[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="An image of "Hooch," one of several abused dogs whose case studies were utlized to help legislate "Buster's Law" 16 years ago."][/caption]Eleven years after its implementation, the success, or lack of it, of the anti-animal cruelty "Buster's Law" gets questioned in a story in this morning's Times Union, where reporter Robert Gavin finds that scores of abusers are escaping felony convictions or jail time, at least according to state data.

Of the 373 arrests under Buster's Law between Jan. 1, 2005, and Nov, 22, 2010, more than half of the defendants escaped without any conviction or infractions with penalties comparable to traffic tickets. Only 17 percent were found guilty of a felony. And in more than half of the Buster's Law cases, defendants served not a day behind bars.

Gavin goes on to point out that statistics from the state Division of Criminal Justice Services come three years after the Times Union reported that more than 60 percent of those convicted under the law since its 1999 inception had not served any time.

"Even those people who are prosecuted, the penalties are very limited," said Brad Shear, executive director of the Hudson & Mohawk River Humane Society in Menands. Shear was pessimistic about the numbers improving. With municipal budgets tightened, he did not expect local prosecutors to have the necessary staff to devote to the number of cases.

He acknowledged plea deals are part of the system. But with Buster's Law, he noted, there is no lower-level felony that can be secured for a plea deal.

The law, passed in 1999, was inspired by the 1997 torture killing of a 18-month-old tabby cat that was set on fire in Schenectady. The cat's killer, then-16-year-old Chester Williamson, now a three-time felon, was later convicted of sexually abusing a 12-year-old mentally disabled girl in Vale Park in Schenectady. He is now at Attica Correctional Facility.

To be charged under Buster's Law, the statute reads that animal abusers must have planned to cause "extreme physical pain" or acted in an "especially depraved or sadistic manner."

Shear questioned why Buster's Law is not applied in cases where it seems more than appropriate.

In February, the former Hoosick town animal officer, Matthew Beck, admitted he shot or killed stray loose dogs and buried them in a pile of manure on his property. But he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor animal cruelty, official misconduct and petit larceny. His punishment was two weekends in jail.

Under the statute, acts of torture would have had to occur before the dogs died.

The same issue arose the previous October when a Berne man, Robert Bushnell, told police he shot two dogs because they were killing his chickens, chasing his livestock and acting aggressive toward his children. The man never contacted the dogs' owner before he brought the canines -- a 7-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever and a 5-year-old Alaskan malamute -- to state land and shot them. At the time, Albany County Sheriff James Campbell said Buster's Law could not be applied because the man did not sadistically torture the animals before he shot them.

In May, horse trainer Ernie Paragallo was convicted of 33 misdemeanors for starving thoroughbreds at his farm in Greene County. The county's district attorney, Terry Wilhelm, said Paragallo caused "horrific suffering" and asked a judge to sentence him to 33 years in prison for each act of animal cruelty.

Instead, Paragallo received the maximum of two years in the county jail. At the time, Columbia-Greene County Humane Society President Ron Perez said he wished Buster's Law, tailored for "companion animals" such as dogs and cats, could include horses.

"This would have been nice if it was a felony so he would have faced a higher sentence," Perez said.

Shear said even those who receive probation can still adopt a pet after five years. Michael Vick, the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback who served time in federal prison for his role in a Virginia dogfighting ring, recently made headlines when he said he would like to adopt a dog.

Shear said he would favor legislation making past abusers, such as Vick, undergo evaluations before owning another pet.

Such a bill has been proposed by Assemblyman James Tedisco, R-Schenectady, who spearheaded the original Buster's Law. Tedisco's proposal would create a registry of convicted animal abusers for pet stores, animal shelters and breeders. Anyone convicted of animal abuse would be prohibited from owning a pet unless they were deemed mentally capable to care for the animal.

The lawmaker has noticed a link between animal abuse and more violent crimes in notorious killers such as Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, David "Son of Sam" Berkowitz and Albert DeSalvo, known as the Boston Strangler.

At a glance

Here are key statistics under Buster's Law from 2005 to Nov. 22, 2010.

Arrests: 373

Felony convictions: 63 (17 percent)

Misdemeanor convictions: 112 (30 percent)

Pleaded to non-criminal offenses: 39 (11 percent)

Total convictions statewide: 214

Defendants serving time statewide: 94

Source: State Division of Criminal Justice Services.

