There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.
- Unknown
Cheating to get ahead might get you the grade or promotion, but in the long run it really sets you back. Intelligence, creativity, hard work, and solid character--the things that propel you forward--are not fostered by taking the easy way out. You don't earn anything by short-cutting your work. You're only cutting your potential short. Sure you might feel relieved that a stressful task has passed, but an undeserving sense of relief doesn't compare to the gratification of knowing that you completed your own work. If something in your life is difficult, meet it head on and earn the satisfaction of earning a job well done--with honesty and integrity.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Keepers of the Castle
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| Stone Castle Inn owner Tom Riordan, center, and his staff at the historic restaurant’s grand reopening Friday. Photo by Doron Tyler Antrim |
Officials, dignitaries help reopen historic restaurant
By Doron Tyler Antrim
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
CAIRO — The owner of Cairo’s Stone Castle Inn bar & grill was praised Friday by county and town officials for his efforts in turning around the building — the former home of the Stone Tower Restaurant — and providing a new option for local dining.
Tom Riordan, who moved to the U.S. from Ireland in 1984 and ate at the Stone Tower many times before it ceased operations, purchased the building in 2009 with the intent of reinventing the space.
With the help of funding from the Greene County Department on Economic Development, Tourism & Planning and other loans, Riordan has indeed transformed the space.
“Everything needed work, from the roof to the floors,” Riordan has said previously. “The floors were buckled and needed to be replaced. The roof leaked and had to be redone.” The kitchen and bathrooms have been rebuilt and workers were able to restore the original bar and stone fireplace.
Some things from the old restaurant have been recycled, including a pot holder that’s now employed as a chandelier. “We just couldn’t throw it out,” Riordan said.
During an event at the restaurant Friday, Riordan was congratulated for his work and his decision to pick Cairo.
“I’d like to thank Tom for choosing us for his establishment,” said Roxy Raffa, president of the Cairo Chamber of Commerce.
Warren Hart, director of the county’s Department of Economic Development, Tourism & Planning, congratulated Riordan and his staff for their “wonderful restaurant,” adding that restaurants play an important role in the county’s economy. “We all know we’re a tourism county,” he said.
Hart said his department has provided the Stone Castle Inn a $60,000 loan through its Quantum Fund and funded exterior work on the building last year with a $7,500 grant from its Main Street Revitalization Program.
Riordan thanked the “support and patronage” of the community and saluted the county and town of Cairo, including Dan Benoit, chairman of the town planning board and board member Ray Pacifico.
Riordan said his future plans for the property include paving the parking lot and outdoor lighting and seating.
He has hired eight staff, including general manager Jonathan Kearney, who handles the day-to-day operations.
Riordan, 55, who works full-time in real estate in New York City, owns a weekend home in East Durham and says he plans to retire here.
County Legislator Harry Lennon, D-Cairo, one of several legislators who attended the event, said everyone is “looking forward to (the Stone Castle’s) success.”
The Stone Castle Inn is located on Route 145, less than a mile from the intersection with Route 23. It’s open seven days a week starting at noon and serves lunch and dinner. It can be reached at 518-622-9177 or at stonecastleinn@gmail.com. It’s also on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Stone-Castle-Inn-Bar-Grill#!/pages/Stone-Castle-Inn-Bar-Grill/112759245459685.
-Miguel Madera contributed reporting
Tom Riordan, who moved to the U.S. from Ireland in 1984 and ate at the Stone Tower many times before it ceased operations, purchased the building in 2009 with the intent of reinventing the space.
With the help of funding from the Greene County Department on Economic Development, Tourism & Planning and other loans, Riordan has indeed transformed the space.
“Everything needed work, from the roof to the floors,” Riordan has said previously. “The floors were buckled and needed to be replaced. The roof leaked and had to be redone.” The kitchen and bathrooms have been rebuilt and workers were able to restore the original bar and stone fireplace.
Some things from the old restaurant have been recycled, including a pot holder that’s now employed as a chandelier. “We just couldn’t throw it out,” Riordan said.
During an event at the restaurant Friday, Riordan was congratulated for his work and his decision to pick Cairo.
“I’d like to thank Tom for choosing us for his establishment,” said Roxy Raffa, president of the Cairo Chamber of Commerce.
Warren Hart, director of the county’s Department of Economic Development, Tourism & Planning, congratulated Riordan and his staff for their “wonderful restaurant,” adding that restaurants play an important role in the county’s economy. “We all know we’re a tourism county,” he said.
Hart said his department has provided the Stone Castle Inn a $60,000 loan through its Quantum Fund and funded exterior work on the building last year with a $7,500 grant from its Main Street Revitalization Program.
Riordan thanked the “support and patronage” of the community and saluted the county and town of Cairo, including Dan Benoit, chairman of the town planning board and board member Ray Pacifico.
Riordan said his future plans for the property include paving the parking lot and outdoor lighting and seating.
He has hired eight staff, including general manager Jonathan Kearney, who handles the day-to-day operations.
Riordan, 55, who works full-time in real estate in New York City, owns a weekend home in East Durham and says he plans to retire here.
County Legislator Harry Lennon, D-Cairo, one of several legislators who attended the event, said everyone is “looking forward to (the Stone Castle’s) success.”
The Stone Castle Inn is located on Route 145, less than a mile from the intersection with Route 23. It’s open seven days a week starting at noon and serves lunch and dinner. It can be reached at 518-622-9177 or at stonecastleinn@gmail.com. It’s also on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Stone-Castle-Inn-Bar-Grill#!/pages/Stone-Castle-Inn-Bar-Grill/112759245459685.
-Miguel Madera contributed reporting
Friday, March 11, 2011
Are you a good friend?
Even if you aren't an antique lover, you can probably appreciate old things. The most worthwhile, long-term investment you can make is investing in relationships. A healthy, edifying friendship can have a huge impact on your well-being, character, and even your success. Old friends have seen us through celebrations, grief, births, graduations, marriages, and so much more. They love us for who we are--warts and all! Think about the most formative friendships in your life and consider writing a note of appreciation to each of your friends. Maybe there are some buddies that you need to reach out to because they have a need, or others you just need to reconnect with. Your gratitude shows them that they are cared for, which everyone needs to know.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Thought for the Day.....
Holding onto anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intention of throwing it at someone else. You are the one who gets burned.- Buddha
Monday, February 14, 2011
Powerball Winner!
Luck of the Irish
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| Stephen Kirwan of Purling and his wife Catherine accept a check for $122 million during a news conference in Albany Friday. Stephen Kirwan purchased the winning Powerball ticket at the Clothespin Laundromat in Catskill last month. Photo by Doron Tyler Antrim |
Retired fireman from Purling introduced as Greene’s first Powerball winner
By Doron Tyler Antrim
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
Chalk it up to the luck of the Irish.
Wearing a shiny green hat complete with a shamrock, Stephen Kirwan of Purling was announced Friday as the winner of the $122 million Powerball jackpot.
Kirwan, 68, whose home on Bailey Road burned down last winter, says some of the winnings will go to rebuild it.
He has opted to take the one lump sum payment of more than $61 million, or $40.4 million after taxes.
He and his wife Catherine, 61, accepted their prize during a news conference in the Empire State Plaza in Albany.
“It still hasn’t sunk in,” Kirwan said. “I guess I got a lifetime of luck all at once.”
On Jan. 22, Kirwan entered the Clothespin Laundromat in Catskill to purchase a Quick Draw ticket when he decided to play Powerball, too. That turned out to be a wise choice as he discovered the next morning.
“I sat at the kitchen table on Sunday morning and checked my numbers in the paper as usual,” he said. “I checked those numbers three times before I finally turned to my wife and said ‘I think I won.’”
Kirwan picked his numbers at random. “They don’t mean anything,” he said.
The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are one in 195 million.
Kirwan claimed the ticket Feb. 7.
The Kirwans have two children, 26-year-old Stephen Kirwan Jr., who owned the former Kirwan’s Game Store in Catskill, and 25-year-old Christine Kirwan.
After moving to Purling in 1987 after 24 years with the New York City Fire Department, Kirwan began working at Stiefel Labs in Oak Hill. He retired in 2004.
While speaking to reporters following the news conference, Kirwan said he has no plans to leave Purling. “I’m comfortable where I am,” he said.
Kirwan has no definitive plans for how much of the money will be spent, but said he wants to treat his family to a cruise.
Kirwan purchased the ticket for $5. The winning numbers were 30-31-34-45-51 plus Powerball 23.
This isn’t the first time Kirwan has won money from the Lottery. He said he once won $800 from Take 5.
A married couple from Wilton, Saratoga County also accepted a Powerball prize Friday totaling $48.8 million.
Jeffrey and Christine Pintuff, both 58, have opted to take the one lump sum payment of $24.8 million, or $16.4 million after taxes.
The $1 Quick Pick ticket was purchased on Christmas Day at the Stewart’s Shop in Wilton.
The Pintuffs claimed their ticket Feb. 1.
Powerball is played in 42 states, Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Wearing a shiny green hat complete with a shamrock, Stephen Kirwan of Purling was announced Friday as the winner of the $122 million Powerball jackpot.
Kirwan, 68, whose home on Bailey Road burned down last winter, says some of the winnings will go to rebuild it.
He has opted to take the one lump sum payment of more than $61 million, or $40.4 million after taxes.
He and his wife Catherine, 61, accepted their prize during a news conference in the Empire State Plaza in Albany.
“It still hasn’t sunk in,” Kirwan said. “I guess I got a lifetime of luck all at once.”
On Jan. 22, Kirwan entered the Clothespin Laundromat in Catskill to purchase a Quick Draw ticket when he decided to play Powerball, too. That turned out to be a wise choice as he discovered the next morning.
“I sat at the kitchen table on Sunday morning and checked my numbers in the paper as usual,” he said. “I checked those numbers three times before I finally turned to my wife and said ‘I think I won.’”
Kirwan picked his numbers at random. “They don’t mean anything,” he said.
The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are one in 195 million.
