Harold Hanson, from his blog, Threads.
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Tags: antiques, business, Harold Hanson, Warren Street
WGXC Town Recorder Sam Sebren reports from the Greene IDA public meeting about the proposed New Baltimore water park:
Close to 150 people attended a 4 hour long public presentation and question-and-answer session at the Catskill High school last night for the proposed Great Wolf Water Park to be situated near the thruway exit in New Baltimore. First there was a presentation given by the Greene Industrial Development Agency, which is coordinating the deal, and representatives from Great Wolf who will operate the park, and MAR Holdings, the developer of the project. What was unusual about this meeting was that all Greene County Legislators were in attendance and were given the chance to ask questions. After the legislators, the public asked questions. The $115 million dollar project, which requires a great deal of additional infrastructure and would be an enclosed, indoor resort with a 400-room hotel, is controversial for residents and business owners in the area and is strongly opposed by the Kerrigans, owners of Zoom Flume who recently built a million dollar addition to their outdoor water park in East Durham. The IDA has created a website, www.greenewaterpark.com with more information about the project.
Here is a clip of the public comment period. PLAY CLIP
Here is a clip of the Greene County legislators asking the IDA questions about the project. PLAY CLIP
Tune in at 9 a.m. Sat., Dec. 10, and WGXC will air some of the public comments on 90.7-FM.
Tags: business, Catskill High School, Great Wolf Resorts, taxes, water park, Zoom Flume
From Welcome to Catskill website, Mountainside Cafe opens in Catskill with Rep. Chris Gibson (hand on sandwhich) and Vincent Seeley (far right).
Tags: business, Mountainside Cafe, Sweet Sensations Chocolates, Vincent Seeley
Windham Vineyard grapes, from their website.
• Windham Winery
“Highest elevation vineyard and winery in the Northeast,” website boasts. “We produce small batches of hand crafted fine wines including Riesling, Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, estate grown specialties, fruit wines & dessert wines.” Windham Vineyard & Winery, County Route 10, Windham, NY, 12496. 518-734-5214
• Tousey Winery
Riesling, Rose, Cabernet, Pinot Noir, and others, and a Chardonnay coming soon. Tousey Winery, 1774 Rt 9, Germantown, NY, 12526. info@touseywinery.com, 518-567-5462
• Hudson-Chatham Winery
The winery features a tasting room with hand-crafted wines, cheeses, and desserts, and includes vineyard tours and a gazebo with scenic views. 1900 Route 66, Ghent, NY, 12075. 518-821-7253
Tags: agriculture, Albany, Andrew Cuomo, business, Darrel J. Aubertine, farming, grapes, Hudson-Chatham Winery, Tousey Winery, Windham Winery, wine, wineries
Adam Sichko in the Albany Business Review reports New York state regulators have cleared Lafarge North America Inc. to modernize its aging cement plant in Ravena. Permits have been issued after months of review, draft reports and public comment periods, all conducted by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. The DEC announced the permits on Thursday. Lafarge says up to 800 workers wil be involved in the construction there, costing a few hundred million dollars. John Reagan, environmental manager for the Ravena plant, told the Business Review he expects Lafarge to break ground this fall. Lafarge calculates the construction project will generate $170 million in wages for construction workers, purchases from local supplies, and other spending. “Environmental watchdog groups and other interest groups have criticized Lafarge’s pollution in the past. Federal data show Lafarge had the fifth-largest mercury emissions of any site in New York in 2009, in any industry,” Sichko writes. and then quotes New York DEC commissioner Joseph Martens saying, “Lafarge has demonstrated its commitment to some of the most rigorous environmental standards in the country. In addition, this new facility will ensure a continued local supply of a critical building material.” Read the full story in the Business Review.
Tags: business, DEC, environment, jobs, Joseph Martens, Lafarge
Gas drilling press conferences
A coalition of environmental groups hold a press conference in Albany Thursday, July 7, to deliver a sign-on letter to Governor Cuomo asking him to ban high-impact hydraulic fracturing gas drilling. The press conference will be at 11:30 am at the Legislative Office Building, LCA Room 120, in Albany. Citizens Campaign for the Environment will release the results of their mapping project of lands leased by gas developers throughout the eight counties in the Finger Lakes Region of New York, showing the threat to agricultural and tourism by the gas drilling. That press conference is at 10 a.m. in the Press Room, at the Legislative Office Building, LCA Room, in Albany.
Justice retires, cites health
Audra Jornov in the Register-Star reports that Valatie Village Justice Edward “Archie” Williams, resigned on Friday, July 1 due to health reasons. Williams had been the town’s justice since 1983, and the Kinderhook Town Board now needs to decide if they will appoint a new judge or wait until the upcoming fall elections. “We are having a regular audit meeting on the 14th of the month. David Dellehunt, from the Office of Court Administration is going to meet with the town board members and talk to them about options for an appointment of justice,” said Town Supervisor Patrick Grattan. “We are just going to talk to him and see what he says.” The story says that Williams is at the Barnwell Nursing Home in Valatie and was unavailable for comment as of press time. Read the full story in the Register-Star.
Second quarter patents in Tech Valley slip
“The Tech Valley Patent Index was down significantly [in the Second Quarter of 2011], actually dropping below 800 for the first time in over a year. However, the Capital Region indices remained strong compared to last quarter” said Spencer Warnick, partner at Hoffman Warnick, an intellectual property law firm based in Albany, NY, that tracks patent applications for the region. “The Capital Region numbers, however, are encouraging because they indicate less reliance on the large corporations, GE and IBM, that typically provide most of the issued patents in our area,” Warnick says.
The Albany Business Review reports that net earnings per cow for dairy farms in our region rose $782 per cow last year, according to the Farm Credit’s Northeast Dairy Farm Summary report. In 2009, by comparison, cows in New York, New Jersey, and New England were costing farmers $386 each, rather then earning them money. The news this year was not all good: Debt per cow was at $3,337, the highest in the 32 years the report has been compiled. Read the entire story in The Albany Business Review.
