Hold NYC liable for flooding
Recent meetings and past discussions about New York City dumping millions of gallons of water into the Esopus have obviously fallen on deaf ears. The arrogance of New York City and the DEC and DEP questions the mission statement they send to a public dazed by false beliefs. New York City wants to dump 500 million gallons of water daily into the Esopus starting in October of this year until April 2013.
The discharges during the past two or three years are being felt by residents who live along this area, and the constant turbidity, in my opinion, may cause underground erosion that could cause property damage as a result. The catastrophic damage resulting from fairly recent storms may not be a sole “act of God,” but a negligent act approved by the DEC and DEP. The dumping of this water is causing water tables to rise and flooding to occur. Any personal property damage caused by higher water tables resulting from the release of this water won’t be covered by homeowners insurance.
As a lifetime resident, county legislator and caring individual, I plan to introduce a resolution in the Ulster County Legislature that would allow us to file a class action law suit against the parties involved and would call on New York City to stop releasing water into the Esopus and or be held responsible for all damage incurred to private property as a result of this dumping.
Robert Aiello
Legislator, District 2
Saugerties
Come see the community band
Our wonderful Saugerties Community Band put on a great concert last Sunday afternoon. The weather was perfect but there was a very sparse audience. Tony (the director) mentioned the fact that there was an advertising mix-up and that probably had an effect on the crowd. He also stated that their next concert would be on July 8 at 3 p.m. by the Kiersted House. Hope to see a big bunch there then.
Walt Hackett
Saugerties
Ulster County needs a big employer
Ulster County is a great place to live. We have it all; the Hudson River, the Catskill Mountains, and wonderful communities throughout the county that offer all types of festivals and entertainment. This is all wonderful, but where are the jobs? GlobalFoundries built a microchip plant in Malta just north of Albany. If you take a ride to that area and surrounding communities, you will see lots of development going on. New housing developments are going up everywhere. There must be a demand for this housing or developers would not invest in the area. Since IBM left in 1994, there has not been any large industry to take its place. Everything goes north or south of Ulster County.
I sell real estate. It is difficult to explain over and over again to my sellers why they get so few showings. There are not enough buyers with good paying jobs who can afford to buy a house in Ulster County. When IBM was here, executives were coming in and out of the area. They transferred from one plant to another in other parts of the country. We had the “Re-lo” home sales, we had growth. We had people coming and going steadily and buying homes in various price ranges. People made a good living; they had good jobs. Bob Aiello had appealed to the Ulster County Legislature back in 2000 with a well-written plan.
Some 18 years after IBM left, this county still has not been able to attract a large employer in spite of all the perks Ulster County has to offer. Without a large employer in the area, we are surely missing out. If we continue to depend on the New York City buyer or the weekender market, we are limiting ourselves to being a bedroom community. We need economic development like the communities to the north and south of us. We need employment on a large scale. We need that growth you only see when 1500+ skilled jobs are added to the area, like in Malta. We need a tax base to relieve the homeowners of this county of increasing and unaffordable taxes. We need jobs so people can work and stay in their homes. If we don’t get these, there will be a continued exit of our workforce from this county.
There are many “For Rent” signs everywhere. There are many “For Sale” signs everywhere. As of the Freeman article on June 20, 2012, Ulster County has an 8.8% jobless rate. If you are out of work, chances are you will not be employed unless you know someone.
The county needs large industry; one or more large employers so thousands of jobs can be created. These employees will buy homes. In turn, the real estate market will drive many other associated businesses, from the lumberyard to the carpet store, from the attorneys to the surveyors. Let’s keep people in this county. Let’s get some large employers to invest in our area, not north or south of Ulster County.
Francine Heinlein
Saugerties
Hinchey going away party
A free family picnic for Saugerties residents honoring retiring Congressman Maurice D. Hinchey is planned at Cantine Field on Sunday, July 29 from 1 to 4 p.m. The picnic will include free hot dogs, hamburgers, salads, and other refreshments, with catering provided by Stone Pony Deli. Guests are asked to bring a dessert if possible.
Hinchey, who was raised in Saugerties, has served his community more than 30-plus years including in the NYS Assembly as well as Congress. The non-partisan “Welcome Home Maurice” Committee is overseeing the planning of this major event. We can use the help of volunteers for a variety of tasks before, during and after the event. Donations to offset expenses are welcomed.
Maurice will address his hometown crowd, although there will not be any political speeches, in keeping with the community spirit of this event. To volunteer, contact me, Beth Murphy, at 246-1598 or eamurphy@webjogger.com. Donations can be made out to “Welcome Home Maurice” and sent to Cindy Saporito at Sawyer Savings Bank, POB 420, Saugerties, 12477.
We hope that many of our fellow townspeople will join in the festivities.
Beth Murphy
Saugerties
Join the family! 