Kirwan claimed the ticket Feb. 7.
The Kirwans have two children, 26-year-old Stephen Kirwan Jr., who owned the former Kirwan’s Game Store in Catskill, and 25-year-old Christine Kirwan.
After moving to Purling in 1987 after 24 years with the New York City Fire Department, Kirwan began working at Stiefel Labs in Oak Hill. He retired in 2004.
While speaking to reporters following the news conference, Kirwan said he has no plans to leave Purling. “I’m comfortable where I am,” he said.
Kirwan has no definitive plans for how much of the money will be spent, but said he wants to treat his family to a cruise.
Kirwan purchased the ticket for $5. The winning numbers were 30-31-34-45-51 plus Powerball 23.
This isn’t the first time Kirwan has won money from the Lottery. He said he once won $800 from Take 5.
A married couple from Wilton, Saratoga County also accepted a Powerball prize Friday totaling $48.8 million.
Jeffrey and Christine Pintuff, both 58, have opted to take the one lump sum payment of $24.8 million, or $16.4 million after taxes.
The $1 Quick Pick ticket was purchased on Christmas Day at the Stewart’s Shop in Wilton.
The Pintuffs claimed their ticket Feb. 1.
Powerball is played in 42 states, Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The art of maple syrup production
The art of maple syrup production
By Doron Tyler Antrim
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
A seminar about maple syrup production was held Saturday at the Agroforestry Resource Center.
Steve Childs, New York state maple specialist with Cornell University, delivered the talk to about a dozen people, some of whom said they’re looking to get into the activity for the first time — a group Childs called the “backyarders.”
It’s good to start by knowing what trees are best.
All types of maple trees can be tapped, Childs said, including sugar, black, red, silver, striped and box elder. Some are preferred more than others, though. Childs said the black maple, which gets its name from its black-colored buds, is primarily used. It lives the longest and yields the sweetest sap, he said.
Red, silver, box elder, norway and striped maples are secondary because they tend to have lower sugar content, which makes for a lengthier boiling process. (The sap must be boiled to remove the water.)
Although maples generally feature vertical bark, there are many varieties. The branches — reddish-brown in color and with sharp buds growing opposite one another — are a better giveaway. The trees have five lobes, but each variety has its own slightly different characteristics.
Knowing when to tap a tree is also important. In this case, temperature rules everything. Explaining that maples “will not do much until they can warm up,” Childs told the audience they should watch weather forecasts closely to see when temperatures will rise above freezing for a sustained period.
He said the generally followed timetable to begin tapping is from Feb. 15 to March 1.
The timing is everything, according to Childs, because tapping too early will result in dried up holes. Meanwhile, the producer will lose out on the first good flow of sap by tapping too late.
It’s only required that a hole be drilled 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches deep, although it must be at an upward angle. The holes can be either 5/16 or 7/16 of an inch wide. A spout placed in the hole holds up the bucket that collects the sap.
Holes should be drilled at about shoulder height. Avoid tapping in bark splits, Childs warned, as this will cause leakage and other problems.
It’s recommended there be only one tap for a tree 10 to 17 inches in diameter, two taps for a tree 18 to 24 inches in diameter and three taps for a tree 25 inches or more.
It’s important to pay attention to the color of the shavings during the drilling process, Childs said. If the shavings are light in color, then the wood is healthy. If the shavings are dark, it may mean the area has been tapped before and thus should be avoided.
If a tree can sustain being tapped more than once, it’s important to space out the holes at 1 1/2 inches apart and slightly above or below the first hole.
The sap should be collected daily or several times a day in food-safe containers, Childs said.
Although most think of the iconic galvanized buckets as the way sap is collected, tubing is a modern alternative that Childs said can be less expensive and less arduous for the small producer. The tools required in an operation using the tubing method can be expensive, though.
The tubes connect to the spouts in the tree and funnel the sap to collecting vats.
Filtering the sap is a must do, Childs said, because insects and other pests are frequently found in the buckets. The sap must be processed immediately to avoid fermentation. It must be kept cool and out of the sun.
It is then boiled to remove the water.
In order to be qualify as syrup, it must have a 66 percent sugar content.
In order for the syrup to be sold commercially, it must be filtered for nontoxic minerals. The syrup is extremely hot, 180 degrees, when it is put in a jar.
Childs said vacuum technology and a reverse osmosis device are tools that can make producing syrup a profitable enterprise because they drastically cut the time needed for boiling.
Anywhere from 7 to 25 gallons of sap can be collected from one tap, Childs said. And from that between 1 pint and 1/2 gallon of syrup will be made. It takes about 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup.
Saturday’s program was the latest in Cornell Cooperative Extension’s winter lecture series, which runs into March.
On Saturday, March 19, the resource center will host Maple Fest, a free event where the public can learn about producing maple syrup and view demonstrations. Taste testing will be available. Vendors will also be selling locally made maple sugar products. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
For more information about maple syrup, visit the Maple Producers Associations’ website at http://www.nysmaple.com/ or Cornell Cooperative Extension’s maple syrup resource page at http://www.cornellmaple.com/.
Steve Childs, New York state maple specialist with Cornell University, delivered the talk to about a dozen people, some of whom said they’re looking to get into the activity for the first time — a group Childs called the “backyarders.”
It’s good to start by knowing what trees are best.
All types of maple trees can be tapped, Childs said, including sugar, black, red, silver, striped and box elder. Some are preferred more than others, though. Childs said the black maple, which gets its name from its black-colored buds, is primarily used. It lives the longest and yields the sweetest sap, he said.
Red, silver, box elder, norway and striped maples are secondary because they tend to have lower sugar content, which makes for a lengthier boiling process. (The sap must be boiled to remove the water.)
Although maples generally feature vertical bark, there are many varieties. The branches — reddish-brown in color and with sharp buds growing opposite one another — are a better giveaway. The trees have five lobes, but each variety has its own slightly different characteristics.
Knowing when to tap a tree is also important. In this case, temperature rules everything. Explaining that maples “will not do much until they can warm up,” Childs told the audience they should watch weather forecasts closely to see when temperatures will rise above freezing for a sustained period.
He said the generally followed timetable to begin tapping is from Feb. 15 to March 1.
The timing is everything, according to Childs, because tapping too early will result in dried up holes. Meanwhile, the producer will lose out on the first good flow of sap by tapping too late.
It’s only required that a hole be drilled 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches deep, although it must be at an upward angle. The holes can be either 5/16 or 7/16 of an inch wide. A spout placed in the hole holds up the bucket that collects the sap.
Holes should be drilled at about shoulder height. Avoid tapping in bark splits, Childs warned, as this will cause leakage and other problems.
It’s recommended there be only one tap for a tree 10 to 17 inches in diameter, two taps for a tree 18 to 24 inches in diameter and three taps for a tree 25 inches or more.
It’s important to pay attention to the color of the shavings during the drilling process, Childs said. If the shavings are light in color, then the wood is healthy. If the shavings are dark, it may mean the area has been tapped before and thus should be avoided.
If a tree can sustain being tapped more than once, it’s important to space out the holes at 1 1/2 inches apart and slightly above or below the first hole.
The sap should be collected daily or several times a day in food-safe containers, Childs said.
Although most think of the iconic galvanized buckets as the way sap is collected, tubing is a modern alternative that Childs said can be less expensive and less arduous for the small producer. The tools required in an operation using the tubing method can be expensive, though.
The tubes connect to the spouts in the tree and funnel the sap to collecting vats.
Filtering the sap is a must do, Childs said, because insects and other pests are frequently found in the buckets. The sap must be processed immediately to avoid fermentation. It must be kept cool and out of the sun.
It is then boiled to remove the water.
In order to be qualify as syrup, it must have a 66 percent sugar content.
In order for the syrup to be sold commercially, it must be filtered for nontoxic minerals. The syrup is extremely hot, 180 degrees, when it is put in a jar.
Childs said vacuum technology and a reverse osmosis device are tools that can make producing syrup a profitable enterprise because they drastically cut the time needed for boiling.
Anywhere from 7 to 25 gallons of sap can be collected from one tap, Childs said. And from that between 1 pint and 1/2 gallon of syrup will be made. It takes about 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup.
Saturday’s program was the latest in Cornell Cooperative Extension’s winter lecture series, which runs into March.
On Saturday, March 19, the resource center will host Maple Fest, a free event where the public can learn about producing maple syrup and view demonstrations. Taste testing will be available. Vendors will also be selling locally made maple sugar products. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
For more information about maple syrup, visit the Maple Producers Associations’ website at http://www.nysmaple.com/ or Cornell Cooperative Extension’s maple syrup resource page at http://www.cornellmaple.com/.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Puppy Mill
NEW: Ashland puppy mill busted
By Doron Tyler Antrim
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
ASHLAND— Twenty Golden Retrievers, some as young as two months, were rescued from a mobile home in Ashland Tuesday following a raid by investigators from the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA and the Greene County Sheriff’s Office.
All of the dogs were found to be emaciated, according to CGHS, some weighing only 11 pounds.
“We caught these puppies just in the nick of time,” said Ron Perez, CGHS president. “Had this gone on for another week I’m certain some of the younger pups would have succumbed to starvation.”
The home is located at 580 Sutton Hollow Road. Authorities said the owners, George Leary and Emaretta Marks, will be facing charges.
Further details about the couple were not available. The Greene County Sheriff’s Office was not immediately available for comment.
In an interview, Perez said the dogs were confined in the mobile home and that this was a case of “horrible backyard breeding.”
Ashland Dog Control Officer Bruce Feml alerted the humane society about the situation.
All the dogs have been removed from the property and have been examined by Dr. Jerry Bilinski and Dr. Danielle Sand of the Chathams Small Animal Hospital.
The 20 dogs range from two to 10-months old. They will be available for adoption. Anyone interested in adopting can contact the humane society at 518-828-6044.
All of the dogs were found to be emaciated, according to CGHS, some weighing only 11 pounds.