A staff report in The Columbia Paper says the U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated Columbia, Greene, Dutchess, and Rensselaer counties in the state as natural disaster areas due to losses caused by a drought that began June 13, 2010 and continues. Columbia is also among 19 counties around the state designated by the USDA last week as natural disaster areas due to losses caused by frost, freezing, high winds, hail, excessive snow, excessive rain and cold temperatures that occurred from February 15 to May 12, 2010. “President Obama and I understand these conditions caused severe damage to a wide variety of crops including fruit and vegetable crops, and we want to help,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a December 20 press release announcing the drought declaration, as reported in The Columbia Paper. “This action will provide help to farmers who suffered significant production losses,” said the secretary. He visited the region earlier this year during the campaign season at the request of Congressman Scott Murphy. All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas December 17, 2010, making all qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible for low interest emergency (EM) loans from USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA), provided eligibility requirements are met. Local farmers have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses. FSA will consider each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability. FSA has a variety of programs, in addition to the EM loan program, to help eligible farmers recover from adversity. Interested farmers may contact their local USDA Service Centers for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures for these and other programs. Additional information is also available online at http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov. The Department of Enviromental Conservation says current drought conditions are normal.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="200" caption="Milk Thistle Farm in Ghent, as seen in a recent photo from its website."][/caption]So... just as we were done cleaning up from the big holiday snow, another blast lands. Front page news... more school closings and front page stories featuring local accidents and school closings. Are the heavens working to get us all in shape shoveling, or just trying to spread the wealth to everyone who's got a snowplow or kids old enough to shovel for money?

So how has it stacked up? The Daily Mail reports that most Greene County schools were either closed or dismissed students early as a result of Friday’s winter storm, which brought moderate snowfall amounts to the region and created slushy but dangerous driving conditions. Plus, the storm prompted a snow emergency declaration in Cairo and caused the village of Catskill to enforce alternate side parking rules with parking on the even side of the street from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. and the odd side of the street from 8 p.m. until 8 a.m., odnd even sides of the street designated by house numbers, and everthing in effect until further notice.

In Columbia County, which fared worse two weeks ago, the Register Star reports no schools canceled classes but did send students home early, and a number of accidents were reported. Meteorologist Kevin Lipton from the National Weather Service in Albany estimated that about 2 to 4 inches of snow had been dumped on Columbia County throughout Friday, with the largest burst of snowfall occurring between 4 and 5 p.m., and expected an additional 1 to 3 inches to fall throughout Friday evening. Locally, snowfall amounts could be higher, he noted.

No one would say whether this would be it for the season. As if...

What had been the brouhaha of the moment for the final weeks of 2010, when Hillsdale Supervisor Art Baer questioned party leaders' decision to oust him as the county's Chief Budget Officer, quietly receded into history with a unanimous vote at the county's reorganization meeting this week. What happened and why did things go quiet after a loud series of letters in the local papers between the county's Republican, Conservative and Independence Party chairmen and Baer, who said governance decisions should be in the hands of the people and their reopresentatives, rather than party political leaders. Francesca Olsen of the Register Star has a piece in this morning's paper that describes what happened and starts to hint at some of the forces that rule Columbia County these days, as well as the manner of governance, and quieter politics, we can expect over the year to come.

When Ken Wilber - a former Ghent supervisor before becoming County Treasurer 16 years ago - suggested, in an interview with Olsen, that Baer could spend more time campaigning without the added $11,000 job as the county budget officer, the Hillsdale supervisor replied that he hasn’t decided if he’s running yet. “Ken has been the budget officer before and I’m sure he’ll do a good job,” he said, adding that he’s proud of the work he’s done during his budget officer tenure, especially the 0 percent tax levy increase in the 2011 budget.

“This is the lowest increase in county taxes in living memory and it wasn’t easy to get there,” Baer added. “It’s rather significant for the county to have no increase in a time like this... This was Roy (Brown)’s decision. I did it last year at Roy’s request. Now he’s requested Ken to do it. I don’t have a problem with it.” Why he did in 2010, then, seems to be the question. Which may be wrapped up with many political decisions of the year now past. For the full Register-Star story click here.

Two media accounts of the report from scientists from the Harvard University School of Health Thursday night at Ravena High School about heavy metal exposure to members of the Ravena community differ enough to make one wonder what really happened there.

From The Albany Times-Union story Friday headlined "Town sees mercury spike":

"Nearly one person in 10 tested for toxic mercury had elevated blood levels enough to warrant a visit to their doctor, according to a study of people who live around the Lafarge cement plant by the Harvard University School of Public Health." -- Brain Nearing

From The Daily Mail story Saturday headlined "Harvard’s Lafarge test results inconclusive":

"Results from a study by the Harvard School of Public Health eagerly awaited by local environmental groups about the presence of heavy metals in human blood and hair in people from the Ravena area have proved inconclusive." -- Hilary Hawke

So what was said at the meeting? Let's go to the audiotape, or, digital file.

WGXC's Sam Sebren recorded the meeting, so you can hear for yourself what happened Thursday night at Ravena High. Click here to listen to an mp3 recording or paste the following url into your computer's media player:
http://www.wgxc.org/media/uploaded_files/2011/01/Harvardhealthprelimstudy_RavenaHigh_010611.mp3

UPDATE: Sunday, The Register-Star and The Daily Mail, ran the following correction to the story both papers ran on Saturday:

Editor's note: The percentages reported for higher than normal mercury levels in the "Harvard metals test results aren't definitive" story that ran Saturday was erroneously cited as 7.3 percent of the 172 participants.The correct number is 9 percent for adult blood samples and 10 percent for all participants' hair samples. The following is the corrected version of the story.