Tags: agriculture, business, cows, dairy farms, farming, farms
Ann Gibbons in The Daily Freeman writes about how you can now get a cup of coffee in downtown Catskill after 3 p.m. Gibbons profiles The Chocolate Café, formerly located on Bridge Street as The Candy Man, now on Brandow’s Alley just across the street from the Greene County Office Building, and very close to Main St. Angelo and Shannon Amato, the shop’s owners, took over the business in 2007. Amato offers all the chocolate and ice cream he already offered at the Bridge St. location, adding coffees, teas and other beverages. “People have asked me if I’m going to offer sandwiches and I’ve said, ‘no. Catskill has several good places already. I want to keep it dessert-ish,’” he told the newspaper. Read the entire story in The Daily Freeman.
Tags: business, The Chocolate Cafe
Biz partner files lawsuit against Local Ocean
Jamie Larson in the Register-Star reports that industrial fish farm Local Ocean is being sued by G.F.A. Advanced Systems, the Israeli company which developed the proprietary waste and water recycling system technology used by the Greenport-based business. The suit, filed in Tel Aviv District Court, alleges that Local Ocean CEO Efraim Basson and The Sanit Group violated their joint venture agreement with G.F.A. since Local Ocean opened in 2009. G.F.A. sent a statement to the Register-Star Monday, but Larson writes that it lacks specific claims, and that otherwise officials from both sides kept mum. G.F.A.’s statement claims Local Ocean’s agreement, “states that any subsequent development to the patented technology and related know-how by Local Ocean will be the property of G.F.A.” Read the entire story in the Register-Star.
32-unit senior housing project awaits word on funds
Emilia Teasdale in The Columbia Paper reports that a developer for a proposed $7-million, 32-unit senior living housing project on two acres along Route 203 in Valatie says the project has all necessary local approvals but his group is waiting for $1 million in funds from the New York State Housing Trust. Bruce Levine of 3D Development Group, LLC, of Amherst, NY, told The Columbia Paper reporter that they should hear about those funds this summer and, if approved, construction would begin at the end of year. The project, called Valatie Senior Housing, already has $357,000 from the state Department of Agriculture. Levine developed the Valatie Woods senior apartments on River Street in the village, as well as projects in Chatham and Hudson. Read the rest of the story in The Columbia Paper.
New Yorkers’ consumer confidence drops in April
The Albany Business Review reports that New Yorker’s consumer confidence fell in April while the country’s consumer confidence rose. New York’s confidence level — which measures people’s willingness to spend, as opposed to their ability to spend — fell 2.7 points to 64.9, according to a Siena Research Institute survey. The U.S. level rose 2.3 points to 69.8, according to the University of Michigan. A 75.0 level is the break-even point, where an equal percentage of people are optimistic and pessimistic. “As gas prices rose above $4 and grocery bills climbed, consumer confidence dipped among New Yorkers this month,” said Doug Lonnstrom, a professor of statistics at Siena College and the founding director of the institute. Read the full Albany Business Review story for complete details.
Tags: Bruce Levine, business, G.F.A. Advanced Systems, Local Ocean, Valatie Senior Housing
Athens Lemonade Day stand.
Catskill Girl Scouts set up this stand on Route 9W for Lemonade Day.
Click here to listen to mp3 of Dylan Himes in Lemonade Day in Coxsackie, interview by Tom Roe.
Tags: business, Lemonade Day, youth
Here’s some good news from the January 30 Sunday Times Union, sort of. Seems that New York now ranks number seven in the nation for the most jobs created within the past year, according to data released by Business First. But then the real numbers sink in, along with the hard lessons of raw data. Texas is at the top of the list with a whopping 230,800 jobs created last year, followed by California with 87,500 and Pennsylvania with 65,600 jobs, then Illinois, Massachusetts, Florida and New York with 37,000, just ahead of Virginia, Washington and Arizona. The top ten worst states for job growth were New Jersey, which lost 30,700 in 2009, Nevada which lost 16,600, and Missouri, which lost 15,800, followed by Michigan, Georgia, New Mexico and Rhode Island also in negative numbers.
In the meanwhile, WGXC is still looking for volunteers.
Tags: business, job creation, jobs
Lt. Gov. Robert J. Duffy, former mayor of Rochester, has been pegged with leading the state's promised rethinking of its approach to the business community, including restructuring of its Empire State Development Corp, which is still without a named head. Image from Governor's website.
Tags: Andrew Cuomo, business, Empire State Development Corp., Robert Duffy, Scott Murphy
The attempt to brand Albany, Schenectady, Saratoga, and Rensselaer counties, all just north of Columbia and Greene counties, as “Tech Valley” may be self-fulfilling, according to the 2010 Tech Valley Patent Indices Annual Report from Hoffman Warnick, an intellectual property law firm based in Albany. The report says the number of patents issued from the four counties keeps increasing. Spencer Warnick, a partner at Hoffman Warnick, said, “the most impressive numbers to us are the Capital Region without GE indices. Both the quarterly average and total number of issued patents have continued to rise over the nine years that we have done the index. These are prime indicators that the region continues to get stronger technically and that the region is clearly no longer just IBM and GE. We are technologically diversified and are stronger for it.”
Tags: business, Tech Valley
NY Assemblyman Steven McLaughlin.
Schodack resident Ken Stokum.
Area resident Mary Driscoll.
Ravena Mayor John Bruno.
Elyse Kunz from CASE.
Ward Stone.
Susan Falzon of Friends of Hudson.
John Reagan, environmental manager of Lafarge.
From WGXC Town Recorder Sam Sebren:
About 70 people attended the final legislative hearing for public comments hosted by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation on the Lafarge cement company’s modernization proposal Thursday, Jan. 20 at the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk High School auditorium in Ravena. A higher percentage of the crowd seemed to be in support of Lafarge, including local resident Mary Driscoll, politicians such as new 108th District Assemblyman Steven McLaughlin, Ravena Village Mayor John Bruno, as well as a representative who spoke for Congressman Paul Tonko, and a spokeswoman from the Albany County Regional Chamber of Commerce. They primarily supported the plant because of the community’s need for jobs. Several other citizens and environmental advocate groups included Elyse Kunz from Community Advocates for Safe Emissions, Susan Falzon of Friends of Hudson, and Haley Mauskapf of Scenic Hudson raised concerns over how clean the proposed modernizations will be, and whether they will be monitored.
