Community

The Slow Food Catskills convivium will be hosting a canning workshop on Sunday, Sept. 7 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Delaware County Historical Association grounds. Entitled “Putting It Up - Preserving the Harvest,” this workshop will educate people on how to preserve food grown from their gardens or from local farms so that it can be enjoyed during the winter months.

A free guided hike, led by members of Frost Valley YMCA’s Natural Resources Department, is planned for Saturday, Aug. 30 at 1 p.m. in Claryville. The Labor Day weekend venture is the first in a series of monthly hikes offered by Frost Valley. Staff will lead hikers on a moderate 2.5-mile hike that will feature a slight elevation gain. The outing will include stops at Frost Valley’s 40-foot waterfall and Sunrise Lookout, which features stunning views of Slide and Wildcat mountains.

By Jay Braman Jr.
At a time when regional planning is coming back into play locally in the form of efforts to coordinate economic development projects along the Route 28 corridor, there’s another layer of planning that’s beginning to take shape thanks to the Coalition of Watershed Towns. The current planning asks watershed communities to revisit some of the same questions that were asked back in the early 1990s when the historic watershed deal was reached between upstate and the City of New York.

Former President Bill Clinton and Senator Hillary Clinton spent part of their August vacation at the Emerson Resort and Spa on August 12 and took time out of their visit to meet local residents and hear concerns about a number of local issues. Meeting with Emerson partners Dean and Lynn Gitter, the Clintons were delighted to share stories about everything from foreign travel to Kentucky, a state the senator appreciated during spring presidential primaries.

The Catskill Watershed Corporation (CWC) Board of Directors on July 22 approved two storm water grants to the Town of Shandaken as well as a grant to the Village of Walton to repair a stream bank retaining wall. The board also heard from Executive Director Alan Rosa that a $26 million contract between CWC and New York City has been executed to continue the residential septic repair program through 2017, and to allow planning for two new septic programs to go forward.

By Julia Green
An effort to change the name of the Greater Margaretville Chamber of Commerce to the Central Catskills Chamber of Commerce hit a snag lat week when one of the chamber’s members questioned both the need and the process for the change.
“This decision is the result of more than one year of discussions with many businesses in our service area, both members and potential members,” Board President John Riedl wrote in a letter to chamber members dated July 14. He called the proposed name change “a more inclusive name,” and said that the decision was made by a unanimous vote of the chamber’s board of directors.

The Watershed Agricultural Council (WAC) is currently seeking applications from public institutions and other facilities exceeding 50,000 square feet interested in exploring biomass-heating options for their building(s). Studies will evaluate the potential for meeting a facility’s energy needs with available by-products of the region’s forest products manufacturing and forest management activities. Selected applicants will receive a detailed assessment of the economic, environmental and technical feasibility of retrofitting or replacing an existing boiler system to accommodate wood as a renewable fuel option.

State Senator John J. Bonacic (R/I/C – Mount Hope) announced that the New York State Archives, in conjunction with the Local Government Advisory Council, has awarded grants to a variety of Delaware County organizations. The funding will be used for the improvement of records management systems to better serve the public.
“Information is vital to each and everyone of us on a daily basis,” stated Senator Bonacic. “Our local organizations, governments and school districts collect, store and relate a variety of information that we depend on.”

Opening this week is a new collective show by the Longyear member artists, featuring a solo exhibition by Ellen Wong. The artists’ reception will take place at Longyear Gallery on Saturday, Aug. 23, from 4 to 7 p.m.

The fall schedule of classes at the Delaware County eCenter offers a mix of computer and business learning. New to the schedule are classes that address business uses of the Internet and computer programs.