New Paltz Times notes
From the Feb. 20, 2020 edition: New sidewalks on Henry W. Dubois; Generator at Family Health building; Winter Tree ID walk at Burroughs; plus other local events and notes.
New Paltz Times
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Opioid fatalities fall in Ulster
Opioid deaths in 2019 in Ulster dropped 41 percent in 2019 with only 33 compared to 2018’s 56, Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan and the Ulster County Department of Health announced Feb. 18.
New Paltz School Board discusses ways to deal with student cell phone use during the school day
During last week’s New Paltz School Board meeting, board members agreed to hear a presentation about a product designed to keep kids off their phones without confiscating them.
New Paltz water declared safe to drink, but questions linger
About this time last week, the village of New Paltz issued its “do not drink” advisory for municipal water. Just over four days later it was lifted after remediation efforts yielded “no detectable signs of petroleum compound” in the drinking water. Here’s an updated look at what happened and what to expect going forward.
New Paltz reconsiders Plains Rd. water district following court win
The community needs a backup water source during upcoming repairs to the Catskill Aqueduct. Neighbors have sued multiple times to prevent the formation of a water district, which would result in the tapping of the aquifer beneath their properties, but those suits have been repeatedly dismissed, most recently last December.
Anti-domestic violence program to be widened
For the past three years, Kingston has served as a proving ground for a cutting-edge initiative aimed at preventing domestic violence using “focused deterrence.” Now, armed with data showing its effectiveness, District Attorney Dave Clegg said this week he wants to take the “Intimate Partner Violence Intervention” [IPVI] program countywide.
Ulster County public defender resigns after investigation showed failure to seek $2.5m in state reimbursements
Attorney Andrew Kossover, the Ulster County public defender since 2006, resigned this week after an analysis showed the office failed to seek $2.5 million over six years in state reimbursements. During that time, the county budgeted and spent $1.9 million that could have been reimbursed but was instead absorbed by county taxpayers, according to a release from County Executive Pat Ryan.
A rising tide for Ulster County real estate?
The overall increase in real estate sales lifted some Ulster County property prices more the others, and in some localities more than others. In Kingston, the median sold price of residential properties in 2019 was $191,750, up almost 20 percent over the previous year’s median price. In Woodstock, the median sold price was $420,000 in 2019, a hefty sum by most Ulster County standards but a gain of only four percent over the previous year.
SUNY New Paltz to resume classes Monday following clean drinking water tests
SUNY New Paltz will resume classes on Monday, Feb. 17, following the announcement that municipal drinking water tested clean after
New Paltz water customers hit with large back bills
Around 50 customers were billed amounts ranging from $41 to $24,000 for past water usage officials say was underreported by aging meters.