Sebren reports on the evening:

"A hundred or more people filled the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk High School auditorium Thursday night, Jan 6, 2011 for a presentation by Dr. John Spengler and Dr. Michael Bank from the Harvard University School of Health to report on the initial test results from the HSPH "Ravena Area Human Biomonitoring Project." During May 2010, 185 people living within a 10 mile radius of the LaFarge factory volunteered for blood and hair testing and completed a questionnaire to determine their fish consumption, smoking habits, and known or potential sources of heavy metal exposure. The project measured mercury levels in hair samples, and, lead, mercury, arsenic, selenium, aluminum, and cadmium in blood. The testing process is complex because contaminants enter bodies through a variety of pathways, both dietary and environmental. The Harvard doctors said further study was necessary, as much of the research was very preliminary. They did say one thing was conclusive: For total mercury in blood, "Ravena is higher than the national average," Dr. Bank said. Lead and cadmium levels tested lower than the national average. Though Dr. Spengler said none of the mercury in blood level results are determined to be toxic, further study will be required to determine if there are environmental sources of contaminants in Ravena that should be specifically addressed to safeguard the health of those in the community. Dr. Bank said, "This is a scratch in the surface, but a real solid scratch that confirms doing further research." The Harvard test is complicated by a New York State law restricting scientists to only using New York State laboratories to certify test results. The research team will be drafting a final report to be submitted for publication later in 2011. Dr. Bank states, "Low-level chronic exposure to heavy metal mixtures is something that needs attention. We are glad our investigation is helping to identify the people in the population who may be most at risk from the different heavy metals that we measured."

In The Daily Mail, Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin, R-108th District, was quoted reflecting that paper's version of events. “I believe Lafarge is on the right track with the modernization project and I’d like to see it go up as quickly as possible," McLaughlin told Hawke. "It’s a big job provider and the company is trying to improve and take care of issues. Let’s face it, the plant is not going away. We should do everything we can to make sure Lafarge builds a new one ASAP.”

The study had been initiated by a grassroots advocacy group, Community Advocates for Safe Emissions (CASE), which advocates for tougher controls on mercury pollution from the Lafarge plant across Route 9W from the high school. "This study is significant, and raises a lot of questions," said CASE co-founder Elyse Kunz told Nearing in the Times-Union. "It begs what the state Health Department has been telling us, that there was no problem if people were not eating the fish."

Times-Union story

The Daily Mail story

Fox23: "High mercury levels found in Ravena residents"

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="325" caption="Photo from Hudson River Historic Boat Restoration and Sailing Society website."][/caption]WGXC's Mark Lacoy recorded the meeting at Wunderbar Thursday night about the historic Hudson River Sloop Eleanor and the new not-for-profit being organized to restore the ship. The Hudson River Historic Boat Restoration and Sailing Society, hopes to restores the 108-year-old Sloop Eleanor, which has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1982. Putting the boat back in the Hudson River for locals and tourists might be one outcome of these just-beginning efforts. Casson Kennedy, a ship restorer from Martha's Vineyard and WGXC volunteer, and Louise Bliss, whose father, the late Philip Egan, acquired Eleanor in 1951, are behind the efforts. Listen to an mp3 audio recording of the meeting here, or copy and paste the following url and open a url with your computer's media player:
http://www.wgxc.org/media/uploaded_files/2011/01/SloopEleanorMeeting_Wunderbar_WGXC_010611.mp3

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="134" caption="Marc Molinaro, from his website."][/caption]Assemblyman Marc Molinaro (R,I,C-Red Hook) today was named by Governor Cuomo to the newly-formed Mandate Relief Redesign Team, according to a press release from Molinaro. The Dutchess/Columbia County representing Assemblyman joins other officials from across the state to examine unfunded and under-funded mandates imposed by the state onto school, local government, and other local taxing districts. “I am thankful to join Governor Cuomo’s ‘Team’ and begin our work to address the enormous burden placed on local schools and governments due to many of Albany’s excessive and archaic requirements,” said Molinaro. “As a former mayor and County Legislator, and now as a state representative, I have witnessed the significant impact of these mandates. They impede local governments’ ability to operate and saddle taxpayers."

The legislators from the majority and minority conferences of the Senate and Assembly are, Betty Little, Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Denny Farrell, and Molinaro.

