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Residents oppose expansion of Grand Prix Fun Park on 414

Racing-stadium plan raises noise, dust, traffic concerns; Special Meeting set

WATKINS GLEN, April 27 -- Two dozen residents of the area around the Seneca Grand Prix Family Fun Park on Rt. 414 aired their opposition Tuesday night to the expansion of the facility under new ownership -- an expansion that calls for a new stadium-style outdoor track for motorcycles, ATVs and karts.

The occasion was a Town of Dix Planning Board public hearing on the project, part of a process that included preliminary site plan approval last year and possible final site plan approval in the near future. The Planning Board has scheduled a special meeting for 12 noon on May 11 to further discuss the issue.

If approval is granted then or later, it will not set well with the residents on hand Tuesday -- nor, presumably, with the rest of the 86 people who signed a petition opposing the plan. Those 86, said one person close to the petition, were all residents in the vicinity near the track. Nobody approached to sign it had declined the opportunity, the person added.

The park, built in 1987, operated for nearly 20 years until problems led to its closure for two seasons. It was purchased two years ago by a Horseheads businessman who renovated much of the property and reopened last summer. Among its features are two go-kart tracks, a miniature golf course, bumper boats, an arcade and a volleyball court.

A new ownership group led by former National Hockey League player Jason Bonsignore of Rochester plans construction of the new outdoor stadium, with bleacher seating and a berm to cut down on noise. The stadium, to be known as The Seneca Speedway Stadium, will primarily feature European Speedway Motorcycle Racing -- popular in Europe and California -- on Fridays under the lights at 8 p.m., according to a press release sent out in early March.

It is that kind of promotion -- in a fashion that residents consider putting the cart before the horse -- that had those at the meeting Tuesday wondering if the Planning Board had given Bonsignore the go-ahead before he had passed the various hurdles necessary to an expansion project.

The residents' complaints dealt primarily with concerns about noise, and dust, and a heavy increase in traffic that could back up vehicle flow on Rt. 414 on event nights. One mother of a 5-year-old said she was concerned for the child's safety in light of the increased traffic and the drinking that she -- and others -- presumed might be taking place at the stadium.

One resident suggested a possible Article 78 suit that would put the matter before a judge to determine if the Planning Board had followed all of the rules it is supposed to follow. Another was concerned by a statement by Bonsignore in one publication that indicated he and his fellow businessmen hoped to put 2,000 people in the stadium seats.

Town Board member Scott Yaw urged the Planning Board to consider matters of dust, smoke, odors, fumes and noise in its deliberations, and urged safety first where an onsite pond is concerned -- making sure it is barricaded so no young children wandering around the grounds can end up falling into it.

The Planning Board refused to respond to any questions, with member Kirk Smith, who was controlling the flow of comments, explaining simply that "This is a public hearing" -- meaning that only the public would be heard.

Bonsignore was standing in the back of the room, near the exit, and commented near the end of the session by saying "there are a lot of good concerns, and understandable." But he said he was "bothered" by statements that had "no basis in fact," such as one comment that the Champion Speedway in Owego, which he owns, has no residences nearby, and for a reason: the noise.

That's not so, he said. There are residents near that track, he said, and they all live in harmony with the track. He also took exception to the reference by a couple of speakers about the "motocross" that they said would be taking place at the Seneca Grand Prix. Not so, he said. There is no motocross planned. As for references to BMX races, he said, those will be non-motorized bicycle races.

Concern over installation of a hockey rink in the future was also overstated, he said. What he plans is a "synthetic sheet for community skating." And in reference to a news article that indicated the stadium project was "a done deal," he said he had told the journalist writing that article that the project didn't have the final go-ahead.

When the last resident had taken his or her turn speaking, the meeting turned to another subject without the board chairman, Mike Pierce, saying anything about the public hearing being over. And when he was told he should announce its end -- and did -- he was asked by one resident if the Speedway Stadium issue would be discussed later in the meeting. It would not, he said.

Finally, board member Phil Barnes told Pierce he had to explain to those at the meeting what the next step in the process would be. "Tell them what's next," he said. Several in the audience responded by saying "Thank you."

Pierce then said there would likely be a Special Meeting well before the Planning Board's next regularly scheduled meeting, and that the board would be consulting its attorneys. It was unclear whether those attorneys would be present at the Special Meeting, or what exactly would be discussed at that session -- or whether the board would respond to any questions asked of it by residents who might be in attendance.

Word later Tuesday -- after the Planning Board had adjourned -- was that the 12 noon time on May 11 had been agreed upon.

Photos in text:

Top: Planning Board chairman Mike Pierce, right, with vice-chair Mike DeNardo next to him, and board member Phil Barnes in the background.

Middle: Track owner Jason Bonsignore.

Bottom: Dix Town Board member Scott Yaw.

From left: Planning Board members Kirk Smith, Phil Barnes and Mike DeNardo.

Say goodbye to the fire siren

Watkins mainstay is coming down from the Municipal Building roof

WATKINS GLEN, April 20 -- The longstanding -- and very loud -- Watkins Glen fire siren is being mothballed -- taken from the roof of the Municipal Building and turned over to Civil Defense in the person of County Emergency Management Coordinator Bill Kennedy.

The issue of the siren, discussed at the first meeting of the newly constituted Village Board at its April 4th meeting, came to a head at the April 18th meeting when a report by Dale Walter, Municipal Building renovation project Clerk of the Works, indicated the siren would be removed soon. Removal was scheduled for this week, but put off a week by the weather, Walter said.

Mayor Mark Swinnerton, contacted after the meeting, said the siren "is deemed not needed" -- the opinion, he said, not only of the Village Board, but of both the fire department and Kennedy. Firefighters, he noted, now can be contacted immediately by cell phones or minitors (portable monitors).

The siren, originally designed to warn about such things as natural disasters or air raids, has been used for years to call firefighters to the scene of various emergency events -- in a deafening way that has drawn complaints from merchants and visitors. With the village dependent on tourism, it was pointed out at the April 4 meeting, it made little sense to alienate the eardrums of visitors just to maintain an outmoded tradition.

Accordingly, the 3 foot-by-3 foot siren, a heavy apparatus, will be removed by crane while other, renovation-related equipment is being craned into place atop the Municipal Building roof. The siren "will probably be surplused out" by Kennedy, said Swinnerton.

Also on the roof is a brass curfew bell -- not used in recent years but still operational, say village officials. It will be removed and transferred to the fire department for display.

Meanwhile: Swinnerton said he had written Cargill Salt last week about the possibility of that firm reinstituting its traditional noon whistle six days a week, but hasn't heard back. The company stopped blowing its whistle -- once a tradition in the morning, at midday and at the close of work -- because of complaints from neighbors. The village at its April 4 meeting agreed to handle any related complaints from the noon whistle blowing.

Photo in text: The siren and the bell sit atop the Municipal Building, but not for long.

Montour Falls Board looks at $8.23 tax rate

MONTOUR FALLS, April 19 -- The Montour Falls Village Board held a public hearing Monday night on a tentative budget with a tax rate of $8.229 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, down from $12.637 per $1,000 last year.

The difference is the result of full valuation of village property, which was part of a countywide process. While taxes on some properties may stay about the same or go down, others will go up, depending on the valuation figure on each given parcel.

The board plans to vote on the budget, with possible minor changes, at its May 2 meeting.

In other business Monday, the board:

--Decided in favor of adding "Veterinarian" to Special Uses in the Core District (Main Street) in the wake of interest shown by a veterinarian in using the old Office for the Aging building. The matter goes to the County Planning Commission next, with a public hearing to follow on May 16. Any specific renovation project would have to go through the Village Planning Board.

--Set Saturday, May 14 as the next Spring Trash Collection Day at the Town of Montour Highway Barn. No hazardous items, electronics, tires, recyclables or garbage will be accepted.

--Discussed again the vacancy in the office of Department of Public Works Superintendent. The duties are being performed by a foreman. The office has been vacant for over a year.

--Decided to put a timer on the Shequagah Falls lighting, so that it turns off each night at 1 a.m. Board members agreed there was no need for it to be on at that time of night.

Glen Board axes Summer Rec

Village budget gap prompts action; will 'revisit' program next year

WATKINS GLEN, April 19 -- The Watkins Glen Village Board Monday night voted 3-0 to eliminate the longstanding Summer Recreation program, with an eye toward "revisiting" it next year.

Mayor Mark Swinnerton cast the necessary third vote after a motion by Trustee Kevin Smith and a second by Scott Gibson drew "yes" votes from both men and an abstention from Wayne Weber. Trustee Greg Coon was not present.

The possibility of the program's termination was raised two weeks earlier, at the first board session run by newly elected Mayor Swinnerton, who had run for office with newcomers Smith and Gibson. The specter of a difficult budget season and a declining attendance in the program set up Monday's vote.

It was put into dollar terms when Swinnerton said the village is looking for ways to cut costs after finding -- following the first time through the budget -- a gap of $273,000 caused by state pension increases, insurance hikes and workers' compensation fees, among other things.

"That's $273,000 we have to find in the budget," he said. "We need to look at every penny, and get this (deficit) down. So we're going to pull the Summer Rec program now, with the board's approval."