Sebren took the photos included in the WGXC Newsroom and made an audio recording of the entire meeting, so you can hear for yourself what everyone said. Click here to listen to an mp3 recording, or copy and paste the url below into your computer’s media player.
http://www.wgxc.org/media/uploaded_files/2011/01/Lafargelegislativehearing_RavenaHigh_WGXC_SamSebren_012011.mp3
Tags: business, CASE, Friends of Hudson, John Bruno, Lafarge, Mary Driscoll, modernization, Paul Tonko, Scenic Hudson, Steve McLaughlin, Steven McLaughlin
Etsy, who some have called E-Bay’s “funky little sister,” is moving to Hudson’s Cannonball Factory in the coming months, shifting a portion of its business center from Brooklyn, where the entity was founded by three NYU students in 2005, and adding 50 local jobs, according to a letter sent to local business people by Etsy principal Rob Kalin on January 17. “I started Etsy to create opportunities in the world — for myself, for small business owners, for people who make things, people who find things, and more,” Kalin wrote in his e-mail on MOnday. “I love that we are be able to bring jobs to Hudson. Right now we’re working to get things setup. (As of this email, the building doesn’t even have heat! But that’s happening quickly.) Our plan is to start with customer support positions, and grow from there. Etsy HQ will remain in Brooklyn, and I hope to grow our Hudson office to 50 employees or more. Jobs at Etsy come with a salary, benefits (medical, dental, vision) paid for in full by the company (including family plans). We’ll be posting actual job descriptions soon.”
A huge online marketplace stuffed with handmade, one-of-a-kind products, Etsy is named for a term found in Frederico Fellini’s classic art film, 9 1/2, and now features 100,000 creators and designers worldwide selling everything from jewelery to jumpers through the site. Etsy tripled its gross sales in 2008 to $90 million, while simultaneously becoming as much a community as an e-commerce site, with actual and virtual meetups organized by location (Singapore, Saskatchewan), medium (papier-mâché, mosaic), and interest area (Chainmailers Guild, Lizards and Lollipops). The company just noted that the company just came off its best month ever, selling $41.1 million of goods in December, 10.1% higher than November’s $37.3 million… and over 2,152,992 items. 468,814 new members joined the Etsy community in the month, up 70,603, or 17.7%, from November.
“My family is from New York (from Tarrytown up to Syracuse), and I’ve spent many a night in a lean-to amongst the Catskills,” Kalin wrote, explaining his fast-rising company’s latest move. “Etsy currently employs 175 people, most of them in our Brooklyn office. As we continue to grow, it makes a lot of sense to me to open up an office in Hudson.
I love the town, we found an incredible building (thank you Chris at the Cannonball Factory, and Theresa at Keystone for helping), and as everyone here knows — better than I do, I’m sure — there are so many great people.”
Talk about a perfect match for Hudson’s core of small retail businesses, as well as the region’s fast-changing profile.
Tags: business, Cannonball Factory, E-Bay, Etsy, Internet, new jobs
Want a sense of how the economy’s doing, where people’s money fears lie, and just how prevalent the idea of “doing it oneself” is these days? Mid Hudson News Network reports today that some 100 people attended a venture capital forum held at Stewart Airport Tuesday night, January 11, to hear from authorities on how businesses can access capital in the Hudson Valley. Entrepreneurs learned what investors look for, what pitfalls to avoid and how to identify the best investors for their business, and all with a major storm threatening. The Accelerator, Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation and Upstate Venture Association of New York conducted the conference.
Orange County Business Accelerator Director Michael DiTullo said venture capitalists provide a specific service. “Venture capitalists actually make investments in companies. They become principals, they buy equity, startup, and as the company grows, maybe there is an exit strategy and they participate in whatever profit or windfall that could happen as a result of that,” he said. “They also provide management expertise. Very often, venture capitalists will serve on the boards of directors. Warren Buffet essentially is a venture capitalist. His company, Berkshire Hathaway, makes investments in companies and sometimes acquires them outright.”
On a much more localized level, former WGXC Radio Council member and Greene County Chamber of Commerce Vice President Kathleen Packard noted recently that several clients she’s been wooing for her design business have asked to green light projects, a first for the past two years of economic slowdown.
Tags: business, development, Kathleen Packard
The Daily Mail reports January 12 that the Cairo Zoning Commission is continuing to shift its first-ever zoning ordinance by now agreeing to expand the list of potential uses in its already-amended commercial/mixed-use district on Route 145 in the direction of neighboring Durham. And while the amended uses include new agricultural allowances for those looking to grow crops for commercial purposes, with no requirement for minimum acreage, Doron Tyler Antrim reports that the commission also decided to put uses such as bed and breakfast operations, day care centers, or nursery schools up for full site plan reviews. In addition, all proposed educational training facilities, wind towers, and hotels or motels must now apply for a special-use permit, too. A bar or tavern must apply a special-use permit to operate in the Mountaintop district, only. The commission plans to review at its next meeting regulations in the new Main Street commercial district, which runs from the intersection with Route 23 near the Bank of Greene County to Route 32. Following a public hearing by the zoning commission, the law will be handed to the town board. The board must then hold its own hearing. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: business, Cairo zoning law, development, zoning
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.
John Mason in the Register-Star reports that Tuesday the Greenport Planning Board granted the Widewaters Development Corp. a subdivision for Kohl’s, meaning the new department store will have its own large sign on Fairview Avenue. Mason says there was little comment at a public hearing for the proposal. Marco Marzocchi, general counsel of retail development for the Widewaters Group, told Mason Widewaters is in negotiations with potential tenants for the structure adjoining Kohl’s. “Marzocchi told the Register-Star the subdivision allows Kohl’s to be separately assessed and receive its own tax bill,” Mason wrote. “The store can also put up its own monument sign on Ring Road.” Previously Marzocchi maintained Kohl’s would not open the store without Columbia County granting the chain a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT). When the county denied Kohl’s that tax break (another story is here), they went ahead and will open in February, Mason reports. Kohl’s and a Wal-Mart superstore anchor this new plaza, and a TJ Maxx also recently opened there.
Tags: business, Kohl's, Marco Marzocchi, PILOT, TJ Maxx, Wal-Mart
Image from Citigroup website.
Tags: business, insurance, New York State Insurance Superintendent James J. Wrynn
The Saloon at East Durham, at 2212 Route 145, is not open yet (a Public Notice in Wednesday’s Daily Mail said they are applying for a liquor license), but it already has a YouTube video:
Stone Castle Inn in Cairo. Photo from their Facebook page.
Just down the street, but in Cairo, at 194 Route 145, the Stone Castle Inn (formerly the closed-for-years Stone Tower Restaurant) is open noon to 2 a.m. every day, with a Facebook page and not much of a website.