“We caught these puppies just in the nick of time,” said Ron Perez, CGHS president. “Had this gone on for another week I’m certain some of the younger pups would have succumbed to starvation.”
The home is located at 580 Sutton Hollow Road. Authorities said the owners, George Leary and Emaretta Marks, will be facing charges.
Further details about the couple were not available. The Greene County Sheriff’s Office was not immediately available for comment.
In an interview, Perez said the dogs were confined in the mobile home and that this was a case of “horrible backyard breeding.”
Ashland Dog Control Officer Bruce Feml alerted the humane society about the situation.
All the dogs have been removed from the property and have been examined by Dr. Jerry Bilinski and Dr. Danielle Sand of the Chathams Small Animal Hospital.
The 20 dogs range from two to 10-months old. They will be available for adoption. Anyone interested in adopting can contact the humane society at 518-828-6044.
Monday, February 7, 2011
NY Police Cars.
NY fleets of police, other vehicles get scrutiny
By Michael Virtanen
The Associated Press
ALBANY — Gov. Andrew Cuomo publicly rejected $20,000 raises for 28 State Police top brass in mid-January, “shocked,” he said, that the bumps were made quietly in the last days of the Paterson administration as it ordered 900 layoffs. Government, like New York families, has to learn to do more with less, he said then.
Yet few New York families get a company car used for commuting, the way 1,400 state police command officers and investigators did, according to records obtained by The Associated Press.
In response to the inquiries, the administration says it’s looking at whether the government needs to buy, fuel and maintain nearly 60,000 vehicles in state fleets. They include nearly 3,500 trooper cars, almost half individually assigned to investigators and command officers because they may get called to duty from home, although some seldom, if ever, do. State police said they don’t keep track of recalls to duty from home.
“As part of the budget process, everything will be looked at to see where money can be saved and systems can be made more efficient,” said Cuomo spokesman Richard Bamberger.
For now, the fleet policy continues as Cuomo proposes a budget with 10 percent cuts in general fund operating costs, including $60 million cut from the State Police and no training class for new troopers for a third year.
The Budget Division in 2009 issued a directive that prohibits personal use of state cars, except at certain times when it’s “ancillary to official business.” It allows “occasional commuting purposes within a reasonable distance, where the vehicle is mainly used for agency business.”
The last official count, by then-Comptroller Edward Regan in 1992, found half of 163 troopers surveyed were recalled between one and 12 times in one year, while 10 percent were never recalled. Also, half the 1.8 million miles driven in 1991 in 180 vehicles — 150 assigned to individuals and 30 headquarters pool vehicles — were for commuting. The auditors found it was “more a custom than a practice based on need,” and that police officials told them the practice had evolved “into an unwritten condition of employment.”
Then-State Police Superintendent Thomas Constantine replied in a letter that it was not policy to provide transportation as a condition of employment, that vehicle assignments would be reviewed as positions were refilled, and command officers are always on call.
With the force down to 4,700 officers, losing about 300 positions to attrition and no rookie classes the past two years, the agency has a $34.5 million budget this year for the fleet of 3,475 vehicles, including gas, maintenance and almost half for buying new cars.
That includes 1,295 marked and 36 unmarked vehicles that are shared by patrol troopers, 1,287 assigned to investigators, 147 for undercover work, 236 to commissioned officers, 197 trucks and vans, and 277 pool cars, according to the agency.
The agency said regulations are a factor.
“Top State Police officials are required to be available for duty at any hour and regulations prohibit a response to a call in a personal vehicle,” spokesman Lt. Glenn Miner said. “As part of the budget process, the State Police will be taking a hard look at all of its policies and resources with a focus on finding efficiencies, but will also maintain its primary role of protecting all New Yorkers.”
The Internal Revenue Service exempts from reporting as fringe benefits the authorized use of police vehicles for commuting. Promotions often mean transfers to other duty stations and can mean long commutes when troopers don’t uproot their families.
The New York State Police Benevolent Association, which represents troopers, sees no reason for cutting back as long as cars are legitimately being used, but most PBA members don’t have the rank or position to have one, said union Second Vice President Daniel Sisto.
Calls to the New York State Police Investigators Association were not returned.
Yet few New York families get a company car used for commuting, the way 1,400 state police command officers and investigators did, according to records obtained by The Associated Press.
In response to the inquiries, the administration says it’s looking at whether the government needs to buy, fuel and maintain nearly 60,000 vehicles in state fleets. They include nearly 3,500 trooper cars, almost half individually assigned to investigators and command officers because they may get called to duty from home, although some seldom, if ever, do. State police said they don’t keep track of recalls to duty from home.
“As part of the budget process, everything will be looked at to see where money can be saved and systems can be made more efficient,” said Cuomo spokesman Richard Bamberger.
For now, the fleet policy continues as Cuomo proposes a budget with 10 percent cuts in general fund operating costs, including $60 million cut from the State Police and no training class for new troopers for a third year.
The Budget Division in 2009 issued a directive that prohibits personal use of state cars, except at certain times when it’s “ancillary to official business.” It allows “occasional commuting purposes within a reasonable distance, where the vehicle is mainly used for agency business.”
The last official count, by then-Comptroller Edward Regan in 1992, found half of 163 troopers surveyed were recalled between one and 12 times in one year, while 10 percent were never recalled. Also, half the 1.8 million miles driven in 1991 in 180 vehicles — 150 assigned to individuals and 30 headquarters pool vehicles — were for commuting. The auditors found it was “more a custom than a practice based on need,” and that police officials told them the practice had evolved “into an unwritten condition of employment.”
Then-State Police Superintendent Thomas Constantine replied in a letter that it was not policy to provide transportation as a condition of employment, that vehicle assignments would be reviewed as positions were refilled, and command officers are always on call.
With the force down to 4,700 officers, losing about 300 positions to attrition and no rookie classes the past two years, the agency has a $34.5 million budget this year for the fleet of 3,475 vehicles, including gas, maintenance and almost half for buying new cars.
That includes 1,295 marked and 36 unmarked vehicles that are shared by patrol troopers, 1,287 assigned to investigators, 147 for undercover work, 236 to commissioned officers, 197 trucks and vans, and 277 pool cars, according to the agency.
The agency said regulations are a factor.
“Top State Police officials are required to be available for duty at any hour and regulations prohibit a response to a call in a personal vehicle,” spokesman Lt. Glenn Miner said. “As part of the budget process, the State Police will be taking a hard look at all of its policies and resources with a focus on finding efficiencies, but will also maintain its primary role of protecting all New Yorkers.”
The Internal Revenue Service exempts from reporting as fringe benefits the authorized use of police vehicles for commuting. Promotions often mean transfers to other duty stations and can mean long commutes when troopers don’t uproot their families.
The New York State Police Benevolent Association, which represents troopers, sees no reason for cutting back as long as cars are legitimately being used, but most PBA members don’t have the rank or position to have one, said union Second Vice President Daniel Sisto.
Calls to the New York State Police Investigators Association were not returned.
Economic forum for the Catskills.
Making money off the Catskills; CCCD sets economic forum
 |
| Castle Point, in the nearby Ulster County parklands of the Shawangunk Ridge, is representative of one type of landscape that brings visitors -- and money -- to the area. (Contributed photo) |
By Jim Planck
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
It’s no secret that the Catskill Park Forest Preserve brings people to the area for outdoor recreation, to greater and lesser degree, during every season of the year.
And the economic benefits of having open space and parkland are always mentioned when the interests of municipalities, developers and environmentalists coincide in anything from a review at a planning board meeting to a community visioning workshop held to focus on the future.
It’s also no secret that it’s hard to get a specific grasp on exactly what should or should not be done to use parkland to improve a community’s economic health.
That answer, however, will be provided by the Arkville-based Catskill Center for Conservation and Development on Friday, Feb. 18, 1:30 p.m., at the Ashokan Center, in the Central Catskills community of Olivebridge.
The presentation -- “Economic Benefits of Parkland,” and which includes a group discussion -- is conducted in conjunction with Catskill Mountainkeeper and Catskill Heritage Alliance, with the three groups acting together in partnership as Catskill Cornucopia.
CCCD spokesperson Jonathan Mogelever said Friday the session offers an excellent opportunity to learn about parkland economics.
“Research in the Adirondack and Shawangunk Mountains,” said Mogelever, “shows that public lands are clearly beneficial to the economic health of local communities.”
“Learn how we in the Catskills can adopt the lessons of important studies from the experts who conducted them,” he said.
Those experts are Kenneth Strike, author of “Adirondack Park Regional Assessment Plan: An Appraisal,” and Brian Zweig, who conducted the “Study of the Economic Impact on the Local Economy of Minnewaska State Park Preserve, Mohonk Preserve, and Sam’s Point Preserve.”
Of the latter, Mohonk Preserve Executive Director Glenn Hoagland noted that it “provided clear, objective data on how public lands impact the economies of municipalities in and around the Shawangunks.”
“There is great value for other regions -- such as the Catskills,” said Hoagland, “to observe from this project.”
Mogelever also stressed the value of the upcoming presentation’s content.
“We are delighted,” he said, “to have (Strike and Zweig) here to discuss the economic impacts of public lands on communities, how these impacts are calculated, what the actual benefits are, and the questions to focus on when considering how public lands help strengthen local economies.”
And the economic benefits of having open space and parkland are always mentioned when the interests of municipalities, developers and environmentalists coincide in anything from a review at a planning board meeting to a community visioning workshop held to focus on the future.
It’s also no secret that it’s hard to get a specific grasp on exactly what should or should not be done to use parkland to improve a community’s economic health.
That answer, however, will be provided by the Arkville-based Catskill Center for Conservation and Development on Friday, Feb. 18, 1:30 p.m., at the Ashokan Center, in the Central Catskills community of Olivebridge.
The presentation -- “Economic Benefits of Parkland,” and which includes a group discussion -- is conducted in conjunction with Catskill Mountainkeeper and Catskill Heritage Alliance, with the three groups acting together in partnership as Catskill Cornucopia.
