5 tossed in for good measure.

“Out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil”…Genesis.

Before Aran L’Amour, a wickedly wacky satiric poet from another era took to the stage as the opening act, two young barefoot girls wended their way like smoky wraiths handing out apples from wooden baskets. Inviting folks to take a  bite of forbidden fruit, only if they dare to risk the snake. Beware the serpent!

Early in the show, Roth took center stage belting out some hard rockin’ as Moran behind a strobe-lit translucent screen donned her evening’s outfit, a shimmering chimera of a disco dress and a pair of silver go-go boots.

Once on stage, Moran ripped through a rapid-fire series of original poems and songs geared to making the audience think about where we’ve been and where we’re all headed; “Gossilalia – a poem containing quotes from the bible and gory journal details references to a book on Northeast Indian tribes that we loved as kids”, to “Mrs. Till” written for Mamie Till, the mother of Emmet Till, a teenager killed in the 1950s because he was black.

“The sheriff’s department returned the boys casket to his mother with the
lid screwed shut because he was so badly beaten,” Moran explained.
“She demanded an open casket funeral which thousands of people attended.”

Moran’s live in-your-face poetry and songs from the likes of Lead Belly and Woodie Guthrie, and musical influences from Neil Young to Nick Cave, and from Neko Case to Ennio Morricane were neatly woven between instrumental music by Kurt Knuth (guitar), Dan Brinkerhoff (fiddle) and Marc Switko (percussion), along with vocals by Tannis Kowalachuk, John Roth, Vickie Diescher and Kristin Broussard.

Moran is the recipient of the 1992 Jean Garrigue Award, and as a headliner travels extensively across the United States and overseas. In addition to having her works published in several volumes, she is featured on PoetrySuperhighway.com, and is the curator/host of First Fridays: Contemporary Writers Series at the Tusten-Cochecton branch of the Western Sullivan Public Library.

As the author of “Eden”, a foot stompin’, thought provoking, gut wrenchin’, soul stirring performance piece, Moran said the work was inspired by her desire to explore the moments of decision, “that pivotal moment…Eden is the very center of original sin, from old bible stuff to modern day, the domestic white-fence middle class America caught in original sin facing decisions that are being made right now that can alter our Eden, such as gas drilling.”

“I see this as our natural paradise and decisions [about gas drilling] can cast us out of Eden,” she added, making no bones about her stand on the controversial subject of potential natural gas drilling in the Upper Delaware River Valley.

In the program notes, she referred to her home in Milanville, PA nestled within the hills of the valley as “a real garden more beautiful and fragile than Eden ever could be.”

As the evening drew to a close, Moran led the crowd in a spirited sing-along of Guthrie’s “All You Fascists”…

”Gonna tell all you fascists, You may be surprised, People all over this world, Are getting organized…You fascists are bound to lose…”

Photo at right – At one point in the evening John Roth took center stage while Laura Moran danced behind a strobe-lit translucent screen.

To view more photos or to purchase prints from Moran Knocks ‘Em Outta Thier Setas at NACL visit the Chronicle on Zenfolio.

WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a provision authored by Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) that formally urges the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to conduct a new study on the risks that hydraulic fracturing poses to drinking water supplies. The Senate is due to pass the identical bill in the coming days and President Obama is expected to sign the measure into law soon after that. Earlier this week, members of the Interior Appropriations Conference Committee, including Hinchey, signed off on the Interior and Environment Appropriations bill and report for fiscal year 2010, which contains the study provision.

"While natural gas certainly has an important role in our national energy policy, it’s imperative that we take every step possible to ensure that our drinking water supplies are not contaminated or adversely impacted in any way," Hinchey said. "This legislation puts Congress on record in support of a new, comprehensive study that will examine the impact that hydraulic fracking really has on our water supplies. The study results will put us in a position to take any further steps that are necessary to protect our drinking water supplies from the chemical concoctions being pumped into the ground by energy companies."

In May, the congressman asked EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson at a House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee hearing about the need for such a study. Jackson told Hinchey that she believed her agency should review the risk that fracturing poses to drinking water in light of various cases across the country that raise questions about the safety of the natural gas drilling practice. Hinchey’s measure would formalize that congressional request for an EPA study on the risks that toxic chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing pose to drinking water supplies in New York and across the nation. The EPA did conduct a study on the matter in 2004 under the Bush administration, but that study is widely considered to be flawed for a variety of reasons, including the way data was selectively collected from sources that had a vested interest in the oil and gas industry while other relevant information was ignored.

The language that Hinchey had inserted into the report reads, "The conferees urge the EPA to carry out a study on the relationship between hydraulic fracturing and drinking water, using a credible approach that relies on the best available science, as well as independent sources of information. The conferees expect the study to be conducted through a transparent, peer-reviewed process that will ensure the validity and accuracy of the data.  EPA shall consult with other federal agencies as well as appropriate state and interstate regulatory agencies in carrying out the study, and it should be prepared in accordance with EPA quality assurance principles."

In the now infamous 2005 Energy Policy Act, which Hinchey strongly opposed and voted against, the then Republican-controlled Congress exempted hydraulic fracturing from the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), which was designed to protect people’s water supply from contamination from toxic materials. This loophole, which some have called the Halliburton Loophole, created an extremely dangerous set of circumstances.

In June, Hinchey, Congresswoman Diana DeGette (D-CO), and several of his colleagues introduced the FRAC ACT — Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act, which would close the loophole that exempted hydraulic fracturing from the SDWA and require the oil and gas industry to disclose the chemicals they use in their hydraulic fracturing processes. Currently, the oil and gas industry is the only industry granted an exemption from complying with the SDWA.

"It is critical that our communities are assured that the process of hydraulic fracturing is safe and will not contaminate drinking water supplies," said DeGette (D-CO), Vice Chair of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. "I will continue to work with EPA to encourage a robust study of hydraulic fracturing and its potential impact on drinking water."