Blackthorne Resort construction, from their website.
Tags: Blackthorn Resort, business, Stone Castle Inn, The Saloon at East Durham
Dollar General store opened mid-December on Fairview Ave. in Greenport. Photo by Tom Roe.
Tags: business, dollar stores
Gary Schiro, Ex. Dir. of Hudson Opera House, and Helen Fruscio, Dir. of Berkshire Creative at Hudson Opera House 121010.
http://archive.free103point9.org/2010/12/CreativeEconomyWorkshop_HudsonOperaHouse_WGXC_120710.mp3
Tags: art, business, David Colby, development, Don Moore, Gary Schiro, local audio, music, town meetings
CATSKILL – Colin DeVries follows up on last weekend’s report about an accepted bid out of auction for the closed-down and bankrupt Friar Tuck Inn in Kiskatom with a report in today’s Daily Mail that notes sources connected to the auction are now saying that a binding deal has not yet been made.
Michael Shaughnessy, executive vice president of Ulster Savings Bank, said Wednesday that the potential buyer had 15 days from the close of auction to decide on the purchase.
“We’re still waiting,” he said during a phone interview yesterday noting that more details could emerge about the potential purchaser by Monday, Dec. 6.
Tags: business, Friar Tuck
Comptroller: Hudson District schools failed to claim for services; Co-Principal Tom Gavin suspended one week for threat at board meeting
From Lynn Sloneker in unmuffled:
“An audit by the Office of the State Comptroller found the Hudson City School District failed to claim eligible special education services totaling nearly half a million dollars during the 2008-09 school year, losing the district an estimated $115,064 in reimbursement revenue, according to a report released late last week. As the result of an examination of records covering the period of July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009, the Comptroller’s team determined the district processed claims for less than 50 percent – 122 of 307 – of all Medicaid-eligible students enrolled in the four district schools. Auditors further found the district lacked ‘written policies and procedures to define the responsibilities for collecting data, monitoring student eligibility, documenting services, submitting and reconciling claims and monitoring the receipt of payments.’ In an Oct. 28 letter to Chief Examiner Kenneth Madej, Superintendent of Schools John F. Howe acknowledged the recommendations contained in the report, and further noted that HCSD ‘recognizes the importance of maximizing revenue sources related to Medicaid and will focus improvement efforts in the areas noted in the audit report.’”
She also made several Twitter posts from Monday night’s Hudson school board meeting describing some type of altercation.
unmuffled Twitter posts:
• Packed house and Tom Gavin threatens Steve Spicer after discussion about week from hell at HHS. Hudson Police Commissioner breaks it up.
• Later in the meeting a who’s who of Hudson come forward and speak in support of making Spicer principal of JLE.
• Staff present for ‘discipline’ discussion lay blame for last week’s violent chaos at HHS on students’ use of cell phones.
• BoE decides Gavin’s behavior merits a one-week ‘out of school” suspension.
• Would have been hard for BoE to ignore Gavin’s threat…he acted out in front of some of the city’s most distinguished people.
John Mason in Register-Star further explains:
“Hudson High School Co-Principal Tom Gavin has been suspended for a week after he allegedly threatened fellow Co-Principal Steven Spicer with violence at Monday’s Board of Education meeting. Gavin had just reported to the board on a week of mayhem at the high school, featuring group fights in the hallways and classrooms, suspensions, superintendents hearings, and an all-school lockdown on Thursday. Several teachers and members of the public then rose to give their opinions on the origins and cures of the violence. Much of the discussion focused on the school’s non-enforcement of the rule against use of cell phones. Finally, Spicer rose to say, ‘Let’s enforce the code of conduct. Kids don’t understand — if you let them break rules, they don’t understand you can’t break other rules. There has to be one rule for everybody.’ Spicer told the Register-Star that Gavin then threw down his coat and gestured for him to come out in the hall. ‘He invaded my space, he pointed his finger in my face and said, “What the hell were you telling those people I wasn’t enforcing the code of conduct for?”‘ Spicer said. “I said, “We’re not. We’re letting kids wear hats, doo-rags, scarves and listen to their iPods.” Then he got really mad, pointed his finger back in my face and said, “I’ll give you code of conduct.”‘ Then city of Hudson Police Commissioner Ron Grant separated them, he said. The confrontation between the two principals put the cap on a difficult week for the district.”
Wheels grind slowly for courthouse upgrades
Diane Valden in The Columbia Paper tells a 20-year tale of the Columbia County Courthouse’s failure to comply with the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). But give the county a break, they only began to attempt compliance for the Hudson building in 2003, she reports. “Under the current timetable, the County Courthouse will become ADA compliant by sometime in late 2012 or early 2013,” Valden writes.
Have Columbia County bridges been repaired?
Mike McCagg in ccScoop pulls out a 2008 state report card on bridges in Columbia County and their ratings. He says, “a rating of 7 is the gold standard assigned to new bridges” which is not particularly exact. Then he lists all the substandard ratings in the county, those under, “the 5 rating threshold set by the state as meeting standards”:
• Hildebrandt Bridge in Claverack, 3.9 rating
• The Ferry Street Bridge in Hudson over the railroad, 3.5
• Schoolhouse Road in Stuyvesant over the railroad, 3.6
• Hall Hill Road in Ancram over the Roe Jan Kill, 3.2
• State Route 295 in Chatham at the intersection with Interstate 90, 3.8
• Albany Turnpike in Chatham over the railroad, 3.4
• County Route 9 in East Chatham over Indian Creek, 3.4
• White Mills Road in Chatham over the railroad, 3.6
• Millbrook Road in Claverack over Loomis Creek, 3.7
• County Route 7A in Copake over the Roe Jan Kill, 3.4
• Fingar Road in Greenport over the Mud Creek, 3.9
“The report also classified the Hildebrandt Bridge – along with one on Empire Road in Copake – as ‘functionally obsolete’ by the state, meaning the bridges are unable to meet current standards for managing the volume of traffic they carry,” McKagg wrote. “The Empire Road Bridge is being replaced, Copake officials said.”
CSEA FOIL reveals Paterson administration’s recent DEC hirings
From Civil Service Employees Association:
“A CSEA Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request has shown that the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has added 36 top-level management/confidential positions to the state payroll since July 1, 2010, despite a state-hiring freeze. Eighteen of the 40 positions have a base salary in excess of $100,000 per year.”
