The views and opinions expressed in our letters section are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Hudson Valley One. You can submit a letter to the editor here.
Thank you, Christoforas
Words cannot fully express our appreciation for Diane and Vince Christofora and their small army of volunteers (of many ages) for their generous contribution of numerous hours and resources toward enhancing the entrance of our beloved cemetery.
Many in our community have expressed their gratitude to them for transforming the cemetery fence and gates to a fresh and sparkling new look — whether they have mentioned it to us, or them and their volunteers as they walked or drove by while everyone was working.
The Woodstock community is much richer because of citizens such as Diane, Vince and their volunteers who stepped forward to give of their time to improve our beautiful and beloved community. We are eternally (pun intended) grateful!
The Woodstock Cemetery Task Force would also like to take this opportunity to thank all who have generously contributed to our fundraising campaign. In addition, we thank our Town of Woodstock highway and maintenance departments for the improvements they have and continue to make in our beautiful cemetery.
Teri Reynolds, Chair
Woodstock Cemetery Task Force
Woodstock
Vote to fund a CPP
On the back of New Paltz ballots for the November 3 election is a proposed real-estate transfer tax to fund a Community Preservation Plan to benefit all town and village residents. Estimated revenue on property sales prices above exemption of the first $245,000, is $180,000 a year to a new Community Preservation Fund. It would be used to buy or protect open spaces of scenic and environmental value to all residents, to protect wetlands, water quality and working farms, and public access to parks, nature preserves and recreation areas. The fund would also attract matching funds from federal, state and non-profits like the Open Space Institute and Scenic Hudson.
This concept has proved successful in the nearby Dutchess County Town of Red Hook over the past ten years, producing $2.4 million to protect 1800 acres of farmland and open spaces, while real-estate transactions have increased every year.
The NY State Real Estate Association in Albany has sent out false claims opposing this transfer tax as a permanent property tax increase for all taxpayers. It is not. A real-estate transfer tax is a one-time closing fee, paid only by the buyer, not by all taxpayers. But it will benefit all taxpayers and residents of New Paltz forever.
Opposition to this proposal reminds me of opposition 30 years ago from land owners adjacent to the then-new Wallkill Valley Land Trust rail-trail, fearing hikers would rob their homes. Today the rail-trail is a safe and popular public recreation space, and adjacent landowners list their rail-trail location as a major asset when they want to sell their homes.
All of our homes and businesses in New Paltz will be more valuable if we vote to approve a new real-estate transfer tax, or closing fee, to fund a new Community Preservation Plan.
Jim Ottaway, Jr.
A founding director of the WVLT
New Paltz
I want to trust in America again
I am 75 years old. In 1963, my first year away from my family home in Poughkeepsie, President Kennedy was shot in Texas. Then there was a huge Northeast blackout. Yes, Manhattan turned off with people in elevators and subways. Then there was the Vietnam War, shootings of students in Ohio and the terrors of racism in the South.
That was just the Sixties. Since then, there has been a movement, perhaps punctuated by Woodstock ‘69 to hope that the human race in America could learn to get along by honoring differences and solving problems in a mood of honesty and fairness.
Now we face an election in the first democracy established on earth in 1776. That idea was a response to the treatment from a king who believed he could demand payments on all commerce from people in the states. When the people in America refused to pay, he formed an army of redcoats and muskets to force them to pay. You know the rest.
So this coming election is about choosing a leader. Democracy is about fair treatment of rich and poor, big and small, with all ages and colors of skin included and about obeying the laws of the land or choosing to take part in the democratic process to change them. It is not about bullying, persecution or the destruction of law and order.
Each voter has the right to make a choice. These basic agreements of our democracy are being challenged by a president who has illusions of grandeur of the position.
I want someone I can trust in the White House. I want him to feel compassion for rich and poor, young and old and for all races and genders. I want him to be understanding that life is very challenging — that most of us are not gifted by rich parents. I want him to know the pain of loss of a child if he has to make decisions about sending troops out to battle. I want President Joe Biden for my next four years. I trust his standards for making wise decisions for our country, for our people and for our presence in the global community. I want to trust in America again.
Bardet Wardell
Hurley
Cold weather, dining out
After reading your article about local restaurants gearing up for cold weather dining and dealing with Covid concerns, it raises the question — doesn’t dining outside in an enclosed, heated tent recreate almost exactly the unhealthy and risky conditions of eating inside? In Rhinebeck, for example, the sidewalk tables at many of the local eateries are not six feet apart; diners are often sitting three feet apart at tables etc., lending a false sense of security to being safe from a fellow diner who may be contagious.
I’m sympathetic to the business owners, but unquestionably the most commonly cited reasons for the huge disparity in the number of US Covid infections as compared to the rest of the world are selfishness, impatience, arrogance. We’d rather be insistent on eating out in an enclosed heated tent than do without our favorite hamburger, etc. Pretty risky, I think, and the numbers support it.
Andrew Cowan
Saugerties
Don’t ignore safety
Some thoughts about the Covid-19 epidemic, which is Trump’s Plague. More than 90% of infections cause no symptoms, mild or moderate cases that don’t need hospitalization. It is the high transmissibility of the virus that swamps hospitals with the severe cases. SARS-CoV-2 can cause inflammation all over the body, so any condition that causes inflammation adds to the danger of Covid-19 infections.
