Woodstock Halloween that wasn’t
Pumpkins are almost ready to ripen, and it’s nearly time for those sewing machines to be used to create fabulous costumes for our traditional Woodstock Halloween on the village green.
It wasn’t long ago when the witches, warlocks, ghosts and goblins and all the things that go bump in the night gathered around a campfire to dream up an extraordinary Halloween, something strange happened. Suddenly the flames of the campfire grew higher and higher. Gleaming white stars seemed to fall out of the murky sky and ghostly clouds tumbled over each other. Rumblings and shrieks surrounded the group. What were those things flitting in the sky? Were they bats? Gremlins? Spooky-spooks?
No. They were tiny little Covid-19 germs! What could they want? They wanted to find people and make them sick. They’re quick and sneaky and we want to keep away from them. Since we love our kids, we’ll fight hard to make sure not one germ gets to them.
The sad story is that those germs are still around. We must take care of ourselves. Wear masks. Wash our hands. Stay distanced. And in large groups, close together, there’s more of a chance that those germs will find us. That’s why it won’t be safe to have our traditional Woodstock Halloween on the village green this year.
This year we’re doing things differently: I am declaring every costume a winner! The merchants will not be handing out trick or treat candy. Stay safe, and if you choose, grown-ups in the family, buy candy for your kids. There will not be a costume parade, so kids shouldn’t come to town dressed in Halloween costumes. Instead, the festivities will take place by seeing each other’s pictures online.
Everyone is invited to go to the Facebook page Woodstock Halloween That Wasn’t and post pictures of their Halloween costumes for all to see. Although we won’t be in person, we can still shows off our costumes and comment on Facebook. We will all be applauding.
Looking forward to seeing you all next year at Woodstock Halloween on the village green 2021.
Raggedy Anne, a,k,a, Renée Englander
Woodstock
Community at its best
On behalf of Mohonk Preserve, I want to express our deep gratitude to all the local, county and state agencies that took part in fighting the recent fire on Mohonk Preserve land. The quick and tireless work of many, in a location very difficult to access, was essential to ensure the fire was quickly contained and ultimately extinguished.
We specifically want to thank the leadership of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the New Paltz Fire Department and Ulster County Emergency Services, along with the 21 other local, county and state agencies that responded and took part in putting this fire out. Over 30 firefighters, including Mohonk Preserve rangers and many volunteers, were on the ground over the six-day operation. A special thanks also goes out to Tops Supermarket for donating food to firefighters during the operation. This effort epitomizes community at its best, one we are thankful and honored to be a part of.
Kevin Case
President & CEO, Mohonk Preserve
Gardiner
Face masks are effective
This is in response to Ms. Emileine Mahoney’s letter to the editor claiming that face masks are ineffective in dealing with Covid. She cited as scientific evidence CDC information that showed insufficient evidence regarding the efficiency of such masks in dealing with the influenza virus. Unfortunately, Ms. Mahoney, who did not cite the actual study or its date, nevertheless felt that this snippet justified not wearing masks during the current pandemic. This is simply not correct, and is a clear case of what is known in statistics and science as a hasty generalization.
Ms. Mahoney’s assertion would have been correct if the study were representative of a sample of all viruses, randomly selected. In fact, the reference cited did not include information regarding the Covid virus, at all. This is where her argument falls apart since the Covid virus is significantly different. As reported on the CDC website, “Covid 19 is more contagious among certain populations and age groups than flu. Also, Covid 19 has been observed to have more superspreading events than flu. This means the virus that causes Covid-19 can quickly and easily spread to a lot of people and result in continuous spreading among people as time progresses.”
Additionally, the physical size of the Covid virus is not like an influenza virus. An influenza virus can range in width from 80 to 120 nanometers, while according to Dr. Poland of the Mayo Clinic, the Covid virus starts at 120 nanometers. Thus, the N95 mask, which screens out at 100 nanometers, may have difficulty screening out the smallest influenza particles, but is 95% effective dealing with Covid.
It also bears pointing out that the virus is communicated via aerosol and water droplets, the latter of which can swell up to some 300 nanometers. Tests have shown at this range surgical masks commonly worn are considerably effective in capturing the virus. According to Dr. Price of Sanford University (published in June 2020), “Most of these particles leave the mouth and nose in much larger droplets that become smaller through evaporation as they move away from the body. Trapping droplets with the mask means not nearly as many viral particles escape. So, when all parties in a gathering are wearing well-constructed, well-fitting masks, it provides an extra layer of safety for everyone. If two people are wearing masks, the viral particles can travel about five feet away from each individual. When an infected person is not wearing a mask, those particles can float through the air 30 feet or more and stay alive for up to 30 hours.”
A more recent study documented in the Physics of Fluids, showed — using lasers — that the large droplet jet emanating from an uncovered person traveled at least eight feet, while with a commercial mask the distance was only eight inches. This means that if I am in a store that is enforcing masks and with every breath, I move my head approximately 45 degrees, I create a zone of possible contamination of approximately two square feet, while Ms. Mahoney creates a zone of 25.12 sq. ft. Who would you like to shop next to?
