fbpx
  • Subscribe & Support
  • Sign up for Free Newsletter
  • Print Edition
    • Get Home Delivery
    • Read ePaper Online
    • Newsstand Locations
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Contact
    • Advertise
    • Customer Support
    • Submit A News Tip
    • Where’s My Paper?
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Free HV1 Trial
Hudson Valley One
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Featured Events
      • Art
      • Books
      • Kids
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Food & Drink
      • Music
      • Nature
      • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Help Wanted
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Podcast
  • Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Featured Events
      • Art
      • Books
      • Kids
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Food & Drink
      • Music
      • Nature
      • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Help Wanted
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Podcast
  • Log In
No Result
View All Result
Hudson Valley One
No Result
View All Result

Pilot, neighbors clash over proposed Rosendale helicopter law

by Frances Marion Platt
October 12, 2018
in Politics & Government
6
Resident’s frequent chopper excursions moves Rosendale to consider ban on helicopter takeoff/landings

Part-time Rosendale resident Daniel Preston exchanged heated words with some of his neighbors at a public hearing held by the Rosendale Town Board at its October 3 workshop meeting. The hearing was set to elicit community input on a proposed local law amending Chapter 75 of the Town Code to outlaw the launch or landing of “any airplane or helicopter” within the town, except for emergencies or by special permit. The new legal language would stipulate that “no property owner, occupant or tenant shall allow any aircraft to take off from or land on lands under his or her control, or allow for the embarkment or disembarkment of persons, or the delivery of products on or over lands under his or her control.”

Several residents of Burrs Crossing, a road that adjoins Preston’s property at 617 Route 213, petitioned the town to enact legislation that would prohibit his use of his land, or the bed of the Rondout Creek, as launch or landing sites for helicopters that he owns and operates. According to the complainants, Preston’s aircraft activity has been noisy and disruptive to the peaceful enjoyment of their own nearby homesites for several years. “I was mowing my lawn with music on my earphones,” recounted Denise Dehardt of one such incident. “When that helicopter flew over, I literally thought I was being shot at. When he’s flying that helicopter, it’s low.”

Preston responded angrily to Dehardt’s allegation, demanding that she produce the identification number on the helicopter that she had observed on that occasion. He admitted to the board that “I own helicopters and make them for my living,” but protested that he had “an eight-year track record of coming and going, and nobody said anything until recently.” He then accused one of the neighbors of deciding to try to outlaw helicopters out of frustration over having lost a battle to outlaw the keeping of chickens in Rosendale.

Preston went on to “challenge the police to bring a decibel meter” to measure the noise level of his aircraft. “I will take off and land,” he said. “I guarantee that it will not violate any noise ordinance.” He argued that, according to Federal Aviation Administration policy, the proposed law itself would be unenforceable: “Small helicopter traffic — you cannot regulate it or have it upheld… It would be completely unlawful to even put the law on the books.”

Another petitioner to enact the law, Ron Schade, claimed that he and his wife Barbara had been “served with legal papers when we walked in” — papers alleging that they and another resident whose name they did not recognize had “made defamatory statements about Mr. Preston” and demanding that they immediately delete Facebook posts to that effect. “I’m not on Facebook,” Schade pointed out. “This is an attempt to intimidate us.”

The Town Board closed the verbal portion of the public hearing, but agreed to continue accepting written comments on the helicopter law from the public for an additional two weeks. Town supervisor Jeanne Walsh noted that no further action could be taken on passage of the law until they had received comments back from both the Rosendale and Ulster County Planning Boards.

Before you click away... grab a free month of HV1. Get unlimited access. Get the news you've been missing. Get connected to your community. Keep local journalism alive at $5/mo., or cancel anytime. And enjoy summer!
- Geddy Sveikauskas, Publisher
Previous Post

A look at mid-century country life in the Catskills

Next Post

Kingston lawmakers resolve to support municipal IDs

Frances Marion Platt

Frances Marion Platt has been a feature writer (and copyeditor) for Ulster Publishing since 1994, under both her own name and the nom de plume Zhemyna Jurate. Her reporting beats include Gardiner and Rosendale, the arts and a bit of local history. In 2011 she took up Syd M’s mantle as film reviewer for Alm@nac Weekly, and she hopes to return to doing more of that as HV1 recovers from the shock of COVID-19. A Queens native, Platt moved to New Paltz in 1971 to earn a BA in English and minor in Linguistics at SUNY. Her first writing/editing gig was with the Ulster County Artist magazine. In the 1980s she was assistant editor of The Independent Film and Video Monthly for five years, attended Heartwood Owner/Builder School, designed and built a timberframe house in Gardiner. Her son Evan Pallor was born in 1995. Alternating with her journalism career, she spent many years doing development work – mainly grantwriting – for a variety of not-for-profit organizations, including six years at Scenic Hudson. She currently lives in Kingston.

Related Posts

Shrestha’s Assembly primary win was a collective effort
Politics & Government

Shrestha’s Assembly primary win was a collective effort

July 6, 2022
Zoning code questioned in New Paltz
Politics & Government

Zoning code questioned in New Paltz

July 2, 2022
Join BioBlitz in Woodstock
Environment

Woodstock board weighs consequences of land designation in Zena

June 30, 2022
Shrestha upsets Cahill while Hochul, Delgado prevail in Dem primaries
Politics & Government

Shrestha upsets Cahill while Hochul, Delgado prevail in Dem primaries

June 30, 2022
Woodstock assessor Marc Plate retiring
Politics & Government

Saugerties code aide retires, comes back part time

June 25, 2022
Election 2018: Who’s on the ballot?
Politics & Government

State primaries are June 28

June 24, 2022
Next Post
Kingston’s Midtown Gem: Beautiful Old City Hall

Kingston lawmakers resolve to support municipal IDs

Please login to join discussion

Trending News

  • Something for everyone at the Saugerties Food Truck Festival  0.9k views
  • No contractors available for Saugerties schools work 850 views
  • Police searching for two in Woodstock burglary 792 views
  • Free shuttle service for Fourth of July festivities in Kingston 743 views
  • Shaggy lawns may mean fines in Saugerties 736 views







Latest HV1 Podcast

Weather

Kingston
◉
70°
Sunny
5:27 am8:34 pm EDT
Feels like: 70°F
Wind: 4mph WSW
Humidity: 99%
Pressure: 29.78"Hg
UV index: 0
ThuFriSat
82/64°F
84/63°F
82/55°F
Weather forecast Kingston, New York ▸

Ulster County COVID-19 Active Cases

Subscribe

Independent. Local. Substantive. Subscribe now.

  • Subscribe & Support
  • Sign up for Free Newsletter
  • Print Edition
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Contact
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Free HV1 Trial

© 2022 Ulster Publishing

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Featured Events
      • Art
      • Books
      • Kids
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Food & Drink
      • Music
      • Nature
      • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Help Wanted
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Podcast
  • Subscribe & Support
  • Contact Us
    • Customer Support
    • Advertise
    • Submit A News Tip
  • Print Edition
    • Read ePaper Online
    • Newsstand Locations
    • Where’s My Paper
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Log In
  • Free HV1 Trial

© 2022 Ulster Publishing