Gibson noted that the program, a longstanding tradition that once boasted about 300 kids, was down to 90 last year, including just 29 from the village. The cost was $21,000, with $2,000 coming from the Division of Youth, and contributions from Burdett and the Town of Hector.

"We would be asking village residents to support a program with just 29 village children," he said. "That doesn't make sense with this shortfall."

"This is the last thing we want to cut," said Swinnerton, "and unfortunately it is the first thing we're going to cut."

Added Gibson: "The plan is to shelve it this year. It doesn't mean it goes away forever. This is not an easy choice; it really isn't."

Then came the motion, the two ayes and the abstention. Swinnerton, noting that "this requires the vote of the mayor," took several seconds to gather his thoughts. Then he said:

"My vote will be to pull the Summer Rec program for 2011. We'll revisit it for 2012."

The board also approved Swinnerton's mayoral appointments, which included:

--Donna Beardsley as Village Clerk-Treasurer, Registrar, Cemetery Commissioner, Bingo Commissioner and Historian;

--Part-time police officers David Novinsky, Robert Brill, Robert Minichello, Anthony Tostanoski, Kyle Hatch, Daniel Eberhardt, Isaac Marmor, Christopher Cady, Trevor Field, Daniel Jacobson and Richard Pierce;

--Zoning Board of Appeal members Roger Hugo, Kathy Fragola, Walter Hollien, David Wyre and Mark Stephany;

--Housing Authority members George Baldassare, Carol Kunzmann, Steve Gillette, Ken Wilson and Craig Olafson;

--Planning Board members Joseph Fazzary (Chair), Amedeo Fraboni, Anthony Fraboni, John Bond and Tom Merrill;

--Raymond H. Berry as Acting Village Justice.

Photos in text:

From top: Mayor Mark Swinnerton and Trustees Scott Gibson and Kevin Smith at Monday night's board meeting.

Legislators approve pact with CSEA workers

WATKINS GLEN, April 12 -- The Schuyler County Legislature Monday night gave its blessing to a new five-year contract retroactive to Jan. 1 with 150 CSEA workers.

The pact, county officials have said, will save Schuyler an estimated $1.2 million over that period due to changes in health insurance co-pays and deductibles. The 150 workers will receive pay hikes of 1.5% each year beginning in 2012.

The meeting also featured discussion of the recent mailing of tax delinquency notices to all 1200-plus property owners in the Town of Montour. (See story below.)

Legislature Chairman Dennis Fagan described the incident as "an embarassing situation that never should have happened." It could have been avoided, he added, with "two phone calls ... It truly is a lack of common sense, and I'm truly befuddled."

County Administrator Tim O'Hearn said that property owners who paid their taxes will not appear on a published delinquency list, and that the county will pay for the mailings.

Tax bill snafu upsets residents

All Town of Montour property taxpayers hit with delinquency notices

WATKINS GLEN, April 4 -- An apparent breakdown in communication has led to the distribution by the Schuyler County Treasurer's Office of Delinquent Tax Notices to every property taxpayer in the Town of Montour and some in the Town of Tyrone who had paid their tax bills.

The notices were sent out Thursday, and have prompted a stream of phone calls by residents to the Treasurer's Office.

"It's unfortunate, and regrettable," said County Administrator Tim O'Hearn, who said it was a situation that seemingly begs finger-pointing but which, in fact, was the result of "a lack of communication on the part of both offices" -- the Treasurer's and the Town of Montour's.

O'Hearn explained that the county tax bills contain the town tax bills, as well, and are collected by town clerks. At a given point, he said, the towns submit copies of the receipts -- of the paid bills -- certifying collection of taxes for each parcel. It's a system that's worked in the past, but clearly didn't this time.

The Town of Montour, he said, claims that the county has notified it in the past when it was ready for the receipts, but did not this time -- "although, if I were them, I'd be sending in receipts weekly." The end result: no receipts were submitted to the county by the town.

In the case of the Town of Tyrone, O'Hearn said, a portion of its receipts were submitted in February. The remainder were submitted Thursday, too late to head off delinquent tax notices for the property owners represented by that latter group of receipts.

With no marked-as-paid bills -- no receipts -- from the Town of Montour, he said, delinquency notices were sent out as required by law. "Did the Treasurer's Office do anything wrong? No." But, he added, a phone call to the town might have helped when it was noticed that the number of delinquencies was incredibly high.

"Unfortunately," said O'Hearn, the incident has resulted in "ill will among the residents who paid their taxes, and between two layers of government. There are a lot of confused and angry tapayers out there, and rightfully so. There are a lot of people who pay their taxes religiously. It's a big deal to them."

Callers are being told by the Treasurer's Office that they needn't worry -- they will not go down as delinquents if they have proof of payment.

"We tell them that if they have a receipt or cancelled check, to disregard the notice," said County Treasurer Peggy Starbuck, "although some of them are saying 'I think I'll hang onto this," or indicate they might call the Town office. The number of tax parcels in the Town of Montour, she said, totals about 1,200.

One news organization calling O'Hearn about the bills said it had heard the Town of Montour was delinquent in paying its tax bill, but "that's absolutely untrue," he said. The town has time yet to submit payment. What it failed to do was send in receipts confirming tax payments by the owners of each parcel in the town.

Cost of the delinquency mailings is another matter, he said, and "could be an expense that is not recoverable by the county," although the Treasurer's Office might be considering whether "to pass it to the town. It was money spent unneccesarily.

"Nobody wants to point fingers," he said. "The bigger issue is what to do to make sure this doesn't happen again. I suppose there are a number of ways the process can be refined."

Mark Swinnerton signed an oath of office before running his first meeting as mayor.

The Swinnerton years begin

Summer Rec, Cargill whistle, fire siren discussed; new mayor signs oath

WATKINS GLEN, April 5 -- The incoming majority -- Mayor Mark Swinnerton, Deputy Mayor Scott Gibson and Trustee Kevin Smith -- had promised to hold detailed, question-filled meetings once they took office, and they weren't kidding.

The first meeting of the newly constituted Watkins Glen Village Board Monday night was full of discussion, and questions, and reports ... and lasted three hours, not counting the executive session that followed it.

And it was a night filled with talk of some significance: a possible end to the Summer Recreation program that has served the village kids and those from outlying areas for decades, the apparent reestablishment of the whistle at Cargill Salt, but only at noon Monday through Saturday; and the possible removal of the village fire siren.

It was also swearing-in night, in the sense that Swinnerton, Gibson and Smith signed oaths of office in an official ledger. The three were swept into office in the March 15 village election, unseating incumbent Mayor Judy Phillips and trustees William Smagner and Nick Kelly. The other two trustees are Greg Coon and Wayne Weber.

Summer Recreation: With the program -- which in days gone by would attract 300 youths -- costing $20,000 a year and attracting diminishing numbers (84 last year), the board considered the possibility of pulling the plug on it. Funding has come chiefly from the village, with contributions from the Division of Youth, the village of Burdett and the town of Hector.

Each of the trustees expressed fondness for the program, and discussed possible project-saving measures, including a fund-raising effort that might include local businesses and service organizations. The board tabled any decision until it has a chance to delve into the upcoming budget, with Swinnerton cautioning that -- in light of tight economic times -- the program still could fall victim to the budget-cutting axe.

Village fire siren: The board discussed eliminating the siren, and seemed to lean in that direction, but wanted first to consult Fire Chief Dominick Smith, who was out of town. The consensus at the meeting was that the siren is a very loud nuisance in a time when firefighters can be alerted by other means: cell phone, monitors and the like.

Said Trustee Greg Coon: "I'd love to see it gone."

Cargill whistle: The traditional whistle, terminated in the past couple of years, will apparently be reinstated with a letter from Swinnerton to Cargill officials assuring them that any complaints about it could be directed to village officials. The whistle, which used to blow at 7 a.m., noon and 3:30 -- signaling to workers the start of the workday, lunch, and the workday's end -- will, under Board terms, blow only at noon on Mondays through Saturdays. A village spokesperson said the whistle was terminated by Cargill, without village input, a couple of years ago upon complaints from neighbors.

The decision was preceded by a letter from Tony Vickio, read aloud by Swinnerton. Vickio wrote that the whistle was "a time-honored tradition ... sounding a message. When it sounded, the community was one."

Vickio has circulated a pro-whistle petition that attracted hundreds of signatures, but Swinnerton said Cargill officials felt that such an effort wasn't necessary -- that the whistle would blow with the assurance from the village that village officials would handle any complaints. Only Trustee Wayne Weber opposed the move.

In other business, the board:

--Heard a report from Dale Walter, the Clerk of the Works for the Municipal Building renovation project, which is scheduled for completion in June. He noted that the police department, which had been slated for placement in the back or the building, will instead be in the front as before, providing a visible police presence. Offices for the mayor and village clerk, slated for the front of the building, will instead be in the rear.

--Heard Police Chief Tom Struble say that the increasing price at the gasoline pump is pushing his department above its budgeted gas fund. "We've taken a big hit," he said, "but we can't stop patrolling."

--Heard Swinnerton ask Village Clerk Donna Beardsley to initiate contact with personnel involved in running cable-access Channel 5 with an eye toward the eventual videotaping of Village Board meetings for broadcast on that channel.