CCCD spokesperson Jonathan Mogelever said Friday the session offers an excellent opportunity to learn about parkland economics.
“Research in the Adirondack and Shawangunk Mountains,” said Mogelever, “shows that public lands are clearly beneficial to the economic health of local communities.”
“Learn how we in the Catskills can adopt the lessons of important studies from the experts who conducted them,” he said.
Those experts are Kenneth Strike, author of “Adirondack Park Regional Assessment Plan: An Appraisal,” and Brian Zweig, who conducted the “Study of the Economic Impact on the Local Economy of Minnewaska State Park Preserve, Mohonk Preserve, and Sam’s Point Preserve.”
Of the latter, Mohonk Preserve Executive Director Glenn Hoagland noted that it “provided clear, objective data on how public lands impact the economies of municipalities in and around the Shawangunks.”
“There is great value for other regions -- such as the Catskills,” said Hoagland, “to observe from this project.”
Mogelever also stressed the value of the upcoming presentation’s content.
“We are delighted,” he said, “to have (Strike and Zweig) here to discuss the economic impacts of public lands on communities, how these impacts are calculated, what the actual benefits are, and the questions to focus on when considering how public lands help strengthen local economies.”
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Lunar New Year
Marking the Lunar New Year
 |
| Buddhism's faithful, and many others, marked the beginning of the Lunar, or Chinese New Year this week with offerings and prayers at temples across the world. The Mahayana Temple in South Cairo was no exception as many adherants trekked to the site to worship, burn incense and make food and flower offerings before the various deities. While Feb. 3 is the official date to usher in The Year of the Rabbit, celebrations take place throughout the week. Above, a couple from Cobleskill make their offerings before a trio of bodhisattva in the main temple on Friday. In the inset photo, a group of women prepare incense offerings to Skanda, also know as Wei Tua, the leader of the celestial guard that protects Buddhist monastaries. Photo by Claude Haton |
Buddhism's faithful, and many others, marked the beginning of the Lunar, or Chinese New Year this week with offerings and prayers at temples across the world. The Mahayana Temple in South Cairo was no exception as many adherants trekked to the site to worship, burn incense and make food and flower offerings before the various deities. While Feb. 3 is the official date to usher in The Year of the Rabbit, celebrations take place throughout the week. Above, a couple from Cobleskill make their offerings before a trio of bodhisattva in the main temple on Friday. A group of women prepare incense offerings to Skanda, also know as Wei Tua, the leader of the celestial guard that protects Buddhist monastaries.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Biking in Round Top
Bikers mean business
Organization wants to build new trails
By Doron Tyler Antrim
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
ROUND TOP — Can mountain biking mean serious business here? That’s what four biking enthusiasts from Round Top believe.
The quartet — Gary Campbell, Ian Powell, Mike Henry and Lee Herchenroder — make up the Round Top Mountain Biking Association, a new nonprofit organization.
The small but dedicated group met this week with the Cairo Town Board to discuss its bold plan: To build new biking trails in the hamlet for recreational use and competitions. It also wants to begin clearly marking existing trails.
“It’s in essense trying to bring in tourism,” Campbell told the town board.
The association plans to meet with the Greene County Department of Economic Development, Tourism & Planning over the proposal.
Their eventual goal is to connect all the trails, linking them with the local resorts in what Henry calls a “trail-based economy.”
The project will take a lot of volunteer hours to complete and association members say they’ll seek grant funding. Meanwhile, the group will need to continue its collaborative relationship with the resorts — which own a lot of the land the trails are on.
Places such as Riedlbauer’s Resort and Winter Clove Inn have hosted competitive races in the past. And last summer, for the first time in the United States since 2005, the Mountain Bike World Cup was held not far from Round Top on Windham Mountain.
Powell, who was involved with putting on the World Cup, said big events could be held in Round Top once the trail network is established.
The group has begun negotiating with private property owners over pieces of land needed to complete the trail network.
“They’re blown away by how beautiful it is,” Henry said of current visitors to the trails in an interview Friday. “There’s so much here.”
The group has good reason to be confident that mountain biking equals dollars.
That’s because in places such as northwest Wisconsin, mountain biking associations have succeeded in creating new opportunities for outdoor recreation and attracting customers for the area’s businesses and restaurants.
For the Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike Association, which cares for almost 400 miles of bike trails — substantially more than Round Top hopes to build — covering six small communities, the trail network provides the perfect setting for a three-day festival in June.
“They are the forefront,” Campbell said of the Wisconsin group.
The Festival of the Trails, as it’s called, operates as a fundraiser for the organization and an educational opportunity for riders of all ages. The festival also includes an event in which local restaurants set up stations along the trail offering samples of their food.
According to association volunteer Scott Chapin, who has been in contact with Campbell about the Round Top group’s venture and spoke to The Daily Mail Friday, the festival is a huge attraction.
Chapin said groups like his have small budgets and don’t require large start up costs because much of the trail work is performed by volunteers with hand tools.
He said it’s key for any new association to have the support of the community, secure a volunteer base and outside help on trail design.
Lastly, marketing is key. “You can do a lot with sweat equity and a Facebook page,” he said.
The quartet — Gary Campbell, Ian Powell, Mike Henry and Lee Herchenroder — make up the Round Top Mountain Biking Association, a new nonprofit organization.
The small but dedicated group met this week with the Cairo Town Board to discuss its bold plan: To build new biking trails in the hamlet for recreational use and competitions. It also wants to begin clearly marking existing trails.
“It’s in essense trying to bring in tourism,” Campbell told the town board.
The association plans to meet with the Greene County Department of Economic Development, Tourism & Planning over the proposal.
Their eventual goal is to connect all the trails, linking them with the local resorts in what Henry calls a “trail-based economy.”
The project will take a lot of volunteer hours to complete and association members say they’ll seek grant funding. Meanwhile, the group will need to continue its collaborative relationship with the resorts — which own a lot of the land the trails are on.
Places such as Riedlbauer’s Resort and Winter Clove Inn have hosted competitive races in the past. And last summer, for the first time in the United States since 2005, the Mountain Bike World Cup was held not far from Round Top on Windham Mountain.
Powell, who was involved with putting on the World Cup, said big events could be held in Round Top once the trail network is established.
The group has begun negotiating with private property owners over pieces of land needed to complete the trail network.
“They’re blown away by how beautiful it is,” Henry said of current visitors to the trails in an interview Friday. “There’s so much here.”
The group has good reason to be confident that mountain biking equals dollars.
That’s because in places such as northwest Wisconsin, mountain biking associations have succeeded in creating new opportunities for outdoor recreation and attracting customers for the area’s businesses and restaurants.
For the Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike Association, which cares for almost 400 miles of bike trails — substantially more than Round Top hopes to build — covering six small communities, the trail network provides the perfect setting for a three-day festival in June.
“They are the forefront,” Campbell said of the Wisconsin group.
The Festival of the Trails, as it’s called, operates as a fundraiser for the organization and an educational opportunity for riders of all ages. The festival also includes an event in which local restaurants set up stations along the trail offering samples of their food.
According to association volunteer Scott Chapin, who has been in contact with Campbell about the Round Top group’s venture and spoke to The Daily Mail Friday, the festival is a huge attraction.
Chapin said groups like his have small budgets and don’t require large start up costs because much of the trail work is performed by volunteers with hand tools.
He said it’s key for any new association to have the support of the community, secure a volunteer base and outside help on trail design.
Lastly, marketing is key. “You can do a lot with sweat equity and a Facebook page,” he said.
Healthy Housing Markets
The following information was derived mainly from Zillow:
Across the country, home values have fallen since 2006-in some areas by as much as 50 percent. But if you have good credit and are contemplating buying, it may be a good time to bag a real estate bargain. Last week, ABC's Good Morning America teamed up with the real estate website Zillow.com to figure out the top 10 places to buy. Zillow looked at four factors to determine the top 10.
Affordability: How many years of income does the median home cost? A medium home cost of 2.5 years of salary, for example, would get a better rank than a city where homes cost 4.5 years of salary.
Unemployment: Low unemployment is usually a reliable guage of the health and stability of the local economy. Change in unemployment over the past year was also taken into account. This is an indicator of the direction that the local economy is moving. If the unemployment rate in a particular city dropped 2 percent in the past year, it will rank better than a city which experienced no change.
Foreclosures: Zillow also analyzed the percentage of homes in each marketplace that have fallen into foreclosure in the past 12 months. The lower the percentage, the healthier the local real estate market is assumed to be.
Price Increases: Zillow looked at areas that have seen an increase in home values over the past quarter of the past year.
Based upon this criteria, cities all over the country were examined. Rochester made the top 10 (and even the top 5) as the #3 housing market in the country. Rochester is one of the most affordable markets with a median home value of $121,000. 91 percent of Rochester area homes sold for a gain in October 2010, which is an indication of a healthy market. Compare that to 70 percent nationwide. The unemployment rate in Rochester is also falling, down half a percent this past year.
A full list of the top 10 (three of which are in upstate New York):
1. Utica, N.Y.
2. Oklahoma City, Okla.
3. Rochester, N.Y.
4. Pittsburgh, Pa.
5. Tulsa, Okla.
6. Albany, N.Y.
7. Lancaster, Pa.
8. Madison, Wis.
9. Green Bay, Wis.
10. Lincoln, Neb.
Now is the time to think about buying a new home..... and Mary King, Coldwell Banker Village Green, can help you in Albany and Greene Counties New York..... 518.965.0600
Across the country, home values have fallen since 2006-in some areas by as much as 50 percent. But if you have good credit and are contemplating buying, it may be a good time to bag a real estate bargain. Last week, ABC's Good Morning America teamed up with the real estate website Zillow.com to figure out the top 10 places to buy. Zillow looked at four factors to determine the top 10.
Affordability: How many years of income does the median home cost? A medium home cost of 2.5 years of salary, for example, would get a better rank than a city where homes cost 4.5 years of salary.