[caption id="attachment_2699" align="alignright" width="175" caption="Craig Remaley, owner of Mountain T-Shirts in Catskill, speaks with then-Congressional candidate Chris Gibson Aug. 24, 2010. Photo by Tom Roe."][/caption]Congressman Chris Gibson (NY-20), newly elected to represent Greene and Columbia counties in Congress, makes his first national television appearance as a Congressman Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” with Christiane Amanpour. “This Week” profiles three freshman Members of the 112th Congress Sunday (in addition to Congressman Gibson, “This Week” also profiles Congressman Bobby Schilling [R-IL] and Sen. Mike Lee [R-UT].) Gibson spoke with Amanpour about his military background, why he ran for Congress, and his priorities in Congress. "This Week" airs at 9 a.m. Sunday on WTEN.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="216" caption="New facade plans for the Coxsackie-Athens Middle School are but one of a host of new ideas flooding local school districts, along with doom and gloom budget talks."][/caption]Not all educational talk is about budget cuts and consolidation these days. Thank heaven. The Daily Mail reports today that "to keep up with the demand of employers and the mores of higher education, the Coxsackie-Athens Central School District last week opened a new discussion about how the district can keep up with the changing times."

Board of Education member Beth Tailleur was one of several district officials who recently attended a workshop with Dr. John King, a deputy commissioner with the State Education Department, who explored how education should evolve and change over the next three to five years. At the December meeting of the Board of Ed, Tailleur shared some of those insights with the board and the community. “I was very taken with Dr. King at the meeting,” Tailleur said. “I have read a lot about educational policy – I like it when people research things and think about how to do things differently.”

Changing educational philosophy and state mandates are one way reporter Melanie Lekocevic says the State Education Department,is looking to increase the competitiveness of American students compared to their peers around the globe.

District officials Leslie Copleston, chief financial officer, and Kerry Houlihan, chief of curriculum, instruction and assessment, have also been involved in discussions over improving the future of education.

“We are not producing students who are college- or career-ready, and this is a nationwide issue,” Tailleur said. “That should be our goal. Every kid who leaves our building should have the skills they need to get through their first year of college or get a job with health care.”

Statewide, only 71% of students graduate high school.

“We at C-A are doing a better job than the statewide average, but the state is saying we need to make some changes,” Tailleur said.

SED worked with employers to identify some of the skills they will need in future employees, and ways the educational system can meet those needs.

Some ideas include improving teacher preparation, putting teachers in the classroom more during their own education; replacing failing schools, which is not an issue locally but is in other areas of the state; raising graduation rates for at-risk students; transforming the New York State Education Department; curriculum and professional development to give students a world-class curriculum; and expanding and improving access to early childhood education to give our youngest students a leg up.

Some ideas could include offering more programs that enable kids to graduate who are not looking to attend college afterward, but rather want to focus on vocational training so they are ready for the workplace.

For students who are looking at college, requirements may be upped to include a four year curriculum in both math and science to ensure they are prepared for secondary education.

For some, there may be flexibility in taking courses in middle school – such as the possibility of earning high school credits early. And there may be innovative ways to earn some credits, as well.

“Distance learning could provide more flexibility, where kids who take the time can learn the work without taking an entire class,” Houlihan said.

For all students, longer school days and an extended school year may also be in the future.

Students who can demonstrate they have mastered specific classes may be able to take competency tests to earn the credit and then use that time to take another class instead.

With a sluggish economy, addressing some of these issues could be more challenging than usual because districts will be forced to do more with less, and improve efficiencies to cut down on costs, Tailleur added. (See accompanying article.)

The workshop was only the start of the discussions – State Education officials are expected to attend the Greene County School Board meeting in January to discuss issues more in-depth.

“This is the time for change,” Tailleur said. “It is happening on the national level, and it is happening on the state level. We have to look at ways we can do things better.”

A new hot water rebate program announced by the state will allow potential buyers to purchase a solar hot water system worth $9,000 for just under $3,000 — making it one of the best rebate programs in the entire country. In a story running in this week's Chatham Courier by Paul Crossman, Sundog Solar Vice President Betsy Wyman says that within half an hour of sending out a press release about this rebate, she had already received six or seven excited calls inquiring about it. She also said that this new rebate program is even better than some of the previous tax credits given, since the customer doesn’t even have to pay the rebate money — it’s given right from the state to the installer. “It really gives [the customer] a great deal,” she said. “The cost of the total project is somewhat offset by this rebate … and it can be a big portion. The big obstacle for going solar is the upfront cost. Anything that does something to lower that cost can help the industry quite a bit.” The only big caveat? Since the program is still relatively new, very few installers have the required New York state Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) certification required to get the rebate. Sundog Solar does not yet have certification, but Wyman said they have applied and should receive it very soon and in all probability, it will make them one of the first providers in New York state to have it.

“This is a true win-win situation,” said Sundog Solar President Jody Rael. “The solar thermal rebate, along with the federal and state tax credits, will reduce the cost of a typical system to under $3,000, putting solar in reach for most New Yorkers. System owners should see a quick return on their investment many times over, all while reducing the release of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere.”

According to Sundog Solar, the average American spends about 17 percent of their utility bill to pay to heat their hot water. This new program will help fund roof-mounted solar collectors which will transfer heat from the sun to a fluid that is pumped to a solar storage tank connected to the existing hot water tank. When the sun is out, the system turns on, providing free heated water from the sun.

