Andes

By Pauline Liu
Andes voters got their chance to question some candidates for town government about key issues including budget cuts, fracking, communication and economic development at the Andes Candidates Forum on Sunday Afternoon.

The two-hour long event at The Andes Hotel drew a standing room only crowd of approximately 80.
Though nine candidates were invited, only five attended.

Missing candidates

 Margaretville — The Delaware County Chamber of Commerce recognized several businesses and individuals for their service to the county’s business community at its 2011 Annual Awards Dinner Thursday evening at Hanah Mountain Resort and Country Club in Margaretville.

Andes — Voters in the Town of Andes will get a chance on Sunday, Oct. 23 to meet many of the candidates who are running for town office this year. A forum, based on guidelines set by the League of Women Voters, will begin at 1 p.m. in the main dining room of The Andes Hotel.

The forum will be moderated by Rev. Steven Swanson, pastor of the Andes Presbyterian Church. Candidates are allowed three minutes each for opening remarks, and each candidate will be permitted a two-minute response to every question.

By Pauline Liu
The Town of Andes will hold a series of public hearings at town hall on Thursday, Nov. 10 to address an array of important subjects in five-minute intervals.

Andes — The site of the former Moses Earle farm, on Dingle Hill in the Town of Andes, has a special place in history. On August 7, 1845, Delaware County Undersheriff Osman “Bub” Steele went to the farm to collect rent or sell the cattle, and he never left the site alive.

That event led to the arrest of many area residents who were believed to have had a part in the incident. All of them were later pardoned, and the feudal system that brought about the system was abolished.

The Andes Public Library has announced that on Tuesday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m., former Andes native Herbert Grommeck will be at the library to discuss his recently published book, Grommeck Acres: The Fortunes of a Family Farm.

The volume follows the lives of Paul and Emma Grommeck who both emigrated to the United States from Europe in the 1920s, chronicles the history of the dairy farm they built on Gladstone Hollow in Andes and the founding of the ski center at Bobcat. 

By Pauline Liu
Efforts to replace Andes’ seven-year-old malfunctioning wastewater treatment system could begin as soon as next year, at a cost of about $2.3 million to the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP.)

Andes Town Supervisor Marty Donnelly made the announcement at last Thursday’s town board meeting, which was held at town hall.

“I was able to get the New York City DEP to agree to pay upwards of $ 2.3 million,” he said. “That means there will be little or no cost to the residents of our sewer district.” 

By Pauline Liu
Now that the primaries are over, local political races are heating up, especially in the Town of Andes, where Republican incumbents seeking re-election are facing challengers.

Last Tuesday’s Republican primary for Andes town clerk resulted in an almost 2-to-1 upset. Incumbent Janis Lynn Jacques, who has held the job since 1996, was unseated by challenger Kimberly A. Tosi.  The official results, which were posted on Tuesday and took into account absentee ballots, gave the win to Tosi with108 votes to Jacques’ 60 votes. 

Andes — The Andes Hotel will hold a Hurricane Irene benefit chili cook off on Saturday, Sept. 10 from 2 to 6 p.m. The entry fee for chefs is $10 and there will be a $10 tasting fee. Judging will be held at 3 p.m. There will be live music by The Honest Mistakes.

One hundred percent of the proceeds will go to local flood victims of Hurricane Irene. Call 676-3980 for all the spicy details.

By Pauline Liu
When Town of Andes officials held a forum on hydrofracking last Friday, they anticipated that it might run late and draw a large, emotionally charged crowd. However, the event wound up exceeding even their wildest expectations.

The marathon meeting lasted a mind-boggling four-and-a-half hours. It was held in the auditorium of Andes Central School and drew a crowd of 156 people, which is sizable for the town with a population of about 1,300.