Town, village and college announce joint measures to protect New Paltz
The Village of New Paltz, Town of New Paltz and SUNY New Paltz are partnering this fall to protect New Paltz during the ongoing pandemic through a series of collaborative initiatives, education campaigns and cooperative enforcement measures. They want all members of the community — year-round village residents, students returning to the region for the fall semester, and others who live and work in New Paltz — understand the need to practice consistent mask-wearing, hand-washing and safe social distancing.
“Through individual and collective action, New Paltz, Ulster County and New York State have had success ‘flattening the curve’ and reducing community transmission of Covid 19,” said SUNY New Paltz president Donald Christian. “Nevertheless, as recent news at larger university campuses in other parts of the country illustrates, we cannot let our guard down. Our students contribute to the vitality of the New Paltz community economically, socially, culturally and in many other ways. But as part of our reopening plan, we have consistently reminded students that adopting a ‘we, not me’ approach this fall is in their best interest.”
“We will succeed or fail based on whether or not we work together so that everyone complies to protect us and reduce spread,” said town supervisor Neil Bettez.
“The long-term goal for all of us right now is to prevent an increase in Covid cases,” said mayor Tim Rogers. “In order to achieve this goal, we must all take precautionary measures seriously and in unity. When safety can be ensured for an entire community, we will be able to return to certain events and gatherings that must remain on hold right now.”
SUNY New Paltz campus leadership has been working for months with village and town officials to prepare for the campus reopening and return of students this fall. The college’s complete New Paltz Forward fall reopening plan and related frequently asked questions can be viewed online at newpaltz.edu/newpaltzforward/2020-fall-re-opening-plan. Read more about the plan at www.newpaltz.edu/media/corona-virus/Re-opening%20Pledge%20FINAL.pdf.
Socially distanced fitness
After a five-month break, gyms across New York State were permitted to begin reopening Monday, August 24 with restrictions. County health officials began inspections the week before when the governor announced the plan and have until Wednesday, September 2 to complete them. Meanwhile, several local gyms are already open.
The reopening guidance calls for no more than 33 percent occupancy, and anyone entering must undergo a health screening and provide information about any current or past symptoms, travel and contacts to be used by contact tracers should it be necessary. Patrons must wear masks and maintain six feet of distance from one another. Cleaning and disinfection supplies must be available for use, and all shared and rented equipment must be cleaned and disinfected by staff members between uses. Walk-ins will not be accepted for classes; they must be reservation-only and comply with the rules about occupancy limits and distance between patrons. There must be sufficient time between classes to clean and disinfect all the equipment used. Shared water fountains and communal showers must be closed, but bottle refill stations and individual showers can be used; the showers must be cleaned between uses. Air filtration should be at a minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) of 13 or higher if possible. That’s a higher standard than was ever required before, and the state guidance provides that if a professional documents why it can’t be achieved, that a mitigation plan including improved ventilation might be acceptable instead.
New protocols were on view at Planet Fitness in the Town of Ulster on Monday. When entering, members were asked if they were currently experiencing any of a list of Covid-19 symptoms, had been diagnosed with the infection in the past or had been in contact with anyone who had, or had recently traveled to any state with a high-rate of spread. They were also informed that by downloading the Planet Fitness app they could answer these questions themselves without having to stop to speak with an employee. Several employees walking the floor wiping down equipment and reminding members to do the same — not just when they were finished, but between sets as well. Although capacity was nowhere near the 33 percent limit on Monday, the gym has planned for that eventually being an issue by showing a “crowd meter” on the website for this location, allowing members concerned about being turned away or who are seeking the lowest density possible to be aware before showing up.
— Terence P Ward and William P. Dendis
Elena Zang dies
Art gallery owner Elena Zang died after a battle with cancer, according to close friends and members of the local artist community. “Sad news — another beautiful Woodstock friend has crossed over. Good memories, Elena Zang,” said friend Peter Blum, who shared the news on Facebook.
Zang started a gallery in Shady in 1989 with Alan Hoffman that features a sculpture garden and ceramics studio.
“Elena, my words are not good enough to describe how incredible you were or list the number of artists and causes that you championed and helped. You were truly one of the most wonderful individuals I have ever had the privilege to spend time with and know,” said a post from Woodstock Film Festival executive director Meira Blaustein. Zang brought in artist Mary Frank to create the festival’s 2016 poster.