At night, or when the sun is down, the existing hot water system is still usable, which means the house will always have a source of hot water. Using the sun to preheat the water not only saves money, but is a great way of going green. According to Wyman, the system can offset between 65 and 75 percent of the 17 percent of the utility bill used to heat water.

One of the highlights of the rebate — $1.50 per watt for every kilowatt hour saved up to $4,000 — is that most solar hot water systems will pay for themselves in only three to four years.

According to Wyman, the rebate level will decrease as funding milestones are met, so the best bet is to get involved while the rebate program is relatively new. She also said that the funding is mostly geared toward off-setting electric hot water usage, but there is also some funding available for those heating hot water with oil and gas.

Once they receive their NYSERDA certification, Wyman estimates that it will take around three months from the initial consultation until the final installation of the solar panels, although she admitted that because the program is new, it is tough to be sure. While the installation only takes about three days, she said the rest of the time is spent on getting the state to accept the rebate and then the paperwork, all of which is done by the installer, not the homeowner.

Wyman and Rael both agreed that the new rebate program will not only be good for solar providers, customers and the environment, but for the solar industry as a whole. The two are also pleased that Sundog Solar was part of the solar thermal energy consortium that came together to brainstorm ideas about how to keep solar thermal growth up, one of which was this rebate.

“Because of this rebate, we are really anticipating solar thermal to grow as a whole in New York,” said Wyman. “We couldn’t be more excited.”

To learn more about the program or solar energy in general, visit Sundog Solar’s website at www.sundogsolar.net or for a free solar evaluation, call (518) 392-4000, ext. 207.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="The Greenport Rescue Squad's main facility is located just off Route 23B near the Cedar Park Cemetery. Photo from GRS website."][/caption]The Register Star reports this morning that around half a dozen members of the Greenport Rescue Squad turned out for their town's Wednesday night reorganization meeting to protest cuts in EMS funding for the coming year. Part of the problem, Francesca Olsen writes, is that in 2010, neighboring Claverack paid out $50,000 in total funding to the rescue squads serving the town — half to Greenport Rescue, and half to the now-defunct Philmont Rescue Squad, which ceased operation last November due to financial difficulties. In 2011, the amount going to Greenport Rescue Squad will rise to $35,000 goes to Greenport Rescue Squad... but the squad is saying it had been expecting the whole amount to cover facility and equipment upgrades. Councilman Robert Preusser responded that the board never heard from GRS in writing, expressing their need for the entire $50,000 allocation. What seems to be happening here, when grouped with a growing litany of similar complaints about cuts from public servants and volunteers, is a correction to the anti-government sentiments, and actions, of last year.

“You did make a big commitment stepping up and we appreciate that,” he said.

GRS Deputy Chief Tony Merante said the squad has already opened a Philmont substation to the tune of $22,000.

“We didn’t have to do this at all,” he continued. “We came out here, trying to do the right thing. Now it looks like the town’s not doing the right thing.”

“We met with you — we met face to face,” Merante said. “We didn’t put it in writing. I guess talking face to face meant nothing.”

“We should have communicated better with you guys and vice versa,” Preusser said. “We will work together to make it correct.”

“There’s no sense in you guys coming here to chew us out,” said Councilman Clifford Weigelt. “We don’t have to sit here and get mad at each other.”

Councilman Michael Johnston said that the Philmont Rescue Squad came to the board with their funding issues on three different occasions. “We said, ‘put a plan together,’” he said. “Never once did they come to us...we are open to sit down and discuss this as gentlemen without any problems.”

“We were surprised by this,” Merante said. “I supported coming out here to Philmont ... my surprise is (these cuts) happened without us knowing about it.”

Johnston pointed out that the village of Philmont does not contribute to funding the rescue squad and didn’t contribute to the budget of the Philmont Rescue Squad. “You need to be in front of the village board as well,” he said. “We want the same thing that you want: for the public to be safe.”

The board decided they’d dedicate an evening, probably in March, to address the conflict head-on. “We’re sorry it had to come to this,” Preusser said. The discussion ended amicably.

Also during the meeting (and the reorganization meeting that preceded it), town board workshop meetings were moved to the fourth Monday of every month. Supervisor Robin Andrews announced that Jay Brosseau, chair of the town Planning Board, is retiring — a new chair will be chosen, and the town has received four applications for new planning board members who will be interviewed shortly.

Peter Reiss, chair of the town’s agricultural committee, reported on the ongoing work the committee is doing towards a farmland protection plan. Reiss said they’re looking at different ways to engage farmers and get their input, probably via a survey.

“The emphasis in our message is that agriculture is an economic issue within our town and one of the drivers in our economic plan,” he said. “It’s hard. We want to get something started while farmers are in a quiet time. When spring comes, they’re not going to have time for us.”

Public hearings regarding the Philmont fire district contract and property tax exemptions for senior citizens and the disabled were set for the next town board meeting, Feb. 2, at 7 p.m.