At this time, the CDC, Mayo Clinic, JAMA, John Hopkins and many others are all advocating the use of masks, especially cloth masks, based on the statistical information gathered from reporting sources. I believe this guidance, and not that from Ms. Mahoney, should be followed.
Stephen Weir
Gardiner
Lew
Many years ago, ROMEO (Really Old Men Eating Out) was started and we began meeting at Maria’s Bazar every Thursday morning at 9 a.m. for breakfast. Marwan, the owner of Maria’s has always been gracious and allowed us to sit and talk for a few hours each week and Sal, the best chef, has always prepared the absolute perfect breakfasts in Woodstock for all of us.
Over the years we grew from two to about ten members and with all of us seasoned with our own thoughts and beliefs, the conversations traveled all over the place. A few years ago, in 2018, we lost our first member, Jay Wenk, who was politically as far to the left as I am to the right. Despite our differences, Jay and I became good friends and I do not know what he learned from me, but I certainly learned a lot from him. Jay had a great sense of humor and was a good man who was an activist and a person of strong principles.
This year, in early August, we lost our second member, Lew Gardner. Each member of ROMEO brings something different to the table. Lew’s life included being a high school English teacher and was a published poet and a playwright, as well as an actor who appeared in theater, television, and film productions. In Woodstock, Lew taught a writing class and volunteered at the Woodstock Library Fair.
It takes a long time to gain a friendship, but unfortunately death will take that friend away in a minute. Lew was special and always peacefully conveyed his thoughts and memories as he spoke that they were received as stories with a message.
Lew’s character acting made him a man of many faces. Whether you go to Google or Facebook, there is a treasure of so many photos of Lew with each showing a different character type.
Lew made a difference in so many lives. Our condolences to his wife for over 50 years, Sandy, and Lew’s family. In Lew’s last days, Lew composed this message: “To all who have been a part of my life, thank you. We knew there were limits to our memories. There should be fewer limits.”
Rest in peace, our good friend. We will always save a seat at the table for you.
Jim Dougherty
Shady
Proposed spot rezoning
The Laws & Rules Committee of the Kingston Common Council recently decided to postpone voting on the proposed spot re-zoning of the mostly wooded lot at 2-16 Montrepose Street from RRR (single residential) to RT (three-family residential with access to special permits to build higher density). The proposal had been backed by the city planning board, but the committee chose to delay to evaluate information raised during public comment.
We thank the committee for taking time to evaluate public concerns, as several important issues were raised during public comment and in a formal protest petition filed by several adjoining landowners.
First, there is a major flaw in the overall review process that cannot be ignored. There has been an attempt to segment the State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) process by evaluating the rezoning independently from the 14-unit apartment complex described in the Short Environmental Assessment Form (SEAF) attached to the zoning change request. A formal site plan was not included and the planning board indicated that a separate environmental review would be done after a site plan submission is made. Segmentation is contrary to the intent of SEQR, which requires that actions be evaluated as a whole to consider environmental impacts early in the planning stages. The holistic and early approach prescribed by SEQR allows for plans to be modified to avoid adverse environmental impacts.
It is not clear what level of detail was employed by the planning board when reviewing the rezoning application and attached SEAF. It is clear; however, that the applicant included some erroneous information within the SEAF. The lot contains a stream and is located within a New York State-mapped habitat for threatened or endangered species, but this information was not included in the required fields on the SEAF.
The proposed project claims to be consistent with Kingston’s comprehensive plan, but the residential lot in question is well outside the neighborhoods the plan targets for increasing density. Furthermore, the lot appears to be partially located on land noted as “physically constrained” by the comprehensive plan, for which it states the city should consider restricting development “and limit use to agriculture, open space, recreation and rural-density residential.” The SEAF also glossed over issues related to traffic at an already precarious intersection and neighborhood character.
Delaying their vote indicates an interest on the committee’s part to adhere to the state’s required review process. We sincerely hope that this nod of acknowledgement to appropriate review leads the committee to do the right thing and reject the rezoning application for its contradictions with the city’s own comprehensive plan and erroneous information provided by the applicant.
We would like to see this lot redeveloped and utilized in a manner fitting its specific environment. Although we recognize the City of Kingston’s need for more housing, subverting the New York State prescribed environmental review process is an unacceptable means to foster development.
Jennifer Armstrong
Hill Residents for Responsible Development
Kingston
School district inaction
The Y Academy program (https://ymcaulster.org/y-academy/) is a cynical failure of the Kingston school district to address the challenges of the pandemic. The proposal by superintendent Dr. [Paul] Padalino to return K-6 students to school buildings for socially-distanced education was met with well-founded health concerns by the teachers. No wonder. I’ve seen schools reopen in other parts of the country have to quickly shut down after Covid spikes.
Further, the Kingston plan was poorly communicated and not well-designed. A critical failure was that the plan did not include input from the teachers themselves, even though the superintendent claimed to defer specifics to the principals, who claimed to defer decisions to the teachers. The teachers I was in touch with had no sense of urgency in the matter.