“Maverick Concerts is saddened by the news of our long-term supporter Elena Zang’s passing,” said a posting from the historic classical music venue. “She will be missed. We extend the sweetest sympathies to her family and friends. RIP, dear Elena.”
No funeral arrangements have been announced to date.
— Nick Henderson
Vandalizing street art
The Saugerties police have arrested Vincent DeBellis, 43, of Route 9W, and charged him with third-degree criminal mischief, a felony, for allegedly damaging a piece of public art.
In the early hours of Monday, August 17, police responded to a report of an intoxicated disorderly person on Partition Street throwing items at passing cars. Upon arrival, officers identified the intoxicated male as 43-year-old Vincent DeBellis of Saugerties. DeBellis was observed by witnesses tearing the wings off the “Spirit of Woodstock” butterfly, a piece of artwork currently on display in the Village of Saugerties as part of the “Fluttering Around Saugerties” Chamber of Commerce Artist display.
DeBellis was taken into custody and processed at police headquarters. DeBellis was released on an appearance ticket returnable to the Village of Saugerties justice court on August 31 to answer the charge.
Olive feminist exhibition
The Olive Free Library Association will present “If Only,” an exhibition of works by five regional artists who incorporate feminist issues in their artworks. This will be the first exhibition in the Olive Library’s community gallery since all in-person events and shows were cancelled or postponed due to the pandemic .
The show, curated by Nathalie Andrews, will run from September 26 through November 7, with the opening on Saturday, September 26 from 2 to 4 p.m.
“Frankly, over the years, feminism has become a mantra for angry, bra-burning women. It’s been too easy to downplay the fight for women’s rights, and cast it as just a lot of noise,” said Andrews. “The struggle for women’s rights continues. There are still many issues facing most women in this country and around the world today that prevent true gender equality.
If Only shows the works of five female artists that focus on feminist issues in their artworks. Participating artists include Natali Bravo-Barbee, Jacinta Bunnell, Carole Kunstadt, Yvette Lewis and Katharine Umsted.
The Olive Free Library is at 4033 Route 28A in West Shokan. Call 657-2482 or visit www.olivefreelibrary.org.
Walk in my shoes
The Hudson Valley Center for Veteran Reintegration (HVCVR) peer support program is going on a walk. Led by two veterans — Gavin Walters, United States Air Force and Jessica Porro, United States Army — the group is expected to expand as all organizations and individuals are invited to join during the walk to fly their banners, share their mission and show veterans the many assets that are available to them.
The group will begin their walk on Sunday, August 30 from TechCity in the Town of Ulster and conclude on Monday, August 31 at the State Capitol in Albany. They will navigate through twelve towns and cities paralleling the Hudson River. Totaling approximately 55 miles, the goal is to walk continuously from Kingston to Albany.
The mission of this trip is twofold: First to bring awareness to the needs of the veteran community, alternative therapeutic programs that help battle the fight against veteran/active duty suicide, mental health challenges, homelessness and sexual trauma. Second, to help the HVCVR raise funding to support the development of programs. To learn more, visit hvcvr.org or Facebook.com/HVCVR.
Absentee ballots available
Requests for absentee ballots for the annual Saugerties Public Library budget vote and trustee election will be available at the library beginning on August 31. Residents requesting a ballot will have to sign an affidavit attesting that they will not be available to vote in person at the library at 91 Washington Avenue on Tuesday, September 15, between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Residents must be registered to vote in Saugerties in order to cast an absentee ballot or to vote in person.
Three five-year terms are up for election. Candidates running for election are Julie Misiano, Irene Hurst and Ginger Jurecka-Blake. Voters will also be asked to approve a 2021 library operating budget of $658,611, of which $617,796 shall be raised by taxation. The 2021 budget proposal calls for a 2.48 percent decrease, which comes to about two cents less per $1000 assessed property value. Copies of the proposed budget are available at the library.