As if following up on a piece we did yesterday about the effects of the new DEC Commissioner's past experience on the ski industry in the region, Mid Hudson News Network and several other regional news outlets have pieces up this morning about a press release from the Catskill Watershed Corporation yesterday. "The Catskill Watershed Corporation will study possible alternatives to state ownership of the Belleayre Mountain Ski Center," reads the piece. "The state Department of Environmental Conservation operates the facility and with deep budget cuts, there are concerns services at the resort will suffer, negatively impacting the Catskills tourism industry. The Catskill Watershed Corporation, meanwhile, will look at other possible ways to operate Belleayre and present them to state lawmakers, said its Executive Director, Alan Rosa.

“We have to look at that and what that means to Belleayre and what our options are,” Rosa is quoted saying. “We may not have many options other than leaving it with DEC or perhaps looking at an authority type entity or maybe there can be a way it can be permitted and it can be permitted and it can be a revenue generating stream for the state.”

Rosa said it is not likely that Belleayre could be privatized. The Watershed Corporation’s board approved the investigation.

Rosa said Belleayre and privately owned ski centers in the region are key to maintaining a tourism and recreation-based economy in the Catskills. “The uncertainty we’re seeing at Belleayre is not conducive to building a tourist economy,” he said. “We need more stability there.”

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="200" caption="New York's small town bankers shook off the holiday mantle of It's A Wonderful Life's Mr. Potter this week with a reminder of their difference from Wall Street behemoths, and the state's need to remember that when considering new oversight agency mergers."][/caption]The Times Union's Capitol Confidential blog has a short piece this morning about how the new merger of the state's banking and insurance industry oversight agencies may not be in the best interest of small town banks, the sorts of institutions that still play a large role in communities such as ours here in Columbia and Greene counties.

Herein the press release itself...

"The Independent Bankers Association of New York State is comprised of community banks located throughout New York State. Governor Cuomo in his first State of the State address recommended the creation of a Department of Financial Regulation which would merge the Banking Department, the Insurance Department, and the Consumer Protection Board. Chairman, Paul P. Mello of Solvay Bank, stated that, “we share the Governor’s objective of better regulation of modern financial services organizations”. In his speech, The Governor cited Wall Street corruption as a motivation for this change. Frank J. Capaldo, President and CEO of IBANYS commented, “The members of the Independent Bankers Association of NYS are confident that the Governor and the New York State Banking Department appreciate that community banks are located on Main Street, not on Wall Street, and are not complex financial services organizations that need additional regulatory oversight.” Capaldo stated, “IBANYS and its Legislative Counsel, William Y. Crowell III, are anxious to review the details of the Governor’s proposal, and to work cooperatively to achieve a positive result.”

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="200" caption="A classic Washington Post file photo from the days of the Three Mile Island nuclear power disaster, which ended the construction of new nuclear plants, including one pegged for Greene County, back in the late 1970s."][/caption]Carol Osterink of The Gossips of Rivertown wrote a great piece of contextualizing journalism yesterday tracing freshman Congressman Chris Gibson's recently stated intention to site nuclear power plants in his district back to a 1974 plan to build a nuclear power plant in the Greene County town of Catskill, in the community once known as Cementon and since renamed Smiths Landing. "The project, called the Greene County Nuclear Power Plant, was canceled in 1979, not long after the partial core meltdown at Three-Mile Island in Pennsylvania," Osterink writes. Further research unveils that, at the time 36 years ago, possible sites for a nuclear power plant, to be constructed by the New York State Power Authority, were reduced to two, both in Greene County. "The possible power plant sites are at the site of the Lehigh Cement Co. property in Cementon and a location near Athens, between the New York Central Rail Lines and Flats Road Extension." For Gossips full story click here.

Hannaford Supermarkets' push to put in a new supermarket at the corner of Routes 9 and 82 in the Town of Livingston in Columbia County got hit with a stall this week, Lindsay Suchow of the Register Star reports today, when the town's planning board noted parking problems with the company's proposal at a Planning Board meeting on Wednesday night where Hannaford reps presented their site plan for review. Planners said the site plan was ultimately not accepted because the amount of proposed parking spots was not in conformance with town code, but the board found most of the details of the project to be satisfactory and Hannaford will appear before the Zoning Board of Appeals in pursuit of a variance next month.

Civil engineer William Hoffman of South Portland, Maine-based firm Deluca-Hoffman said the proposed market will be about 25,000 square feet — about half the size of the Hannaford markets in Red Hook and Kinderhook, Planning Board Chairman Lawrence Hermance noted — with the front of the store facing north. There will be customer entrances from both Route 9 and Route 82, while tractor trailers would enter from Route 82 behind the store, Hoffman said. A drive-thru pharmacy will be situated on the side of the store, in addition to pharmacy access inside. During a peak shift, the store would employ around 23 people.

Hoffman explained that the site plan dictates the merging of two different lots, each owned by Adam and Blake Becker. Once the Becker lots are merged into one 3.23-acre lot, Hoffman said, Hannaford will subdivide a triangular .3-acre parcel to the neighboring Happy Clown ice cream stand.