Hydraulic fracturing, also known as “fracking,” is used in almost all natural gas wells. It is a process whereby fluids are injected at high pressure into underground rock formations to blast them open and increase the flow of fossil fuels. This injection of unknown and potentially toxic chemicals often occurs near drinking water sources.  Troubling incidents have occurred around the country where people became ill after fracking operations began in their communities. Some chemicals that are known to have been used in fracking include diesel fuel, benzene, industrial solvents, and other carcinogens and endocrine disrupters.

MOUNTAINDALE – After several years of planning and preparation, the brand new Mountaindale Railway Station will have a grand opening celebration on Saturday, November 14th at 9:30 a.m.

Located on Railroad Station in Mountaindale, across from the Post Office, this municipal building features public restrooms and excellent parking access for the trail head of the Rails to Trails to Woodridge and beyond. 

The restoration was made possible through a New York State DOT TEA-21 Grant and in-kind donations from Sullivan County, the Town of Fallsburg, and local Mountaindale businesses and civic groups. 

Although it is state-of-the-art new construction, its design is based on the 1920 architectural plans of an New York, Ontario & Western Railway (O&W) building proposed for Mountaindale but never before built. 

When the new facility was originally proposed for Mountaindale by then County Planning Commissioner Alan Sorensen and local architect, Robert Dadras, longtime resident and train history buff, Ken Schmitt recalled having seen the old blueprints in the O&W Railway Historical Society archives in Middletown, NY. 

Now that these modified plans are finally completed, it’s been a labor of love for Town Engineer, Will Illing to see to all the final details of design and decor. 

Both the interior and exterior have been painstakingly modeled after actual O&W depots of decades past. Ken and Barb Schmitt of the Mountaindale Community Development Project (MCDP) have been working with Will to curate a permanent exhibit of O&W train photographs so that visitors will have a feel for the mammoth engines that rumbled past Mountaindale until the railway closed operations on March 29, 1957. 

Mountaindale is regarded by many as an enchanting, charming community. This new public building adds to its uniqueness and sense of place. Attending the ribbon-cutting celebration will be speakers like John Taibi, renowned author of numerous O&W books, county historian, John Conway, and a musical tribute to the railroad era by Paul Lounsbury (pictured at right), performing his original multimedia composition, "A Catskill Mountain Trilogy." Steve Levine, who was the Fallsburg Town Supervisor throughout the entire project will also attend. 

Refreshments will be provided by the Mountaindale Action Committee and the MCDP. This event is free and open to the public. All are invited to enjoy a day in Mountaindale, hiking along the Rail Trail, strolling along our picturesque Main Street, and walking in the Labyrinth at the Sandburg Creek RiverWalk.

The MCDP was founded by Mountaindale residents Bob Hunter, Ken Schmitt, Karen Larson and Barbara Schmitt, in order to accomplish the community development goals set forth by Mountaindale residents during a two-week visioning session conducted by the Catskill Center for Conservation & Development. The organization is committed to the sustainable development of Mountaindale as a year-round business and arts community that enriches the lives of residents, merchants and visitors through creative and innovative initiatives.

For more information, please call Barb Schmitt at 434-4747.

Story and photos by Carol Montana

The Sullivan County Democratic Party celebrated in a big way on Saturday night, October 24. Over 200 people came together to fundraise and party, and honor 10 special people for their many years of service.

The evening was a star-studded event, attended by notables such as U.S. Representative Maurice Hinchey, N.Y.S. Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther, Chairman of the Sullivan County Legislature Jonathan Rouis, candidate for Supreme Court Judge in the 3^rd Judicial District James Gilpatric, and many, many more, including the star of the evening N.Y.S. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.

Hosted by Party Chair Steve Wilkinson, and held in the atrium of the CVI Building in Ferndale, the Jeffersonian was a cocktail event this year rather than a sit-down dinner. Tables skirted the room, but most people preferred to stand and mingle. Entertainment was provided by Lori James and Tim Hamblin.

During his opening remarks, Wilkinson introduced the new Sullivan County Democratic Party Web site: www.SullivanDemocrats.com.

The 10 honorees represented seven different Sullivan County towns. They were either past committee members, now retired or present committee members working for the party in their retirement. Each was presented with a plaque and citations from various elected officials. The honorees were: Salvatore Indelicato from the Town of Cochecton, Albert Schick from Fremont, George DeSio (pictured at left) and Gloria Rothstein from Mamakating, Donald Terbush from Neversink, Christene Myers form Highland, and Verb Konviser, Charles Cohen, Arline Lipsky and Alice Walter from the Town of Fallsburg.

Following the presentations the crowd heard from Congressman Maurice Hinchey and Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther who introduced Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.

Cuomo proved to be a dynamic speaker and rallied the crowd toward the end of the evening, saying that he had been elected Attorney General because of them.

The Sullivan County Democratic Committee was one of the first in the state to endorse Cuomo in his 2006 race for attorney general.

To see more photos from the 92nd Annual Jeffersonian or to purchase photos, visit the Chronicle on Zenfolio.

After looking over the results of our poll, we have chosen the name Elder Berries for our elder/senior section.

We hope that you like the name we have chosen for this section for it brought a smile to the eyes of those we consulted and a nod of agreement that the word elder brings with it a connotation of wisdom and that berries are best when they are ripe.

We appreciate everyone who took part in our poll and gave us help in choosing a name for our elder/senior section. We hope too that those who come and visit these pages may find a respite from the day’s troubles, camaraderie in the joy of being alive and help through daily struggles. – The Catskill Chronicle

Story By Brian Powers – Phoenicia Times 10/22/09 – reprinted with permission.