Photos in text: From top, trustees Scott Gibson, Kevin Smith and Greg Coon.

Among family members on hand with Joe Fazzary for Wednesday's announcement were his wife Susan and son Georgio.

Fazzary enters judge's race, vows 'old fashioned' campaign

WATKINS GLEN, March 31 -- Schuyler County District Attorney Joseph G. Fazzary declared his candidacy Wednesday for the Republican nomination for Schuyler County Judge.

He will square off against Assistant County Attorney Dennis Morris in the September primary, with the winner advancing to the November general election. Morris announced his candidacy on March 28th. There are no other announced candidates.

The County Judge post, currently held by J.C. Argetsinger, is for 10 years. Argetsinger, in the fourth year of his second term, is being forced from the job by a state-mandated retirement age of 70.

Fazzary, in a press conference on the steps of the county courthouse, said his platform would be the same as the first time he ran for the DA's post -- "hard work, dedication, even-handed justice," and an ongoing effort "to make Schuyler County a safer place to live."

His wife Susan and children Georgio and Isabella were at his side for the announcement, which was preceded by an introduction by Schuyler County Republican Party Chairman Phil Barnes.

Gathered on the lawn in front of the steps were representatives from TV and print media, and scores of Fazzary supporters, starting with family members and including a cross section of local political and business representatives.

Among those present was Matt Hayden, who is the county's Chief Assistant District Attorney -- a man who will watch Fazzary's campaign with heightened interest since it could so strikingly affect his own career. Should Fazzary win, Hayden -- a Democrat -- would be in line for a possible gubernatorial appointment to the District Attorney post. He would, under those circumstances, run in 2012 for a four-year term in the DA's office, he said.

Fazzary, who has served as DA since 1998, and was an Assistant DA from 1993-97, pointed to his extensive courtroom experience as invaluable for the role he now wants to take on. "To be a good judge," he said, "you have to spend a lot of time in the courtroom, and I've done that. And you need to know how to research law," another area in which he said he has extensive experience.

"We have a tradition of fine judges in Schuyler County," he said, a list he would like to join. But first comes the election -- a hurdle for which, he told the crowd, "I need your support. I can't win it alone."

He pointed to his failed effort to win a seat on the New York Supreme Court in 2007, when his campaign was spread over 10 counties. This time, with just one county, he plans to "run an old-fashioned campaign," going door to door and attending suppers, "dragging my family along and probably gaining another 20 pounds."

That kind of visibility and effort, he said, is essential. "I know that's how to win an election."

Photos in text:

Top: Joe Fazzary, right, shakes hands with Schuyler County GOP Chairman Phil Barnes, who had introduced the candidate.

Bottom: Chief Assistant DA Matt Hayden.

Among those present for the Fazzary announcement were Schuyler County Legislators Dennis Fagan, left, and Stewart Field.

Morris is a candidate for Schuyler County Judge post

WATKINS GLEN, March 28 -- Dennis Morris of Montour Falls, a longtime Schuyler County attorney who has served as Assistant County Attorney since 1992, has announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for Schuyler County Judge.

Morris, 58, who has practiced law in the county for 32 years, is seeking the post currently held by County Judge J.C. Argetsinger of Montour Falls, who will be retiring from the position on Dec. 31 under mandatory retirement-age regulations. The term of office will be 10 years.

Morris is expected to have competition for the Republican nomination from Schuyler County District Attorney Joseph Fazzary, which would force a September primary election to determine the GOP nominee in November. Fazzary has not yet made any formal announcement of candidacy.

Morris, a Schuyler County Assistant District Attorney from 1986-89, said he recently filed documents with the New York and Schuyler County Boards of Elections registering a campaign committee.

In Schuyler County, the County Judge presides over three courts -- Family Court, County Court and Surrogate's Court.

A lifelong resident of Schuyler County, Morris grew up on on a family farm owned by his parents, Dorothy and L. Hollier Morris, and graduated from Watkins Glen High School in 1970, Grove City College in 1974 and the University of Akron Law School in 1978. He was admitted to the New York State Bar in January 1979, and has practiced law in the county ever since.

From 1982-96, he served as Village Attorney for Odessa and Burdett, and as Town Attorney for the Town of Dix. He is a former president of the Schuyler County Bar Association and a past representative to the New York Bar Association House of Delegates.

He and his wife, Julie, and daughter, Jessi, live in the farmhouse on Skyline Drive built by Morris's great-grandfather, A.J. Morris, in 1879. The Morrises are members of the First Prebyterian Church of Watkins Glen.

Outside of the legal arena, Morris is a musician. After college, he became a volunteer instructor and later a board member of the Squires and Pages Junior Drum and Bugle Corps. During that 10-year period, the Squires won four state championships.

Since then, he has served as coach for the Dundee, Trumansburg and Horseheads Marching Bands and Colorguard.

He is also a member of the Farm Bureau and the National Rifle Association.

Photo in text: Dennis Morris and the Schuyler County Courthouse.

Reed fields questions, concerns at Town Meeting in Schuyler

WATKINS GLEN, March 26 -- Congressman Tom Reed visited the Dix town office in Watkins Glen Saturday for the seventh in a series of Town Meetings he's been holding around the 29th Congressional District.

Reed, a first-term Republican, was joined by State Senator Tom O'Mara and Assemblyman Chris Friend. Also on hand were Schuyler County Republican Chairman Phil Barnes, county legislator Glenn Larison and Watkins Glen Mayor-elect Mark Swinnerton among an audience of more than 40 area residents.

Reed said the major issue facing Congress is the rapidly increasing federal debt, which he said is "not sustainable" and "will destroy America from within" if not brought under control. "We're fighting for America for the next generation," he said.

Other subjects discussed included:

--Ethanol production and the attendant removal of corn crops from the food distribution network for that production. One visitor insisted the ethanol effort should be discontinued -- and Reed agreed, saying there is a movement afoot in Congress to debate the issue.

--Hydrofracking. Reed said that while he doesn't want "our backyard" ruined by unsafe drilling practices, he believes -- "from what I've read" -- that the process "can be done safely and responsibly," and "we need to move to the next level. We can't drive our policies based on fear."

--Obamacare. The health plan pushed through Congress last year was repealed by the House, Reed noted, but not by the Senate. "Outright repeal is highly unlikely," he said, although "there are problem areas that need to be put back on the table. We need to make sure the health debate continues on."

After his visit to Schuyler County, Reed was scheduled to go to similar meetings later in the day in Canandaigua and Gates.

Photos in text:

Top: Congressman Tom Reed answers a question at the Town Meeting.

Bottom: Among those on hand for the session was Watkins Glen Mayor-elect Mark Swinnerton, right. Attorney Stewart McDivitt is in the background.

Assemblyman Chris Friend, left, and State Senator Tom O'Mara were also at the meeting.

Watkins Village Board holds low-key session as two trustees say goodbye

WATKINS GLEN, March 22 -- The Watkins Glen Village Board conducted a brief and low-keyed meeting Monday night, minus its mayor and with the next mayor and two trustees-elect in the audience.

Mayor-elect Mark Swinnerton and trustees-elect Scott Gibson and Kevin Smith observed the session, which dealt with only minor housekeeping issues.

The session was led by Deputy Mayor Greg Coon in the absence of Mayor Judy Phillips, who has been on vacation -- a cruise to Hawaii -- since before her election defeat to Swinnerton on March 15th. Present were two trustees who lost their bids for re-election -- William Smagner and Nick Kelly. They were attending their final session as board members.

The Swinnerton team will be sworn in when the board meets again on April 4th

Among action taken Monday night, the board:

--Approved a request by organizers of the Farmers Market to use Lafayette Park again this year, on Fridays from 3-7 p.m. from May 27 to Oct. 28, with Sept. 9 off during the Grand Prix Festival. Last year, there were 14 regular vendors during the peak period of July and August.

--Approved a request by Joe's Hots to set up again this summer selling hot dogs at Lafayette Park. The fee will remain the same as last year.

--Approved May 7 as the date of the next Dumpster Day outside the Community Center off of 4th Street. It will run from 8 a.m. to noon.

--Acknowledged that the annual St. Jude's Bike-a-thon will be run from 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. on May 21 at the high school.

Outgoing trustee Kelly told Swinnerton, Gibson and Smith: "Good luck to you guys." And Coon said he wanted to say a "thank you to Nick and Bill and Judy for their years of service to the community." To the Swinnterton group, he added this: "It'll be fun bringing you on."

Photos in text:

Top: Watkins Glen trustee Greg Coon, who serves as deputy mayor, ran the meeting.

Bottom: Nick Kelly, who attended his final meeting as a trustee. He was defeated in a re-election bid in the March 15th village election.

At the Legislature meeting ...

Caricatures of legislators and county officials on hand at the Monday, March 14 meeting of the Schuyler County Legislature. The drawings were done during the session by artist Jon Haeffner. Top, from left: Legislators Michael Yuhasz, Dennis Fagan and Glenn Larison, County Administrator Tim O'Hearn, and Legislators Phil Barnes and Barbara Halpin. Bottom, from left: Legislators Doris Karius and Tom Gifford, County Attorney James Coleman, Legislator Stewart Field, Legislature Deputy Clerk Jamee Mack, and Legislature Clerk Stacy Husted.