When parents reached out to superintendent Padalino in the week before the plan was due at the state level, we found that he was away on vacation. Helpful suggestions and creative solutions like outdoor education (where air exchange is the best) were dismissed.
Was Dr. Padalino’s plan designed to fail? It certainly did not meet with any confidence from the parents that I know. And now, those with means are organizing pods and other ad-hoc solutions to salvage their children’s education this year. Those who don’t have the means are left in limbo, at the whim of circumstance.
Currently, I understand that teachers are required to teach their remote classes from their regular classrooms in the school buildings, putting them in the dilemma of what to do with their own children who will learn from home. But even that arrangement won’t keep teachers safe. They and their assistants are not required to wear masks in the classrooms, and there are reports that the necessary infrastructure improvements, like HVAC ventilation, haven’t happened.
I am not surprised to learn that about 100 Kingston teachers have requested leaves of absence. I can’t blame them!
And now I hear that Ulster County has partnered up with the YMCA to offer daytime child care in the very same school buildings! So the health threats to teachers will be exchanged with health threats to the YMCA employees. Yes, this is the cynical failure of the reopening plan that was meant to fail.
The fact is that I have offered ideas to the superintendent and school board that I think are viable and could be modified to actually work. Besides using the abundant outdoor resources adjacent to schools in Kingston for classrooms under tents, the Kingston schools could work with community partners around the city to replicate the idea of small educational pods for all students. Get the children into safe spaces, and develop creative structures that would allow Kingston teachers (in their classrooms or from their homes) to guide instruction to small groups of students spread out across Kingston.
All the puzzle pieces have been there all along, waiting to be part of the solution.
Japheth Wood
Kingston
Coping with reality
I think that there are two types of essential workers. One type is medical — the doctors, nurses, EMTs and other medical workers who signed up for exposure to sick people. They certainly didn’t sign up for the first epidemic of a novel virus in 100 years, for patients one after another dying on their shifts, of bodies stacked in refrigerated trucks, but they came to work. They are all heroes.
The other type of essential worker is also heroic because those people didn’t sign up for exposure to a deadly virus. Yet they went to work to keep us in food and other essentials (including toilet paper), help the disabled, clean facilities and administer workers. These include janitors, personal-care health workers, truckers and food-store workers.
Teachers are also essential workers. Children need to come to school to free their parents/guardians to go to work. And children need to come to school for their mental health and equal education for all of them. Teachers do need to demand to be as safe as possible, which includes disinfecting infrastructure and proper ventilation. Ventilation is not widely discussed: Open windows, outdoor classes and not recirculating air are all possibilities to make rooms/buildings safer.
The Northeast has very low infection/hospitalization/death numbers. I doubt that there will be a safe and effective vaccine this year and maybe not during the school year, so this is the best possible reality for now. Without either a vaccine or herd immunity (which would break the chain of transmission) from significantly more people recuperating from Covid 19, we will have to go on with our lives, as cautiously as possible but also coping with the present reality.
Andi Weiss Bartczak
Gardiner
Promises made and kept
In one of his frequent feedback anti-Trump letters, West Hurley’s Neil Jarmel, a “non-deplorable” Trump basher extraordinaire, cited the criticisms of Trump by a number of people who worked for (or knew) “The Donald.” One of those critics, a professor at Wharton, stated that Trump was “the dumbest … student” he ever had. With this in view, I thought it appropriate to explain why those of us who are “deplorables” support the POTUS, who is accused by his detractors, of being our “incompetent liar in chief.” Simply stated, Trump is supported because of the promises he made during his campaign that he kept when he became POTUS.
The following are some of those promises, made and kept, by our great POTUS which should be considered by Mr. Jarmel and other TDS sufferers in light of their accusations and detractions.
1) Trump appointed conservative judges … two Supreme Court Justices and nearly 300 federal judges.
2) He moved the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
3) He cut taxes.
4) He reduced regulations.
5) He ended America’s participation in the, non-binding, Paris Climate Accords.
6) He ended the Obama/Biden, non-binding, Iran Nuclear Treaty.
7) He ended the Obamacare mandate.
8) He renegotiated NAFTA.
9) He initiated phase one of a comprehensive new trade policy with China that upheld America’s interests.
10) He convinced NATO member nations to increase their military spending to the tune of 130 (or so) billion dollars per year.
11) He brought back manufacturing jobs from abroad … without a magic wand.
12) He advocated for and protected religious freedom.
13) He was the most pro-life president since Roe v.Wade and was the first president to attend the March for Life and address the Right to Life annual marchers in Washington, DC.
14) He rebuilt the military.
15) He kept us from further foreign wars and initiated steps to withdraw troops from foreign lands.
16) He ended the ISIS caliphate.