ALBANY – State Assembly members and others turned up the heat on NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Pete Grannis at the Capital in Albany on October 15, following his testimony on the agency’s September 30 release of newly proposed gas drilling regulations for the Catskills and central New York State.

The first of 26 witnesses to appear before the Assembly’s ENCON Committee, Grannis spent hours fielding questions on those regs from both upstate & downstate legislators, most fairly critical of what they see as inadequate review and protections outlined for public health and safety and for the safety of water supplies and the environment.

“While DEC is fully committed to protecting the NYC watershed, it should be noted that approximately 70% of the land (there) is privately owned,” said Grannis. “While there have been many calls for an outright ban on drilling in the watershed, such a ban would limit the mineral rights of private property owners. Our conclusion, following comprehensive examination, is that if drilling takes place, there is no substantive basis to believe that water quality will be degraded. “

Assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell from Manhattan’s Upper West Side responded by saying, “Property owners have rights, but millions and millions of people who drink the water have an interest, too,” and that DEC’s job is, “ balancing rights involved and interests involved. If you don’t think the risk is substantial, what’s substantial?”

DEC Committee chair Robert Sweeney from Suffolk County questioned Grannis on matters ranging from his understaffed agency’s ability to handle enforcement (“We have 17 people” said Grannis) to contradictions between the new regs and the City’s as-yet-unpublished consultant’s report.

Sweeney also questioned the lack of cumulative impact study both for water withdrawals approved up to 25 million gallons per day, and for the broader impact of large scale drilling.

Grannis answered by saying that drilling sites will be limited to one per square mile but added that, “We have no way of making a judgment at this point how many wells will actually be drilled. We have 54 applications so far.”

New York City’s acting DEP Commissioner Steven Lawitts reiterated his agency’s “grave concern.. at the prospect of natural gas drilling in the watershed.” He asked for an extension of the state’s 60-day public comment period now in progress, so that their consultants could complete their report on the potential for gas drilling to adversely impact the City’s water supply system.

In a separate statement, U.S. Senator Kirstin Gillibrand also called for a similar extension from DEC.

“If our study or the NYS Department of Health review should conclude that gas drilling currently proposed will create risks to our watershed, then the price tag will be at least $10 billion for the City and its water customers,” Lawitts added. “If the state decides to permit this activity, then it must include and account for (those costs) in any regulatory framework that would allow drilling in the watershed.”

According to Grannis, a final document on drilling regs will be ready next spring.

Meanwhile DEC has scheduled its single public hearing on gas drilling for this region at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, October 28, at Sullivan County Community College’s Seelig Theatre in Loch Sheldrake. NYC’s sole hearing will be held November 10 in Stuyvesant High School’s auditorium. The public comment period is, for now, set to expire November 30.

Comments may be emailed to dmnsgeis@gw.dec.state.ny.us or mailed to dSGEIS Comments, Bureau of Oil & Gas Regulation, NYSDEC Division of Mineral Resources, 625 Broadway, Third Floor, Albany, NY 12233-6500.

*Chronicle Editor’s note – The New York City watershed covers some 1,900 square miles in the Catskill Mountains and the Hudson River Valley. The watershed is divided into two reservoir systems: the Catskill/Delaware watershed west of the Hudson River and the Croton watershed east of the Hudson. Together, the systems deliver approximately 1.4 billion gallons of water each day to nearly 9 million people in New York City and Westchester Orange, Putnam and Ulster counties.

The Catskill Water Supply System, completed in 1927, and the Delaware Water Supply System, completed in 1967, provide about 90 percent of New York’s water supply. The combined Catskill/Delaware watershed cover 1,600 square miles. Drinking water from the Catskill/Delaware system is of high quality and is delivered to New York consumers unfiltered. – US Environmental Protection Agency

Racing action.

Story and photos by Ted Waddell

KAUNEONGA LAKE – Legends motor racing is like a blast from the past with a 21st Century twist, and is one of the more popular events at Bethel Motor Speedway.

Legends on the track as drivers vie for position.

Legends are 5/8-scale replicas of American autos from the 1930s and ‘40s, and are set up to extremely strict specifications to make sure the cars are similar, as they utilize the same parts (full tubeframe with integral rollcage, FIA approved five-point harness, coil over with Bilstein shocks) 205/60R 13 BF Goodrich Comp TA HR4 tires, and sealed Yamaha 1250cc motorcycle engines, pumping out 122 hp.

Weighing in at 1,300, the little cars of yesterday have a high power to grip ratio, a factor that makes for exciting racing.

According to the rule book governing Legends, they are classified as INEX-Legends, which stands for “INEX”pensive.

In 1992, race officials at Lowe’s Motor Speedway (previously known as Charlotte Motor Speedway), noted a need for less costly racing cars with
little maintenance, and discovered the motorcycle-engined Dwarf Car, a 5/8-scale steel-bodied fenderless replica of a 1935 Ford coupe, manufactured in Phoenix, Arizona by the Dwarf Car Company.

A Legend at speed.

To meet their idea of racing, they adapted the Dwarf Car to create the Legends Cars, which are manufactured from less expensive fiberglass with enclosed fenders.

These cars competed in early NASCAR Modified Tour races, and the first Legend car took to the track at Lowe’s in April 1992, introduced to the world by track president and general manager Humpy Wheeler and road racer
Elliott Forbes-Robinson.

Legends Cars are produced by 600 Racing, Inc. of Harrisburg, North Carolina, reportedly the largest mass producer of race cars in the world. Available body styles: 1934 Chevrolet coupe, 1934 Ford sedan, 1934 Ford coupe, 1937 Chevrolet sedan, 1937 Dodge coupe, 1937 Ford sedan, 1937 Ford coupe, 1937 Chevrolet coupe, 1937 Dodge sedan, and 1940 Ford coupe.

The popular form of motor racing started in the United States, but has spread around the globe to include Canada, England and Scotland, which also host championships.