Older people with their decreased functioning immune systems and basic level of inflammation are set up to have a greater chance to develop a severe case.
Some conditions that lead to a higher chance of developing a severe case of Covid-19 are not under a person’s control. But some risk factors are. Now is a good time to quit smoking or vaping, as these damage the lungs, where the respiratory virus Covid-19 enters the body.
And it is a good time to lose weight. At first it was thought that only obesity was a risk factor for developing a severe case. New evidence adds overweight as a risk factor for developing a severe case. Fat cells put out chemicals that cause inflammation. The more fat cells there are, the higher the level of inflammation. And fat cells can invade organs, including the organs that produce the various immune system cells.
While young people may start out being less apt to develop a severe case of Covid-19, underlying medical conditions such as obesity and bad habits such as smoking or vaping can send them into higher-risk groups. And those who ignore the recommendations to properly use a face mask and keep six feet from other people in public need to remember that you are risking not only yourself but also whomever you live with.
Sometimes it is not the people who go to parties or bars who die, but their family members.
Andi Weiss Bartczak
Gardiner
Wurts Street Bridge petition
I’m hoping to call attention to my petition to turn the Wurts Street Bridge into a pedestrian walkway.
The bridge, which connects downtown Kingston to Connelly and Port Ewen, is the only safe pedestrian or bike route over the Rondout. Since its closure in late September, I’ve seen too many people risking a walk or bike ride on the shoulder of Route 9W, which has no pedestrian infrastructure and a speed limit of 55 m.p.h.
According to the City of Kingston, the state has deemed the bridge too expensive to restore to full use as a road.
It’s certainly a venerable old bridge and perhaps it can no longer support automotive traffic. If that is truly the case, I’d love to see it turned into a beautiful, functional walkway — a safe route for walkers and bikers, an attraction for visitors to the area and a way to preserve a piece of architectural history.
It would be a fantastic addition to the recent expansion of Kingston’s Greenline trail system. The bridge was one of my favorite features of life in Connelly; I used to jog or walk my dogs over it daily, and ride my bike over it to visit friends in Kingston.
So far my petition has received nearly 150 signatures and counting! I’m hoping to gain support for this idea and submit it to the city for consideration.
MK Burnell
Connelly
Keeping young people here
We need our young people to stay in Upstate New York. For years we’ve struggled and heard of young adults migrating to New York City or out of state. Maybe now, when the appeal of smaller cities has returned in the midst of the social distancing, and when many college students will be learning remotely, we can trust our state leaders to turn their attention on bringing green jobs that will build our economy.
Michelle Hinchey, daughter of the late Congressman Maurice Hinchey, is working to continue her father’s legacy and invest in Upstate New York. Michelle will be a great advocate in Albany for protecting our natural resources, investing in our infrastructure, and her strong commitment to bringing green jobs. Now is the time we need to be resilient as we focus on green development and sustainability. With these changes, our job market will grow.
Lin Sakai
New Paltz
More praise for Metzger
There’s more than the Covid-19 crisis facing New Yorkers, and Senator Jen Metzger has been leading efforts to deal with these crises also. Households in the 42nd Senate District are struggling with opioids. Jen has co-sponsored 22 bills to deal with this crisis, including legislation making it illegal to over-prescribe these drugs. Invisible wounds such as PTSD and traumatic brain injuries suffered by veterans are aided by peer-to-peer support programs in Ulster and Sullivan counties. Jen and Senator James Skoufis gained financial support for the Tri-Community Partnership to combat the opioid crisis in the Hudson Valley.
Our environment needs attention as well. The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act is among the most forwarding climate legislation in the country. Notably, the legislation includes placing a permanent ban on fracking and stringent limitations on reviews of operating entities impacting the environment. Other actions — the Child Safe Products Act; protections for firefighters from PFAS chemicals; and restrictions on coal tar sealants in homes, playgrounds, and waterways — have had Jen’s full support.
Additional actions that are associated with these and Covid crises need recognition. Jen has pushed to ensure access to unemployment benefits to those affected by the pandemic. She reached out to local and county leaders to ensure that front line workers received needed PPE resources at area hospitals and agriculture organizations are able to provide farmer and farm workers with the masks and sanitizers they may need. Telehealth services for rural and underserved communities benefited from expansion of affordable internet service, including on-line “Covid-19 Information and Resources Guide.”
There are many other actions where Jen Metzger has assumed leadership positions that benefitted our community — expanding the hours for voting, increasing funding for minority and women-owned enterprises and creating tax-deferred business accounts for rainy days. There is a record of accomplishment that reveals a state senator who honestly cares for all her constituents she represents. Without question, Jen Metzger has earned and deserves re-election to the 42 Senatorial District.
Thank you, Senator Metzger, for all you have done.
Glenn McNitt
New Paltz
Reject total evil
This is one election where it’s not “the lesser of two evils.” It’s the duty to reject total evil.
Sparrow
Phoenicia
Freedom Fighter Party?
In 1963, I was president of the youth division of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), a national civil rights organization ‘fighting’ against racial discrimination and ‘fighting’ for civil rights for people of color. I led many picket lines and protests while ‘fighting’ to get the Civil Rights Act passed. I saw activists getting beaten will billy-clubs and being dragged by their hair down staircases by police. People put their lives on the line fighting for freedom.
