Daniel Zuckerman is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Greene County Legislature Public Safety Committee will vote September 5, on a resolution to borrow $39 million in to pay for the construction of a new jail facility in Coxsackie. Legislator Charles Martinez, a Republican who represents Coxsackie, and a member of the Public Safety Committee, is voting in favor of the bond because delaying the project continues to cost taxpayers money, he said. “It’ll be interesting Wednesday night,” Martinez said. “We need a jail here in Greene County and I don’t care what the opposition says.” Legislator Aidan O’Connor Jr., a Democrat who represents Durham, said every time the legislature discusses the jail, he has walked away learning something new, adding that he is looking for concrete facts before making a decision. “We need to have an ink-to-paper plan,” he said. “I’m certainly hoping in the September session there will be a conversation, not one of emotion, but one of fact.” Ellen Schorsch, of Windham, is a member of Smart Greene Government, which supports a shared jail with Columbia County. “If you’re a poor person, you don’t buy a Porsche. If you’re a poor county, you don’t quadruple your debt,” Schorsch said. “That’s what we’re focusing on. We’re trying to influence legislators who we believe there’s hope for.” The group wants to educate the public about the project because many residents are not fully aware of it, Schorsch said. If the measure is approved by the Public Safety Committee it will then go Finance, September 17, and then on to the full legislature, September 19. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.