17) He built nearly 300 miles of wall (so far) on our southern border despite staunch opposition from Democrats. “The Wall” is being paid for by the savings and economic stimulus caused by the new Trade Deal with Mexico. (Trump indicated during the campaign-when questioned how this payment would occur-that the increased revenue gained from this trade deal would be the most practical way.)
18) He slowed down illegal immigration at the border.
19) Trump proposed and presented a New Israeli/ Palestinian Peace Treaty. The treaty has not been accepted by the Palestinians but it is on the table for their consideration.
20) He helped the African-American community: a) His policies built a US Economy (pre coronavirus) that lowered black unemployment to the lowest it has ever been. b) The prison reforms of the “First Step Act” (as of 9/9/2019) has resulted in the reduction of 1600 sentences and the release of 3000 inmates and has been lauded by Van Jones and other black leaders. c) Trump continued federal financial support, guaranteed for ten years, to historical black colleges and universities freeing them from having to apply each year for this support. d) Trump established opportunity zones in minority high population communities. According to Factcheck.org, at least 47 billion dollars has flowed into these zones from private investors.
21) He made America energy-independent.
22) POTUS Trump helped to influence the UAE to establish full diplomatic relationships with Israel paving the way for both increased stability in the Middle East and the possibility that the previously mentioned peace treaty proposal between the Palestinians and Israelis-that addresses both Palestinian interests and Israel’s security-will be successful.
23) Trump has supported the Second Amendment.
24) By killing the murderous, terrorist leaders of ISIS and Iran; POTUS Trump is keeping his promise to fight America’s terrorist enemies and regimes.
25) Trump made it possible for veterans (at government expense) to see private doctors ending the long waiting lines of the V.A hospitals. He also made it easier for the V.A to fire incompetent or abusive employees.
These are some of the promises Trump has kept (in less than four years) despite being investigated for over three years by the Mueller committee, being impeached by a partisan Congress and opposed by a hostile media and disgruntled Republicans and conservatives. These accomplishments suggest that Trump has been the most honest, truthful and competent president ever when it comes to keeping his campaign promises. And, perhaps, these accomplishments indicate that POTUS Donald J Trump, a proud graduate of Wharton, is not as dumb as his, less accomplished, Wharton professor once proclaimed.
George Civile
Gardiner
An informative meeting
The Ulster County Chapter of the statewide Senior Action Council thanks Cynthia Bell, League of Women Voters, for an excellent presentation at our monthly Zoom meeting. Ms Bell outlined the state election reform bills recently signed by our governor. She also shared information on early voting and voting sites for the 2020 election.
For more information on voting during a pandemic, go to lwv.org. For information on statewide go to www.nysenior.org.
Claire O’Brien,
Chapter president
Kingston
Come prepared
I see governor [Andrew] Cuomo said Trump had better bring an army if wants to visit New York City. Well, If Trump wants to visit the Catskills, he had better bring a sh!tload of Narcan.
Tom Comerford
Shokan
What’s the solution?
Let me first say that I live on Henry W. DuBois (HWD) Drive and am not opposed to a shared use bike and pedestrian path along this road.
In fact, I believe we mostly agree that it has long been needed.
At this time, HWD is known as the “Main Street Bypass” which most of us use, although it is in an entirely residential zone.
Driving on this busy road does not give one the same perspective as walking or living on it.
I suppose that many of the people who now drive on it would think it a good idea to make this a four-lane arterial and have fewer stop signs…to make it easier to “get around Main Street.”
What is not being talked about is that this road is in a R1 zoned neighborhood.
One that is being systematically destroyed by a succession of town and village officials that have not been effective in “preserving the rural character of New Paltz,” which is a stated goal and objective in the New Paltz Land Use Survey.
Traffic studies over the past several years have noted that the traffic on this road and Main Street is extreme and will become worse if nothing is done about it.
Allowing HWD to be widened and paved along both sides for “bike lanes” sounds like it could easily become the first step toward making HWD a four-lane, high-speed arterial for even more vehicles.
I am hoping that the conversation about the path, and the traffic and safety concerns on this road, creates an opportunity to discuss something I believe we all agree on:
Something needs to be done about traffic in our beautiful town.
We live in a unique and beautiful part of this country. Our village is one that many people want to experience.
Decisions we make about routing traffic today will determine the direction this town takes in years to come.
Will we become a favorable destination to live and shop, or will we be come the town that was “in the way” of traffic going to the mountain?
Main Street is so congested at this point that I doubt it benefits the businesses on it.
I have come across a document called “Final Phase B Report of the New Paltz Transportation Land Use Project.”https://www.townofnewpaltz.org/sites/g/files/vyhlif3541/f/file/file/final_phase_b_report_6-06.pdf
I believe this project originated in 1974, was updated in 1998 and again in 2006. The concerns about traffic in our town have been on record for at least 40 years and many solutions have been studied.
Among other things, needing additional east/west routes through town and a second bridge over the Wallkill is a conclusion that this study identifies and addresses in several ways.
In this document, the Bike/Ped Committee also said that HWD “is not a useful local route due to lack of shoulders and steep grades.”
Why is it a good route today?