Watkins Glen trustee candidates Scott Gibson, left, and David Wyre Sr., center, chat with mayoral candidate Mark Swinnerton before the vote count was announced.

Change sweeps into Watkins

King defeats Kelley in Montour Falls; Pierce edges Parker in Odessa

WATKINS GLEN, March 16 -- Two incumbent mayors were ousted in Tuesday's Schuyler County village elections, and another nearly was.

Incumbents Judy Phillips in Watkins Glen and Donna Kelley in Montour Falls lost their re-election bids, while incumbent Keith Pierce in Odessa narrowly survived a challenge from a write-in candidate allied with the group that forced a village dissolution vote last December.

The only mayor who cruised to victory was Dale Walter in Burdett. He garnered only 25 votes, but was running unopposed.

Watkins Glen:

The message was clear. Watkins Glen residents wanted a change in the way their village government is run, and they got it.

The team led by former trustee Mark Swinnerton swept into office in decisive fashion, with Swinnerton (a Republican) outpolling Phillips (a Democrat) for the four-year mayor's job, 324-186. Richard Scuteri (defeated by Swinnerton in the GOP primary) received 66 votes, and write-in candidate Kevin Thornton was named on 17 ballots.

Swinnerton running mates Kevin Smith and Scott Gibson, seeking two available Village Board seats, unseated incumbents William Smagner and Nick Kelly -- with Smith receiving 299 votes, Gibson 262, Smagner 236, and Kelly 155. A fifth candidate, Republican David Wyre Sr., registered 121 votes. Smith and Gibson were running with Swinnerton on the Listening Party line, while Smagner (a Democrat) and Kelly were running on the People's Choice line.

"I'm speechless, to say the least," said Swinnerton after the votes were announced. "I can't believe it wasn't closer. It speaks to the need for change, and believe me, we hear the voters' voices loud and clear. We will continue on with the pledges we made to them.

"Now," he said, "we're anxious to get started." The team will take office on the first Monday of April, at a board meeting that night.

And their first order of business?

"Budget, budget, budget," said Swinnerton. "We're going to take it apart and work on it from the bottom up. We are going to do our best to steer the ship down the avenue we set."

Montour Falls:

Village trustee John P. King, a retired business executive who has served on the Village Board for one year, defeated incumbent Mayor Donna Kelley 149-109 in what many observers had thought would be a closer race that perhaps favored Kelley.

But King, who campaigned door-to-door through much of the village, showed strength that carried him into office. He will begin his two-year term next month. The board will then have to appoint someone to fill the unexpired portion of his trustee term.

Also elected were two trustees -- incumbent Jim Howell and newcomer Ellen Mathers -- who ran unopposed. Mathers received 185 votes, and Howell 184.

Odessa:

Incumbent Mayor Keith Pierce, at odds the past year with a group of residents intent on dissovling the village government, defeated a member of that group, Edward A. (Andy) Parker, who was running for mayor as a write-in candidate. The vote count was a close one, 69-58.

Parker, for whom flyers were being distributed quietly to selected voters in the village, was pulled into the public spotlight Sunday when local media discovered his stealth candidacy and interviewed him about it. Although Parker said he was no longer interested in pursuing dissolution, his candidacy rekindled the issue in the minds of some voters, and sparked a turnout at the polls far larger than had been expected a week earlier.

Incumbent trustees Robin Thoman and Shawn Crane were re-elected unopposed, each receiving 112 votes.

There were several write-in candidates, with Sally Hill receiving five votes and Lyle Goossen three for trustee, and trustee Timothy Hicks and former Deputy Mayor Rita Decker one each for mayor.

"I knew it would be close," said Parker, who was on hand at the Municipal Building when the vote count was announced. "Had it tipped the other way, I would have wanted to prove to the voters that they had made the right choice. I hope (Pierce) feels the same way" about his narrow win.

"Getting rid of apathy," Parker added, "was the most important part" of his mayoral challenge.

Mayor Pierce, celebrating at home with Thoman and Crane and trustee Peggy Tomassi, said he was "thrilled with the turnout, and grateful to the village residents who gave us the go-ahead to continue the things we've been working on. We're moving forward."

Burdett:

Incumbent Mayor Dale Walter ran unopposed for re-election, along with incumbent trustee Linda Arcangeli and newcomer Judy Mangus. Walter received 25 votes, Arcangeli 24 and Mangus 19. Write-in trustee candidate Diane White fell short with 11 votes.

Photos in text:

From top: Incumbent Watkins Glen trustee William Smagner, right, congratulates trustee-elect Scott Gibson after the outcome showed Smagner had been defeated; Montour Falls mayor-elect John King with his wife Lorna (photo provided); Odessa write-in mayoral challenger Andy Parker.

Left: Mayoral candidate Richard Scuteri, left, talks with Village Justice Nick Dugo before the vote outcome was announced. Right: Margaret Swinnerton, wife of the mayor-elect.

WATKINS GLEN, March 10 -- The Schuyler County Legislature was briefed Wednesday on a plan designed to ease the process for individuals wishing to consent to eye, tissue and organ donations in the event of their deaths.

Amy Davis, the Community Education Coordinator of the Finger Lakes Donor Recovery Network of Rochester, outlined the donation consent process to the legislators at their monthly Legislature Resolution Review Committee session. The Finger Lakes group is an organ procurement organization that Davis said is trying to make organ donation "a societal value."

The plan involves the Department of Motor Vehicles, where a simple consent form will be available for signing and placement in the signer's wallet. Eventually, Davis said, plans call for the names of such potential donors to be placed into a computerized registry. The DMV is a perfect spot for the program, she said, since anyone with a driver's license will visit it periodically.

In the past, the DMV was utilized for distributing intent forms that could be circumvented by family after the passing of the person who registered. With the new consent form, permitted by a 2008 law, the matter will be taken from the family's hands

Davis told legislators that there are currently 110,000 people on the waiting list for donations, and that New York has 10% of them.

County officials hope to have the program in place at the DMV by April 1. April will be designated by the Legislature as "Donate Life Month" at its next regular session.

Photo in text: Amy Davis of the Finger Lakes Donor Recovery Network, left, with Schuyler County Department of Motor Vehicles license clerk Helen Davis and DMV supervisor/assistant deputy clerk Scott Little. T-shirts like the one shown will be worn by DMV employees at work on Fridays in April, "Donate Life Month."

From left: Watkins Glen mayoral candidates Judy Phillips, Mark Swinnerton, Richard Scuteri and write-in Kevin Thornton.

The nominees are lined up ...

4 seeking mayor's job in Glen; 2 vying in Montour Falls

SCHUYLER COUNTY, Feb. 8 -- The independent nominating petitions are in, the caucuses and a primary have been held, and the slates are in order for the March 15 village elections.

The races shape up like this:

Watkins Glen:

Running for a 4-year term as mayor: Incumbent Judy Phillips (Democrat and People's Choice); Mark Swinnerton (Republican and Listening Party), Richard Scuteri (The Concerned Taxpayer Party) and Kevin Thornton (an announced write-in candidate).

Running for two 4-year trustee seats: Incumbent William Smagner (Democrat and People's Choice), incumbent Nick Kelly (People's Choice), Scott Gibson (Listening Party), Kevin Smith (Listening Party), and David Wyre Sr. (Republican).

Running for 4-year term as Justice: Incumbent Nicholas Dugo (Republican and Listening Party)

Montour Falls:

Running for 2-year term as mayor: Incumbent Donna Kelley (Republican and Taxpayers Interests) and trustee John King (Spirit of Montour)

Running for 2-year term as trustee: Incumbent Jim Howell (Republican) and Ellen M. Mathers (Republican)

Burdett:

Running for 2-year term as Mayor: Incumbent Dale Walter (Citizens Party)

Running for 2-year terms as trustee: Incumbent Linda Arcangeli (Citizens Party) and Judy Mangus (Citizens Party)

Odessa:

Running for 2-year term as Mayor: Incumbent Keith Pierce (Independent) and, as a write-in candidate, Edward A. (Andy) Parker.

Running for 2-year terms as trustee: Incumbents Robin Thoman and Shawn Crane (both Independent)

Photos in text:

From top: Watkins Glen trustee candidates Scott Gibson and Kevin Smith, and Odessa mayoral candidate Keith Pierce, the incumbent.

From left: Montour Falls mayoral candidates Donna Kelley and John King, and Watkins Glen trustee candidate William Smagner.

In Odessa, there is a contest for the mayor's job, after all

ODESSA, March 13 -- The uncontested race for mayor of Odessa is a contest, after all.

While incumbent Mayor Keith Pierce will be the only name on the ballot for the post -- he is running as an Independent, as are incumbent trustees Robin Thoman and Shawn Crane -- there is a now-announced write-in candidate for the top spot: former village trustee Andy Parker, full name Edward A. Parker.

"If I'm voted in as mayor, I will accept it," said Parker, who was recently aligned with the committee that petitioned for a vote on dissolution of the Odessa village government. That move went down by a better than 2 to 1 margin on Dec. 7.

He has not actively been campaigning, he said, although he prepared a fact sheet (see below) for those circulating flyers about him. He says that to the best of his knowledge, "no one else is seeking write-in votes" for the mayor's post, nor for the trustee seats.