In 2020, during a global pandemic that has already taken the lives of 218,000 Americans, we have a local group calling themselves the Freedom Fighter Party that is protesting the prudent public health advice by infectious disease experts to wear masks to contain the spread of Covid-19. This “party” has had large gatherings without wearing masks. They’ve attended weddings beyond the prescribed number of attendees without masks. They even have a tent on the green in Woodstock whereby they try to convince others to stop wearing masks.
Every nation around the globe that mandated masks as a cautionary measure has contained the coronavirus. The USA has the most cases of infection and the most deaths from Covid-19. The proof is in the pudding. It’s time to err on the side of caution and use some common sense
Wearing a mask in public is a simple act of respect and courtesy toward others. It really isn’t a hardship. And, Mr. Barton — smoke another carton. You obviously don’t care about your own health, but most of us do care about our health.
The Freedom Fighters already have freedom. They already exhibit the freedom to be self-centered, disrespectful, immature and stupid. Stop being potential superspreaders. Think of others for a change — it might just help you feel better.
Donny Kass
Boiceville
Hinchey has my vote
As a recent resident of the area, I’ve paid special attention to local issues and found the September 13th debate for the 46th District state senate seat enlightening. Michelle Hinchey impressed me with her thoughtful and well-informed responses. I think she will bring much needed new ideas to the district as well as the energy and know-how to implement them: specifically, job growth and a more competitive job market; expansion of broadband throughout the district to close the digital divide; and support of area farmers who are crucial to the Hudson Valley economy and the pleasure of living in this district. Hinchey has my vote.
Lyn C. DelliQuadri
Kingston
That’s crazy!
How apropos, my early voting site Is Creedmoor Hospital.
Neil Jarmel
West Hurley
Working Families Party
As a progressive, I will be voting for Joe Biden, but when I do, I will cast my vote on the Working Families Party line. My vote counts for Biden the same as it would on the Democratic line, but it also sends an important message. Biden is an enormous step in the right direction relative to the current president, but we should encourage Biden and other Democratic candidates to be bold.
The Working Families Party supports policies similar to those of progressives like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. We want universal healthcare, strong environmental protection, good jobs, racial justice and well-funded schools. Moderates like Biden need to know that if they have the courage to support more progressive policies, we are there to support them. Your vote for Biden and other Democratic candidates on the Working Families Party line sends that message.
Brian Obach
New Paltz
Great Give Back at library
The Great Give Back is an opportunity for the patrons of New York State libraries to participate projects that support their communities. This year, the focus of the give back was the Saugerties Animal Shelter, and our community gave back big! Patrons donated 109.5 pounds of dry cat food, 76 cans of wet food, 28.6 pounds of cat litter, 68 blankets, 30 towels, 101 ounces of dog treats and 50 dog training pads … and much more!
Thank you to all who brought your donations to the library, and let’s look forward to another Great Give Back next year!
Jennifer D Russell
Saugerties Library
Saugerties
Cancer fund thanks you
On behalf of my family, I would like to thank our community for its continued support of the Benedictine Health Foundation’s Rosemary D. Gruner Cancer Fund. The fund was established in 2004 and directly assists people in Ulster County to aid in the treatment, care and support of cancer patients in financial need. Each year we strive to raise more money to continue our work of providing financial support to our neighbors diagnosed with cancer. Our largest fundraiser, the Bike for Cancer Care and 5K Run/Walk is a virtual event this year.
I want to personally thank all of the individuals, families and businesses that have already contributed to our fundraising efforts which have helped us raise more than $87,000 towards our goal of $100,000. This year our campaign ends on October 31 and if you would like to still make a donation or learn more about the fund, please visit www.bikeforcancer.org.
My family, the Benedictine Health Foundation board members and the cancer patients who are assisted, truly appreciate our community’s generous support. Thank you!
Albert J. Gruner Jr.
Hurley
Our flag stands for freedom
I grew up in Brooklyn, watching baseball games on TV with my father. My father was a big strong guy who hardly ever showed emotion. But when the camera focused on our flag, whenever they were singing the national anthem, tears would always roll down my father’s face. He loved being an American citizen and he loved our flag and what it stood for. To my father it stood for freedom, opportunity and justice.
My father was a working-class man who always voted Democrat at election time. Except for one year in 1972, when, for some strange reason, he decided to vote for Nixon. A couple of years later, after Watergate and Nixon’s resignation, he was angry and embarrassed about his one-time vote for a Republican. He felt tricked so badly by Nixon. “Tricky Dick” was the expression at the time.
Well, I have to believe that, in 2016, many people were fooled by Trump when he was voted in as president. I’m sure many of those people must feel similar to what my father went through back in 1974, when Nixon’s digressions were so exposed. However, back then, the sitting Republicans insisted that Nixon resign. Now, the Republicans appear to be much too weak to take the same position with Trump.
Still, at this moment I am angry and feel deeply disappointed in the slow degradation of our politicians, their shameful and obvious manipulations and the damage they have done to our country and its standing in the world. I so look forward to, once again, feeling pride when I think of our flag.
We can fix the broken system, but it will take a lot of work. Our children and grandchildren deserve to grow up in a United States that they can feel safe in and optimistic. “One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all” still rings in my heart when I think of our flag. Although I’m not a child anymore and may never have that trusting innocence, I strongly believe that it’s completely possible for us to feel proud again, in our country and in our flag!
