Phoenicia

By Jay Braman Jr.
The conviction of a Phoenicia woman, who plead guilty in March 2008 to charges related to a head-on crash on Route 28 that left a 78-year-old Roxbury man dead, has been upheld by a state appellate court, according to the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office.

Phoenicia — With the start of the fall season, don’t miss the opportunity to view the spectacular colors of Ulster County foliage. For the ultimate experience take a ride on the Catskill Mountain Railroad’s Leaf Peeper Special along the Esopus Creek.

By Jay Braman Jr.
A Kerhonkson man drowned in a tubing accident Sunday afternoon in the Esopus Creek in Phoenicia.
According to Shandaken Police, Peter Debaun, 55, was tubing with a group on the creek when he fell from his tube in strong rapids and his legs became stuck in underwater rocks.

By Jay Braman Jr.
An early Sunday morning struggle between two visitors, reportedly brothers, and the owner of a Town of Shandaken home, ended when one of the visitors was shot in the groin inside the home on Route 214 in the Hamlet of Phoenicia.

By Jay Braman Jr.
The cost of building and operating a sewer system in Phoenicia, along with related technological issues, has kept the project at a controversial standstill for years, but new technology has now appeared that may convince voters in this hamlet that installing a system is the right thing to do.
Three years ago voters in the district turned down plans for a conventional system that would have cost $17 million.

Phoenicia Phirst Phriday features Mark Brown, the Sunburst Brothers and The Shoe String Band on Friday, July 3.
The door opens at 7 p.m. with music beginning at 7:30 p.m.

By Jay Braman Jr.
The owner of the property behind the site of the former Phoenicia Hotel has had enough of the waiting and hoping for a clean up of the rubble next door. She wants to build an oversized fence between her land and the heap of debris that was the former hotel.
Trouble is, the law only allows for a fence to be six feet tall, and Lawrence Webster, who bought her property just one month before the historic hotel went up in flames two years ago, told the Shandaken Zoning Board of Appeals that she needs one to be eight feet high to shield the unsightliness.

By Jay Braman Jr.
You can buy gas in Phoenicia again.
The Country Store in this hamlet opened Monday following a three-month closure while its owners investigated potential environmental problems.
Closed since January, the owners, Verona Oil Inc., suffered schedule set backs due to the discovery of fuel contamination underground at the site. Originally expected to be open within two weeks, the store remained closed for three months.

By Jay Braman Jr.
At a meeting Monday night, Shandaken Supervisor Peter DiSclafani told those attending that he had just received that day the long-awaited response from the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on the latest wastewater plan. The new plan uses vegetated sand beds instead of the conventional concrete and chemical version that Phoenicia voters turned down two years ago.

By Jay Braman Jr.
The Country Store in Phoenicia should be able to reopen soon.
Closed since January, the owners, Verona Oil Inc., have suffered schedule set backs due to the discovery of underground fuel contamination at the site. Originally expected to be open within two weeks, the store remains shut down three months later.