Cannot quote the entire 102-page document here (I urge you to look at it, though….if I can do it, you can!).
I saw some entirely feasible solutions there; solutions that can help keep New Paltz the thriving community it wants to be.
Some of these solutions are on the SUNY master plan.
Some entirely funded by NYSDOT.
These solutions have not happened.
I want to ask our town supervisor and village mayor: why not?
Karen Nochisaki Gavin
New Paltz
Musical history was made
I never thought I would attend a drive-in opera, let alone adore one. (To begin with, I don’t drive.) But the resourceful Phoenicia Festival of the Voice made musical history last Sunday when it staged the first North American opera-for-cars in Kingston. It was a double nostalgia: for the Golden Age of Italian singing and the heyday of the outdoor movie theater. But director Maria Todaro brought out chilling contemporary accents in Tosca, the three-way struggle between an authoritarian chief of police (here styled as a neo-fascist), an artist/revolutionary and a pious opera diva named Tosca. The story felt as immediate as Black Lives Matter.
The orchestra, led by conductor Audrey Saint-Gil, was spry and intimate, the videography bold, the singing fierce and clean. When Tosca murdered the leering police chief, all the cars honked, flashed their lights.
Sparrow
Phoenicia
God bless president Trump
What about the claim that the president is planning to lower monthly Social Security payments 15 percent to 20 percent with no solid backup to prove anything? Where do you, Robert La Polt, get your information?
The president has stated that he will not sign off on the Democratic proposed stimulus package because, as usual the Democrats want trillions to bail out states run by their party government officials who neglected their states — this bill is to act as a relief program for small businesses and to aid people who have been unemployed because of the pandemic, not to correct the inequities of these states where their elected officials have neglected them in the first place. Yes, the states should fend for themselves since the elected officials should be aware and care about their constituents.
Has anything been said about the Black Lives Matter movement, a group that has been infiltrated by paid Antifa and other criminals to loot, destroy property and are out to beat or kill people who don’t agree with them at the Democratic convention? This is not a racist country.
Should we all agree with Trump’s disgruntled niece, Mary Trump, because she wrote a timely book which evidently criticizes the president? I guess she will make some good money from her book!
President Trump has had many accomplishments in just four years in office:
Energized the economy so all you good people could take wonderful trips to Europe because your 401Ks and investments have done so well.
Encouraged businesses to return and manufacture in the USA thus providing jobs for thousands. Rescued billions from European nations who are members of NATO and never paid their dues, Provided aid to our wonderful veterans, and in fact, donates his salary to them.
Handled Covid 19 as well as possible. Provided the medical ship The Hope and had tents set up in Central Park to take in Covid patients.
Strengthening our borders to prevent illegals from infiltrating our country.
Lowered taxes.
Supports the NRA (you probably don’t). Sheared up our badly depleted military.
Restarted our space program
Supports the police who so bravely have to deal with the worst and most dangerous situations
Stand up for your country and stand up for the American flag which so many have died on the battlegrounds to protect.
God bless president Trump; he truly cares about America!
Mary Connors
Highland
Metaphorically speaking
Once upon a time, a bald eagle attempted to catch a hare. However, the hare receded into the brush, and to the bald eagle’s dismay the hare has not been seen since.
Howard Harris
Woodstock
His branding on parade
This is Trump’s America. Wisconsin: Shooting of peaceful protesters has happened. Gung-ho, right-wing militia brainwashed teenager arrives armed from another location, to “assist police in maintaining order.” And yes, home-grown terrorism rears its ugly head. This is what the breakdown of democracy looks like!
We are dealing with Cult #45. Two lives taken which can be traced right back to Trump’s rhetorical appeals or words. So much destruction. Law-and-order kid breaks multiple laws, including premeditated murder. Law-and-order crowd cheers the lawbreaker. So bizarre. I guess hate is a powerful aphrodisiac. That, and ignorant tribalism.
The same night in Washington DC and at the White House Rose Garden (photo op for RNC), Melania Trump speaks to the nation praising her husband during the convention address, Clichéd elements of authoritarianism were there, and it was on a loud display! She took a page from Nazi “Vogue” circa World War II. The Flotus picked a war outfit, knowing how it would appeal to the racist, white nationalist base that votes GOP.
This Nazicouture was not a random dress in her wardrobe. The look was deliberately crafted to send a signal. The First Lady looked like a Nazi SS officer, Putin Communist, fascist and North Korean storm trooper. Yes, she went full dictator chic.
OMG! Trump has always instigated violence. It’s done by his own actions and it is his modus operandi. If there’s not a crisis, he’ll invent one by agitating and putting hate to the forefront with his fear-mongering diatribes. How quickly the United States has turned into a living nightmare under this Potus. We are imploding. We will not be a petri dish for the human virus Trump 45. We cannot let our democracy break and die.
Neil Jarmel
West Hurley
Transparent democracy
This letter was submitted to be read during the public comment portion of the September 3 New Paltz town board meeting.
