News

Roxbury’s maple-lined Main Street is a living showcase of 19th-century architecture, with the entire hamlet on the State and National Register of Historic Places. On Saturday, Aug. 30 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., owners of some of Roxbury’s finest grand dames will graciously open their doors in a “once-a-year opportunity” to take a leisurely tour inside. Student docents will explain how these homes and their features reflected 19th-century life in this Catskills hamlet.

There’s no better way to spend a lovely summer evening than on the Delaware & Ulster Railroad listening to great music as you roll along beside the East Branch of the Delaware River. On Saturday, Aug. 30, the Blues Maneuver will take to the rails on the historic D&URR from 6 to 8:30 p.m. for a slow moving scenic train ride that everyone will enjoy.

Chris Isaak will bring his unique blend of rock, country and pop tunes to the Belleayre Music Festival stage on Saturday, Aug. 30 at 8 p.m. Isaak’s smooth, haunting vocal style has propelled songs such as “Wicked Game” and “Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing,” to the top of the charts. Over the course of nine albums, he has produced a dozen hit singles.

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.

By Brian Sweeney
New Margaretville Central School Superintendent Anthony Albanese has been on the job since July 1 and is looking forward to the start of school. Mr. Albanese has been working with the board for more than a month and has met many staff members who are already at MCS preparing for a new year.

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 Town of Middletown adopted the NYS Real Property Tax Law 458-b Cold War Veterans Exemption on August 12. The exemption shall be applicable to Town of Middletown taxes. “Cold War Veteran” means a person, male or female, who served on active duty in the United States armed forces, during the time period from September 2, 1945 to December 26, 1991, and was discharged or released under honorable conditions.

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.