Bank of Greene County stockholders rewarded
Dick May in Seeing Greene reports:
“Directors of Greene County Bancorp Inc., governing parent of the Bank of Greene County, bestowed upon stockholders a special dividend, of 20 cents per share, on top of the regular quarterly dividend, of 17.5 cents a share. Their announcement may well have triggered the recent jump in the market price of GCBC shares, ahead of the November 12 ownership deadline. By way of explaining the bonus, the directors cited “strong earnings performance over the last several quarters” plus the coming increase in Federal tax rate on dividends. Consequently, a dividend paid by the end of this year is worth more than the same amount paid in 2011.”
Birthdays
Nov. 23 birthdays include Harpo Marx, Krzysztof Pendericki, and Hamid Hassani.
Tags: Bank of Greene County, bridges, business, Columbia County Courthouse, CSEA, DEC, Hudson schools, Ron Grant, Steven Spicer, Tom Gavin
Club Helsinki restaurant opens today
“The Restaurant at Helsinki Hudson” opens today with Executive Chef Hugh Horner at the helm. Horner was recently at café madison in Albany, where Metroland praised his work saying, “Horner’s North Carolinian roots come through in dishes like braised short ribs.” Helsinki’s restaurant is open every day except Wednesday, at 405 Columbia St. in Hudson.
Openings and closings
John Doe Records — once of the 500 block of Warren St., once of the 300 block of Warren St., lately at a warehouse on Front St. — opens in its new home along the Public Square, or Seventh St. Park, at 4 Park Place in Hudson on Friday in a storefront that had been a temporary costume shop in late October…. The Hudson Farmer’s Market just closed its outdoor season, and will try an indoor sale from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Claverack Dutch Reformed Church, Lindsay Suchow in the Register-Star reports…. Migliorelli Farm just shuttered its Hudson storefront, on the corner of 3rd and Warren Sts…. Several sources say Mod Gourmet Cafe in Catskill is the latest shop to close up there, but are moving to Front St. in Hudson…. River Street Bakers in Catskill also recently closed.
The Yes Men's iPhone parody site.
Fast Company reports The Yes Men, based just north of our area, targeted Apple’s iPhone for their latest prank. “On Tuesday, they launched a website that was a spitting image for Apple’s, and professed to be announcing a new product: the iPhone4CF. “CF” stood for conflict-free, and the site promised that the new phone was exactly like the normal iPhone 4, only it didn’t source its minerals from conflict-ridden regions like the Democratic Republic of Congo, thereby fueling atrocities there,” David Zax wrote. Apple quickly got the group’s website host to take down the site. Mother Jones points out the group was not really targeting Apple, as their press releases says, “Although Apple does have plans to certify its materials as conflict-free, this will by no means be any sort of solution to the situation of conflict in the Congo, nor in any way help bring an end to that conflict. Rather, the solution must be based in diplomacy.”
Birthdays
Nov. 22 birthdays include Charles de Gaulle, Terry Gilliam, and Sandy Alderson.
Tags: business, The Yes Men
Doron Tyler Antrim of The Daily Mail reported earlier this week that
Cement producer Holcim, formerly known as St. Lawrence Cement, is “temporarily” cutting 70 hourly positions at its Catskill plant effective until January, according to a Tuesday, Nov. 16 announcement from Plant Manager Deon van den Berg. The layoffs will affect 65 workers — nearly two-thirds of the Catskill plant’s current workforce — and five others on short-term disability or workers compensation. The recent layoffs were the second such action taken by Holcim in as many years. In May 2009, 35 workers were temporarily laid off. Two months earlier 26 positions were eliminated.
“The reason for this temporary layoff include slow market conditions, the normal seasonal slowdown in construction and escalating costs,” van den Berg said in an e-mail to members of the Holcim Community Advisory Committee, a regular gathering of local leaders and plant officials. Dennis Smith, an equipment operator and chairman of the local International Brotherhood of Boilermakers union, said in an e-mail that the layoffs are effective until Jan. 3, “but could be longer.” Earlier this year, Smith said layoffs and combining of responsibilities have contributed to worsened safety at the facility — a charge that plant management has denied.
An analysis of federal records compiled by the Mine Safety and Health Administration, however, show the Catskill plant has been hit with more than 300 safety violations since Holcim took over in 2008 — 97 of which were deemed serious enough to cause injury or illness. Fines levied with the violations totaled more than $493,000.
Read the rest of this entry »
The Watershed Post, out of Delaware County, is reporting that New York’s one-time cash crop, hops, is on the rise again… as based on the fact that the Greene County Industrial Development Agency and Cornell Cooperative Extension announced on Tuesday, Nov. 17 that the state will fund a hops-growing experiment in Athens next year, in the hope that the nation’s growing love of craft beer will make the crop a bonanza.
Both the Daily Mail and the Daily Freeman have the story, too. The Daily Mail Brian Lawlor, commissioner and CEO of New York State Homes and Community Renewal:
The strategy outlined taps the potential of the hops industry and microbrew business to create jobs, meet the demand for quality local food and beverages, and revitalize rural New York.
Recently, Crossroads Brewery in Athens opened a tap room for off-premises sales.
And in Catskill, a large enterprise named Beer World opened in a former dug store on Route 9W, drawing accolades from suds-lovers for its wide selection of microbrews divided up by states, as well as nations, and even regions within our own New York.
Tags: business
Unemployment rates were little changed from September to October in Mid-Hudson Valley counties, according to state Labor Department data released on Thursday. The jobless rate in Greene County was 7.7 percent last month, up from 7.5 percent in September but better than the 7.9 percent rate of October 2009. In Columbia County, joblessness stood at 6.8 percent in October, compared to 6.7 percent in September and 7.2 percent in October 2009.
Unemployment rates in other local counties in October were:
• Ulster County: 7.4 percent last month, unchanged from September and down from 7.6 percent in October 2009.
• Dutchess County: 7.3 percent in October, the same rate as in September and a slight improvement from the 7.8 percent rate of October 2009.
• Delaware: 7.7 percent, compared to 7.6 in September and 8.1 in October 2009.
• Orange: 7.6, compared to 7.7 and 7.7.
• Sullivan: 8.5, compared to 8.2 and 8.5.
Marc Molinaro at Space360 in Hudson April 21, 2010.