Planning Board Attorney J. Theodore Hilscher was quick to point out that merging lots does not come before the planning board but requires working with the assessors office. Town Assessor Kenneth Leggett was present at the meeting and said the merging of the lots was “no complicated process.”

Hoffman said the building will be constructed in adherence to the Leadership in Environmental Energy and Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System established by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Several months were spent studying the site, Hoffman said, including infiltration testing (since the roof of the building will be designed to reintroduce storm water back into the ground) and “geotechnical” testing, which involves surveying the soil and rock of the area.

Hoffman found the area to have “good, competent soil.”

An underground cistern will hold 60,000 gallons of water for fire fighting, Hoffman said, and while under 1,500 gallons of septic output is expected, the septic tank will be designed for a “peak day,” or a 2,400-gallon output.

Hoffman indicated that three 1,000-gallon propane tanks would be fenced in on four sides with two gates in an area behind the store.

Planning board member James McFarland and two residents who attended the meeting all expressed concern over the decision not to bury the propane tanks, and encouraged Hoffman to think about doing so.

Hoffman said while he has experienced problems in the past with burying propane tanks, with the earth and ground around the tanks “freezing up,” he would consider putting the tanks underground.

Hoffman said under the town’s zoning ordinance, the supermarket would need to have 165 parking spaces, which he said was “unnecessary.”

“With a grocery store, parking demand is fairly level,” said Hoffman, adding that the project would bank LEED points “if we don’t overbuild the parking.”

Since trimming the amount of parking would require a zoning variance, the board ultimately did not accept the site plan in order to enable Hoffman and Hannaford project manager J. Lord (who was also at the meeting) to appear before the ZBA; a denial letter from Planning Board Secretary Eileen Yandik would be required in order for Hannaford to appeal, she explained.

Lord and Hoffman will appear before the ZBA at its next regularly scheduled meeting at 7 p.m. Feb. 1, and then will likely return to the planning board to seek approval at the following month’s meeting (7 p.m. March 2). If all goes as planned, Hoffman said, construction will begin in the springtime and will take about 10 months to complete.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="200" caption="The Central House or Phygianum of the Maetreum of Cybele in Palenville, as seen in the 1930s in a photo from the religious group's website."][/caption]A Palenville pagan sect fighting for the town’s recognition as a religious entity says it will not stop, even if it needs to go federal, Colin DeVries reports in this morning's Daily Mail, writing about how an ongoing tax battle with the Town of Catskill by the Maetreum of Cybele, Magna Mater has entered its fifth year, with the municipality continuing to deny a religious property the tax exemption it once granted for 2006. The exemption, DeVries writes, was denied in 2007 when the town claimed that the property, and not the religious group itself, did not conform to the real property tax law’s definition for an exempt not-for-profit religious organization. The women of the Maetreum, meanwhile, insist that their home, an old boarding house structure once known as the Central House hotel, has been consistently used as a house of charitable works, a temple, a pagan retreat, and a convent for pagan priestesses.

Meanwhile, The Maetreum of Cybele, Magna Mater, Inc. is recognized as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) religious organization by the IRS.

The property, assessed at $135,000, includes the three-story former hotel and a two-story residence on three acres.

Cathryn Platine, the Maetreum’s spiritual leader, continues to fight for the priestess’ right to operate a religious organization who seeks to play a charitable role in the community.

“Our goal is to give us back our exemption and give us back the money that they’ve extorted from us,” she said. “We’ve been completely up front and answered everything from the beginning.”

Attorney Valeria Gheorghiu of Kingston has continued to advocate the Maetreum’s position since filing a lawsuit against the town in 2009.

The town’s attorney, Daniel Vincelette, moved to dismiss the 2009 case because there were no facts supporting religious activity on the property.

That motion was denied by Greene County Court Judge George J. Pulver in October 2010.

Gheorghiu filed another petition against the town assessor, Nancy McCoy, in July 2010, arguing the property was conforming to the religious property statute and should be granted the exemption for 2010 as well.

Gheorghiu and Platine are also fight for something greater.

“This isn’t just for us, this is for all minority religions,” Platine said. “They took on the wrong people this time and I don’t understand why they don’t just cut their losses.”

Platine said the Maetreum has spent about $10,000 in legal fees fighting to preserve their property in Palenville with a “very, very reasonably priced attorney.”

The town, Platine estimated, has spent over $50,000 on attorney fees to remove an exemption that would net the town less than $750 annually at the current town tax rate.

“I’m amazed that (the town) is continuing this,” she said. “We’re prepared to take it to federal court.”

The town budgets $40,000 annually for tax certiorari cases and, according to Catskill Town Comptroller Sandy Misevcis on Tuesday, the town spent at least $73,000 fighting property tax cases in 2010.

Most of the tax battles have a larger affect on the Catskill Central School District, Misevcis said. The district supplies the town funds for tax litigation and, Misevcis said, amendments to the town’s tax certiorari fund increased to $108,000.