Unemployment: Low unemployment is usually a reliable guage of the health and stability of the local economy. Change in unemployment over the past year was also taken into account. This is an indicator of the direction that the local economy is moving. If the unemployment rate in a particular city dropped 2 percent in the past year, it will rank better than a city which experienced no change.
Foreclosures: Zillow also analyzed the percentage of homes in each marketplace that have fallen into foreclosure in the past 12 months. The lower the percentage, the healthier the local real estate market is assumed to be.
Price Increases: Zillow looked at areas that have seen an increase in home values over the past quarter of the past year.
Based upon this criteria, cities all over the country were examined. Rochester made the top 10 (and even the top 5) as the #3 housing market in the country. Rochester is one of the most affordable markets with a median home value of $121,000. 91 percent of Rochester area homes sold for a gain in October 2010, which is an indication of a healthy market. Compare that to 70 percent nationwide. The unemployment rate in Rochester is also falling, down half a percent this past year.
A full list of the top 10 (three of which are in upstate New York):
1. Utica, N.Y.
2. Oklahoma City, Okla.
3. Rochester, N.Y.
4. Pittsburgh, Pa.
5. Tulsa, Okla.
6. Albany, N.Y.
7. Lancaster, Pa.
8. Madison, Wis.
9. Green Bay, Wis.
10. Lincoln, Neb.
Now is the time to think about buying a new home..... and Mary King, Coldwell Banker Village Green, can help you in Albany and Greene Counties New York..... 518.965.0600
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Cairo Zoning
Zoning definitions take sharper focus
Panel begins arduous task of shaping terms and conditions
By Doron Tyler Antrim
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
CAIRO — The Cairo Zoning Commission continues to hone its draft law and answer questions submitted by the public. On Monday, the commission followed up on last month’s decision expanding the list of potential uses in the Route 145 commercial/mixed-use district.
At that January meeting, the group voted that an educational or training facility could be built there under a special-use permit. But they elected to give themselves more time in crafting a definition for what would qualify as such a facility.
On Monday, the group released its definition, which states: “A building or part thereof which is designed, constructed, or used for instruction or education including, but is not limited to elementary, parochial, private, secondary or vocational schools. It shall also mean a business organized to operate for a profit, offering instruction and training in a trade, service or an art.”
The commission also settled on a definition for the municipal district, a collection of town properties to be shielded from future development. The definition states: “To limit residential and commercial uses on town-owned lands in order to preserve access and use of land for municipal functions including but not limited to highway, and town hall and offices and for other uses that benefit the entire community.”
Under the law, all existing uses will be allowed to stay.
Released last November, the zoning law caps a three-year effort to provide business owners, builders and homeowners with clear rules governing development in the town.
The commission has met regularly over the three years to draw up the 158-page plan.
Since the law’s unveiling, the commission has made many amendments small and large to the text and zoning map.
The commission has been aided in the process by Nan Stolzenburg of Community Planning and Environmental Associates.
Cairo has never had a zoning law.
A five-member Zoning Board of Appeals, appointed by the town board, will need to be established upon passage of the law. Each member will serve a five-year term.
Enforcement of the law will fall to the zoning enforcement officer, another appointed position, which officials have said could be the same person as the code enforcement officer.
Following a public hearing by the zoning commission, the law will be handed to the town board. The board must then hold its own hearing.
All the documents, as well as the responses to public comments, can be viewed online at www.planningbetterplaces.com/cairo.
The commission’s next meeting is set for Feb. 8 at 6 p.m. at Gallagher’s Banquet Hall.
At that January meeting, the group voted that an educational or training facility could be built there under a special-use permit. But they elected to give themselves more time in crafting a definition for what would qualify as such a facility.
On Monday, the group released its definition, which states: “A building or part thereof which is designed, constructed, or used for instruction or education including, but is not limited to elementary, parochial, private, secondary or vocational schools. It shall also mean a business organized to operate for a profit, offering instruction and training in a trade, service or an art.”
The commission also settled on a definition for the municipal district, a collection of town properties to be shielded from future development. The definition states: “To limit residential and commercial uses on town-owned lands in order to preserve access and use of land for municipal functions including but not limited to highway, and town hall and offices and for other uses that benefit the entire community.”
Under the law, all existing uses will be allowed to stay.
Released last November, the zoning law caps a three-year effort to provide business owners, builders and homeowners with clear rules governing development in the town.
The commission has met regularly over the three years to draw up the 158-page plan.
Since the law’s unveiling, the commission has made many amendments small and large to the text and zoning map.
The commission has been aided in the process by Nan Stolzenburg of Community Planning and Environmental Associates.
Cairo has never had a zoning law.
A five-member Zoning Board of Appeals, appointed by the town board, will need to be established upon passage of the law. Each member will serve a five-year term.
Enforcement of the law will fall to the zoning enforcement officer, another appointed position, which officials have said could be the same person as the code enforcement officer.
Following a public hearing by the zoning commission, the law will be handed to the town board. The board must then hold its own hearing.
All the documents, as well as the responses to public comments, can be viewed online at www.planningbetterplaces.com/cairo.
The commission’s next meeting is set for Feb. 8 at 6 p.m. at Gallagher’s Banquet Hall.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Cold is a relative thing!!!
COLD IS A RELATIVE THING
65 above zero:
Floridians turn on the heat.
People in Upstate New York plant gardens.
60 above zero:
Californians shiver uncontrollably.
People in Upstate New York sunbathe.
50 above zero:
Italian & English cars won't start.
People in Upstate New York drive with the windows down.
40 above zero:
Georgians don coats, thermal underwear, gloves, and wool hats.
People in Upstate New York throw on a flannel shirt.
35 above zero:
New York city landlords finally turn up the heat.
People in Upstate New York have the last cookout before it gets cold.
20 above Zero:
People in Miami all die.
Upstate New Yorkers close the windows.
Zero:
Californians fly away to Mexico.
People in Upstate New York get out their winter coats.
10 below zero:
Hollywood disintegrates.
The Girl Scouts in Upstate New York are selling cookies door to door.
20 below zero:
Washington DC runs out of hot air.
People in Upstate New York let the dogs sleep indoors.
30 below zero:
Santa Claus abandons the North Pole.
Upstate New Yorkers get upset because they can't start the snow-mobile.
40 below zero:
ALL atomic motion stops.
People in Upstate New York start saying...'cold enough fer ya?'
50 below zero:
Hell freezes over.
Upstate New York public schools will open 2 hours late.
Catskill hitting small screen this March
By Colin DeVries
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
CATSKILL — The celebrated Cat’n Around Catskill public art project will appear in the living rooms of potentially millions of Americans this March, being prominently featured in an episode of the upcoming Animal Planet series “Must Love Cats.”
Production crews roamed Main Street last summer, said Linda Overbaugh, executive director of the Heart of Catskill Association/Catskill Chamber of Commerce, filming the decorative fiberglass felines for the cat-themed documentary series.
“Must Love Cats” hosted by a guitar-toting John Fulton, chronicles a coast-to-coast journey to find all things cat — from the Alamo to Main Street, Catskill and back again.
The six-part series debuts Feb.12 at 8 p.m. on Animal Planet (Mid-Hudson Cable channel 70). The episode featuring Catskill will air on March 12, Overbaugh said.
There will also be a few teases to Catskill in the episodes leading up to March 12, she added.
“I think it’ll be great,” she said. “We’ve been looking forward to it.”
Fulton and his crew filmed Overbaugh and Greene County Treasurer Peter Markou, who was at that time a member of HOCA’s board of directors, strolling down Main Street and visiting the village’s Hudson Riverfront park, Dutchmen’s Landing.
Along with the national exposure the show will bring, it may also prominently feature the work of local artists Kenny Rich and NJ Wheelock, whose cats were filmed.
Though the airing may bring the now five-year-old Cat’n Around Catskill public street art project to new heights, rumor has it this may be the project’s last year.
Overbaugh said it was “possible” the cats may retreat from Main Street and beyond in 2012.
“You just wonder how long these things can run and continue to do what they are supposed to do,” she said Sunday. “Maybe we’ll give it a break and pick it up in the next few years. Maybe we’ll switch over and do something else.”
Last year, during the fourth annual Cat’n Around Catskill Cat’s Meow Auction and Gala, 61 cats sold at auction raised more than $60,000 for local charities and HOCA, down about $20,000 from the year before when 58 cats were auctioned.
This year, Overbaugh estimated 50 cats will be sponsored, though 70 designs by local artists were submitted.
Design selections will be made on Feb. 13 during the fifth annual Artists-Sponsors Reception at Brik Gallery.
Updates and further information on Must Love Cats are available at www.facebook.com/mustlovecatsfanpage.
Production crews roamed Main Street last summer, said Linda Overbaugh, executive director of the Heart of Catskill Association/Catskill Chamber of Commerce, filming the decorative fiberglass felines for the cat-themed documentary series.
“Must Love Cats” hosted by a guitar-toting John Fulton, chronicles a coast-to-coast journey to find all things cat — from the Alamo to Main Street, Catskill and back again.
The six-part series debuts Feb.12 at 8 p.m. on Animal Planet (Mid-Hudson Cable channel 70). The episode featuring Catskill will air on March 12, Overbaugh said.
There will also be a few teases to Catskill in the episodes leading up to March 12, she added.
“I think it’ll be great,” she said. “We’ve been looking forward to it.”
Fulton and his crew filmed Overbaugh and Greene County Treasurer Peter Markou, who was at that time a member of HOCA’s board of directors, strolling down Main Street and visiting the village’s Hudson Riverfront park, Dutchmen’s Landing.
Along with the national exposure the show will bring, it may also prominently feature the work of local artists Kenny Rich and NJ Wheelock, whose cats were filmed.
Though the airing may bring the now five-year-old Cat’n Around Catskill public street art project to new heights, rumor has it this may be the project’s last year.
Overbaugh said it was “possible” the cats may retreat from Main Street and beyond in 2012.
“You just wonder how long these things can run and continue to do what they are supposed to do,” she said Sunday. “Maybe we’ll give it a break and pick it up in the next few years. Maybe we’ll switch over and do something else.”