Marty Klein
Woodstock
A viable future
“If you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black,” said Joe Biden, in May 2020. During the same interview with “The Breakfast Club”, Joe Biden also reiterated his full support and defense of the 1994 crime bill, which he designed, and which destroyed black communities and black families and stifled the wealth of African Americans for generations. I am a 66-year-old African American woman. and for me Joe Biden is not “Uncle Joe,” and his racist comments are not gaffes.
I will not allow Joe Biden or the Democratic Party establishment to use me for their political agendas. I will reject corporate media propaganda and use my god-given brain to make life decisions. I will only support political candidates who have earned my vote.
Joe has not. How dare Joe Biden question my blackness or the blackness of millions of Americans who reject his sense of entitlement to our votes!
What are Joe Biden’s policies? During the town hall last week, it seemed that many questions posed to Biden couldn’t be answered. I kept hearing, “it depends” on this or that. Most disturbing to me was that when asked about mandating a vaccine, he could not answer definitively. He always speaks of following the science. Which science? Are we to blindly trust pharmaceutical companies without question? I think not.
And how many of these pharmaceutical companies are helping to fund Joe Biden’s campaign? (We should look at the corporate donors behind every political campaign.) Should black people in particular trust men and women in white coats because they say they are here to help? Nazi Germany had great scientists. Science can be used for good as well as evil.
Joe Biden has spoken of mask mandates. Masks are an important recommendation for wearing indoors, where the virus is easily transmitted. However, there is no science to support the wearing of masks when one is outdoors and one can socially distance. I don’t want drones or cameras surveilling me when I exercise on my rural road.
Joe Biden had a dying campaign during the first four Democratic primaries. Kamala Harris was so unpopular that she ended her presidential run before a vote was cast. Then came the interference from Democratic party elites. If they want to remove Donald Trump so badly, it is now their responsibility to do so, not mine. No longer do we hear much about Medicare for all, free public college, forgiveness of student debt, etc., except from the Green Party of the United States.
I will cast my vote for Howie Hawkins for president and Angela Walker for vice president — candidates who wish to provide a viable future for our young people. I will vote for Steven Greenfield, Green Party candidate for Congress because Antonio Delgado has voted on the wrong side of most issues, in my opinion. Antonio Delgado does not deserve my vote simply because he is a member of the Democratic Party.
Lisa Jobson
Woodstock
Vote yes on Local Law #1 if you love New Paltz
I run two businesses in the Village of New Paltz and I am grateful for tourists, of course, but we are drowning in a sea of outside visitors this season, and we all know that home prices are skyrocketing and vacancy rates are plummeting. We have to balance growth with staying true to our ideals of open space and conservation and voting yes on Local Law #1 will help. In order to grow responsibly, we have to be mindful of the impact an influx of new homebuyers in our town will have on what people have stated time and time again they love about this town: open space, conservation and development balanced by environmental concerns. Don’t be persuaded by huge ad buys from the realty lobby, do what’s best for your town. Protecting the magic of our town is hard, endless work. Voting yes on Local Law #1, which will establish a 1.5% real estate transfer tax (with exemption for median home value), is the bare minimum. If you want to get more involved, call the village and town and inquire about volunteer opportunities on the various commissions and boards around town where the real work happens. What do you love about this town?
Lagusta Yearwood
New Paltz
Postal service will deliver
With a record number of people voting by mail, the 5400 employees of the Westchester District are actively working together with our postal colleagues throughout New York State and across the country to ensure the secure, timely delivery of our nation’s election mail. This is our number-one priority and we are working closely with state, county and local election officials to meet this goal.
We take our longstanding role in the electoral process very seriously and are confident in our capability and capacity to deliver in this election season. In October and November, the Postal Service has allocated additional resources including expanded processing procedures, extra transportation, extra delivery and collection trips and overtime to ensure election mail reaches its intended destination in a timely manner. Consistent with practices used in past elections, extraordinary measures will be used to accelerate the delivery of ballots including expedited handling, extra deliveries and special pickups.
We recommend planning ahead and acting early when choosing to vote through the U.S. Mail. Our post offices and retail locations are open, our mail carriers are at the ready and our collection boxes will be monitored and cleared regularly.
As we continue receiving ballots cast by mail, voters in New York can be assured that the women and men of the U.S. Postal Service are united and fully focused on our public service mission of secure and timely mail delivery.
Elvin Mercado
District Manager
U.S. Postal Service,
Westchester District
Trump versus hidin’ Biden
I would like to talk about the evils of Marxist organizations and ideology, but this close to the election, I’d like to summarize what we’ll get depending on the winner on November 3. This won’t impact election results in New York, but still should be stated.
If our executive branch and both houses of Congress go blue, they will institute their platform’s key points. This will include open borders, citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants, weakening armed forces, and reinstate the Iran deal enabling their construction of a nuclear bomb.
We’ll re-enter the Paris Accord and cripple our economy to reduce carbon emission that models predict will slow global warming by a couple tenths of a degree in 80 years. I have read the Paris Accord, and it is basically a scheme to move wealth from one set of countries to another.