Governor-elect Andrew Cuomo today announced that Assemblyman Marc Molinaro (R,C,I-Red Hook), who represents Columbia County, was named to a transition team to recruit, review, and recommend candidates for key positions in the next administration, according to Molinaro’s staff. Molinaro will serve on the State and Local Government Reform Committee of the transition team. “The magnitude of the challenges confronting our state may be immense, but so are the opportunities before us to implement meaningful, long-lasting policies to improve the quality of life and quality of government in New York,” Molinaro said in a statement. “I am honored to serve with so many distinguished individuals committed to improving New York.”
Cement plant announces more layoffs
Doron Tyler Antrim in The Daily Mail reports Catskill cement producer Holcim will “temporarily” cut 70 hourly positions effective in January. “In May 2009, 35 workers were temporarily laid off. Two months earlier 26 positions were eliminated,” Antrim reported.
Loaf opens SaturdayThe Lick ice cream parlor on Warren St. closes each winter, and now the space is being used and the Lick logo changed just slightly into Loaf, a bakery. The 253 Warren St. location opens this Saturday, Nov. 20 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and is taking orders for Thanksgiving pies at loafhudson@gmail.com.
Healthcare Consortium receives FCH grant
The Healthcare Consortium was awarded a $20,000 transportation grant from the Foundation for Community Health in Sharon, CT to provide transportation for residents of Ancram and Copake to and from health-related appointments in 2011.
Meetings tonight
In Kinderhook, John Mason in the Register-Star reports that Kinderhook residents are invited to an upstairs in Village Hall “Public Information Meeting” on the reconstruction of Hudson Street and Albany Avenue at 7 p.m. tonight. “The proposed reconstruction will extend on Hudson Street for about 600 feet from Sylvester Street to the traffic light at Route 9 and on Albany Avenue for about 1,600 feet from Route 9 to Sunset Avenue,” Mason reports.
In Craryville, the Taconic Hills school board says it will vote on a replacement for John Mastropolo, who resigned in September, at a meeting tonight at Taconic Hills High School in the board room. The board has been holding all proceedings around the seat, which is usually elected by voters, in secret, held in executive session. The board is choosing between Christine Perry, Sally Williamson, and Joan Spencer. This meeting is also at 7 p.m., and note the meeting’s agenda says the board will first vote on the replacement seat, and then the public gets a chance to comment, not before for a seat the public usually chooses at the polls. In a story about this issue, Mason in the Register-Star writes, “According to Robert Freeman of the state Committee on Open Government, the only court decision dealing with how school boards may select new members found that such decisions should be made in open, not closed, session.”
Voting to raise your taxes and fees
Doron Tyler Antrim reports in The Daily Mail that the entire Greenville town board voted to raise building permit fees $6000. The board is made up of Supervisor Paul Macko, Diane Fallon, Ken Stern, Richard Bear, and Louis Kraker.
Birthdays
Nov. 17 is the birthday of Martin Scorsese, John Boehner, and Kimya Dawson.
Tags: Andrew Cuomo, Art Baer, business, Holcim, Marc Molinaro, Robin Andrews, Roy Brown, schools, town meetings
Joseph Costa, George Lagonia, Jr., Ronald Morales, Superintendent Mark Sposato, and school employee.
Clifford Campbell, Harvey Weber, Donald McComb, Robert McComb, Kevin Maisenbacher, members of Taconic Hills School Board.
Taconic Hills School Board holds entire meeting in executive session
The Taconic Hills School Board held an entire meeting in executive session to fill a usually-elected open seat on the board. The meeting in the conference room inside Taconic Hills High School Wednesday evening was held entirely in executive session, except for the pledge of allegience (pictured), unanimous votes to open and close the meeting, and another to go into executive session. The vote to go out of executive session, happened in executive session, according to the board. Previously that day in a story in the Register-Star, John Mason called executive director of New York’s Committee on Open Government Robert J. Freeman and asked if the board is violating the state’s open meetings law by doing everything in regard to filling this seat behind closed doors. Freeman quotes the Gordon vs. the Village of Monticello, Supreme Court, Sullivan County, Jan. 7, 1994 case: “The matter of replacing elected officials,” states the decision, “should be subject to public input and scrutiny.” Freeman said he has advised school boards that, “they conduct executive sessions [for this purpose] at their peril.” The Taconic Hills board insisted on meeting privacy and would not even reveal the names of potential candidates for the seat to replace John Mastropolo, who resigned in September. As the board began interviewing Christine Perry for the post — she told this reporter and Mason her name in the hallway outside the executive session — the board finally released the list of who sent letters of interest: Tom Bailey, June Simons, Kim Czyzewski, Gail Wheeler, Scott Decker, Annie Christensen, Sally Williamson, Perry, Kenneth Dow (withdrew today), Robert Garon (withdrew Oct. 21), and Joan Spencer. Perry, Williamson, Spencer, Dow, and Decker were granted interviews in executive session, though Dow withdrew today and Decker never arrived and could not be reached by school officials. The board also told the media — not the public — the seven questions they were asking of candidates inside the executive session: general items such as what budget cuts should be made, and “What are the most pressing issues facing school boards today?” The board will decide who fills the seat at a meeting next Wed. Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. Voters won’t have any input on who holds this seat until it expires May 17, 2011.
Three bat species see 90 percent population drops in NY
Little Brown, Northern, and Tri-Colored bats suffered 90 percent population declines in New York since the first appearance of the “White-Nose Syndrome” began plaguing the hibernating animals in their caves in 2006, according to a recently completed survey by the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Indiana bats have declined about 60 percent and “White Nose Syndrome” has now been documented in 32 caves and mines in New York. “Caves and mines that avoided infection in the early years of the disease, perhaps by chance, are now infected,” said Acting DEC Commissioner Peter Iwanowicz. “This year’s survey included hibernation sites that had not been visited by DEC in decades. What we found was disturbing. We now have sampled sites that represent the full range of environmental conditions across the state – and none have been spared. It is likely the sites not yet inspected are infected as well.” DEC is asking members of the recreational caving community to avoid any caves or mines known to house hibernating bats. Population numbers have held steady after steep, first-year declines at Howe Cave and Haile’s Cave (located in the greater Capital Region) at roughly 10 percent of their pre-disease count. “Infected animals were present at these two sites, so it’s too early to say the decline here has halted,” said DEC bat biologist Carl Herzog, “but these two caves represent the most hopeful results in an otherwise negative report.”