Parker says he is not running to try to force another dissolution vote. "That would be a waste of time," he said, explaining that the village "is not remotely ready for it. It can't happen without the approval of the village residents. It would just be voted down again. So let's do something else."

He said that in our rapidly changing times, and with the economy continually shaky, "a village can't afford to stay the same. It's either moving forward, or it's going to be dropping behind."

He envisions an upgrade of properties, preferably through construction of a sewer system to replace the septic fields crowded on mostly small village lots. On a vast majority of those, he said, "there's not room for new septic systems. They wouldn't make code."

If the sewer system isn't feasible, he said, the village could strive toward a development plan that enhances property values -- with an eye toward turning the village into "a sweet little bedroom community."

"People," he said, "would like to see their housing values go up."

He said the impending closing of the Village Take Out restaurant is regrettable from a historical standpoint, since the building dates back to the 19th century, but that he is "cautiously optimistic about the transfer" to the Dandy Mini Mart company. "They are a community-minded organization," he said.

He said it was unfortunate that the dissolution movement "got so ugly. Probably we should have done something like this," working within the system instead of against it. "In retrospect, I didn't want dissolution as much as I wanted to shake enough branches to show that people can talk if they want to. To a degree, that did happen."

But now, he said, he's looking at the bigger picture.

"From where I sit, the world is changing around us. Big changes are looming on the horizon, whether we want to admit it or not."

And among those changes, he suggested, could be mandates similar to the one issued by the state Department of Health in the late 1990s, when he was on the Village Board and Betsy Austin was mayor. At that time, the Health Department "forced us into our new water system. They said if we didn't do it, they would shut our water off. Mandates can be incredible motivators.

"Am I happy the village water doesn't taste as good as it used to?" he asked, referring to a period before that directive. "No, I'm not. But I am happy to have water."

*****

Andy Parker prepared a fact sheet that is being distributed in the village by supporters urging his election as mayor. Among its details are these:

--Priorities for Odessa: (1.) Complete budget disclosure with breakdown of all expenses; (2.) Take steps to create more opportunities for residents of village to have a voice in the future of their community; (3.) Downtown Sanitary Sewerage System / Make Village Friendly for New Business Development.

--Odessa-Montour graduate 1982. Class president. Highest SATs in his class.

--Alfred University graduate 1986, a BS in Ceramic Engineering.

--Employed Corning Inc. from 1989-97 in Process and Project Engineering. Direct accountability for budgets, timelines, reporting, team communications and presentations.

--Currently self-employed in IT and Internet Marketing field, and spending time as a caregiver for his father.

WATKINS GLEN, March 2 -- With less than two weeks remaining until the Village Elections on March 15, a new candidate has emerged in the Watkins Glen mayoral race.

His name is Kevin Thornton, and if that name doesn't ring a bell, it's not for lack of residency. He just hasn't entered the political arena until now. He enters a race populated by three candidates: incumbent Mayor Judy Phillips and challengers Mark Swinnerton and Richard Scuteri.

After receiving his ad (shown here and displayed on the Home Page), The Odessa File asked Thornton by email if his candidacy is serious, considering his interesting tag line: "I won't change a thing!"

He responded with a thoughtful reply, as follows:

"A little background about me:

"As of this September I will be a 16-year resident of the village of Watkins Glen. I live on North Perry Street with my beautiful wife Amy and 10-year-old son Julian, who attends Watkins Glen Middle School. I grew up in nearby Spencer, NY.

"I am a 1986 graduate of SUNY Fredonia with a bachelors degree in Communication with a concentration in organizational communication and a minor in business.

"After a short stint in broadcasting, my interest turned toward education. I worked at Cornell University for almost 14 years in the area of instructional technology. In 2002 I moved to an interesting position at Ithaca College. My title is Manager of Multi-Media Production Facilities. I manage the daily operations of all the multi-media facilities for the prestigious Roy H. Park School of Communication. For the last two years I have been chairman of the Technology Planning Committee, which decides how our endowment is used to fund capital expenditures. The budget is usually close to $400,000.

"My family and I adore living in Watkins Glen. We actually can't think of anywhere we would rather be. We have the time now to reach out, listen carefully and try and give back to our wonderful neighbors in the community, without making empty promises and providing false hopes.

"My candidacy is a commentary on the current state of politics. It seems no matter who runs for office, they talk about change and don't usually end up delivering what's promised. It seems more about vanity than really serving the people.

You asked if the slogan on my ad -- 'I won't change a thing!" -- is tongue in cheek. It is. Is my campaign any less heartfelt? It isn't. I have lots of energy and love for my community. Why not me? Even if this puts me on the community's 'radar' for future elections."

All the best,
Kevin Thornton

At the party: From left, Assemblyman Chris Friend, Watkins Glen mayoral candidate Mark Swinnerton, Congressman Tom Reed, and trustee candidate Scott Gibson. (Photo by Doug Yeater)

Swinnerton team meets and greets

WATKINS GLEN, Feb. 25 -- A congressman, a state senator and an assemblyman were on hand Thursday night as the team of Mark Swinnerton, Scott Gibson and Kevin Smith -- running for mayor, trustee and trustee, respectively, in Watkins Glen -- held a meet-and-greet party at the Village Marina Bar and Grill.

Featured guests included U.S. Congressman Tom Reed, State Senator Tom O'Mara, and State Assemblyman Chris Friend.

An estimated 120 people were on hand for the gathering, which candidate Gibson deemed "a wonderful success. We had a good cross-section of federal, state, community, business and municipal leaders. We felt that the experience was very positive and that there was a really good vibe in the air for our campaign."

He said that "key topics of concern from the room were a need for lower taxes, support for better legislation on Marcellus Shale fracking, future growth and development and what that means for the community, the consistent lack of intermunicipal cooperation, partnership, and sharing, and the lack of a public participation component in Village government. I felt that people were very receptive to our positions on each of these items."

Swinnerton is running on the Republican and Listening Party lines for mayor against incumbent Judy Phillips, who is on the Democrat and People's Choice lines. Gibson and Smith are running for seats on the Village Board on the Listening Party line.

Also seeking trustee seats are incumbents William Smagner (on the Democrat and People's Choice lines) and Nick Kelly (on the People's Choice line), and David Wyre Sr. (on the Republican line).

Incumbent Village Justice Nicholas Dugo is seeking re-election unopposed on the Republican and Listening Party lines.

The election will be held on March 15.

Photo in text: Margaret Swinnerton, left, and Kathy Gillette talk with State Senator Tom O'Mara. (Photo by Doug Yeater)

From left: Trustee candidate Scott Gibson, Rob Swinnerton, Margaret Swinnerton and her husband Mark, and trustee candidate Kevin Smith. (Photo by Doug Yeater)

Sheriff raps Cuomo budget on proposed cut to lake-patrol aid

WATKINS GLEN, Feb. 18 -- Schuyler County Sheriff Bill Yessman says the budget proposed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo could mean reduced local law enforcement on the lakes, and increased costs to state residents.

Yessman said the governor's proposal would repeal an article of the New York State Navigation Law that provides financial support to counties enforcing that law. The repeal, he said, would prevent counties from reimbursement for navigation costs.

Schuyler County, he noted, operates two part-time lake vessels -- one covering 18 miles of shoreline on Seneca Lake, and one trailered for use on Waneta, Lamoka and Cayuta Lakes.

Reimbursement for costs had been 75 percent in past years, but was recently cut to 50 percent, he said. Now, the governor wants to do away with the reimbursement completely.

The Schuyler navigation budget, he said, is about $18,000, and provides such things as safety inspections for required equipment, the towing of disabled boats, the rescue of boaters in distress, and the presentation of boater safety courses.

Yessman, a member of the Schuyler department for a quarter of a century and once part of the navigation team, said the very presence of the department's boats and personnel -- a half-dozen county deputies and corrections officers operating on overtime -- impacts the level of safety on the lakes. "I can say," he said, "that this saves lives."

State residents, he said, expect something for the registration dollars they spend on boating. That money, he said, has been shared by the state with counties for marine safety since 1959.

"It has worked successfully for over 50 years," Yessman noted. "These funds come from recreational boaters, and they should remain intact to provide necessary services to the boating public."

The end result of the governor's proposal, he said, could mean "drastic cuts to local law enforcement marine patrols" while passing the cost of remaining services on to the taxpayers.

"We can't abandon the lakes," he said. But under the Cuomo plan -- with Schuyler County expected to foot the bill in difficult financial times -- reduced service and increased cost would be the end result, he concluded.

Photo in text: Sheriff Bill Yessman discusses the governor's proposed cuts during a meeting with reporters.

Schuyler Legislators OK sale of Home Health Care agency

Lawmakers hail $12.2 million, 3-county broadband project

WATKINS GLEN, Feb. 15 -- The Schuyler County Legislature Monday night approved the sale of the county's Home Health Care Agency to a private organization.

Officials say the sale for $500,000 to the Genesee Region Home Care Association -- a division of Blue Cross -- will improve the level of local home health-care service and save the county money. The Genesee Region association operates in various counties, including Ontario and Seneca.

The move followed months of study. County Administrator Tim O'Hearn said Schuyler has not been able to provide the full range of home health services that Genesee Region can, and has found it difficult to keep positions filled.