Fifteen-year old Chris “The Young One” Young took the checkered flag in first place.

Several internationally famous drivers have stepped up from seats in Legends to faster rides, drives the likes of Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Reed Sorenson, David Regan, Kyle Busch, and Kurt Busch.

*This is the third story in a series on the Bethel Motor Speedway. Be sure to check back for future stories, both here, on our main page, and in the Chronicle’s Sullivan Sports Snapshots.

To read more about “The Young One” see the Sullivan Sports Snapshots.section.

To view more photos or to purchase prints from A “Legendary” Tradition visit the Chronicle on Zenfolio.

Story By Paul Smart – Phoenicia Times – originally published 10/8/09 – reprinted with permission of the publisher – Brian Powers / Photos added by Leni Santoro

ALBANY- The state Department of Environmental Conservation has finally released its first draft of an environmental impact statement that proposes new laws for natural gas drilling in New York’s Marcellus Shale after 18 months of study and several delays. State officials say the guidelines, which are 809 pages long and extremely detailed, address key concerns including the disclosure of fluids used in the drilling process known as hydraulic fracturing as well as the on-site handling of drilling waste.

The draft materials now face a 60-day public review period. There will be no public hearings where the public can make statements for the record.

Almost immediately, however, the DEIS’ release has generated heated debate, pitting local environmental organizations concerned that the state will not ban drilling inside the New York City watershed, or the Catskill Park, against state legislators from the region who say what’s been written may be the best we’ll get.

At the same time, the Catskills’ most noted geologist, Dr. Robert Titus of Hartwick College, has said that as far as he can surmise, the Route 28 corridor, including Shandaken and Olive, is outside the effected area, and a more productive shale area under Utica to the north and west may end up rendering most of the concerns about the Marcellus moot, in the long run.

He did add, however, that citizens should report whenever they are approached by gas companies about drilling to this paper, and his office, anonymously if need be, so as to better chart where drilling companies are looking.

As for the main fact that the DEC’s proposed laws don’t seem intent on protecting the Catskill Mountain area that supplies drinking water to 9 million people, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer said in a news release following the DEIS release last week that, “The state’s mitigation proposals are half measures. I believe the choice is simple: we either correct this error and ban drilling now, or soon enough the officials entrusted with protecting our environment will be asked to explain why they were asleep at the switch when it mattered most.”

Sullivan County-based Catskill Mountainkeeper, meanwhile, noted that the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Study offered some limited protections concerning the New York City watershed and disclosure of chemicals being used, “But overall, this report clears the way for the commencement of large scale gas drilling in New York State in 2010 without adequate protection for the general public in the Catskill region, the New York City watershed, the Catskill Park and in other environmentally sensitive areas.”

“Unless elected officials, the media and especially the public speak out powerfully and quickly the entire state of New York and our region, in particular, is going to be put at extreme and unnecessary levels of risk,” continued Ramsay Adams, Executive Director of Catskill Mountainkeeper. “In the last year and a half since the commencement of drilling, there have been an extraordinary number of reported accidents connected to gas drilling in nearby Pennsylvania. It is highly questionable whether local authorities will be prepared to handle the wide variety of responsibilities for monitoring and tracking accidents as well as preparing local police, firefighters and healthcare institutions to adequately respond to emergencies… The impending gas exploration and drilling is the single biggest industrial undertaking in the history of New York State.

Members of various fishing and other organizations throughout the area, meanwhile, started e-mailing about images and stories concerning massive fish kills in areas where the new gas drilling technology has been used around the county.

By early this week, though, some defenders of the DEC were lining up. State Senator John Bonacic said on Monday that he supports the DEC’s “generic” environmental impact study, noting that “natural gas is our own backyard is something that should be extracted” and how drilling would boost local economic vitality.

“In life you can worry about everything, but you have to make intelligent, balanced judgments, and in my mind, we have done that,” he said. “We have strengthened DEC to impose these very strict regulations and at the same time, we are allowing the process to continue to enhance our domestic energy supply to become more independent of foreign oil.”

State Assemblyman Kevin Cahill, who head’s his legislative body’s powerful Energy Committee, sent out a press release the day after the DEIS’ release that said that tapping the Marcellus Shale formation for a short term natural gas supply would provide New York with the opportunity to develop a reliable indigenous fuel supply. “

We have to recognize that we are using natural gas, and even if it is a transitional fuel as we move toward energy independence in New York State, we will need to use natural gas,” he said. “Isn’t it better that we extract it responsibly from New York State and have it here at our doorstep than have it shipped across the country from places like Louisiana where its coming out of swamps with virtually no environmental regulations or coming out of places like West Virginia where their idea of how you get at a mineral is to blow the top off a mountain.”

Provisions in the proposed laws would make New York State’s environmental protections more stringent than those in many other drilling areas, the document’s supporters assure.

New York Gov. David Paterson the new study in July, 2008 after media investigations found that the DEC had told state legislators that hydraulic fracturing was safe, even though the agency had not studied or discussed the sometimes dangerous chemicals that it uses and that later wind up in its waste.

Hydraulic fracturing has made the Marcellus Shale and other difficult-to-reach deposits of gas accessible to drillers. The process shoots millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals underground at high pressure to break up rock and release gas. According to some estimates being touted by those seeking permits for drilling, the Marcellus holds enough gas to meet the country’s natural gas needs for more than 20 years.

Geologist Bob Titus, however, wonders how far the Marcellus actually goes… and whether it reaches our area.

“The farther east you go, the more likely that the Marcellus has been metamorphosed (‘cooked’) during New England mountain building events. That drives the gas out of the shales,” he wrote in an e-mail this week. “Conventional logic states that very little exploration will occur in Ulster or Greene counties. The chances of good gas plays increase as you approach the Pennsylvanian border. Plays are likely to be pretty good as you pass through Schoharie, Delaware and Otsego counties. And people are very optimistic about the Utica Shale, which may have even more gas than the Marcellus. Most of it is north of the Mohawk River.”