Last year, during the fourth annual Cat’n Around Catskill Cat’s Meow Auction and Gala, 61 cats sold at auction raised more than $60,000 for local charities and HOCA, down about $20,000 from the year before when 58 cats were auctioned.
This year, Overbaugh estimated 50 cats will be sponsored, though 70 designs by local artists were submitted.
Design selections will be made on Feb. 13 during the fifth annual Artists-Sponsors Reception at Brik Gallery.
Updates and further information on Must Love Cats are available at www.facebook.com/mustlovecatsfanpage.
Gull led......
Leading the way
 |
| A sea gull appears to lead the way for a freight barge bursting through river ice Monday a tugboat pushes it southward past the Catskill Point. Photo by Claude Haton |
A sea gull appears to lead the way for a freight barge bursting through river ice Monday a tugboat pushes it southward past the Catskill Point.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Grants in Catskill
Once in a lifetime
As small businesses everywhere search for assistance with preservation or expansion, the Heart of Catskill Association is once again making funding available for entrepreneurs and existing businesses.
Entrepreneurs who want to open up shop in the village — and not just Main Street — may apply for $10,000 for facade improvements and up to $20,000 for interior restoration through the New York Main Street program that is locally administered by HOCA.
The applicant is required to match the HOCA grant dollar for dollar. Projects must be approved by HOCA and the state Office of Historic Preservation before the grants can be awarded.
Target areas for this round of grants are Main Street from Factory Street to the Catskill post office, Water Street and West Bridge Street up to Broome Street.
Funds are primarily directed toward commercial spaces, but residential rental spaces may qualify under certain conditions. The funds will be available through August.
HOCA worked with the Greene County Economic Development, Tourism and Planning Department to obtain the grant funds.
HOCA boasts a good track record with the grant program, having assisted Oscar’s Sushi, The Open Studio, The Paisley Pig, 18 West Bridge Street and Snap Fitness.
Snap Fitness used the grant to restore a 19th century church on Main Street and then transform it into a fitness center and additional rental space. The rental space is now occupied by Ostrander Physical Therapy whose entrance is on Hill Street.
Applications are available at the Greene County Economic Development Office and the HOCA office, both on Main Street. Applications will be reviewed by staff and approved or rejected by the program’s Oversight Committee.
Once HOCA’s contract with the state expires, there is no guarantee that these grants will be available again. That makes this round of funding a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We urge all small businesses that call Catskill home — and those that desire to in the future — to apply for these grants.
Entrepreneurs who want to open up shop in the village — and not just Main Street — may apply for $10,000 for facade improvements and up to $20,000 for interior restoration through the New York Main Street program that is locally administered by HOCA.
The applicant is required to match the HOCA grant dollar for dollar. Projects must be approved by HOCA and the state Office of Historic Preservation before the grants can be awarded.
Target areas for this round of grants are Main Street from Factory Street to the Catskill post office, Water Street and West Bridge Street up to Broome Street.
Funds are primarily directed toward commercial spaces, but residential rental spaces may qualify under certain conditions. The funds will be available through August.
HOCA worked with the Greene County Economic Development, Tourism and Planning Department to obtain the grant funds.
HOCA boasts a good track record with the grant program, having assisted Oscar’s Sushi, The Open Studio, The Paisley Pig, 18 West Bridge Street and Snap Fitness.
Snap Fitness used the grant to restore a 19th century church on Main Street and then transform it into a fitness center and additional rental space. The rental space is now occupied by Ostrander Physical Therapy whose entrance is on Hill Street.
Applications are available at the Greene County Economic Development Office and the HOCA office, both on Main Street. Applications will be reviewed by staff and approved or rejected by the program’s Oversight Committee.
Once HOCA’s contract with the state expires, there is no guarantee that these grants will be available again. That makes this round of funding a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We urge all small businesses that call Catskill home — and those that desire to in the future — to apply for these grants.
Upstate Bank Stocks - From WSJ
NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--New York's small- and mid-sized businesses want loans, according to upstate-based First Niagara Financial Group Inc. (FNFG) and New York City-based Sterling Bancorp (STL).
Both banks reported strong earnings improvement for their fourth quarters from the prior year and said that customers appear to be more confident, driving double-digit loan growth. Shares of both ticked higher Thursday, with First Niagara up 2.7% to $14.40 and Sterling up 3 cents to $10.20.
Both banks reported strong earnings improvement for their fourth quarters from the prior year and said that customers appear to be more confident, driving double-digit loan growth. Shares of both ticked higher Thursday, with First Niagara up 2.7% to $14.40 and Sterling up 3 cents to $10.20.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Hannaford in Cairo!!!!
Hannaford buys Slater’s Great American
 |
| Shoppers leaving the Great American Plaza Friday. The complex has been purchased by the Hannaford supermarket chain. The inset photo shows work being done last year at the Route 23B property that a real estate company hoped to develop for a grocery store. Photo by Claude Haton |
Deal catches many by surprise
By Doron Tyler Antrim
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
CAIRO — In a move that seemed to catch planners and officials off guard, supermarket chain Hannaford announced Friday it will acquire Slater’s Great American Plaza and build a new grocery store on the property.
A company spokesman and Ellsworth “Unk” Slater, the owner of Great American, declined to discuss details of the transaction Friday.
Hannaford plans to demolish the current supermarket and build a 35,000-square-foot store, including a pharmacy.
“We’re excited to bring a Hannaford supermarket and pharmacy to the Cairo area,” said company spokesman Matt Paul in a news release. “Slater’s has served the residents of this community well and has been an excellent partner throughout this process. We’re looking forward to providing our customary great service and everyday low prices and becoming a part of this community.”
A closing date for Great American has not been announced.
Hannaford said it will seek certification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED program. “We’ll also emphasize recycling cardboard, plastic and other materials in our daily operations — as we do in every Hannaford location — to increase efficiency and reduce environmental impact,” Paul said.
The store would employ about 100 workers.
Cairo Town Supervisor John Coyne said he and Town Councilman Doug Ostrander met with Hannaford Thursday about the deal.
The acquisition of Great American comes after Charter Realty & Development Corp. worked for most of last year on a plan to build a supermarket within a mile of the plaza, threatening Slater’s dominance in Cairo.
Paul said Hannaford did look at Charter Realty’s proposal, which called for constructing a 40,000-square-foot grocery store at a cost of $4.5 million.
The deadline has passed for the Cairo Planning Board to approve Charter Realty’s final site plan. But the future of development on the Route 23B parcel remains open-ended.
“I really don’t know how it’s going to play out,” said Planning Board Chairman Dan Benoit. “It hasn’t fallen by the wayside.”
Benoit said he didn’t know if Charter Realty knew of the acquisition.
Charter Realty representative Karen Johnson, who shepherded her company’s proposal through the planning board, did not return a call seeking comment Friday.
A company spokesman and Ellsworth “Unk” Slater, the owner of Great American, declined to discuss details of the transaction Friday.
Hannaford plans to demolish the current supermarket and build a 35,000-square-foot store, including a pharmacy.
“We’re excited to bring a Hannaford supermarket and pharmacy to the Cairo area,” said company spokesman Matt Paul in a news release. “Slater’s has served the residents of this community well and has been an excellent partner throughout this process. We’re looking forward to providing our customary great service and everyday low prices and becoming a part of this community.”
A closing date for Great American has not been announced.
Hannaford said it will seek certification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED program. “We’ll also emphasize recycling cardboard, plastic and other materials in our daily operations — as we do in every Hannaford location — to increase efficiency and reduce environmental impact,” Paul said.
The store would employ about 100 workers.
Cairo Town Supervisor John Coyne said he and Town Councilman Doug Ostrander met with Hannaford Thursday about the deal.
The acquisition of Great American comes after Charter Realty & Development Corp. worked for most of last year on a plan to build a supermarket within a mile of the plaza, threatening Slater’s dominance in Cairo.
Paul said Hannaford did look at Charter Realty’s proposal, which called for constructing a 40,000-square-foot grocery store at a cost of $4.5 million.
The deadline has passed for the Cairo Planning Board to approve Charter Realty’s final site plan. But the future of development on the Route 23B parcel remains open-ended.
“I really don’t know how it’s going to play out,” said Planning Board Chairman Dan Benoit. “It hasn’t fallen by the wayside.”
Benoit said he didn’t know if Charter Realty knew of the acquisition.
Charter Realty representative Karen Johnson, who shepherded her company’s proposal through the planning board, did not return a call seeking comment Friday.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
50 years and counting
By Michael Ryan
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
WINDHAM — There was a time, not that long ago, when cows contentedly grazed in the places where skiers and snowboarders nowadays whiz down Windham Mountain.
Those rural, hilly fields have become an internationally known winter and summer destination spot, with the ski slope celebrating its 50th year in operation, this weekend, without disturbing the quaintness and charm of the little town below.
Quite the contrary, in fact. Several special events are taking place on the mountain, January 22 & 23, including fireworks, a Time Capsule presentation, live music and a champagne toast and cake cutting, ushering in the next half-century in style.
“We’re very pleased to be here for all of our customers and to be an important part of the community,” Windham Mountain president and general manager Tim Woods said. “We look forward to being here at least another fifty years and beyond.”
It is hard to imagine the ski slope without its wintry, snow-covered trails that get transformed into world class mountain-biking courses in the spring and summer, attracting Olympic-level athletes and families showing up just for fun.
There are people, though, who can picture Windham Mountain when it was merely pastures and neat stonewalls. “I remember when it was farm land,” says Richard Morse, a town of Windham resident who has lived in the shadow of the peaks all of his 84 years.
“When it was being developed, I remember wondering if it would benefit the town,” Morse says, smiling. “Well, it certainly has and all you have to do is drive through some other towns in the area to see the difference. No, I can’t say I’ve ever been a skier, believe it or not, being so close, but fortunately there are plenty of folks who are.”
Windham and its citizens have uniquely blossomed beneath the night lights of snow-making guns whirring into the wee hours, and learned to love the long lines of traffic that crowd downtown on Saturdays and Sundays from late November to April, with or without Mother Nature’s cooperation.