Home Health Aides attend to people recently released from a hospital who need help in such areas as bathing. Genesee Region, officials say, will also provide such things as wound care and diabetic education.

Genesee Region will be situated in the Mill Creek Center, which has served as headquarters for the Home Health Care Agency. The transition will take about a year, O'Hearn says. Savings to the county will come in the areas of operations and liabilities.

In other business, the legislators:

--Hailed the announcement from the Southern Tier Regional Planning and Development Board earlier in the day that a long-sought improvement in the region's high-speed broadband capability will be realized with installation over the next couple of years of a $12.2 million fiber optic cable network in Steuben, Schuyler and Chemung Counties.

The project is being largely funded by Corning, Inc., which is providing $10 million. The remaining $2.2 million is being shared by the three counties. The installation will enhance Internet access throughout the region, particularly in rural areas that lack high-speed service now.

According to news reports, a contractor, as yet unchosen, will install roughly 235 miles of optical fiber along existing utility and communications lines. As the project progresses, service providers such as Time Warner can tap into the network, and thus expand the coverage area.

Legislator Tom Gifford hailed it as "great news," and Legislature Chairman Dennis Fagan said it will "obviously benefit us."

Photos in text: Legislature Chairman Dennis Fagan (top) and Legislator Tom Gifford at Monday night's meeting.

Humane Society receives the Montour ZBA ruling it sought

MONTOUR FALLS, Feb. 10 -- The Montour Falls Zoning Board of Appeals voted unanimously Wednesday night that the animal shelter-veterinary clinic proposed by the Humane Society of Schuyler County in the Kurtz Enterprizes building on Marina Drive does, in fact, qualify under zoning definitions as a clinic/shelter instead of a kennel.

The finding -- reached without public debate and after a power-point presentation by Humane Society project director Mark Taylor -- clears the way for the Society to pursue a Special Use Permit for the project.

Had the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) ruled the proposed business a kennel, the Humane Society would not have qualified under village zoning law for establishment at that locale, and would have had to seek a variance from the ZBA, an often difficult task to achieve.

The matter had been referred to the ZBA by a village code enforcement officer seeking clarification.

The Humane Society will now approach the County Planning Commission, meeting tonight at the Human Services Complex in Montour Falls, and the Village Planning Board again. The Planning Board took public opinions on the project at its last meeting. The visit to the County Commission is necessitated, Taylor said, because the Kurtz building is within 500 feet of a state highway.

Wednesday's session, chaired by Mike Stamp, moved quickly, with Stamp saying that while it was a public meeting, he did not wish to make it a public hearing other than to view Taylor's presentation. But even during that, he cautioned Taylor that the board was not seeking opinions, only facts -- and that the decision on the definition would be based solely on those facts.

Following Taylor's presentation, Stamp asked for comments from the board -- made up of members Jim Ryan, Joyce VanVleet and Carol Gifford.

There was little response, and then Stamp said that having recently researched the matter, the difference between a clinic/shelter and a kennel appeared clear to him -- that a kennel was for boarding animals for pay from individuals, while a clinic/shelter was for sheltering, treating and finding homes for dogs and cats brought in by county personnel, and for providing veterinary services. The Humane Society is trying to establish the latter, he said.

A vote followed, with all four ZBA members saying that the proposed clinic/shelter was, in fact, exactly that.

The Humane Society, while seeking clearance for the project, has not purchased the property. It is seeking village approval first, said Taylor, and then will determine the financial feasibility of that site against expansion of its current spay/neuter clinic on County Rt. 10 in the Town of Catharine. It received clearance for the Rt. 10 clinic expansion late last year from the Catharine Town Board, but with a list of conditions that Society President Georgie Taylor has said would make the project significantly more costly.

Photos in text: Zoning Board of Appeals Chairman Mike Stamp (top) and Mark Taylor, Humane Society project director, at Wednesday's ZBA meeting.

Dugo report raps Village Board on Municipal Building layout

WATKINS GLEN, Feb. 8 -- Annual reports from the Village Justice and Village Police were accepted by the Watkins Glen Village Board Monday night, despite a reservation expressed by one trustee over criticism of the board in the justice report.

Trustee Nick Kelly said he wished the board could accept the report from Village Justice Nick Dugo without a section in which Dugo takes the board to task for what he says is a failure to listen to him regarding the future of the courtroom in the Municipal Building.

That building is currently closed for an upgrade, with some offices being moved and security enhanced.

The courtroom, located in a room at the front of the second floor, is being moved to a nearby room that had been an auditorium.

"In my annual report last year," Dugo wrote in his latest report, "I asked to be consulted in any plans for reconstruction of the Village Building. Unfortunately, I was not asked for any input and only shown the final plans shortly before the move in December.

"The Watkins Glen Village Courtroom, the most magnificent Courtroom in this area, is slated to be taken over by the Board of Trustees," he added. "The assignment to the old auditorium does not seem either necessary or reasonable other than to accommodate the desires of the Mayor and Village Board.

"And, there are certain things which I was led to believe were both necessary and required for the Courtroom that apparently have been omitted from the plans, including bookshelves, conference and jury rooms, separate chambers for each Justice, an office for the Clerk, and other details of the arrangement of the bench etc. Nothing seems to be planned for noise abatement. Any comments I have made have been answered that those things can be dealt with later. That certainly sounds like a lot of very expensive change-orders in the project.

"The Attorneys who appear in this Court are shocked that this room will be lost to the Court. I certainly am not happy to lose this magnificent Hall of Justice to some planner's whim of what is the most convenient. I especially am upset that I was not asked for any input beforehand by the architect or others involved in the project."

Despite Kelly's misgivings, board member Greg Coon made a motion to accept Dugo's report -- and Kelly, smiling sheepishly, seconded it. It was approved unanimously.

In the report, Dugo also noted that the court handled a total of 1,724 cases and tickets in 2010, an increase over the previous year. Most cases handled by the court are vehicle and traffic violations. The court also held 20 hearings (mostly civil cases), and Dugo conducted 25 weddings.

Police report: Chief Tom Struble reported to the Village Board that the Police Department in 2010 responded to 2,339 incidents, among them 209 motor vehicle accidents, 134 emergency calls, and 642 calls for homeowner or citizen assistance.

Value of property stolen during the year, he said, was $39,922.93, and the value of property recovered was $17,049.94. Police vehicles were driven a total of more than 45,000 miles.

Of 121 penal law arrests, 23 were for Larceny, 23 for Narcotic/Drug Possession, 19 for Harassment, and 11 for Disorderly Conduct. A total of 795 vehicle and traffic citations were issued, while 20 arrests were made on Driving While Intoxicated charges. There were 259 parking tickets issued.

Photos in text:

Top: Village Justice Nick Dugo (File photo)

Bottom: Village Mayor Judy Phillips at Monday night's board meeting.

Aerial view of Marina Drive.

Board listens to mostly positive opinions on Montour Falls animal-shelter proposal

MONTOUR FALLS, Feb. 3 -- The Montour Falls Planning Board Wednesday night fielded opinions from nearly three dozen area residents on the proposed purchase of the Kurtz Enterprizes building on Marina Drive by the Humane Society of Schuyler County for a combined animal shelter and spay-neuter clinic.

The opinions were, with a few exceptions, positive -- and, in some cases, enthusiastic.

The major exception was the opinion expressed by Montour Falls Fire Chief Tom Carson, who said he had "concerns" about the detrimental effect of such a facility "on the money brought in by the (Montour Falls) Marina." He felt that some seasonal campground residents might take exception to the shelter's barking dogs and end their seasonal attendance.

Carson also said that taking the Kurtz property off the tax rolls -- the Humane Society is a non-profit -- "doesn't sit well with me."

Several of the nearly 40 people in attendance were concerned about the barking that might go on among the 24 dogs the shelter could house -- although the Humane Society's Mark Taylor, project manager for the proposal, said in a presentation preceding audience remarks that the shelter would have state-of-the-art soundproofing and sound-mitigating features.

In answer to a question from the audience, Taylor also said that there are -- on the 80 seasonal sites at the campground -- a total of 42 dogs registered for summer there. That is 18 more than the two-dozen the shelter would house -- the unspoken conclusion being that if 42 dogs that presumably bark have not been an issue, why would 18 fewer dogs be an issue? He also noted that there are but a handful of campers within 500 feet of the Kurtz building.

Taylor, in his presentation to the group, outlined the history of the Society's spay-neuter effort, which since 2001 has resulted in 6,000 such treatments, and the adoption of 830 cats and 100 dogs. One result has been a "stabilization or elimination" of "many colonies" of feral cats.

He outlined how the Society had, at the request of county leaders in 2009, taken over the old (1950s-era) animal shelter on Van Zandt Hollow Road, a building that is short on space, service and appeal. Building a replacement there would not be feasible because of spongy soil, he said -- adding that the locale lacks, with its remoteness, the central location the Society is seeking and which the Kurtz property would provide.

Taylor also touched on a key element to be considered by the village's Zoning Board of Appeals when it meets on Feb. 9 -- whether the proposed shelter falls under the definition of an Animal Hospital or Veterinary Clinic, either of which is listed as a "permitted special use" operation under the Village Zoning Ordinance. Those definitions are listed in the photo at right, snapped during Taylor's powerpoint presentation.