Titus added, however, that the key now is to keep an eye on what gas drilling companies, which have been hitting major stalls due to chemical spills and other problems in nearby Pennsylvania, are up to.

Likewise, Catskill Mountainkeeper is urging people to read what they can of the proposed DEIS and make comments to the state however they can. “

Catskill Mountainkeeper does not believe that gas drilling should commence until it is proven that it can be done safely. The DEC report does not do enough to ensure that goal,” Adams said in a second e-mail following the DEC release last week. “We are urging all elected representatives and residents of New York State to educate themselves as quickly as possible. When the trucks are rolling it will be too late to begin to understand the reality of what we’ve allowed ourselves to get into. We have to act now. This is our last chance to do something to mitigate or stop gas drilling.” A

Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther of Sullivan County, meanwhile, has announced that the Assembly Standing Committee on Environmental Conservation will hold a single hearing on the Draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement governing natural gas drilling on the Marcellus Shale formation in Sullivan County and the Southern Tier of New York on Thursday, October 15, in Albany, starting at 9:00 AM in the Legislative Building.

The SGEIS is available at http://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/47554.html

Public comment period on the draft will be open until November 30.

Story and photos by Ted Waddell

LOCH SHELDRAKE – “Inherit the Wind”, a 1955 play by Jerome Lawrence and
Robert Edwin Lee was brilliantly adapted to the local stage by Ron Nash with vocal music arrangements by Lori James.

Staged by the Forestburgh Theatre Arts Center (FTAC), an outgrowth of the 65-year old Forestburgh Playhouse, “Inherit the Wind” is a fictionalized account of the world-famous Scopes “Monkey” Trial in which John T. Scopes was convicted in the sultry summer of 1925 of teaching Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution to a high school science class, contrary to a Tennessee state law that banned the teaching of evolution. The trial took place in Hillsboro, Tennessee, and the original authors of the play used it as a powerful and thought-provoking parable to explore the then contemporary state of McCarthyism and anti-Communist investigations conducted by the House Committee of Un-American Activities (HCUA) and the then-mighty Senator Joseph McCarthy before his fall from grace…

To read the rest of Ted Waddell’s story on the Forestburgh Theatre Arts Center production of “Inherit the Wind” – Creationism vs. Evolution please visit the Chronicle’s Theatrical Previews and Reviews page listed under our Theater, Dance and Poetry section.

To view more photos or to purchase prints from “Inherit the Wind” – Creationism vs. Evolution visit the Chronicle on Zenfolio.

Story and photos by Carol Montana

MONTICELLO – Over 50 people attended a forum at the Ted Stroebele Recreation Center in Monticello on October 21. Sponsored by Sullivan County TRIAD, Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) and the Sullivan County Office for the Aging (OFA), the open forum was the beginning of what will hopefully be ongoing discussions on empowering Sullivan County to build successful aging-friendly communities.

It is the goal of such communities to allow older adults to live safely, independently and with dignity in their own homes, and with the appropriate support services.

The forum was opened by CCE’s Bonnie Lewis, R,N, Caregiver Resource Center Coordinator. She explained the concept of aging-friendly communities, and presented a PowerPoint presentation showing demographics of the senior population now and in the coming years, and migration to and from Sullivan County. Lewis also spoke about the importance of social and civic engagement and programs that foster independence. 

“Older New Yorkers want to live independently and age with dignity in their communities,” said Lewis. “It isn’t so much what can the community do for me as much as what, as a community, are we going to do for each other to make sure that we all are treated with respect, dignity and security.”

Lewis introduced the crowd to the concept of a livable community, “affordable and appropriate housing, supportive community features and services, and adequate mobility options, that facilitate personal independence and engagement.” 

The importance of volunteering was also stressed. Lewis said that “there are lots of opportunities out there to make your retirement much more meaningful.”

Lewis then introduced Joanne Macklin, Executive Director of the NYS Coalition for the Aging and Statewide Caregiving & Respite Coalition of NY.

Macklin also presented a slide show and talked about successful community-planning initiatives in Broome, Clinton, Orange, Schoharie, Allegany and Westchester Counties, as well as Ithaca, Albany, parts of the Adirondacks, New York City and other areas.

“Most of these initiatives have been going on for over 10 years. So this is not a fast process. If you’re just starting your activities here in Sullivan County, don’t give up.” 

Following Macklin’s presentation, OFA Director James Lyttle opened a public hearing. Discussions included budget cuts, health-care reform, the lack of assisted living and adequate transportation in the county, Medicare Part D, and several other topics. “The county has requested we cut $136,138,” said Lyttle. 

“This is your turn for us to listen to your comments about our services and programs,” said Lyttle.

Priscilla Bassett, co-chair of the Senior Legislative Action Committee (SLAC) asked, “We all know how absolutely imperative are the services offered by the OFA. Now, where in the world are you going to find $136,000 to be cut, because we already know as the years and weeks go by, we have more and more seniors arriving on the scene. …”

President of the Monticello Senior Citzens and SLAC co-chair, Roz Sharoff said, “I think it’s obscene. There isn’t a week that goes by that I don’t refer one or two people to your office, and to ask you to cut money from the very people who need it, it’s outrageous.”

Legislator Leni Binder responded that “The county is not cutting because it wants to. … We can stand here and we can complain and we can scream … the county and the state and the country are in a downward spiral. … We have to start lobbying the federal and state government to cut the tax exempt situation. If we even cut a fraction of our tax exempts, places that are tax exempt a whole year when they’re in operation six weeks of the years, thousands and thousands of acres, we wouldn’t have a budget deficit. … Certainly no one is going to cut all the senior services. … I do not have the answers. … Everyone is in the exact same situation.”