The department of education will re-issue Obama’s “Dear Colleague” letter threatening to withhold federal funds to our public schools if they don’t let the boys into the girls’ locker rooms. Women athletes will have to compete with biological males.
They will rewrite history and promote the historically incorrect Project 1619, teaching that America was founded on slavery. Slavery was a sin brought over by our founders, but it is not an American sin, it is a human sin. They will kowtow to bigoted critical race theory.
We’ll see state-run healthcare (can you say rationing?) and erosion of First and Second Amendment rights. The Christian baker will have to bake the cake. Robert Francis O’Rourke will be the gun czar. If you’re a gun owner, how could you vote for anyone in this party?
Biden will raise taxes and scare away investment. All the gains against China will be lost. Our economy will be in the doldrums at best as it was during the Obama years. Our policies for Israel will shift back to a hostile stance. Isis will re-emerge as it did during the Obama years. His administration will be steered by radical leftists: Warren, Sanders, AOC, Tlaib, Omar and Pressley. And the mainstream media will be their lapdogs.
If President Trump gets reelected, he’ll continue with his pressure on the bad actors in our world — China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Venezuela and Cuba. We’ll continue to recover from the economic damage of Covid, gift of the Chinese Communist Party.
For our black community, before Covid, unemployment was at all-time lows. Income and income growth were at all-time highs. Trump secured additional permanent funding for historically black colleges, pardoned people with life prison sentences for non-violent drug charges, signed the First Step Act, and created tax breaks for Opportunity Zones in our cities. The latest is the Platinum Plan for black Americans. And now 50 Cent endorses him. That should be enough. #Blexit. #Walkaway.
He recklessly brokered peace agreements with U.A.E and Bahrain with Israel and pulled us out of the job killing Trans Pacific Partnership. The list goes on.
Probably the best reason Trump should be re-elected is it will give the Democrats four more years to try to impeach him.
Tom McGee
Gardiner
A vote for Metzger
The debate between Jen Metzger and Mike Martucci was civil but revealing. Martucci criticized Democratic positions and blamed Metzger for being part of them. He criticized Metzger’s farm bill, not by discussing any faults, but by citing a few dissatisfied people, implying that no one likes the bill. Martucci was short on substance throughout the debate. In contrast, Metzger mentioned some of her large number of bills, many of which had bipartisan support.
As a freshman state senator, she established herself as hard-working, responsive to the needs of all her constituents. She has a fine grasp of problems and solutions. She is also someone to go to with a problem because she listens, remembers, and tries to find solutions.
Martucci is a party man and well funded. His campaign is very well advertised and his signs are everywhere. You would wonder why anyone, would want to replace Senator Jen Metzger. A vote for Metzger is a very good vote.
Hal Chorny
Gardiner
A brief hiatus
We’re both strong supporters of the two-party system, but are struggling with the notion of one of those parties is denying science. It’s one thing to have a president who denies climate change in order to support himself and the economy, but the fact that almost no Republican senators are willing to call him out, is reminiscent of the fable: The Emperor’s New Clothes. It seems that nothing comparable to this has happened since politicians argued as to whether the earth was round or flat.
Maybe it’s time for all Republicans in Congress to take a brief hiatus in order to rethink whether or not to support a mentally-challenged leader, or the people they were elected to represent and protect. If the way they handled the pandemic is any indication of how badly they will handle the greatest existential threat we’ve ever faced, climate change, our votes must be crystal clear.
Dan and Ann Guenther
New Paltz
The fact of the matter
Woodstock’s ethics board, in responding to a complaint made about [town supervisor Bill] McKenna not following established protocol, said: “[The] town supervisor does not have the authority to direct the building inspector to take any action.”
Well, do members of ethics board believe that McKenna has no control of our town’s building inspectors. or for that matter some of the other town employees?
Howard Harris
Woodstock
Join me in my plea
Thank you for your prayers this day. Please join me in my plea for our country’s hope in uniting, before, during and after our elections.
My plea for the projected masks that others glued upon our faces to fall off so that we can see each other as human beings, who need love, care and kindness to fulfill our lives.
My plea for the lives being taken and affected by the pandemic, to grieve, so they can move on.
My plea for yourself to hear your own soul, so your destiny can become clearer to you.
My plea for the Earth Tribe community’s roots to grow deeper and stronger from the tests Mother Nature has presented.
My plea for the Blue Marble floating in space to keep broadcasting, All is One.
Go well.
Larry Winters
New Paltz
Vote yes for Woodstock
As a supporter and lover of libraries (and as an attendee of so many Saturday story times upstairs in the current Woodstock Library building), I’m so thrilled that Woodstock could be getting a newer building and facilities that would take us into the next century while still keeping the spirit of the beloved library we have now.
In the future (and the future is now), libraries need to be more than places to go to find books, although they need to be that too — they also need to be community centers, places teens can go, places to get online and communicate and so much more.
I can only hope that the voters of Woodstock vote yes in the upcoming vote for Woodstock and the future.
Neil Gaiman
Woodstock
Setting the record straight
I’m early voting tomorrow, October 24! I’m excited to get that ballot in!
Please don’t forget to turn the ballot over and vote yes on the library bond issue. Don’t believe the fake news of the resistance group that tells you that trees will be cut down and we will lose the commons in front of the library. False!