Another meeting of note is one at which the Schuyler County Planning Commission will consider the proposal on Feb. 10. Montour Falls Planning Board Chairman Terry Stewart said the Commission is not likely to make a yes-or-no ruling, inasmuch as its function is normally advisory.

Should the Zoning Board of Appeals find no fault with the Humane Society's proposal, the issue will go back to the village Planning Board at its March 2nd meeting.

"I don't know if we would vote on it in March or not," said Stewart, expressing concern that summer Marina residents won't have the same chance to comment on the proposal as Wednesday's night's attendees did.

"I'm not sure what their response would be," he said, "but I'd hate to have to rush to have this done, and miss something."

He explained, however, that if the ZBA gives its blessing, and there is nothing substantial either from the county Planning Commission or from statements by area residents, the Planning Board "can't arbitrarily say no" to the project.

Wednesday's comments were heavily in favor of the project, with some people simply expressing support and others extending their remarks -- one suggesting the clinic could serve as a learning tool for high school students volunteering to work there, and another speculating that a successful, upscale operation could prove to be a magnet for other businesses to move in.

One woman said the argument that taking the Kurtz property off the tax roll would be a burden on the village doesn't hold water. "There are things that will be happening in Watkins Glen," she said, referring to planned housing and restaurant projects and proposed waterfront development. "What happens in Watkins Glen will spread to Montour Falls," she said, suggesting that an improved housing and building climate would easily outpace the loss of property taxes at the shelter.

In any event, said Taylor when asked, the amount of taxes being discussed amounts to just over $1,200 a year.

Positive comments also came -- among others -- from the following:

--Former County Legislator Paul Marcellus, who said the Kurtz property "is a perfect location, in my mind ... I hope you expedite approvals."

--Dog groomer Chris Betts and his wife Diana, residents of Clinton Street -- not far from Marina Drive -- who said they support the plan. "I think it's going to be done well," said Mrs. Betts.

--Antoinette Di Ciaccio, a former village trustee, who said the shelter "will most likely be successful in a highly visible location" such as the Kurtz site. "I totally support it."

Aside from Fire Chief Carson's, the only purely negative responses came from one attendee who said she "liked what Tom Carson said," and from a couple who wrote that they object to the plan.

Should the Humane Society gain the village approval, it must then decide whether to go forward with the Kurtz site -- negotiating for its purchase -- or to proceed with a previous plan for a shelter behind the Society's spay-neuter clinic on County Rte. 10 in the Town of Catharine.

The Society gained approval for that Catharine shelter from the town board late last year, but the board put a number of conditions on it -- among them the purchase of a piece of property behind the spay-neuter clinic from Dr. Frank Fielder. But Dr. Fielder recently died, which makes that negotiation and purchase "problemmatical," according to Taylor.

The Society purchased the spay-neuter building in 2006 from Dr. Fielder, who had operated his veterinary clinic there. Taylor said the Society paid $55,000 for the building, and then spent another $70,000 on upgrades.

Photos in text:

From top: Humane Society project manager Mark Taylor; the definitions in question as the Zoning Board of Appeals studies the proposal; former county legislator Paul Marcellus; and Planning Board Chairman Terry Stewart.

County workers pose at the recognition luncheon. (Photo provided)

County workers, retirees recognized

MONTOUR FALLS, Feb. 2 -- Dozens of Schuyler County government workers and retirees were honored for their years of service Tuesday at the 5th Annual Employee Recognition Event at the Human Services Complex.

County Administrator Tim O'Hearn was the emcee. The gathering featured a buffet luncheon prepared by Corning Catering.

The employees recognized, by department (* denotes retirees):

Buildings and Grounds: David W. Lisk* (21 years), Billie Jo Dyer (10 years)

County Administrator: Tim O'Hearn (5 years)

County Attorney: Barbara L. Weiss (15 years)

County Clerk/DMV: Sally A. Neumire* (27 years), Sue A. Lynd* (20 years), Linda M. Compton (25 years)

Health Services: Geraldine E. Arenal-Koch* (15 years), Suzanne R. Fingler* (9 years), Diane J. Schmidt* (6 years), Rowan L.M. Schockner (15 years), Arnab K. Bagchi (15 years), Donna M. Miller (10 years), Pamela M. Larnard (5 years), Melissa L. DePaolo (5 years)

Highway: Charles M. Bleiler* (35 years), James F. Barrett* (34 years), William R. Rekczis (15 years), Brian V. DeStephen (10 years), Richard J. Barrett (10 years), Stanley L. Lachut Jr. (5 years), Albert N. Austin Jr. (5 years)

Legislature: Jamee L. Mack (5 years)

Office for the Aging: Debra A. Perkins* (28 years)

Probation: Gregory L. Conklin (10 years)

Real Property: Michael J. Wolak* (29 years)

Sheriff: Janice E. Tamberelli (30 years), William E. Yessman Jr. (25 years), John M. Pierce (25 years), Steven G. Lawton (15 years), Todd W. Day (15 years), Daniel H. Walker (10 years), Kirk N. Smith (10 years), William G. Ward (5 years), Kevin P. Rumsey (5 years), Gerald A. McUmber (5 years), Lisa A. Karius (5 years)

Social Services: Jill L. Wicker* (35 years), Dorothy A. Regensburg* (31 years), Onalee F. Stamp* (21 years), Sandra J. Rhodes* (21 years), Bonnie J. Mowry* (16 years), Vicki R. Kosthorst* (11 years), Mary Ellen Upham (30 years), Susan A. Brill (25 years), Teri L. Baccile (25 years), Carol D. Houck (20 years), Tammy L. Brown (15 years), Dena L. Irby (10 years), Joseph J. Yaskulski Jr. (5 years), Sharon L. Upham (5 years), Amy J. Ike (5 years)

Treasurer: Margaret E. Starbuck (15 years)

Kelly decides to run in Glen, joins forces with Phillips

WATKINS GLEN, Feb. 1 -- The Watkins Glen mayoral race took a twist today when Mayor Judy Phillips announced that incumbent trustee Nick Kelly has decided to seek re-election and will run with her and trustee William Smagner on the People's Choice Party line in the March 15 village election.

Phillips and Smagner received the endorsement of the Democratic Party at its caucus 10 days ago, but Kelly is a Republican -- and in fact vice chairman of the Schuyler County Republican Party.

Independent nominating petitions were filed this morning with Village Clerk Donna Beardsley listing the three incumbents as People's Choice Party candidates. The independent filing period runs through Feb. 8.

"Yes, I decided to run," said Kelly, who had announced less than two weeks ago that he was too busy to do so -- but that he might seek office again in the future.

"Judy and I get along," he said. "We on the board work together very well. We listen to the village residents' concerns, and try to accommodate them while doing what is best for the village."

He said he still considers himself a Conservative Republican, but didn't file as a Republican because the deadline to do that had already passed when he decided to seek re-election. When asked why the change of heart, he said:

"I feel I'm a better candidate than our opponents."

The addition of Kelly to the ticket seems to add strength to the mayoral run by Phillips, who is faced with a Republican challenger in Mark Swinnerton -- who has two independent trustee running mates in Scott Gibson and Kevin Smith.

Also in the mix is Richard Scuteri, who lost a primary bid for the Republican mayoral nomination to Swinnerton, but vowed to continue under the independent banner of the Concerned Taxpayers Party. Word was that Jeff Blanchard was running with him as a trustee candidate, but reports now indicate that Blanchard won't be filing an independent petition.

The other name in the trustee race has been David Wyre Sr., whose name was on the party nominating petitions filed by the Republican Party.

Mayor Phillips announced the People's Choice Party candidates -- her, Smagner and Kelly -- in a press release today.

"Over the past four years," the release said, "this Board has demonstrated the ability to work together. New businesses on Franklin Street, the new hotel and infrastructure improvements are samples of the fiscally-responsible approach the Board has taken.

"We're excited about the growth occurring within the Village. This administration has placed an emphasis on planning and zoning, lakefront development and completion of the Village Master Plan.

"A goal of the Board has been attention to the quality of life in the Village. Over the past four years, Village tax increases have annually averaged 2.01%. Within this parameter we have provided recycling and dumpster day services, street improvements, Clute Park upgrades, and renovation of the Community Center."

Kelly was elected to the board four years ago. Smagner, who had been appointed to the board in 2005, won a full term in 2007, as well. Mayor Phillips joined the board as a trustee in 1989, was appointed mayor in 2005, and was elected to a full term in 2007.

Photo in text: Trustee -- and now independent candidate -- Nick Kelly.

Mayoral candidate Richard Scuteri (with his back to the camera) watches as election inspectors (from left) Dave Novinsky, Phil Barnes and Mary Barnes count the ballots.

Swinnerton wins GOP Primary

WATKINS GLEN, Jan. 26 -- Mark Swinnerton swept to victory 94-42 Tuesday over Richard Scuteri in the primary election held to determine the Republican nominee for Watkins Glen mayor.

Swinnerton, a fomer village trustee, was on hand with independent trustee candidates Kevin Smith and Scott Gibson at the voting site, the Watkins Glen Community Center, to hear the vote count announced. The three are campaigning together, and will all appear on the Listening Party line in the March 15 village election, giving Swinnerton two spots on the ballot.