Minnette Kramer, Legislative Aide for Assemblyperson Aileen Gunther suggested the following: “If everyone in this room would help somebody in one way or another, and ask a friend to help someone … and keep it going, the OFA would have a lighter load. Please think about a neighbor, a friend … help them. It makes you feel so good to do something for somebody. It’s good for your mind, it’s good for your body. It’s a healthy thing. Try it.” 

The public hearing ended with Tula Brown, Health Insurance Information Counseling and Assistance Program (HIICAP) Coordinator giving an update on new provisions and new costs for Medicare Part D.

To find about the services of the the Sullivan County Office for the Aging, call 845-807-0241 or visit SCOFA on the Internet.

Students from Livingston Manor line up for the start of the DARE parade in Jeffersonville Wednesday night. – Provided photo.

MONTICELLO – The Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office in conjunction with The New York State DARE Officers Association hosted the 2009 School Safety and DARE Conference this week at the Villa Roma Resort.

DARE and School Resource Officers from around the state converged on Callicoon this past Sunday, October 18, for five days of seminars and training on youth and school related topics. This year’s conference was expanded to allow educators and school administrators to attend.

The week’s activities culminated Wednesday night with a DARE parade in the Village of Jeffersonville.

Leading the parade was Miss New York 2009, Alyse Zwick. Following, were police cars from as far away as Auburn, Herkimer, Scotia, and Cayuga County. They were escorted by DARE students from local schools who marched down main street just after 7:00 PM. The hit of the parade was a Toyota Celica confiscated from a drug dealer and turned into a DARE car by the Syracuse Police Department. The car featured ground effects lighting, subwoofer speakers and a 27 inch flat screen TV in the hatchback.

Sheriff Mike Schiff thanked Mayor Ed Justus, the Village of Jeffersonville , and the Jeffersonville Fire Department for their enthusiastic support of the DARE parade.

Story and photos by Carol Montana

LIBERTY – Allen Wright knows an opportunity when he sees one. He’s been a property owner in Liberty for over 15 years. But when he moved to Liberty full time in 2008, Wright really started noticing the vacant store fronts. “It struck me that this is an opportunity to use it as an art space.”

So Wright marched into the Liberty Community Development Corporation (CDC) office – unannounced – and said “you know I’ve got this great idea, blah, blah, blah, I’m here, how can I help.”

Wright was welcomed as a volunteer, and has worked on several different projects including the holiday lights on Main Street. This past May, he became the CDC’s Project Director, and the first thing he was tasked with was his idea about using vacant store fronts – and some other stores – to exhibit art.

“So I put out a call that I spread around to different art galleries and businesses,” said Wright. “I went to the Catskill Artists Gallery and told them to spread the word. People started to talk about it and contacted me at the office. Very slowly it started to happen.”

Then Wright had to contact the property owners. And that was actually easier than it sounds, because the CDC office is right across the hall from the Village of Liberty code enforcement officer. “She knows who owns everything,” Wright says.

The result of all the work is the Liberty Art Walk, which had its opening reception on Friday, October 9 at the Liberty Museum and Art Center. There are 10 artists in 13 displays from South Main Street to North Main Street – all on the east side of the street.

At the reception, Wright thanked everyone involved and told the artists, “You can’t imagine how often people stop me and compliment me on your work.”

CDC Executive Director Heinrich Strauch explained that the CDC is a “private/public partnership and membership based organization that was incorporated five years ago to focus on the redevelopment of the community. That means not only economic development, but also beautification, housing, youth activities, anything that makes Liberty a more livable and attractive place to live for the residents.”

Some of the CDC’s projects include a microenterprise program that helped nine business get started or expand; a skate park that will hopefully be built next spring; and a housing development for working families and seniors. “We also did a beautification project which culminated in the traffic circle that was completed this spring,” said Strauch.

Funding for the CDC comes from the Town and Village of Liberty, the Gerry Foundation, private memberships and approximately 60 paying members.

Three of the artists whose work is on display accompanied several community members on the walk to see the displays.

Nick Roes, whose drawings are being exhibited at Sunflower Health Food Store, works mostly in art markers. “They are bright colors and when you make a stroke you can’t take it back.” Roes’ work has been used to raise funds for both WJFF Radio and NACL Theatre in Highland Lake. Roes said the Liberty Art Walk “sounded really interesting and exciting. It was a no lose proposition. It ‘s great for the artists and great for Liberty and it’s a lot of fun even being here today, I’m glad I was a part of it.”

At 13 South Main, you can see the work of Silvia Sanza, who does multi media assemblages. “I think that anything that brings people to Main Street and gets them to stop and see all the beauty, I mean the architecture is lovely and to me it has all the important things that make a good main street – a library, churches, a dollar store and if the windows are something that draw people in I think it’s great.”

Donna Wymore has worked for Cobalt Studios, a scenic design studio, for 2 ½ years. She got her experience on the job and in college at SUNY Oswego, and she worked in Los Angeles for 11 years on film and TV, and in theme parks like Disney and Universal Studios.  A theatrical drop by Cobalt Studios is on display at 91 N, Main Street. Wymore thinks that the art “makes the town look better so we don’t have a lot of empty windows … it really sparks it up.”

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Art exhibits are on display at the following addresses – heading from south to north

Liberty Free Theater, 109 S. Main Street – Theatrical Set Design by Alexis Siroc

33 S. Main Street – Paintings by Raphael Wettenstein

29 S. Main Street – Multi-media Sculpture by Robert Friedman

27 S. Main Street – Photography by Hand Schneider & Digital Photography by Frank Ruisi

13 S. Main Street – Multi-media Assemblages by Silvai Sanza

11 S. Main Street – Wood Sculpture by Enrico Sulis & Tatyana Sulis

Sunflower Health Food Store, 71 N. Main Street – Drawings by Nick A. Roes

91 N. Main Street – Theatrical Set Design by Cobalt Studios

For more ideas on how art is making a hit on Main Street check out Ted Waddell’s story Livingston Manor’s “Windows on Main.

