Hoagerburgh Road in Wallkill is one of the most scenic roads in our area. It's also an active road - bicyclists and motorcylists enjoy it tremendously; cars often go by at a slower rate enjoying the view; painters set up easels to catch the beauty.... Blue Chip Farms, Shawangunk Reformed Church, the Shawangunk Grasslands but mostly it is, of course, the Ridge - there it stands in all its magnificence and those of us who live here are thankful for the views every day.

A 120' cell tower certainly does not belong in this setting but it's a real possibility. One is proposed to be erected off Old Hoagerburgh Road marring a view that is a blessing to residents and visitors alike. It is quite simply an inappropriate place to build a cell tower. The location is also very close to the Shawangunk Grasslands and its migratory bird population. This is not just a case of Not In My BackYard this is a viewshed that needs to be preserved and treasured.

Please, before it's too late, consider writing a letter as soon as possible to the Town of Shawangunk Planning Board to tell them your thoughts. A decision is to be made very shortly and your opinion counts!

The address is: Town of Shawangunk Planning Board, 14 Central Avenue, POBox 247, Wallkill, NY 12589. Also, planning@libertybiz.rr.com.

Joan McAdam
Wallkill

"The 25 year Reunion" (SMIRK)...........I read with interest your take on attending your 25th Class Reunion and generally it was a well written article, which appeared in the August 5, 2010, edition of the paper.

However, since you state that you are an English Major and have a Master's degree (in, I don't know what), your grammar could benefit from re-visiting basic English Grammar Books. In your third paragraph, the sentence "....Apparently her and another friend....." incorrectly uses the object pronoun 'her' when it should be 'she', since it is the subject of the sentence. I hear and read, the object-pronoun being used more and more frequently, when it should be the subject-pronoun.

As an immigrant to America from Germany in 1952 when I was 11 years old, I learned English during the summer of 1952 in order to begin my American education starting with the 5th grade in the Ellenville School System and "aced it", I might add, I am very sensitive to the correct usage of English grammar. Therefore, I would encourage you to do justice to your English Major degree whenever you speak or write, in particular, the column in the Shawangunk Journal.

Dagmar Mielisch Yaddow
Rhinebeck

The election season is approaching and I'm especially looking forward to supporting Fawn Tantillo this fall for Ulster County Comptroller. This is a fairly new position in Ulster County, but a very important one. Fawn wants to be your watchdog and I know she would be great at it.

She is not only intimately familiar with Ulster County Government, but also the people who work and live here. Her resume is long and laudable, helping people in both the public and the private sector.

I hope you will join me in supporting her, not just because she's my mother, but because she's the best candidate for this position.

Christina Saylor
New Paltz

The other day I attended an event at the Ellenville Public Library and Museum. It was a lecture and presentation entitled, "Water, Water, Everywhere." The session made me think of accomplishments in protection of water, but also the dangers facing protected water sources.

Jeff Golliher is a great story teller. Everyone in attendance enjoyed his childhood rendition of innocent questions asked of family members. When he made the statement, "Don't Poison the Well," I sat upright in the chair because it put us directly into the water issue right next door in Sullivan County.

Another segment of, "Water," was presented by Dave Conover who is involved with the Hudson River and the Clearwater Sloop. As a grandfather, I find it encouraging to see that flagrant pollution can be cleaned up through hard work and persistence started by just a few individuals. Dave had an interesting slide presentation of junk sites along the banks of the Hudson that have been cleaned up and are gone. Education is the best tool to become aware of water pollution. An exchange program of students from Greenland and vice versa shows the young people a hands-on view of global warming.

As the days go by since the "Water" lecture my mind wonders about the current problems facing water protection. We have the knowledge and legal reasons to protect water preserves. The only thing we have downplayed is the force generated by a new culprit. That culprit is pop-up "gold rush" sites. By now everyone in the Hudson Valley has heard and read about "fracking" so I'll say no more.

The irony is the Hudson River has been reclaimed from pollution, but just the west, the Delaware River is in danger of becoming polluted.

John Nodar
Kerhonkson