Serving the Towns of Wawarsing, Crawford, Mamakating, Rochester and Shawangunk, and everything in between
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Letters
Revolutionary Idealism, Movement-Oriented & Personal

I read the Valedictory address in the 6/28/12 issue with interest, not due to surprise or dismay, but with a sense of deja vu. In theme and tone, the address was markedly similar to my own speech as Valedictorian of the class of 1969 at Wallkill High School. Granted that there were differences, as I was much more specific in questioning issues from the ban on long hair at graduation to the politics of some teachers in the district, but the address got me my first fifteen minutes of fame, as well. With some forty years to reflect on it, however, I have to ask if it made any difference.

Many young folks of my generation went directly either to college or to the war and some of us wound up in various phases of "The Movement" while trying out our ideological wings. A few of us, like myself, even tried our hand at party politics for awhile in another attempt to change the world. Most of us got tired after awhile and now with grey hair (got it!) and big bellies (not yet!), we may be content to just play with our grandchildren and worry about the stock market.

Personally, I discovered another way to influence history: Changing the world one life at a time through the Good News of Jesus Christ. That is how I wound up in Ellenville as the Pastor of the United Methodist Church. That fellowship and I are continuing to grow into the UMC slogan of "Open Hearts, Open Minds and Open Doors." We strive to be open to young and old, rich and poor, black and white, able-bodied and differently-abled, LGBT and straight and fully-documented or undocumented persons.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all, — "Pastor Larry" E. Powell
Wallkill


Better Notice Requested For Counter Terrorism Trainings

On the night of Friday, June 8, the U.S. Army Special Operations Command conducted a counter-terrorism training in the Ellenville-Wawarsing area. This exercise, involving the Wawarsing-Resnick airport and the Nevele property, included armed forces and helicopters from four different bases along the east coast. The point of contact was Major Michael Burns, stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

On Monday, June 18, I contacted Major Burns concerning issues about this event. He expressed sincere apologies for any confusion and upset this caused our community. I would like to share the follow-up letter that addresses these concerns:

Dear Major Burns, This letter is a follow-up to our phone conversation earlier in the week concerning the training that took place in Ellenville, New York on the evening of June 8. As we discussed, I have two concerns:

1. The flight path between the Resnick Airport and the Nevele property — flying directly over the Village of Ellenville. 2. Advance notification to the residents in the Village of Ellenville.

To discuss the first concern — the overflight — I've enclosed a map of the Ellenville area. It includes the airport location just north of the village boundary and the Nevele property located just south of the village boundary. This map was originally used during discussions with our regional FAA Aviation Safety Inspector. Much like our discussion now, the purpose was to establish a suggested route which would avoid direct flight over our school district property and the community neighborhoods.

Please notice the yellow line. The Sandburg Creek flows through here, hence arrival and departure through this area impacts fewer buildings and less people. This route is located to the east of the airport between the village and the Shawangunk Ridge. It is currently the suggested route for local pilots provided that the weather is fair and there are no unforeseen circumstances.

The second concern I'd like to address is notification of Village of Ellenville residents. As I explained during our phone conversation, Ellenville has its own police department. The airport and the Nevele are located just outside the village boundaries, in the Town of Wawarsing, and are served by the New York State Police. As you pointed out, you had notified both the State Police in Wawarsing and the 911 dispatcher. As a resident of Ellenville, if I have a concern I would call the Ellenville police. It didn't occur to me to call the State Police or 911 (let that be a lesson to me!)

The good news for village residents is that Ellenville has an automated phone notification system. I've enclosed the business card of our Chief of Police, Phil Mattracion. It includes his number at the police station and his cell phone number on the back of the card. If he is notified of future training exercises, he will use this phone system to notify Village of Ellenville residents.

In closing, I personally want to thank you for being so courteous and open to suggestions. If there is a training exercise in the future, we will all be better prepared.

— Iris Friedman
Ellenville


A Question To The Wawarsing Planning Board

My cousin and I own property on Tempaloni Road in Spring Glen. I am concerned about the plans by TCJ Enterprises to construct a trail for use by ATVs on several acres near ours. It has come to my attention that the revised site plan submitted to the Town of Wawarsing Planning Board indicates a "Picnic Area" whose dimensions, 100 x 100 feet, coincide with the dimensions of a helipad. The Planning Board chair asked TCJ Enterprises to include a helipad on their proposal just after the public hearing on the project was closed. I question the Planning Board's request, and I would like to know if this area is planned as a picnic area or as a helipad. The plans for this property are of grave concern to the property owners.

— Lydia Manpel Pensa
Spring Glen


The Dangers Of Hydrofracking... On A Local Basis

The following was sent to the Town Supervisor and the Town Board of Rochester, after they received petitions for a Community Bill of Rights-Based Ordinance Banning High Volume Hydrofracking.

While the municipalities of NY state are fortunate to have the constitutional protection of Home Rule and the ability to refuse a harmful industrial process, we as a state are not isolated. The communities of our neighboring state of Pennsylvania once had very similar protections, which were stripped from them only last year. At this moment, frackwater from Pennsylvania is flowing into the aquifers of the towns along the New York, New Jersey and Maryland borders. If we continue to be fortunate, our state legislature will respect home rule and not try to legislate away our land-use ban on hydrofracking. If we are less fortunate, if the ability of gas and oil companies to influence elections prevails, what this legislature respects today may be changed in the next election, or the one after.

These gas companies have been watching New York State and the effectiveness of our home rule laws. They are already trying to overturn such rights in other states. We would like to give them something else to watch: that we base our rejection of this destructive practice not only on the rights given to us by the state, but on rights that do not depend on the state and that cannot be taken away from us by fluctuations in the politics of the moment. The whole country, in fact, will be looking at New York state. We can decide to shelter ourselves as one of the fortunate few, or we can use both the rights the state has given us and the rights that are inalienable: to life, to the resources we depend on for life, the value of our property and the integrity of our communities. By passing a Community Bill of Rights Ordinance we let other communities here and in other states know that this tool is available to them. And we let the drilling companies know that their efforts to influence state legislatures to strip away local rights will not get them what they want. Whatever the differences between the laws of other states and ours, we are still connected to them. The groundwater that is poisoned even hundreds of miles away will eventually make its way to our aquifers. The political manipulation that is exerted against other states can come back to our doorsteps. A Bill of Rights Ordinance states that we stand with all municipalities in our country in their effort to assert their right to be a viable community.

— Judith Karpova
Rochester Defense Against Fracking


We Need To Watch Our Human Imprint

I appreciate your recent article on the Wood Turtle. The carbon footprint isn't the only footprint humans have stomped the planet with. From highways to houses, from motorbikes to SUV's, from invasions to wars we imprint our territory. A continuation of our manifest destiny? From original American human inhabitance to your Sam's Point columnist's uniquely American Wood Turtle, nothing seems to hold sway.

Once we wipe out the bees, according to Albert Einstein, it's all over for humanity. I hope the Wood Turtle can hang on till then.

— Chuck Davidson
Cragsmoor



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