If you have not yet read the facts, go to https://newlibrarywoodstock.org/general-benefits/
We will keep our beautiful lawn and all our trees, save two (alas, one is diseased). The new building’s footprint will be the same as the old one. We’ll have a covered porch overlooking the lawn and Tinker Street. Our entrance will be fully ADA-compliant, with a proper ramp for mobility-challenged patrons.
It is time for Woodstock to let go of the nostalgia of an old, sick building that is not historic in any way. The future is in a new library where there will be lots of space for meetings, children’s area, etc. to keep up with the current and incoming residents from the city, who bring young children and a desire to put down roots here.
Let’s turn our nostalgia in the years to come to the beautiful new library that will make Woodstock proud!
I’m very disappointed in the front page of the October 21 edition of the Hudson Valley One newspaper that featured a huge photo of the resistance group with the false news that “many trees will die.” That is irresponsible journalism, as usual.
Don’t be fooled, don’t be swayed. Let’s go bravely into the future!
Joan Apter
Woodstock
Vote yes on proposition
Did you know that the National Realtors Association has spent over $135,000 on fancy mailers and Washington consultants to get New Paltz residents to vote against a proposition that would support the conservation of clean water, working farms and natural areas? To put that in perspective, the National Realtors Association has spent nearly as much money as Dave Clegg did for his successful district-attorney race all of last year. In addition, despite state requirements, they have not disclosed who has funded their massive disinformation campaign.
I do not think that lobbyists who use stock images of our community and scare tactics should tell us how we should run our town. I will be flipping my ballot over and voting yes, and I encourage you all to do the same.
Daniel Torres
New Paltz
An eye towards the future
Dedicated but cash-strapped Woodstock library leaders kept up with the community’s space demands by renovating and adding on six times over 50 years. It’s no longer sustainable — physically and financially — to continue rehabilitating a substandard structure that is not built to current codes.
After years of careful research, study and public input, the smartest choice forward is to build new. It’s a sustainable, tight, energy-efficient building of the future, not reliant on the use of fossil fuels. A thoughtfully designed building — with natural light and clear sight lines — will be ADA compliant with space for expanded programs and services.
Architect Steven Tilly has designed it with an eye towards the future, not the past. It will be carefully placed on the current footprint and will honor its relationship with the lawn. The firm’s “environmental ethic compels the integration of buildings and landscapes.”
Only two trees are slated for removal. We hope to reuse them for furniture. Fixing the drainage issues will actually help the surviving trees thrive. The lawn will not “be leveled.” No crew or equipment will ever be allowed on the lawn during any phase of construction.
In fact, Jean Claude Alten — construction manager for the Woodstock Library — has committed to protecting trees and the lawn as “job one,” even if that means using smaller equipment to complete the work. Any assertions made by the opposition disputing this are plain old fear-mongering. Don’t fall for it.
We have an opportunity here, finally after all of just patching things up, to create a library that serves the needs of all its patrons while honoring and celebrating the environment that surrounds it.
Be part of it. Vote yes on the back of your ballot.
Michael Hunt
Woodstock
Don’t be misled, New Paltz
Many thanks to all the New Paltz residents that have written eloquent letters to this paper expressing support for Local Law No. 1, which will be on our ballots when we vote. Local Law 1 will help New Paltz protect its water quality, working farms and priceless natural areas.
Why are our mailboxes flooded with “Vote No” flyers from “a group called “Keep New Paltz Affordable” with an Albany address? These mailers are intentionally misleading and inaccurate, and it is important that New Paltz voters know that this information is coming directly from the New York State Association of Realtors.
We have just learned that they have spent more than $140,000 on this disinformation campaign! This special interest lobbying group in Albany is not interested whether our community has clean water, or whether we can help protect our working farms, or our beautiful natural areas. They simply don’t care about the fact that Local Law 1 will work for the benefit of our whole community, including its real-estate market.
As a community, we have invested for decades in protecting our open spaces, trails and water resources and it is precisely the reason our real estate market is booming, and new people want to relocate here. Local Law 1 will make it possible for New Paltz to continue to protect the very things that attract people to live here and will do it without raising property taxes for residents. This law creates a modest 1.5 percent local real-estate tax, paid by the buyer at closing. A $245,000 exemption that applies to all buyers especially benefits first time homebuyers or others at the lower end of the market. This is a smart, homegrown strategy to protect what makes New Paltz so special and will have new residents investing in their new community.
The New York State Association of Realtors are protecting outdated ideas about the real-estate market to the detriment of our community. Don’t let them interfere in our community — Vote Yes for Local Law No. 1.
Want the details? Visit https://www.townofnewpaltz.org/community-preservation-fund-for-clean-water-working-farms-and-natural-areas
Cara Lee
John Orfitelli
New Paltz
Think local, vote local
Over the last few weeks, New Paltz residents have seen multiple mailings from two groups on opposite sides of the Local Law 1 referendum, which is to be decided by voters on November 3.
Of these, the New Paltz Campaign for Clean Water, Working Farms and Natural Areas has an address on Huguenot Street and is led by committed, longtime New Paltz community leaders. It transparently presents the case for this initiative on its website (VoteYesNewPaltz.com) and its Facebook page, and it accurately describes how it will be paid for through a modest real estate transfer tax — not a property tax — to buyers of homes costing over $245,000.