In the spirit of transparent democracy, we ask that the following questions about the Henry W. DuBois bike path project be answered by the board using public platforms such as the Hudson Valley One newspaper or the New Paltz public access TV station.
A. How under what terms were the 20% matching funds for the grant raised?
B. Who is on the steering committee, and what are their qualifications?
C. How much of the grant monies will go to firms located in New Paltz and who are those firms?
D. Should this project be suspended until the impact of the following developments are understood?
• The $475,700 grant for Empire State Trail stormwater management.
• Occupancy of Zero Place.
• The state’s installation of the traffic light at the intersection of Henry W. DuBois Drive and Route 32.
• The completion of the duplex across from New Paltz Gardens Apartments.
• Expansion of the storage facility on Henry W. DuBois Drive.
• Construction of the new fire station.
• Opening of the new police headquarters.
• The development of the parcel bounded by the Thruway, Route 299 and North Putt Corners Road (CVS).
To not read this letter into the record or not reply to these questions will only further the suspicions surrounding the intent of the Henry W. DuBois bike-path project.
Paul Bishop
Rachelle Bush
New Paltz
Let the children play
The new revitalized tennis-court facility at Kingston High School is great for our community. It has been reported that the children and taxpayers will be unable to use the facility to play tennis on. The new courts will only be used for a limited time by the Kingston High School boys’ and girls’ tennis teams. Those tennis teams have a very short season, and half the time they will be playing at other team locations. The rest of the year, the courts will remain vacant, according to reports.
The new KHS courts are a community investment financed by the taxpayers of the Kingston school district. The children and adults in the neighborhood should be able to use the courts to play tennis on for fun and exercise. The courts are a wonderful facility for our kids to keep busy and stay out trouble.
The fear of vandalism is probably the reason for locking the courts. The school district should reach out to the Kingston police department and the mayor to patrol the area. School security could check the area during the day. The school maintenance staff that opens the high school could also open the tennis courts in the morning and lock them up when they leave. A sign should be installed at the courts with the hours of play and the rules such as “no skateboarding or bicycles on the courts, etc.”
Our city tennis courts at Forsyth Park, Loughran Park and Hutton Park are open all day and in the evening with very little vandalism or damage. I know we have to check the vandalism, but we cannot have the courts stay vacant all summer, and simply stare at the empty courts. The previous KHS courts had very few incidents of vandalism. The main problem with the old courts was faulty construction with major cracks in the surface, causing danger to the players.
We are very fortunate to have wonderful Kingston school officials and board members. I ask each of you to consider “let the children play.”
Ron Woods
Kingston Recreation Commission
Kingston
Rally is a commemoration
I enjoyed seeing the current article about the Catskill Conquest Rally but want to correct the headline in the online edition. The fourth annual Catskill Conquest Rally scheduled for September 26 commemorates the 1903 Automobile Endurance Run. It is explicitly not a reenactment. That implies running 1903 automobiles on current roads.
The rally is a celebration of the experience of automobiling and the birth of publicly funded road-building. It is also a celebration of the gorgeous scenery and communities along the historic route. The event is open to all vehicles. We have had vintage pick-up trucks, modern and vintage sports cars, true classics from 1913 on and also Teslas. I say, “If you love your car, come and drive it on this route!”
In October 1903 the sole woman to complete the run, Edith Riker, was quoted as saying, “It is glorious, I think, to fly through the country night or day at a railroad speed over all sorts of roads.” That brought home to me that this was indeed the birth of the experience of automobiling. We take our good roads for granted, and this project has raised my consciousness about the effort and investment it took to get us here and an appreciation for smooth pavement.
The route does follow the Catskill Mountains Scenic Byway from Mount Tremper to Andes. For this Covid year we made some changes that include jaunts on some of my favorite roads branching off the historic route beyond Andes to our western terminus at Unadilla House. We practiced social distancing and mask wearing.
Visit www.1903autorun.com for information. I can be reached at 657-6982 and at 1903autorun@gmail.com.
Robert Selkowitz
Historic Automobile Endurance Runs, LLC
Shokan
End the crazy
Remember Trump Steaks?
Remember Trump Wines?
Remember Trump’s ugly China-made ties?
Remember Trump Airlines?
Remember Trump non-University?
Remember Trump Vodka?
Remember Trump Mortgage?
Remember Trump Casinos?
Remember the Trump Plaza hotel?
Remember Trump Magazine?
Remember Trump Ice?
Remember the Trump Network?
Remember Trump: The Game?
Remember Trump’s New Jersey Generals?
No way am I lining up for a Trump-branded Covid vaccine.
Not sorry.
Just please, end the crazy.
Gary Maurer
Willow
Protestors and criminals
Joe Biden stated clearly in his Monday, August 31 speech in Pennsylvania that those who are violent, burn buildings and loot are criminals. Those who break the law should be arrested and prosecuted for their crimes.
Those who protest peacefully to insist on equal justice for black people as well as for white people are not criminals and deserve to have protection under the law. Protestors may be noisy, and their protests may disturb lots of people. But they have the right to protest about what they believe is injustice. Our country was built on peaceful protests.