To view more photos or to purchase prints from the Liberty Art Walk visit the Chronicle on Zenfolio.

In the photo left to right are Fallsburg High School teacher Mona Ingber, Board of Education member Arlene Hussey, and parent Winnie Foertsch. – Provided photo.

FALLSBURG – The Fallsburg Central School District Board of Education presented high school teacher Mona Ingber and parent Winnie Foertsch with special recognition awards at the Board of Education meeting on October 7.

Ms. Foerstch received a Citizenship Award for her volunteer efforts “beyond anyone’s expectations.” Her support of the Shining Star and Honor Roll celebrations in Benjamin Cosor Elementary School over the past several years contributed greatly to the acknowledgment of student achievement.

Ms. Ingber’s activities with her Career Academic Program (CAP) during the past many years earned her an Education Above and Beyond Award. After years of creating beautiful gardens around the high school building, Ms. Ingber’s students won a substantial Sullivan Renaissance Award for adding beauty to school grounds.

Board Member Arlene Hussey presented the awards to these two women who truly make a difference for Fallsburg students.

John Clark (right) used to race motorcycles and 4-cylinders, but these days helps out manning the gates.

Story and photos by Ted Waddell

KAUNEONGA LAKE – Bethel Motor Speedway attracts a diverse crowd ranging from doctors to auto mechanics, and from retired NYC detectives to young 15-year old up and coming drivers, all with a passion for speeding around a ¼ mile semi-banked oval asphalt track.

Dave Rocket makes a point at the driver’s meeting before the start of racing action.

John Clark was working one of the pit gates a couple of nights before the local speedway closed for the season.

He used to run Pop’s Cycle in Waldon, a natural for a guy who raced motorcycles for 18 years, all the way from his hometown to Daytona, Florida.

“It’s great, you ought to try it,” said the veteran of 4-cylinder racing at BMS. “It’s the best track around, nice and clean and run good.”

Les Quick of Jeffersonville used to race pure stock at the local speedway and has been a regular fixture there since 1971. The other day he was helping out in the pits as the crew readied Mark Silverstein’s car for an upcoming race.

The Checkered Flag!

“Once you get it in your blood it’s all the same,” he said of the heart-pounding excitement of wheel-to-wheel motor racing.

“The thrill is just going out there and seeing what you can do on the track, that’s the biggest thing.”

Steve Schmidt knows his way around motor speedways, and he summed up what he called “progressive type racing” by saying it’s all about being “down home…and you don’t have beer being sold so you don’t have to worry about the Budweiser idiots up in the stands yelling and screaming, and cursing and embarrassing your family.”

A track official lines up a legion of Legends for some hop laps.

“The $5 entrance fee is the cheapest in New York State.”

*This is the second story in a series on the Bethel Motor Speedway. Be sure to check back for future stories, both here, on our main page, and in the Chronicle’s Sullivan Sports Snapshots. 

To view more photos or to purchase prints from Speedway Folks visit the Chronicle on Zenfolio.

The candidates for local office in Town of Fallsburg left to right: Suellen Magnetico, Nathan Steingart, Donna Akerley, Joe Perrello, Mike Weiner, Steve Vegliante, and Leon Cortizo.

WOODBOURNE – At the Woodbourne Fire House on Sunday, October 18, all the candidates for local office were there in honor of the late Tim Hill. The event also raises funds for a scholarship to a graduating Fallsburg High School senior who follows in Tim’s footsteps. Tim Hill was deeply involved in the local community.

At the breakfast several high school students were participating in service to their community by making sure that everyone had everything they needed to enjoy the beautiful breakfast buffet.

If anyone wants to support the memory of Tim Hill and the scholarship, please contact Fallsburg High School Guidance Counselor Joe Levner at (845) 434-6800, ext 2249.

Compiled by and Photos by Leni Santoro

ELDRED – So far there are over 600 hand-holding paper dolls encircling the top of the walls acting as a paper doll frieze, just under the picture molding, in The Corner’s ice cream shop cafe. Each doll represents a $1 donation to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. Though small in stature themselves, the dolls represent the generosity of those whose big hearts are overflowing with concern for the needs of both childhood cancer researchers, doctors and their young patients.

At The Corner in Eldred the dolls create a "frieze of care" along the picture molding.

Lou Monteleone, radio personality at Thunder 102 FM and manager at the Eldred Preserve and The Corner in Eldred launched the Line of Hope Paper Doll Campaign in an effort to raise awareness and funds for kids with cancer. The proceeds from the fundraising campaign will benefit the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a non-profit organization that raises money for childhood cancer research.

The idea for the paper dolls came from the line dance that was done in August.

“I always had this thing about large groups of people getting together. Whether you’re holding hands or you’re in a line doing something, I just feel the power in quantities of people really sets an example,” said Monteleone.

The funds are needed by St. Baldrick’s whose work includes research into cures for childhood cancers, explained Monteleone.

“But, it’s also about teaching kids, getting kids involved [in helping other kids], giving them some purpose of feeling good, because they will after they participate, when they make the dolls,” said Monteleone.

The dolls can be personalized in any number of ways.

After holding the Longest Line Dance and Conga Against Cancer in August, Monteleone felt he wanted to keep going with raising funds for St. Baldrick’s, but how? Paper dolls could be answer.

“I just thought that the symbolism is in holding hands,” he said. “You know these kids [with cancer], what they go through every day, and the families are battling, too. I thought that by making the paper dolls, personalizing them and having them holding hands in a line, that it could be a symbolic thing just as much as a monetary thing.