There’s a bit of magic to it, of course, namely the snow that falls pretty much non-stop for months on Windham Mountain, even under blue skies, thanks to 1500 snowguns located on 267 skiable acres that might otherwise stay brown until Christmas, or worse.
Jim Barrett, a compressor operator in what is affectionately known as “The Shack,” a room filled with huge pumps and pipes near the base lodge, proudly pointed out that the snow-making operation utilizes 65 miles of pipeline and 25 miles of hose.
The pumps can push 6,000 gallons of water per minute, enough to fill a typical home swimming pool in four minutes, Barrett said, and one snowgun, when it is really hauling and left in one position, can create a 25’ deep pile of snow within 24 hours.
Windham Mountain has the most terrain covered by snowmaking within 200 miles of New York City and if not for the guns...well, nobody wants to even imagine what it would be like without them, plain and simple.
Suffice it to say snowmaking has been going on virtually since the beginning. The in-house reservoir was doubled in size this past summer and on an average winter night a fleet of six snow cats are out grooming trails, headlights glowing through the cold and darkness.
The first 50 years at Windham Mountain have been an adventure. The idea for a ski resort in the Northern Catskills was broached by a New York State legislative committee in the late 1950’s, not taking hold until 1960 when a group of local businessmen purchased the land for $2 an acre.
Those same rural, hilly fields would sell for $1,000 a square foot in 2011, and a community within the community has emerged, attracting wealthy second-homeowners who contribute in no small way to the local economy.
“Things started out small but they sure did take root fast,” says James Hitchcock, a lifelong resident of the town and a longtime member of the Greene County Legislature. “I remember when nothing was there, and now it has become a mecca.
“Who’d have ever thought little Cave Mountain, which is what it was called in the beginning, would become what it is today?” Hitchcock says. “The town of Windham has been put on the world map and the country benefits in a very big way with sales tax revenues.
“I think it’s wonderful that, fifty years ago, there were people who had the vision to make this happen and others who stayed with it over the years. Our village and town have never been the same and we are all the better for it.”
Millions of dollars have been invested in the base lodge, including exterior improvements, and other projects since 2006, including three new chair lifts, an ice-skating center, an expanded retail shop and the creation of “The Club,” an exclusive lounge, with three fireplaces and banquet facilities.
Windham Mountain, at an elevation of 1500 feet, features snow-tubing, ice-skating, a climbing wall, night skiing, upscale housing, ten lifts and a picturesque network of trails ranging from nice and easy to extremely difficult.
Those rural, hilly fields have become an internationally known winter and summer destination spot, with the ski slope celebrating its 50th year in operation, this weekend, without disturbing the quaintness and charm of the little town below.
Quite the contrary, in fact. Several special events are taking place on the mountain, January 22 & 23, including fireworks, a Time Capsule presentation, live music and a champagne toast and cake cutting, ushering in the next half-century in style.
“We’re very pleased to be here for all of our customers and to be an important part of the community,” Windham Mountain president and general manager Tim Woods said. “We look forward to being here at least another fifty years and beyond.”
It is hard to imagine the ski slope without its wintry, snow-covered trails that get transformed into world class mountain-biking courses in the spring and summer, attracting Olympic-level athletes and families showing up just for fun.
There are people, though, who can picture Windham Mountain when it was merely pastures and neat stonewalls. “I remember when it was farm land,” says Richard Morse, a town of Windham resident who has lived in the shadow of the peaks all of his 84 years.
“When it was being developed, I remember wondering if it would benefit the town,” Morse says, smiling. “Well, it certainly has and all you have to do is drive through some other towns in the area to see the difference. No, I can’t say I’ve ever been a skier, believe it or not, being so close, but fortunately there are plenty of folks who are.”
Windham and its citizens have uniquely blossomed beneath the night lights of snow-making guns whirring into the wee hours, and learned to love the long lines of traffic that crowd downtown on Saturdays and Sundays from late November to April, with or without Mother Nature’s cooperation.
There’s a bit of magic to it, of course, namely the snow that falls pretty much non-stop for months on Windham Mountain, even under blue skies, thanks to 1500 snowguns located on 267 skiable acres that might otherwise stay brown until Christmas, or worse.
Jim Barrett, a compressor operator in what is affectionately known as “The Shack,” a room filled with huge pumps and pipes near the base lodge, proudly pointed out that the snow-making operation utilizes 65 miles of pipeline and 25 miles of hose.
The pumps can push 6,000 gallons of water per minute, enough to fill a typical home swimming pool in four minutes, Barrett said, and one snowgun, when it is really hauling and left in one position, can create a 25’ deep pile of snow within 24 hours.
Windham Mountain has the most terrain covered by snowmaking within 200 miles of New York City and if not for the guns...well, nobody wants to even imagine what it would be like without them, plain and simple.
Suffice it to say snowmaking has been going on virtually since the beginning. The in-house reservoir was doubled in size this past summer and on an average winter night a fleet of six snow cats are out grooming trails, headlights glowing through the cold and darkness.
The first 50 years at Windham Mountain have been an adventure. The idea for a ski resort in the Northern Catskills was broached by a New York State legislative committee in the late 1950’s, not taking hold until 1960 when a group of local businessmen purchased the land for $2 an acre.
Those same rural, hilly fields would sell for $1,000 a square foot in 2011, and a community within the community has emerged, attracting wealthy second-homeowners who contribute in no small way to the local economy.
“Things started out small but they sure did take root fast,” says James Hitchcock, a lifelong resident of the town and a longtime member of the Greene County Legislature. “I remember when nothing was there, and now it has become a mecca.
“Who’d have ever thought little Cave Mountain, which is what it was called in the beginning, would become what it is today?” Hitchcock says. “The town of Windham has been put on the world map and the country benefits in a very big way with sales tax revenues.
“I think it’s wonderful that, fifty years ago, there were people who had the vision to make this happen and others who stayed with it over the years. Our village and town have never been the same and we are all the better for it.”
Millions of dollars have been invested in the base lodge, including exterior improvements, and other projects since 2006, including three new chair lifts, an ice-skating center, an expanded retail shop and the creation of “The Club,” an exclusive lounge, with three fireplaces and banquet facilities.
Windham Mountain, at an elevation of 1500 feet, features snow-tubing, ice-skating, a climbing wall, night skiing, upscale housing, ten lifts and a picturesque network of trails ranging from nice and easy to extremely difficult.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Understanding happiness
Happiness is a state of mind, not a way of life or a destination that you'll reach one day. Bumps in the road of life are to be expected, and we cannot let them ruin our days. We often think that if a combination of factors would just fall into place THEN we would finally be happy. Satisfaction can only come from within, through truly accepting yourself, your life, and your circumstances. During this life you'll have many hard days--long work days, sleepless nights, worrying about the future, etc. This week, think about the joys of your life. Find creative ways to enjoy the little bumps in the road.
The above comment came from Spark People, a great site that often gets right to the heart of humanity..... thank you Spark!
The above comment came from Spark People, a great site that often gets right to the heart of humanity..... thank you Spark!
Quote of the Day
A great obstacle to happiness is expecting too much happiness.
- Bernard de Fontanelle, French writer
- Bernard de Fontanelle, French writer
GOP-proposed cuts includes energy program for poor in Gibson's district
 |
| Rep. Chris Gibson, R-Kinderhook, is a member of the House Republican Study Committee that proposed, among a broad range of cuts, to eliminate an energy program that helps protect low-income homes against harsh winter weather. |
By Marc Heller
Johnson News Service
WASHINGTON - Temperatures could be below zero throughout Rep. Chris Gibson's congressional district Sunday night. But to help the poorest residents protect their homes from such cold, he'll have to buck a committee he just joined in Congress.
The House Republican Study Committee Thursday proposed to eliminate a U.S. Department of Energy program that helps protect low income residents' homes against harsh weather.
Gibson, R-Kinderhook, did not return a call Thursday seeking comment on the proposal, part of a broad range of cuts that would also end all federal support for rail service in the Hudson Valley, cut off funding for high-speed rail between New York City and Albany and likely end commercial passenger flights near the northern reaches of his district, in the Adirondacks.
The Republican Study Committee represents the conservative wing in Congress. Gibson is a member, as are four other New York Republicans, including three newly arrived in Congress.
The proposal represents one far end of the spending debate on Capitol Hill but could help shape the deliberations, especially in the GOP-led House. Even the Senate, where Democrats lead, may be forced to accept reductions in programs that Democrats boosted in recent years.
The weatherization program, for instance, was increased dramatically through the economic stimulus. New York received $394 million, more than any other state. It has received wide support from New York lawmakers over the years, particularly from those representing upstate New York.
But the stimulus funding has been caught up in controversy because of the department's difficulties handling the expansion. Less than half of the money for the program has been expended, the U.S. Government Accountability Office reported recently.
Eliminating the Energy Department grants would save $530 million annually, the RSC said.
The spending reduction bill's sponsors estimated it will save $2.5 trillion over a decade and help restore the federal government's financial balance.
Among larger programs targeted, the legislation would save $16 billion by repealing an increase in Medicaid reimbursement funding that the Democratic-led Congress passed as part of a state aid package.
In addition, the lawmakers proposed to freeze spending for the rest of this fiscal year at levels set in 2008 and to block all funding for the health care reform law, saving $80 billion; set spending levels for the next decade at levels set in 2006, with the exception of programs targeted for elimination.
While all of the programs have constituencies that will be offended at losing programs, lawmakers said, the bill represents a more important, broad goal of addressing the climbing federal debt and reining in spending.
“Everything on this pales in comparison to saving the country,” said Rep. John Campbell, R-Calif.
Sponsors said they had not discussed with the House GOP leadership whether the bill will reach the floor for a vote but the chairman of the RSC, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said he is optimistic that many provisions will find a way there.
The House Republican Study Committee Thursday proposed to eliminate a U.S. Department of Energy program that helps protect low income residents' homes against harsh weather.