Hudson city budget
Carole Osterink in The Gossips of Rivertown reports on Wednesday night’s Hudson Common Council meeting where Mayor Rick Scalera revealed the 2011 city budget. Her analysis:
“The mil rate (the tax per $1,000 in assessed value) is 12.198420, down from 14.770500 in 2010–a 17 percent decrease. The total taxable value of properties in Hudson increased from 303,174,231 to 373,232,346, so the taxes on a hypothetical property assessed at $150,000 in 2010 and $250,000 in 2011 will increase from $2,215.58 to $3,049.61–an increase of 38 percent…. There will not be salary increases for elected officials, Department Heads, PT 40-hr employees as well as PT hourly employees. The Police Union has previously negotiated a 3% increase for 2011 and CSEA is currently in contract discussions with the city.3. In the Assessor’s office the part-time clerk position was cut and added was $68,000 toward the overall cost of a professional revaluation…. The city bus operations will be changed over in early January as we now will work within a Cooperative Agreement with the county. The Bus will continue to provide transportation from the City to the surrounding retailers in Greenport and back with expanded hours from the current schedule…. A public hearing on the budget will be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, November 17.” Read the entire story here.
Lindsay Suchow’s take on the proposed budget is here in Register-Star.
EPA subpoenas Halliburton, seeking fracking secrets
Environment News Service reports:
The U.S. EPA has issued a subpoena to Halliburton, requiring information about the chemicals used by the energy and engineering company to fracture shale rocks, releasing the natural gas they contain. Halliburton was subpoenaed after failing to voluntarily meet EPA’s requests for information needed for a congressionally mandated hydraulic fracturing study to investigate the potential adverse impacts of the practice on drinking water and public health. EPA’s Office of Research and Development will conduct the scientific study to examine the possible relationships between hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, and drinking water quality. Halliburton has been given until December 1 to submit the requested information. The agency is under a tight deadline to provide initial results by the end of 2012 and the thoroughness of its study depends on timely access to detailed information about the methods used for fracturing. EPA expects to begin the study in early 2011. On September 9, EPA asked nine national and regional hydraulic fracturing service providers – BJ Services, Complete Production Services, Halliburton, Key Energy Services, Patterson-UTI, RPC, Inc., Schlumberger, Superior Well Services, and Weatherford – for information. The agency is seeking information on the chemical composition of fluids used in the fracking process, data on the impacts of the chemicals on human health and the environment, standard operating procedures at their hydraulic fracturing sites and the locations of sites where fracturing has been conducted. Except for Halliburton, the companies have either fully complied with the September 9 request or made unconditional commitments to provide all the information on an expeditious schedule, the EPA said. Halliburton responded only that it would use its “best efforts” and “endeavor to complete its response” by the end of January 2011, according to a letter written by Peter Silva, the EPA’s assistant administrator for water to Halliburton Chairman and CEO David Lesar accompanying the subpoena. “EPA believes that Halliburton’s response is inadequate and inconsistent with the cooperation shown to date by the other eight companies,” Silva wrote.
Long Island company buys old Ceramaseal building in NL
Paul Crossman in Chatham Courier reports that RISA, “a metal fabrication company that makes and installs various products from iron, steel and other metals and turns them into products like staircases, railings and doorways,” is attempting to get permits from the Planning Board, and finish their State Environmental Quality Review application before buying the Ceramaseal building in New Lebanon. The company representative claims up to 50 new jobs for the area within a year. Read the entire story here.
Veteran’s Day
Schools are closed today.
Birthdays
Nov. 11 is the birthday of Stanley Tucci, Dave Alvin, and Kurt Vonnegut.
Tags: bats, business, hydraulic fracturing, Rick Scalera, schools, town meetings, white-nose syndrome
Mark Twentyman, recently retired from the Office of Real Property.
Paul Freeman, founding partner of Freeman/Howard Law Firm.
Chameides writes:
“I wish we had attended a workshop like this three years ago,” noted landowner and panelist Dwayne Powell who leases 46 acres to Threshold Farm. The workshop featured experts in tax code, law, and insurance who gave advice on how to avoid the common pitfalls that farmers and landowner face when leasing land. Mark Twentyman, who recently retired from the Office of Real Property, spoke about the tax benefits related to farming. Landowners with working farms often pay less in property taxes. The tax code is fairly complex and ultimately depends on the assessment determined by the local tax assessor.
Kirk Kneller, insurance specialist.
Twentyman was followed by Paul Freeman, a founding partner of Freeman/Howard Law Firm, who spoke about lease agreements between farmers and landowners. Some of the important keys to a good working relationships are communication and expectations. Freeman emphasized that a good contract will make it clear to both parties what everyone expects and provides a blueprint for the business deal. Insurance specialist Kirk Kneller spoke next. Kneller stressed the importance of the farmer obtaining farm insurance and naming the landowner on the policy. Home insurance will not cover incidents off the property and may not cover farm incidents on the property. Insurance protects the landowner and farmer from unforeseen damages as well as lawsuits. While there are challenges in creating in creating an effective lease agreement, panelist Hugh Williams of Threshold Farm advises, “It’s not difficult at all and not expensive. It’s all manageable and doable.”
The workshop is part of CLC’s farm land support program. Every three days a farm in New York is lost to development and CLC prioritizes the conservation of farmland and particularly works to ensure that working farms remain a central part of Columbia County. Through work with the NY State Farmland Protection Program, CLC has secured more than $6 million in state and private funding on behalf of towns and local farmers, ensuring the protection of approximately 5,280 acres of working farmland. CLC holds conservation easements on over 20,000 acres which ensures the permanent protection of the land. Almost one third of that land is used for working farms. CLC also supports farmers in a number of ways by participating in local committees that address and promote farming, networking, and sharing resources. CLC’s Farmer-Landowner Match Program matches farmers without land to landowners who want their land farmed. CLC helps the farmer and landowner create a lease agreement that is mutually beneficial. Farmers may provide services, money, or crops in exchange for access to quality farmland. “Everybody wins, including local residents who have increased access to local, healthy food,” explains CLC Senior Land Manager Marissa Codey.
Cynthia Creech, a cattle farmer hoping to relocate to Columbia County, was the final speaker. “We have an obligation to take care of the land. Whether you own it or use land that someone else owns. Anybody not involved in farmland, you should get involved because it will make your life better,” says Creech.