Dolls can be purchased for a $1 donation and are then added to the Line of Hope, which currently numbers 675 paper dolls in total. Hundreds of paper dolls holding “paper hands” encircle the interior walls of the ice cream shop, The Corner in Eldred.

After the Longest Line Dance and Conga Against cancer the folks at St. Baldrick's requested T-shirts for themselves, then sent these special "trout" thank-yous to Monteleone who is known locally as The Lord of the Trout.

“I firmly believe that if we all do a little…a lot will be done. Nothing is more powerful than people holding hands in solidarity for something they believe in. This is the symbolism I envisioned when I came up with this idea,” said Monteleone, whose line dance and conga line fundraiser for St. Baldrick’s in August, raising more than $2,000 for the foundation.

He is also encouraging schools and children’s organizations to join in the fun and make a difference.

Paper dolls can be purchased at the ice cream shop located at the Four Corners in Eldred, or by emailing lineofhope@hvc.rr.com or contacting Monteleone at (845) 557-8316. Donors can also color or draw in embellishments for their paper doll before sending it in to join the Line of Hope. Dolls that are received from other parts of the United States will have their city and state noted on the doll’s feet.

Donations to St. Baldrick’s can also be made at Lou Monteleone’s page on the St. Baldrick’s website.

Can’t wait to participate, click these links, print and create your dolls and send them with your donation to Lou Monteleone, c/o The Eldred Preserve, PO Box 111, Eldred, NY 12732.

Paper dolls 1, Paper Dolls 2

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About St. Baldrick’s

St. Baldrick’s donors and volunteers made possible over $11.5 million in funding for childhood cancer research in 2009, so far! More grants will be made in the fall.

• Research grants are focused on finding new and better cures for childhood cancer.
• St. Baldrick’s Fellows are new doctors training to specialize in pediatric oncology research, funded for 2-3 years. From 2005 to 2009, 35 St. Baldrick’s Fellows have been funded.
• St. Baldrick’s Scholars are pursuing exciting research, funded for 3 years or more. Because grant funds are so scarce, it is difficult for those early in their careers to compete with more established researchers. These grants keep new researchers focused on childhood cancer. From 2008-2009, 20 St. Baldrick’s Scholars have been funded.
• Infrastructure grants help institutions treat more kids on clinical trials (their best hope for a cure), or provide resources to make more research possible (to be made in the fall).
• Multi-institution grants include the cooperative research and laboratories of the 200-member Children’s Oncology Group, as well as consortiums of institutions working on pediatric brain tumors, neuroblastoma, and bone marrow transplants for childhood cancer patients.
• Foreign beneficiaries receive funds raised by St. Baldrick’s events held in their countries.

St. Baldrick’s Foundation is grateful to its many volunteers (bald or not!), donors and sponsors, including Allied World, elope and PartnerRe. For more information about St. Baldrick’s, please call 1-888-899-BALD or visit www.StBaldricks.org.

To view more photos from Paper Dolls are Lining Up in Eldred visit the Chronicle on Zenfolio.

Legends are an increasingly popular form of motor racing.

Story and photos by Ted Waddell

KAUNEONGA LAKE – It’s all over for 2009, but Dave and Joanne Rocket, promoters of oval track racing events at Bethel Motor Speedway, are already fueling up for next season.

The ¼ mile oval track was constructed in 1959 and opened up for racing as a dirt track on May 31, 1960 until it was paved in asphalt in 1962.

A pit crew prepares a street stocker by fine-tuning the thundering V-8.

Over the years, the track operated under several names: Sullivan County Speedway, Kauneonga Speedway (until 2004), Catskill Mountain Speedway 2005-06 (under Michelle Gannon), White Lake Speedway until the end of the ’06 season, and starting in 2008 Bethel Motor Speedway.

The local track was dark in 2007 until it was acquired by Fred Graf Racing, LLC and reopened under its new owners as the Bethel Motor Speedway on August 9, 2008. The Rockets, who promoted races at the semi-banked oval track speedway from 1998 – 2004, returned as promoters.

In 2007, new promoters, planning to run the track as Bethel Motorsports Park, hit a speed bump when they failed to get a green light from the town to hold races on Sunday afternoons.

In a sense, Bethel Motor Speedway is racing throwback, as it’s one of the few remaining oval tracks in a land that once hosted hundreds of similar speedways, but the Rockets, drivers and motor racing fans refuse to let
up on the gas.

During the racing season, the weekly racing schedule at Bethel Motor Speedway includes several divisions: Sportsman, BMS modified, Pro Stock, Street Stock and 4-Cylinder (junior and senior).

A few last minute suspension adjustments on a modified.

INEX-sanctioned Legends and Bandoleros make frequent appearances, and in addition the speedway hosts a limited number of racing events for vintage dirt modifieds, AllStar race trucks, and American Three Quarter Midget Racing Association (ATQMRA) midgets.

INEX is the international sanctioning body of the Legends, Bandolero and Thunder Roadster Cars. Formed in 1995, INEX was developed to promote, organize and sanction Legends Car, Bandolero and Thunder Roadster racing across the United States, Canada and Europe.

The real heart of any race track is down in the pits, as a lot of races are won or lost by how well a car is prepared.

Pro stockers in the staging lane before going out on the fast track.

Bethel Motor Speedway is right on track, as hours before the first fast lap and subsequent series of races on the asphalt, crews work to get their driver’s rides geared up for the wheel-to-wheel competition, from fine-tuning the big V-8’s, checking tire pressures and tweaking suspensions.

For information about BMS call 845-778-3839, www.bethelmotorspeedway.com, or email bethelmotorspeed@cs.com .

*This is the first story in a series on the Bethel Motor Speedway. Be sure to check back for future stories, both here, on our main page, and in the Chronicle’s Sullivan Sports Snapshots. 

To view more photos or to purchase prints from Down in the Pits visit the Chronicle on Zenfolio.