The other group styles itself “Keep New Paltz Affordable,” but its Albany address is that of the New York Association of Realtors; it has no website, its leadership. Funding sources are obscure, and its relationship to the local community appears tenuous at best.
The differences between these two groups should be clear: one is home-grown and is supported by local leaders with a deep commitment to bettering our community, while the other is a shadowy organization apparently fueled by lobby money. Its goal seems to be fighting this local initiative at any cost, even if that means dealing in scare tactics, telling half-truths and peddling misinformation.
We urge voters to inform themselves about the true costs and benefits of the proposed Local Law 1 by visiting VoteYesNewPaltz.com or emailing NewPaltzCPP@gmail.com for more information. We believe the best way forward for New Paltz is clear and that the local group sending you mailers has this issue right: vote yes to Local Law 1 on November 3.
Stephen Cook,
Patricia Kobelt,
Valerie McAllister,
Kamilla Nagy,
Thomas Olsen,
Chris Owens,
Susan Wynn
New Paltz
Vote for Woodstock’s future
I believe in Woodstock as the Colony of the Arts. Creativity thrives here and our economy is resilient because of it. We need a library that ensures a future for our town’s unique creative legacy.
A beautiful, full-service library building is ready to go. What will it cost us? 86 percent of taxpayers will pay less than $10 a month. (61 percent of us will pay under $7 a month.) That’s a bargain for a building that will serve our town for 75 years or more. It’s certainly not the dire “tax hike” opponents tried to scare us with.
Opponents distract voters with a low-ball design as if it would be built tomorrow if you vote no. It won’t. If you vote no, we start over from square one. That means years more of political wrangling while an unhealthy library sits there. And then what? Years later, another bond vote for four or five or six million dollars at higher rates! We can have a great library by 2023. Let’s do this now while rates are low.
Anyone who drives by the library and thinks it’s “right-size and quaint” needs to know: that ramshackle building is not right-size or quaint for anyone inside it. It’s cramped, dark, moldy and energy-inefficient. Renovating any part of it is a waste of tax dollars. No materials will be salvageable. Let’s put our tax dollars into a new building designed from inception to be a full-service library.
If we vote yes and the bond passes, Woodstock will have a new library by 2023. It will be clean, green, spacious, full of natural light and built solidly enough to serve us for decades. I ask fellow voters to end the wrangling and vote yes for the bond on the back of your ballot!
Tim Moore
Woodstock
Support future renovation
I urge Woodstock taxpayers to vote no and not support the building proposal put forth by the Woodstock Library trustees that will demolish the Woodstock Library building and cost taxpayers over $7 million.
Instead, support a future renovation and addition. Woodstock cannot fail to create a functional, safe and modern library facility.
A renovation of the front half of our library with a new two-story addition has many benefits. A design such as this will: Cost the taxpayers less with a more sustainable design. Preserve the scale of the library site and the trees as deep excavation of new construction damages tree roots. Maintain the architectural character of Woodstock and the neighborhood in which the library sits. Save an iconic town landmark deeply embedded in Woodstock’s history and cultural identity Create safer traffic conditions and more adequate parking on Library Lane.
Why build such a big library if it’s inconvenient and unsafe to get to? Be ecological in design and materials. Offer a more cost-effective and efficient transition period during the process of moving from the present library to future library. Provide the opportunity for a community compromise between “renovation” and “new construction” with open interior spans and meeting rooms in the new addition and traditional library character in the renovation.
Vote no on the bond on the back of your November ballot. Support a future renovation and addition for the best future library for our town.
Patricia Jackson
Woodstock
Local law has three goals
As members of the New Paltz Climate Smart Communities Task Force, we wholeheartedly support the adoption of Local law #1 to create a Community Preservation Fund. In 2011, New Paltz passed a resolution pledging to be a Climate Smart Community, a state program with three goals: to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, prepare for climate change and save taxpayers money. Local Law #1 can help accomplish all three of these goals.
The purpose of this legislation is to establish a non-transferable fund for the express purpose of purchasing conservation easements only from willing landowners of properties that meet identified criteria. This fund will allow our community the opportunity to preserve precious open spaces, farmlands, woods and watersheds without raising any taxes on currently owned property.
These resources significantly contribute to the enjoyment and quality of life here in New Paltz, all of which are part of what makes this such a desirable place to live. But even more importantly as a Climate Smart Community, these resources are critical to our goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving and maintaining climate change resiliency without any additional burden on taxpayers.
We urge all residents of New Paltz to vote yes for Local Law #1.
Janelle Peotter
Amanda Gotto
New Paltz
Biden and China
In 2019, when President Trump imposed tariffs on goods from China. Joe Biden complained that it was going to raise prices on goods to Americans and cause a recession. Then on January 31, 2020, President Trump banned travel from China due to Covid-19. Joe Biden called him a racist.
Looking at recent revelations of the Biden’s dealing with China, we can see why Joe Biden got so upset.
John Habersberger
New Paltz
Inconvenient way to vote
In a presidential election — the most consequential in my lifetime — there are only five early polling sites in Ulster County. Saugerties is not among them, even though it was an early voting site during the primary. How is it that my representative in NY State Assembly District 102 remains silent when the only town he represents in Ulster County (and one of the most populous towns in his district to boot) doesn’t have a convenient way to vote?