Haven’t we all seen enough scenes about police brutality focused toward people of color to know that there is a real problem in the way the police are conducting the business of providing safety and security in our country. Those peaceful protestors are persisting with their marches to let everybody know that the unfair treatment by police toward black people must stop. Their cry is, ”Enough is enough.” Can you blame them? Really?
Unfortunately the media, although doing their best to report the news, are aiding in confusing the public. When you see on TV that there are protests, and there is also looting and violence, it’s easy to think that the violence is coming from a number of the protestors.
But in most cases it’s not, and there may be a simple solution to separate the protestors from the criminals. It appears that most of the crimes are taking place at night. Criminals, like roaches, do their best to avoid coming out during the light of day. They know, on some level, that they are breaking the law and do not want to be seen when they commit a crime.
If all Black Lives Matter protests were held in the light of day, I think that we’d see a major decrease in the crimes taking place in the vicinity of those protests. It would be a minor adjustment, and it’s worth considering. What do you think? If you think it’s a good idea and you know organizers of any BLM marches, please get this idea to them. It’s worth a try, and, in the long run, we will all benefit. That is, except for the criminals!
Marty Klein
Woodstock
The cost of denial
Many of us need to talk in economic terms when we compare climate disasters. It seems that billion-dollar events have become the standard criteria. Although climate change is very complex, an overview is surprisingly simple: the more greenhouse gasses that humans emit, the warmer the planet (land and water) become. This warmer water and air provide energy for bigger and more frequent storms and wildfires.
Hurricane Laura, which recently hit Louisiana, passed over 90-degree water in the Gulf of Mexico, and went from being a benign tropical storm to a category 4 hurricane in 24 hours. Luckily, it made landfall at one of the few remaining swampy areas in the Louisiana coast, and otherwise would have been a multi-billion-dollar event.
Although nothing about climate change is totally linear, the costs over the last 40 years are very close: the 1980s cost us $128 billion; the 90’s, $270 billion, the 2000s, $510 billion and the 2010s, $802 billion. It appears that between 1980 and 2019, we will have spent close to $1.75 trillion dollars!
So even if you ignore all the pain, suffering and deaths, and judge climate disasters in purely economic terms, it makes good fiscal sense to have an administration that is not in climate denial.
Dan and Ann Guenther
New Paltz
Masks do inhibit virus spread
I am writing in response to the letter by Emileine Mahoney under the headline “Face masks ineffective” on page 21 of the August 26, 2020 issue of Hudson Valley One. In her letter she quotes the CDC, “Our systematic review found no significant effect of face masks on transmission of laboratory-confirmed influenza.”
I absolutely agree. The trouble is, seasonal influenza is not Covid 19, which is caused by a very different virus. The two viruses are not genetically related, and although the two diseases have somewhat similar symptoms they have very different transmissibilities, morbidities and mortalities.
The most compelling argument I have seen for using face masks to limit the transmissibility of Covid 19 was published by the CDC on July 17, 2020 in the article by M. Joshua Hendrix, and others “Absence of Apparent Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from Two Stylists After Exposure at a Hair Salon with a Universal Face Covering Policy — Springfield, Missouri, May 2020,” MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 69(28), 930–932.
In this case study, two hair stylists worked with 139 clients for eight days with symptoms before finally being tested positive for the Covid 19 virus. For all eight days they wore masks and all their clients wore masks. None, not one, of their 139 clients later tested positive for the Covid 19 virus or developed symptoms. The authors conclude, “Adherence to the community’s and company’s face-covering policy likely mitigated spread of SARS-CoV-2.”
Yes, the masks are uncomfortable, yes, they steam up my glasses, but I wear a mask in public places, and I am thankful that others do too. There is very strong suggestive evidence that they do indeed inhibit the spread of the Covid 19 virus in the community.
John B. Ferguson
Red Hook
In support of sidewalks
I am writing to support the town’s plan to add sidewalks and bicycle lanes to Henry W. Dubois (HWD) Drive.
I am an avid pedestrian who lives half a block from HWD. Walking on HWD is unpleasant during the day and treacherous at night. The traffic is much too fast for a residential neighborhood, and the lack of street lights, sidewalks and designated lanes for cyclists makes it a true hazard. I have written to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee about this in the past, and am very glad to hear that there is finally a plan to do something about it. I believe that widening the road to add sidewalks and bicycle lanes, replacing the trees that would have to come down, planting attractive vegetation, mitigating traffic speed and improving the drainage will make HWD and the entire neighborhood safer and more pleasant. It is also the right thing to do environmentally, as it will encourage more people to get about town by foot and by bicycle.
I certainly understand why some of my neighbors are concerned about losing some of the trees on their property, but I was very disturbed to read the personal attacks against our town supervisor in regard to this issue. Going forward, I hope that we will work hard to weigh the project on its merits without ascribing nefarious motives to each other or our town administrators.
