M'ville wastewater treatment plant expansion completed

By Andrea Girolamo
1/27/12 - 1:43 pm

The Daily Freeman is reporting today that the planned expansion of the NYC-owned Margaretville wastewater plant has been completed.

The expansion will now enable residents in the area who had individual septic systems to tie into the plant. The private systems are considered at risk of contaminating water resources.

The expansion, which began in 2009, cost the DEP approximately $7.4 million.

Catskills films make it to Sundance

By Julia Reischel
1/27/12 - 1:10 pm
See video

Catskills locals are makng a splash among the nation's most avid cinemaphiles at the Sundance Film Festival this week.

David France, the owner of Margareville's Galli-Curci building (appropriately, a former movie theater), is a festival darling with his documentary about AIDS in the 1980s, "How to Survive a Plague." Check out the Sundance Channel's interview with him about the flim above. More info in a Sundance Channel article here.

The Hudson Valley's own Oscar-winning Melissa Leo starred in Predisposed, another Sundance pick, which was produced by BCDF, a Hudson-Valley-based film studio. The Woodstock Film Festival has a full list of Sundance films with local connections, including two more films from BCDF and movie called Keep the Lights On, which was shot locally.  Read more

BOCES student rescued from ice pond in Liberty

By Julia Reischel
1/27/12 - 10:24 am

An 18-year-old student at the BOCES campus in the town of LIberty was rescued by state toopers, sheriff's deputies, and volunteer firemen from sinking into an icy pond on Tuesday, according to a press release from the New York State Police.

The teenager reportedly ran off the BOCES campus, into the woods, and attempted to swim across the ice-covered pond. When rescuers threw the him a rope, he refused to grab it, according to the press release.

Two rescuers, State Trooper Stephen Johnston and a volunteer fireman, had to follow the student into the pond to save him.

Here's the full press release from the New York State Police:

Liberty Troopers rescue BOCES student from a partially ice covered pond in the Town of Liberty   Read more

Onteora reconfiguration: A Bennett parent pleads for a two-school solution

By Lissa Harris
1/26/12 - 1:18 pm

On Tuesday, the Onteora Central School district held yet another meeting to discuss the planned reconfiguration of its three elementary schools, which could result in the closing of the Phoenicia School or the re-shuffling of grade levels among the district's three elementary schools.

But while Onteora goes through the painful process of deciding whether to close a school, change is afoot at the state level that could mean even greater uncertainty for local parents and students. The Freeman reports:  Read more

Warm and Toasty Pot Roast Church Supper

January 28, 2012 - 5:30pm

Come join the Woodstock Reformed Church for a tasty home-cooked dinner this Saturday.

Pot Roast, Real Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Red Cabbage, Sourdough Bread and Homemade Apple Desserts. Seating at 5:30 pm • Takeout available at 6:00 pm 

Adults: $12 • Children 5 - 12: $10 • Kids under 5: Free 

Dinner Seatings and Take-Out will be by Reservation Only 

Reservations are being accepted through Wednesday, January 25 

Call Karen and Ed at 246-6777 or The Woodstock Reformed Church at 679-6610 

It’s a great deal: Awesome food, no clean-up and no tip! 

http://sites.google.com/site/woodstockreformedchurch/

Woodstock Reformed Church
16 Tinker Street 
Woodstock, NY

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Got flood damage? New grants available for businesses and municipalities are now taking applications

By Julia Reischel
1/25/12 - 9:40 am

Above: Flood damage from Tropical Storm Irene in the Greene County town of Lexington. Photo taken on August 30, 2011, by Flickr user kimmcg. Posted in the Watershed Post Flickr pool.

Two big grant programs for storm-ravaged businesses, property-owners, farms, nonprofits, towns, and counties were unveiled yesterday by New York's Empire State Development agency and the Department of Environmental Conservation.

The first program is a $21 million program aimed at businesses across the state and administered by Empire State Development. It will hand out grants of up to $20,000 each to farms, multi-dwelling property owners, small businesses, and NGOs that have "sustained direct, physical flood-related damage related to Hurricane Irene or Tropical Storm Lee." Business must apply by March 16.   Read more

Standing with Schoharie - a benefit concert to aid Schoharie County hurricane recovery

February 4, 2012 - 7:00pm

Above: Main Street Schoharie, Post-Irene.

Standing with Schoharie - a benefit concert to aid Schoharie County hurricane recovery will feature an evening of music; all proceeds will go to Schoharie Recovery, Inc. which is working to assist residents of Schoharie in their rebuilding efforts.

Featured at the event will be:

Martin Rivas -  A mainstay at several renowned NYC venues including The Bitter End and the Rockwood Music Hall, Martin is currently recording his sixth album. He championed a compilation album entitled “After the Flood”, bringing 43 artists together to raise thousands for upstate New York residents affected by Irene. This album is available for purchase here.    Read more

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Onteora board meets tonight; Shandaken scenic byway meeting postponed

By Lissa Harris
1/24/12 - 11:15 am

A hearing on the Route 28 Scenic Byway project, scheduled for tonight at 6pm in the Shandaken Town Hall, has been postponed. The byway meeting conflicted with an important Onteora School Board meeting on the reconfiguration of the district's elementary schools, which is expected to draw parents and community members from around the district.

The Onteora School Board meets tonight at 6pm at the Phoenicia Elementary School, which could be closed under one of several reconfiguration options the board is considering. The meeting will be preceded by a public forum at 5:15pm.

Shandaken town officials have not yet set a new date for the byway meeting.

Mercury on the rise in Catskills songbirds

By Julia Reischel
1/24/12 - 9:05 am

Above: A photo graphic from "Hidden Risk," a new study about the prevalence of mercury in wildlife of the northeastern United States.

A study released by the Biodiveristy Research Institute and the Nature Conservancy today has found that there are "high levels of mercury contamination in songbirds and bats throughout 11 northeastern states."

The study has a big Catskills connection. Anthony DePalma writes in the New York Times today about watching biologist David Evers, one of the lead scientists on the study, sample mercury in Catskills thrushes:  Read more

DEP to get an earful from Ulster County at Stone Ridge meeting

By Lissa Harris
1/23/12 - 5:12 pm

Above, join our live blog at 6pm covering tonight's DEP forum in Ulster County.

Tonight, a long-anticipated public meeting will be held at 6pm at SUNY Ulster in Stone Ridge, for Ulster County officials and residents to share grievances with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Both city and state officials are expected to attend, the Daily Freeman reports.  Read more