After my anticipated long wait in Woodstock, I’m voting for Betsy Kraat for NY State Assembly. She’ll fight for Saugerties, I’m certain.
Ruth Levine
Saugerties
Thank you to the volunteers for the voter drive thru in New Paltz
Thank you to Mr. Chuck Bordino, the director of the recreation department in the Town of New Paltz, who was kind enough to allow us the use of the New Paltz Community Center’s parking lot for this public service.
Thank you to all the volunteers from Ulster Activists (U-Act), Resisterhood and others who gave their time to provide this public service to our community, to Hudson Valley One for announcing this event for the past six weeks and March On for funding this endeavor.
Elizabeth Lee
New Paltz
Can we wait for an expanded library?
During a family discussion about elections with our school-age daughters, my husband pointed out that while a president is an important and exciting vote, it is really in politics at the local level that our lives are more directly affected. It is just as important to know who is running your school, town, county and state and understand what local issues are at stake. This led us to the library bond discussion.
The library bond is a chance to see your vote count in real-time and for decades to come. In our small town, it has the power to change taxes, the streetscape but more importantly, people’s lives. It is democracy in action.
In 2015, a plan by the library trustees for renovation and addition to the library building was successfully campaigned against. Taking a step back, the library board and staff spent the next three years performing studies, holding open forums, putting together task forces and collecting community and professional input into how best to serve Woodstock. They have worked endlessly to understand our community needs, now and into the future.
Years of input and data crunching led to a vote to build new. Woodstock is now two years invested in this process — a process that includes a formal architect search and request for proposal, a community attended design presentation and a building design chosen by a community vote. The new building has been approved by local building boards and by NY State’s strict environmental assessment. It has a transparent and thorough budget. It’s architect and contracting team have received multiple accommodations in sustainability and heritage. Many members of our community have invested in the new building through personal donation.
There is no Plan B. No other design can just be slipped willy nilly into half a decade of work and community outreach. It has been five years since the renovation and addition plan was defeated. Why would anyone assume that a new renovation and addition plan would be any different? Even if in yet another five or ten years a new plan gets the steam behind it we have now, the town will still have to bond to accomplish it.
This bond vote is your chance to expand our library environment. For you, for your neighbors, for the community and future generations. We can vote to invest in our community now or we can wait for possibly never.
Erin Cadigan
Woodstock
Library vote November 3
A front-page photo with caption appears in Hudson Valley One and shows one side of an issue: the no side who believe that the new project will destroy trees.
No attempt was made by the newspaper to find out what the yes side thinks. In fact, the yes side disagrees and can point to documentation.
Simple journalistic integrity assumes that opposing sides be heard on important issues. This newspaper lacked that integrity at this crucial moment.
I write this letter before the vote, not knowing which side will win but hoping that balanced journalism will reappear in this vital news source.
Irwin Rosenthal
Woodstock
Deceptive tree photo headline
It’s pretty outrageous that you killed a story on the tree controversy where both viewpoints would have been publicly aired and then ran with a blatant lie about trees being destroyed with new construction. You pulled a “Comey” eleven days before the election.
Only one, possibly two trees are slated for removal. They hope to reuse them for furniture. Fixing the drainage issues will actually help the surviving trees thrive. The lawn will not “be leveled.” No crew or equipment will ever be allowed on the lawn during any phase of construction
In fact, Jean Claude Alten — construction manager for the Woodstock Library — has committed to protecting trees and the lawn as “job one,” even if that means using smaller equipment to complete the work. Any assertions made by the opposition disputing this are plain old fear mongering. And you put it in page one.
Michael Hunt
Woodstock
Vote yes on Local Law # 1
New Paltz residents benefit every day from the vision and hard work of conservation-minded citizens past and present who have protected open-space, working farms and natural areas. The recently opened River-to-Ridge trail and associated open-space, habitat protection and scenic views is just one example. However, it is easy to forget that the attractive landscape surrounding New Paltz is largely the result of choices by people through community effort.
Over the next few decades, expect to see many places in our region fill in with housing developments, increased traffic, lower air and water quality and loss of habitat for native species. Areas that avoid such a trajectory will be the ones that are dedicated to protecting what they have.
The currently proposed Local Law No. 1 looks like another home run for conservation in New Paltz. It comes at a critical time when access to the outdoors is attracting many new buyers to our area. It will raise funds for land conservation without raising property taxes, while protecting affordable housing for first-time and low-income buyers. This is our chance to continue the legacy of visionary land protection in New Paltz. Turn over your ballots and vote “yes” on Local Law #1.
Eric Keeling
Professor of Biology
SUNY New Paltz
No to new library
Stop waste and recycle with care and repairs, not destruction.
B. Kaminski
Woodstock
Voting lines
I have had the privilege of helping those who wish to do early voting in Ellenville and Woodstock this week and am so inspired by what I saw. To see so many people standing in long lines even in cold rain to vote touched me deep inside.
All kinds of my fellow citizens — every age [yes even the kids were learning about voting], size, color and whatever. It was especially great to see so many young adults getting their ‘voter’ on. So many couples of all ages.
And everyone seemed to be having a good time. Even with the long lines they kept coming and coming, even knowing it would be a long time in line.
I feel so much better after this ‘job’.
Jac Conaway
Olivebridge
Join the family! 