Raising money for food
Every year, the Woodstock Women’s March teams up with Sunflower Natural Market in Woodstock to promote a “round-up-at-the-register” program. For the past several years, money has been raised to help The Table at Woodstock, which has been serving the needs of local Woodstock residents and families with prepared meals and groceries. This year’s total donation to The Table at Woodstock, including the matching contribution from Sunflower, was $3862
The Table at Woodstock was designed to meet the need for prepared meals for the food insecurity in the area. Due to Covid, The Table went from serving approximately 900 meals a month, to providing over 1200 prepared meals a month, as well as 50 grocery boxes a week — equaling over 1250 meals per week in groceries alone.
Prepared meals are served on the front porch of the Woodstock Reformed Church every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., or until they run out. Funding is needed to continue to provide food needs as well as to move/expand the kitchen to the new facility at the former Zena School. Once they move, they plan to continue to scale up the resources including prepared meal, grocery, back to school and holiday programs.
Donations can be made via www.thetableatwoodstock.org or by check c/o The Table at Woodstock, 114 Mill Hill Road, Woodstock, NY 12498.
Radio theatre presents Dracula
Hudson Valley Radio Theatre made its debut in early April with Murder Me Always, a whodunit Murder Café first presented by Frank Marquette on stage at Mohonk Mountain House in 2017. It has been followed by ten additional radio programs, all performed by members of the Murder Café troupe on Zoom. Editing, sound effects and music were added by the company’s tech director, Kenny Drao.
On September 1, Hudson Valley Radio Theatre will present Dracula, written by Crane Johnson and licensed by Dramatists Play Service. Using Anchor.com as their hub, Hudson Valley Radio Theatre’s programs can be heard on nine platforms, including Spotify, RadioAmerica, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Breaker and iHeartRADIO. You can also access the plays on Hudson Valley Radio Theatre’s YouTube channel and at hudsonvalleyradiotheatre.com.
Frank Marquette summarizes his venture into radio theatre: “Consider us as an alternative to the streaming choices on your tube or screen. You can access and be entertained by us, no matter where you are or what you’re doing. It’s theater, anytime, anywhere.”
Dorsky exhibitions open
The juried exhibition, “Hudson Valley Artists: New Folk,” featuring 29 local artists in an exploration of craft, cultural heritage and the communities we create together will open September 12 at the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at SUNY New Paltz. “New Folk,” curated by Dorsky Museum curator and exhibitions manager Anna Conlan, showcases artwork that captures the spirit of contemporary folk practice in the Hudson Valley today. It offers a vision of what folk art can be. Some of the artists in the exhibition invoke these regional histories, and others draw on the inherited traditions and memories from homelands that new folk carry with them.
A second exhibition, “Dos Mundos: (Re)Constructing Narratives,” presents the photographs of a dozen recipients of photography fellowships from En Foco, the non-profit founded in 1974 that supports contemporary photographers of African, Asian, Latino, Native American and Pacific Islander heritage. It will be on view from September 12 through November 22 in the Dorsky’s Sara Bedrick Gallery. It is guest curated by Juanita Lanzo and Stephanie A. Lindquist in partnership with En Foco, Inc.
For information, visit http://www.newpaltz.edu/news.
Ulster Boces virtual open house
The Ulster BOCES Adult Career Education Center will hold a virtual open house for its fall courses for prospective adult students on Wednesday, September 2 from 5 to 7 p.m. To receive a Zoom invitation for the upcoming online event, prospective students can register by completing the required information found on the Google Form at www.ulsterboces.org/openhouse.
Prior to the open house, registrants will receive an email with a link to the Zoom event. After joining the meeting, attendees will be directed to program-specific breakout rooms, where they will have the opportunity to meet with career counselors and instructors and learn about registering for classes, financial assistance and more.
Ulster Boces programs that will be highlighted include surgical technology, personal care assistant (PCA), certified nursing assistant (CNA), electrical apprenticeship, linxus, medical office/receptionist, cosmetology, child development associate (CDA), air conditioning/oil heat, high school equivalency and English as a second language.
For information about Ulster Boces programs, call 331-5050.
Hudson Valley history hunt
Use the power of the Internet to discover the rich history of the Hudson Valley. The Hudson Valley History Hunt, brought to you by the History Alliance of Kingston, is a digital scavenger hunt that challenges participants to solve clues for a chance to win an assortment of prizes.