Gibson, R-Kinderhook, did not return a call Thursday seeking comment on the proposal, part of a broad range of cuts that would also end all federal support for rail service in the Hudson Valley, cut off funding for high-speed rail between New York City and Albany and likely end commercial passenger flights near the northern reaches of his district, in the Adirondacks.
The Republican Study Committee represents the conservative wing in Congress. Gibson is a member, as are four other New York Republicans, including three newly arrived in Congress.
The proposal represents one far end of the spending debate on Capitol Hill but could help shape the deliberations, especially in the GOP-led House. Even the Senate, where Democrats lead, may be forced to accept reductions in programs that Democrats boosted in recent years.
The weatherization program, for instance, was increased dramatically through the economic stimulus. New York received $394 million, more than any other state. It has received wide support from New York lawmakers over the years, particularly from those representing upstate New York.
But the stimulus funding has been caught up in controversy because of the department's difficulties handling the expansion. Less than half of the money for the program has been expended, the U.S. Government Accountability Office reported recently.
Eliminating the Energy Department grants would save $530 million annually, the RSC said.
The spending reduction bill's sponsors estimated it will save $2.5 trillion over a decade and help restore the federal government's financial balance.
Among larger programs targeted, the legislation would save $16 billion by repealing an increase in Medicaid reimbursement funding that the Democratic-led Congress passed as part of a state aid package.
In addition, the lawmakers proposed to freeze spending for the rest of this fiscal year at levels set in 2008 and to block all funding for the health care reform law, saving $80 billion; set spending levels for the next decade at levels set in 2006, with the exception of programs targeted for elimination.
While all of the programs have constituencies that will be offended at losing programs, lawmakers said, the bill represents a more important, broad goal of addressing the climbing federal debt and reining in spending.
“Everything on this pales in comparison to saving the country,” said Rep. John Campbell, R-Calif.
Sponsors said they had not discussed with the House GOP leadership whether the bill will reach the floor for a vote but the chairman of the RSC, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said he is optimistic that many provisions will find a way there.
Art project revives Cairo's history with bears
Art project revives Cairo's history with bears
By Colin DeVries
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
CAIRO — There are still traces of the grandeur brought by the age of the railroad, but it’s seemingly few and far-between these days.
This year’s third annual Bear and Butterflies public art project hopes to revive that history in the Cairo community, presenting it in a way both creative and interactive.
Claudia Zucker, co-chair of the Bear and Butterflies committee, said this year’s theme highlights the time period between 1865 and 1910.
“Every year we’re doing another period in Cairo’s history,” she said during the Bears and Butterflies Artist and Sponsor Reception 2011. This year’s theme is titled America’s First Vacation Land.
In the lobby of the National Bank of Coxsackie on Sunday, bear designers and the area businesses sponsoring them came together to discuss themes and explore the significance of that historic period.
Thirty-two bears were sponsored Sunday, said Bill Domack, co-chair of the Bears and Butterflies committee, and 10 more were planned as part of an educational youth project with Cairo-Durham Central School District.
A glimpse inside the history featured in this year’s theme and “quest” — a bear scavenger hunt designed to encourage travel around the Cairo community — was provided by town historian Robert Uzzilia.
Trivia for this year’s scavenger hunt will relate to local history, with hidden symbols painted into each fiberglass bear unlocking the answers.
To promote understanding of the theme, Uzzilia presented photographs and a collection of rare postcards that provided a colorful vision into Cairo’s past.
In 1885, Uzzilia said, the Catskill Mountain Railroad extended service to Cairo and for decades drew in vacationers by the trainload.
Tourists had visited Cairo’s many hotels and boarding houses while enjoying sites like the old Greene County Fairgrounds — now vacant land along Old Route 23 — which featured harness and thoroughbred horse racing.
But in the years prior to the rail’s expansion into the community and before the explosion of a tourism-based economy in Cairo, Uzzilia said private ranches and estates had started drawing people in.
Uzzilia said the legendary hotels of old — the Columbian (now Bavarian Manor), Winter Clove, Glen Falls House — came from humble roots: the old farmsteads and manors throughout Cairo had begun taking on boarders in the latter half of the 19th century, many of whom were spillover from the nearby Catskill Mountain House.
Those bucolic boarding houses soon evolved into grandiose luxury in some cases, eventually inspiring the railroad to steam into Cairo Junction, trumping area stagecoach companies.
In capturing the essence of the period, artist Cyndi Kropp designed a train engineer bear, complete with denim overalls, bandana, mustache, Catskill Mountain Railroad timetable and engineer’s cap.
The Bank of Greene County chose to sponsor the bear. A fitting match as the bank’s Main Street branch was designed after the original Cairo train station.
“It will be just perfect,” said Kathy Proper, of the Bank of Greene County, as she met with Kropp for the first time Sunday.
Many of the bears popped with color and imagination. Some even adopting recent changes in our cultural makeup.
Take, for example, the Zodiac bear designed by young artist Mark Anthony Baynard.
His bear, representing the 12 signs of astrology’s zodiac amidst a dark field of stars with a colorful Earth globe in its center, features a new development in astrology: the recent announcement of a 13th zodiac sign made earlier this month by a Minnesota astronomer. Ophiuchus, the sign of the serpent holder, has been centered on the bear’s chest — intentionally separated from the original 12 signs.
“I’m a big fan of the zodiac and the story behind it,” Baynard said. “It’s the mystery of space. There’s always something new.”
Whether or not you believe in the value of astrology, the rich history of Cairo and the creativity being presented in this year’s Bear and Butterflies public art project cannot be denied.
This year’s raffle bear will be designed by local artist Don Boutin and focus on the history of the Greene County Fairgrounds’ horse racing track. Modeled after a 1908 gambler, the bear, “Off to the Races,” will wear a suit and bowler cap, grip some greenbacks and stand amidst the torn tickets of a once hopeful bettor.
A second round of bears will be presented in February.
The Butterfly Ball will be held on May 14, and the bears will be installed May 23 through 27.
Each Thursday through June and September a Meet the Artist Night will be featured in Cairo.
The Bear A “Fair” Gala and Auction will be held on Oct. 1.
This year’s third annual Bear and Butterflies public art project hopes to revive that history in the Cairo community, presenting it in a way both creative and interactive.
Claudia Zucker, co-chair of the Bear and Butterflies committee, said this year’s theme highlights the time period between 1865 and 1910.
“Every year we’re doing another period in Cairo’s history,” she said during the Bears and Butterflies Artist and Sponsor Reception 2011. This year’s theme is titled America’s First Vacation Land.
In the lobby of the National Bank of Coxsackie on Sunday, bear designers and the area businesses sponsoring them came together to discuss themes and explore the significance of that historic period.
Thirty-two bears were sponsored Sunday, said Bill Domack, co-chair of the Bears and Butterflies committee, and 10 more were planned as part of an educational youth project with Cairo-Durham Central School District.
A glimpse inside the history featured in this year’s theme and “quest” — a bear scavenger hunt designed to encourage travel around the Cairo community — was provided by town historian Robert Uzzilia.
Trivia for this year’s scavenger hunt will relate to local history, with hidden symbols painted into each fiberglass bear unlocking the answers.
To promote understanding of the theme, Uzzilia presented photographs and a collection of rare postcards that provided a colorful vision into Cairo’s past.
In 1885, Uzzilia said, the Catskill Mountain Railroad extended service to Cairo and for decades drew in vacationers by the trainload.
Tourists had visited Cairo’s many hotels and boarding houses while enjoying sites like the old Greene County Fairgrounds — now vacant land along Old Route 23 — which featured harness and thoroughbred horse racing.
But in the years prior to the rail’s expansion into the community and before the explosion of a tourism-based economy in Cairo, Uzzilia said private ranches and estates had started drawing people in.
Uzzilia said the legendary hotels of old — the Columbian (now Bavarian Manor), Winter Clove, Glen Falls House — came from humble roots: the old farmsteads and manors throughout Cairo had begun taking on boarders in the latter half of the 19th century, many of whom were spillover from the nearby Catskill Mountain House.
Those bucolic boarding houses soon evolved into grandiose luxury in some cases, eventually inspiring the railroad to steam into Cairo Junction, trumping area stagecoach companies.
In capturing the essence of the period, artist Cyndi Kropp designed a train engineer bear, complete with denim overalls, bandana, mustache, Catskill Mountain Railroad timetable and engineer’s cap.
The Bank of Greene County chose to sponsor the bear. A fitting match as the bank’s Main Street branch was designed after the original Cairo train station.
“It will be just perfect,” said Kathy Proper, of the Bank of Greene County, as she met with Kropp for the first time Sunday.
Many of the bears popped with color and imagination. Some even adopting recent changes in our cultural makeup.
Take, for example, the Zodiac bear designed by young artist Mark Anthony Baynard.
His bear, representing the 12 signs of astrology’s zodiac amidst a dark field of stars with a colorful Earth globe in its center, features a new development in astrology: the recent announcement of a 13th zodiac sign made earlier this month by a Minnesota astronomer. Ophiuchus, the sign of the serpent holder, has been centered on the bear’s chest — intentionally separated from the original 12 signs.
“I’m a big fan of the zodiac and the story behind it,” Baynard said. “It’s the mystery of space. There’s always something new.”
Whether or not you believe in the value of astrology, the rich history of Cairo and the creativity being presented in this year’s Bear and Butterflies public art project cannot be denied.
This year’s raffle bear will be designed by local artist Don Boutin and focus on the history of the Greene County Fairgrounds’ horse racing track. Modeled after a 1908 gambler, the bear, “Off to the Races,” will wear a suit and bowler cap, grip some greenbacks and stand amidst the torn tickets of a once hopeful bettor.
A second round of bears will be presented in February.
The Butterfly Ball will be held on May 14, and the bears will be installed May 23 through 27.
Each Thursday through June and September a Meet the Artist Night will be featured in Cairo.
The Bear A “Fair” Gala and Auction will be held on Oct. 1.
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