Rena Blumenthal
New Paltz
NBA hypocrisy
The NBA now allows players to have messages supporting various causes, of course they must be approved and there is a list. Many players wear various clothing items supporting Black Lives Matter and opposing mistreatment of blacks by law enforcement. What you won’t see is any criticism of communist China’s suppression of the Uyghurs, a Muslim minority, millions of whom have been forced into reeducation programs to force conformity, no mention of attacking freedom in Hong Kong in violation of a treaty they signed. Worst of all ignoring the fact that thousands of blacks in America have died from Covid 19 as a result of China’s lying about the virus. Don’t their lives matter?
The NBA and its players fail to protest any of these things or even mention any of this, since they receive billions of dollars from China for television rights and the sale of merchandise. Nor will there be any protest of China’s use of slave labor in Nike factories. Next time a NBA team plays in China I bet you won’t see a signal player take a knee to protest China’s human-rights violations.
In this case, money doesn’t talk, it shouts.
John Habersberger
New Paltz
The pressure for change
Another sleepless night worrying that this white supremacist president of ours will forever poison race relations in the United States? Not to worry; race relations in this country have always been toxic, and politicians have always used fear and hatred to win elections.
Worried that the working class will end up losing everything, as our nation’s richest people become kings and queens? That’s been happening for 40 years, as corporations have taken control of almost every aspect of our government. The millions that businesses and the very rich give to politicians used to be called bribery. Thanks to recent Supreme Court decisions, such gifts are now considered freedom of speech.
We see that all the reforms that most working people really want are routinely rejected, like taxing the rich, universal healthcare, free college tuition, an end to wars in the Middle East, and holding Israel accountable for the occupation of Palestine. There is no real money behind any of these ideas, so even though most people favor them, they have no chance of being considered, even in the Democratic platform.
The only reason to worry about Trump is that he represents the culmination of neoliberalism, the destruction of the common good by the huge corporations that rule us. Whether our next president is this dangerously unhinged demagogue, or a sleepy corporate shill, they will both serve the same plutocracy.
Yet change is happening in the streets, be it for LGBTQ, African American, or women’s rights. The pressure for change always comes from below.
Fred Nagel
Rhinebeck
Dark skies, bright stars
Residents of New Paltz and Gardiner are so fortunate to have a view of the beautiful night sky once they leave the lights of the town center. Astronomers and photographers travel to our area just to take advantage of a clear view of the stars and milky way.
On Tuesday, September 1, at the Climate Change Solutions meetup, James Brigagliano, a local Night Skies lighting specialist, offered many ways for us to limit light pollution so that there will be a beautiful nighttime vista for us and our children and grandchildren to enjoy for years to come. New LED lighting fixtures are now available that will help us avoid the sky-glow, light trespass and glare produced by older streetlights and exterior lighting. These LED fixtures produce a warm mellow glow that can be shielded to keep excess light from escaping into the sky and from glaring through our bedroom windows. And they cost no more than standard lighting.
Through the power of the Internet and the Zoom platform, Hudson Valley residents were joined at the meetup by a student from Colorado and a scientist from Bali, who joined the conversation at 3 a.m., her local time! Apparently, even in Bali and Colorado, people are concerned about artificial light destroying their access to the starry night sky.
Other victims of light pollution include birds and insects, as well as larger animals. Insects are attracted to artificial light and often perish as a result. Migratory birds drawn off-course by nighttime lighting use up their energy supply and arrive at their destinations underweight and vulnerable. Turtles interrupt their normal egg-laying pattern when distracted by bright lights from beachfront resorts.
Use of dimmer, warmer, properly shielded LED lighting can reduce artificial lighting’s negative impact on nature. It is also healthier for humans, whose circadian rhythms can be disturbed by bright, blue, high intensity lighting. For those of us who use outdoor lights to illuminate walkways and patios, Mr. Brigagliano recommends the use of sensors and timers. Turning lights off when they are not absolutely necessary is the cheapest way to eliminate pollution and to save money and energy.
New Paltz Climate Change Solutions meetups are held on the first Tuesday of the month. Previous topics include responsible sustainable Investing, electric vehicles, creating your own pollinator meadow, and backyard composting. Next month’s program will be on water management tips for residential landscaping.
Mark Varian
Gardiner
Keep Metzger state senator
State senator Jen Metzger cares about a most precious resource: our children. Her cares translate into action and recent actions will benefit our children’s education and health. She proposed S8805, a bill which passed with bipartisan support. It will give access to affordable and reliable Internet service to everyone in New York State. which is especially vital during the pandemic when going to school means going online.
Jen knows that healthy children are more alert and learn better so she helped put together a farm-to-school food program for Ellenville. Supported by federal and state grants, it will also address childhood obesity and bring more business to our local farmers. It’s a win-win!
And that’s what Jen Metzger is: a state senator, who listens to us, cares about us and moves bipartisan legislation to help us. Vote to keep a good thing going! Vote to keep Jen Metzger our state senator on November 3 or earlier.
Doris Chorny
Gardiner
Join the family! 