Hugh Williams, Threshold Farm; Dwayne Powell, landowner and leaser to Threshold Farm; and Cynthia Creech, cattle farmer.
Tags: agriculture, business, local audio
The new T.J. Maxx store opens in Greenport this Sunday, Oct. 24 at 8 a.m., and the Kohl’s store in the same Greenport Commons shopping center is under construction now too. Last spring, Marco Marzocchi, counsel for the owner of the plaza, Widewwaters, repeatedly said that Kohl’s would not come to Greenport Commons unless the Columbia County Industrial Development Agency granted a PILOT (payment in lieu of [property] taxes) to the national company. The IDA denied the PILOT, and Kohl’s and T.J. Maxx both came anyway.
Tags: business, development
Stephanie Lee in the Times-Union reports:
The state has allowed the Lafarge cement plant to continue its current level of mercury emissions until 2013, when a federal standard will cut the rate nearly in half. The air permit for the plant, renewed Monday by the state Department of Environmental Conservation, caps the annual amount of mercury it releases into the air at 176 pounds to meet a new state law. Lafarge, the state’s second-largest source of airborne mercury pollution, must cut its yearly mercury emissions nearly in half by 2013. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced last month that the annual nationwide limit will be set at about 95 pounds, a change that will force more than 100 cement plants to spend an estimated $1 billion to comply. Read the entire story in the Albany Times-Union.
Tags: business, environment, Lafarge
The Daily Freeman is reporting this afternoon that New York’s unemployment rate in August was 8.2 percent, down from 8.4 percent in July, according to state Labor Department statistics released Thursday. In Greene County it was 7.5 percent, down from 7.7 and in Columbia County it dropped to 6.8, from 7.1 percent. Read the entire story in The Daily Freeman.
Gary Shteyngart features Hudson and several nearby spots in his story, “Escape to New York’s Hudson Valley” in the October issue of Travel + Leisure. Hudson’s Red Dot, Carrie Haddad Photographs, and DA/BA are mentioned, as well as Philmont’s Local 111 restaurant, Rodgers Book Barn in Hillsdale, and the Olana State Historic Site.
The New York Daily News is the latest NYC mainstream media elite newspaper writing about how great Hudson, New York is. This time it is about Warren St.’s great taco truck, Tortillaville. Larissa Phillips in the Daily News writes:
When I get a craving for something other than tomato sandwiches, we head into Hudson. This once-depressed city has been thriving recently thanks to an influx of antique shops and art galleries and restaurants and now… a taco truck. Okay, as far as I can tell it’s not run by anyone with roots from south of the border, but it does offer the most satisfying tacos I’ve had since that last time I was in Mexico… or Sunset Park. My kids love the Mexican Coca-Colas, and although I had to lure them there with the hot dog option, they’ve been tempted by tastes of the tacos and now, after years in New York City, nearly three hours from away from Sunset Park, are finally discovering the joys of real tacos.
Tags: business, restaurants
Karen Johnson of Charter Realty & Development Corp. explains the proposed supermarket project.
Dot Rosenthal spoke in favor of the proposed supermarket.
The only reason suggested by the public for the board to kill the entire project (from longtime Cairo resident Peter Ricci) was that it would suburbanize Cairo just like Catskill did by bringing in Home Depot, Lowe’s, Wal-Mart and other stores, taking business away from Main St., while not helping the tax base all that much. (These chain stores repeatedly threaten Catskill with lawsuits that the cash-strapped town cannot afford to defend. William Kemble in The Daily Freeman has written excellent stories about Home Depot and Wal-Mart skirting taxes with such threats.) In Cairo tonight, most town residents stated that any new project would be good for the town in the center of Greene County, and the tradition of Cairo saying no to new projects must end. Charter Realty & Development Corporation‘s Karen Johnson refused to say which supermarket chain wanted to move in to its building, and they are bringing the supermarket project first and then there will be further development, although of what sort is completely unknown on the rest of the surrounding land between Cairo’s two busiest roads. Ellsworth “Unk” Slater (photo below), who own’s Cairo’s only supermarket, Great American just up 23B, voiced several concerns about the project, as did his lawyer and engineer. A few nearby homeowners worried aloud about the planned five wells associated with the project. Slater pointed out that when he put in a gas station next to his grocery store a few years ago, they discovered the gasoline additive, methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), and, since the ground slopes toward this project, it may affect those wells. Others supported the project, but voiced concerns about the speeding cars and exposed back of the supermarket at the Route 32 entrance, and the light poles in the proposed parking lot peaking into the magnificent view of the Catskill Mountains ridge line. The public hearing remained open and will resume at the board’s regular meeting at 7 p.m. Wed. Oct. 6.
Listen for yourself to what the residents of Cairo thought about the project at the public hearing by clicking here or pasting the following url into your computer’s media player: http://archive.free103point9.org/2010/09/CairoPubHearing_supermarketPlanningBoard_WGXC_090110.mp3
OTHER STORIES ON SAME MEETING: The Daily Mail
Tags: business, development, local audio, town meetings
Baba Louie’s opened a pizza joint two weeks ago in Pittsfield, their third after restaurants in Hudson and Great Barrington. Rural Intelligence reports:
Owners Eileen and Paul Masiero (pictured at left) have created a family-friendly restaurant where childless adults feel at home, too. The new Pittsfield location, which is around the corner from the Beacon Cinema, seems tailor-made for its gentrifying neighborhood. Read the entire story in Rural Intelligence.
Tags: Baba Louie's, business
On The Air
WGXC is on 90.7-FM now, at full-power, 3300 watts. We cover all parts of Greene County except parts of the mountaintop, and all of Columbia County except for a bit of Western Columbia County south of Germantown. WGXC also covers a large part of southern Albany County. We have heard reports that the signal is getting from Delaware County to Great Barrington, from Selkirk to Saugerties, from Pine Plains to the I-90 extension.
Local weather/webcams
National Weather Service, Albany
Hawthorne Valley Farm Weather Page
When the computer is turned on, the Hawthorne Valley Farm Weather Page reports weather information in Harlemville. Check dates and times to see whether reports are live or from when the computer was turned off.
Greene County webcams:
Catskill webcam: Thomas Cole House Claude Mirror
Nearby webcams:
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