“They roll over for Wal-Mart and keep spending it on us?” Platine said, referring to tax assessment concessions that are continually granted for the corporate conglomerate of Catskill Commons. “The cost-benefit to the town for denying us our legitimate exemption is phenomenal.”

Platine said she and her other priestesses have received ample support from the pagan community nationwide, and they are ready to bring this fight for religious status to the top.

“I would love a resolution to this,” she said. “Their case just keeps getting worse and worse and worse.”

Vincelette filed another motion to dismiss the case in November 2010. The motion featured the deposition of a woman the Maetreum took in as part of their emergency housing assistance program.

The woman, who Platine said lived at the residence for about two months last summer, claimed they were not a practicing religious organization. Platine said the woman was disgruntled and simply chose not to participate in any of their religious ceremonies, of which participation is voluntary to emergency housing guests.

Emergency housing assistance is part of the Maetreum’s charitable work, Platine said, and a Jewish woman has recently taken up residence there to get out of an abusive domestic situation.

The court has yet to rule on the motion.

Even as this court battle continues to be waged, Platine and her supporters press on, holding ceremonies and events at their property.

Last summer they hosted the second annual Pagan Pride Day, featuring unique crafts and workshops to help educate on various pagan religious movements.

As the case moves forward into 2011, Platine said she is prepared to file another grievance for the tax exemption, though she hopes there will be a resolution before then.

The Extra Helpings Program is accepting orders for February, which must be placed by Feb. 3. The cooperative food-buying program is offered by the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York. The menus include items that are purchased at wholesale prices and passed on to individuals buying bags of food. The program is open to everyone. Individuals wishing to participate should contact the sponsoring agency in their area. Payment is expected at the time of the order and can be made in person or through the mail. Sponsoring agencies include: Community Action of Greene County in Catskill, (518) 943-9205, ext. 108; and the Greene County Department for the Aging’s Senior Service Centers in Acra, (518) 622-9898, Jewett (518), 263-4392, and at the Rivertown Senior Center in Athens, (518) 945-2700.

Tune in today
TUNE IN WGXC will air the following live shows on WGXC Online Radio Friday:
•WGXC Morning Show 6-8 a.m. live with Casson Kennedy and Mark Lacoy; repeated at 9-11 a.m. and 4-6 p.m.
Click here to listen.

Town meetings tonight
INTERNET SAFETY The Philmont Public Library hosts a talk on internet safety for individuals. Nick Selby will be the presenter. He is an analyst and computer security consultant to Fortune 1000 companies and law enforcement agencies. He is a widely-quoted and published author on the subject of computer network security. Selby is on the faculty of IANS, the Institute for Applied Network Security. The talk will cover areas such as: How can you protect yourself when you surf online, and why do you need to? 7 p.m. at 101 Main St., Philmont, 518-672-5010.

Weather
SNOW Five inches? Winter Storm Watch in effect until 6 a.m. Saturday.

Astronomical bodies
TIDES Hudson: High, 4:51 p.m./Low, 11:08 p.m.
SUNRISE/SUNSET 7:24 a.m./4:39 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 9:03 a.m./8:17 p.m.

Birthdays
JANUARY 7: Charles Addams, Ross Grimsley, and Nicholson Baker.

Casey Seiler and Jimmy Vielkind in the Albany Times-Union report:

President Barack Obama will visit Schenectady Tuesday, his second visit to the Capital Region since taking office in 2009. The White House confirmed the visit Thursday. Two sources familiar with the trip said he will visit a General Electric facility, such as the company's power systems or global research centers.... Obama visited Hudson Valley Community College in September 2009 to tout the school's high-tech training programs.

Governor Andrew Cuomo today announced $3.2 million in grants through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) for farmers to save on energy costs. The program provides financial incentives to support 75 percent of the cost of electricity and gas efficiency investments. Farms that are eligible for the grants include: orchards, dairies, vineyards, maple producers, egg and poultry farms, grain, specialty crops, and others. Upgrades covered in the grants include: process improvements, lighting upgrades, and high-efficiency fan, pump, and motor systems, and other measures. Small farms could be eligible for free energy audits to assist in identifying energy efficiency projects. "The state's agricultural sector helps fuel our economy and put food on our table, and we have a plan to make New York farms even more competitive," Governor Cuomo said. "These grants will improve the energy efficiency of farming operations and lower costs for farmers. This not only protects farming jobs, it creates green jobs for the people making the improvements." Past NYSERDA programs demonstrate that a typical dairy farm can save 20 to 30 percent of its energy bill with cost-effective energy efficiency improvements at an average seven-year payback. The Agriculture Energy Efficiency Program can provide a typical dairy farm with $2,700 to $4,000 per year in savings from a farm investment of $4,800 to $7,000. For more information about the Agriculture Energy Efficiency program, visit www.nyserda.org/programs/agriculture, or call 1-800-732-1399.