A new set of clues drops on the 15th of August, September and October. Look for the Reher Center’s clues to find the history of immigration, community, work, and bread at 101 Broadway in Kingston and beyond. Go to this address to begin: historyallianceofkingston.com/hudson-valley-history-hunt.
HVP maestro Fleischer dies
Randall Craig Fleischer, maestro of the Hudson Valley Philharmonic (HVP), passed away suddenly on Wednesday night, August 19 at his home in Los Angeles. Said Chris Silva, executive director of the Bardavon. “He was the heart and soul of the HVP, and we send deepest condolences to his family and to all those in this community who, like all at the Bardavon/HVP, are devastated by this loss.”
Fleischer became music director of the Hudson Valley Philharmonic in 1992. He had an active guest conducting career with many major orchestras in the United States and internationally. Additionally, he was also music director of the Anchorage Symphony and Youngstown Symphony Orchestra.
Fleischer studied with Leonard Bernstein as a conducting fellow at Tanglewood in 1989. He served as the assistant conductor of the American Symphony Orchestra from 1986 to 1989.
Saugerties film series
The Saugerties Film Society and ShoutOut Saugerties will co-sponsor a September film series on the lawn at the Saugerties Library at 7:30 p.m. on the following dates:
September 4, School of Rock — a rock n roll comedy directed by Richard Linklater starring Jack Black.
September 5, Ninotchka — Greta Garbo’s first full-length comedy, directed by Ernst Lubitsch.
September 11, Inside Out, — a Pixar-animated film starring Amy Poehler, Lewis Black and Bill Hader.
September 12, The Lady Eve — a screwball comedy written and directed by Preston Sturges, starring Henry Fonda and Barbara Stanwyck.
September 18, Biggest Little Farm — a heart-warming, inspiring documentary about a small farm in California filmed over seven years.
September 19, Some Like it Hot — a cross-dressing comedy written and directed by Billy Wilder, starring Tony Curtis, Marilyn Monroe and Jack Lemmon.
September 25, Fantastic Mr. Fox — a stop-motion animated film by Wes Anderson based on the Raoul Dahl book.
September 26, Heaven Can Wait, — a fantasy comedy co-directed by Buck Henry and Warren Beatty, starring Beatty, Charles Grodin and Julie Christie.
Bring a chair or a blanket. Films are free, but reservations are suggested at Eventbrite.
Burglary suspect nabbed
New Paltz police have been investigating a series of burglaries and larcenies that occurred between July 14 and July 21. According to police chief Robert Lucchesi, the department received reports of a burglary and criminal mischief to a local car wash on two separate occasions and several reports of theft from parked vehicles.
Following a month-long investigation, probable cause was established to charge Dominick Teroni, 46, of Highland, with felony charges of burglary in the third degree, two counts of criminal mischief in the second degree, two counts of grand larceny in the fourth degree, and several misdemeanor charges for petit larceny.
Teroni was located in Lloyd by New Paltz detectives and taken into custody without incident. He was arraigned by town justice James Bacon and sent to the Ulster County Jail with no bail.
The New Paltz police were assisted at the scene by the Lloyd police.
A bite of education
Residents at New Paltz Center on Jansen Road in New Paltz had some fun last week when recreation director Samantha Cerero and her team got many residents involved in Shark Week 2020. In addition to learning more about the life of sharks and the variety of sharks, the residents were also treated to many snacks, such as fish and chip, sno kones, shark pudding, shark cupcakes and the all-important “Deep Sea Spritzer” (blue Hawaiian punch and ginger ale).
“I always want to do something very creative, educational and fun and when I heard it was going to be Shark Week, I knew right then what I wanted to do,” said Cerero. “It’s interesting that shark sightings and occurrences have been in the news a lot this year, but at least the residents here can feel safe from that too.”
Rosendale Library petitions
There are two vacancies on the Rosendale Library board, with both terms ending December 31, 2021. Candidates seeking nomination can pick up a petition from the library. Petitions require at least 18 signatures of voters registered in Rosendale, due back to the library by September 8, 2020. The Rosendale Library will hold trustee elections and a budget vote on Thursday, October 8 from noon to 7 p.m.
You can contact the library at 658-9013. It’s located at 264 Main Street.
Join the family! 
