Step one and two in the Woodstock Library’s quest for the old Library Laundromat building appear to have gone as planned. Most impressive is the campaign to raise the funds by Friends of the Library that has yielded enough to make the necessary bid on the property. As an aside, many of the contributions were made in remembrance of Cassia Berman, our writer (among being many things to myriad Woodstocker), and among the sadness at her passing is a great show of love for her spirit.
We certainly support the library in this endeavor, though we look at that former laundromat building and kinda wonder how it’s still standing.
But this is how it has to be in the days of the 2% cap on tax increases and economic doldrums — modest projects that are reachable by seeking the good will of your patrons.
We’re also glad to see some flexibility on the part of the Onteora school district in responding to the community’s concerns regarding elementary school children riding the buses with high school students (Page 6). The district has found a way for the students who will populate Bennett in grades 4-6 in its new configuration to have their own buses, and to maintain the same elementary school schedule.
This is the second time the district has responded to the public in its new plan, the first being that it will allow a year of third grade to proceed at Bennett, so those students won’t have to change schools twice in two years.
Less flexibility is on display in Shandaken, where Hanover Farms is now suing the municipality for a stop work order that was issued by its building inspector. Hanover has a building permit, but the building inspector says work has exceeded the limit of the permit. This is after the town amended its zoning to allow Hanover, a long time popular business, to exist legally. It was all going so well.
But now the town has to back up its building inspector, right? So it has retained a law firm and off we go.
We’d suggest, that after everything that has gone down in this situation, the parties might want to make one more go of it by sitting down and talking it through. It should be possible, especially as one of the proprietors of Hanover Farms sits on the town board (and has rightly recused himself from all decisions regarding this situation.) Should be some cooler heads somewhere. ++
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