Despite the loss, Scuteri -- a trustee and then mayor of the village in the mid-1980s -- vowed to continue his campaign, assuming a spot as an independent running on the Concerned Taxpapers Party line. Independent nominating petitions are due to be turned in during the first week of February.

Swinnerton and Scuteri will be facing incumbent Democratic mayor Judy Phillips, who announced her intention to seek reelection in late November.

Also seeking reelection is Democratic trustee William Smagner. Others contending for the two available trustee seats in addition to Smith and Gibson are David Wyre Sr. and Jeff Blanchard. Incumbent Nick Kelly has announced he is not seeking reelection.

Swinnerton said after Tuesday's vote that he had been hoping for a 2-to-1 victory, "and that's about what it was. Now we will concentrate on the general election, and go after the incumbent. It's time for a change. Change is good."

Scuteri, meanwhile, said he would continue campaigning, taking his case "to the people. I'm a registered Republican, yes," he said. "But my party is the people."

The primary, the first in the history of the village, was prompted by a change in by-laws adopted by the Schuyler County Republican Committee. Chairman Phil Barnes, on hand as an election inspector Tuesday, said the change was instituted four years ago because "the petition process worked well in other elections, so we decided to incorporate it with this one."

The new policy replaced the old caucus, a meeting of a relatively few party faithful that is still the party norm in many other counties in the state. "They could just be a popularity contest," Barnes said of the caucuses. "This instills more democracy into the selection. And it gets the candidates more actively involved in the process."

The election cost fell to the county committee, but volunteers filled the day's needs. And after trying unsuccessfully to locate a county, town or school district ballot box to borrow, Barnes had a local artisan construct the one used Tuesday.

There are a total of 463 registered Republican voters in the county. There was one write-in vote Tuesday, for former mayor Bob Lee.

Photos in text:

Top: Listening Party trustee candidates Soctt Gibson (standing left) and Kevin Smith (standing right) with mayoral candidate Mark Swinnerton Tuesday night at the Watkins Glen Community Center, site of the primary.

Bottom: Richard Scuteri, who says he will continue his campaign on the Concerned Taxpayers Party line in the March election.

Left: On hand for the vote count was the incumbent Republican village justice, Nick Dugo, who is seeking reelection in March. Right: Mayoral candidate Mark Swinnerton after his primary win.

Legislature has new chairman: Fagan

WATKINS GLEN, Jan. 5 -- The Schuyler County Legislature Wednesday morning elected a chairman for 2011, and for the first time since 1999, his name wasn't Thomas Gifford.

The Legislature, in its organizational meeting, unanimously named Dennis A. Fagan (R-Tyrone) as chairman, with the nomination itself coming from Gifford -- who had won election to the post in each of the past 12 years. The motion was seconded and immediately approved.

According to one county spokesperson, the change in the chairmanship gained momentum after the Legislature's year-end meeting on Dec. 29 when "some people expressed an interest in that direction ... and there was support." Gifford was out of town during that year-end session.

Fagan has been on the board for the past seven years, and has been a strong advocate for the ecology of the county's western lakes, Waneta and Lamoka, and a voice of fiscal conservatism. He owns his own engineering firm, Fagan Engineering, located in Elmira.

Swinnerton running for mayor in Watkins Glen; Gibson, Smith seeking trustee seats

WATKINS GLEN, Jan. 5 -- Former Watkins Glen village trustee Mark Swinnerton has announced his candidacy for mayor of Watkins Glen, challenging incumbent Democrat Judy Phillips.

Running with him - for trustee seats currently held by William Smagner and Nick Kelly -- are Scott Gibson and Kevin Smith. Smagner, a Democrat, has announced his intention to seek re-election, while Kelly has not.

Swinnerton is running as a Republican, and as an independent on the Listening Party line. Gibson and Smith are running as Listening Party candidates.

"We are listeners with proven leadership experience who care about our hometown," said Swinnerton in a press release. "We will use our education and business experience to promote growth and development while managing the budget. Watkins Glen is our hometown and it is important to us that we continue to build on the many positive attributes of our village."

Swinnerton, a village trustee from 2004 to 2008 -- he decided not to seek re-election due to other commitments at the end of that term -- is president of the Watkins Glen-Montour Lions Club, and a Cub Scout pack leader. He was also vice chairman of the Schuyler County Republican Party from 2003 to 2008. He and his wife Margaret have three children.

He has worked in the Construction Industry for 20 years as a Chief Estimator, Project Manager and Senior Project Manager, and is currently managing a $25 million project for SUNY Binghamton that is scheduled for completion in July. A campaign spokesman said Swinnerton's schedule "has adjusted" to allow pursuits such as this one.

Gibson has worked in both the private and public sector in Environmental Engineering for 20 years. A City of Ithaca employee for the past nine years, he currently sits as a technical staff liaison to the joint committee for the intermunicipally owned Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Plant. He and his wife Lisa have three children, and have lived in Watkins Glen for 10 years. He and his wife have coached various recreational sports, volunteered their time at the Watkins Glen Elementary School, and helped lead Cub Scout Pack 65.

Smith has been employed in the field of Industrial Manufacturing for the past four years as a Project Development Engineer -- working with small to large firms. He serves on the Watkins Glen Planning Board, and is active in the Lions Club, where he sits on the Board of Directors. He has lived in Watkins Glen since 2003.

"We must continue to focus on infrastructure and fiscal responsibility," Swinnerton said in the press release. "With the limited resources and variety of demands placed on local government, the village needs to set priorities, work together cooperatively, and focus on including citizens and community stakeholders in achieving these priorities.

"The Village Board hasn't been able to work together to set priorities and work with community stakeholders in a forward thinking and aggressive way to achieve economic development in our Village. The current governing style has frustrated key community partners who make significant investments in our community, including private business, non-profits, and other government entities.

"Sound and efficient basic services, a solid capital investment plan to maintain and improve what we have, and innovative partnerships with our stakeholders to expand our tax base are key elements to growing our community. We must govern with the integrity, maturity, and intelligence that Watkins deserves."

Photos in text: From top: Mark Swinnerton, Scott Gibson and Kevin Smith (Photos provided)

State Senator Tom O'Mara takes the oath of office. (Photo provided)

O'Mara sworn in

ALBANY, Jan. 6 -- State Senator Tom O’Mara (R-C, Big Flats) was officially sworn in Wednesday at the New York State Capitol to begin his first term representing the state’s 53rd Senate District. New York State Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman administered the oath of office in the historic Senate chamber. Senator O’Mara’s wife Marilyn held the Bible, and the three O'Mara children -- Caroline, Thomas and Catherine -- were standing next to her. The senator was also joined by his parents, Ann and John. Following the ceremony, O’Mara took part in his first official Senate session, beginning the 234th session of the New York State Legislature.

Montour House renovation receives Preservation Award

ALBANY, Dec. 29 -- The New York State Historic Preservation Awards announced for 2010 include a familiar name: The renovated Montour House in Montour Falls.

Established in 1980, the awards are given each year by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to honor excellence in the protection and rejuvenation of New York’s historic and cultural resources.

“The Historic Preservation Awards honor the efforts and achievement of individuals, organizations and municipalities that make significant contributions to historic preservation objectives throughout New York State,” said Ruth Pierpont, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Historic Preservation. “The range of awards this year reflects the many ways that historic preservation serves as an important tool for economic development, creating affordable housing, and providing an effective approach to sustainable building design while preserving the unique character and heritage of our communities.”

The awards were presented for projects around the state. The one for the Montour House was for "Project Achievement" in the 1850s-era structure under the guidance of developer Bruce Nelson.

The award announcement read: "For Outstanding Adaptive Use and Commitment to Community Revitalization. Presented to Bruce Nelson, Nelson Development, the Village of Montour Falls and the Schuyler County Partnership for Economic Development (SCOPED)."

A press release summarized the situation like this: "Set in motion by a Restore New York grant and assistance from SCOPED, the Village of Montour Falls hired developer Bruce Nelson to bring the 1850 Montour House back to life. Nelson, of Nelson Development in Vestal, worked closely with SHPO (State Historical Preservation Office) staff to determine the best approach to adapting the former hotel for apartments and commercial spaces while adhering to historic preservation standards.

"Over 20 years of neglect had caused severe water damage and other deterioration, and the village was in danger of losing the central landmark. A mason employed on the job for 18 months and a millwright who restored 118 historic wood windows were joined by other team members who restored and replaced decorative plaster elements. The project fulfilled the Village’s goals of attracting new and long-time residents as tenants, and inspired other local rehabilitation projects.

"In addition to paying attention to the physical character of the remarkable building, Bruce Nelson also understood the local community’s attachment to the site. He scheduled monthly open houses so that local residents could see the work as it progressed. 'The community really embraces a project that way,' Nelson explained, 'and it shows them what can be done with historic resources.'

"Mayor Kelly gives great credit to Nelson’s approach and to SCOPED. 'Small town mayors and officials simply do not have the grant experience required to assemble a complicated project like this,' she said. 'We could not have succeeded without Schuyler County’s help.'

"She listed the various sources of financing that made the project work. These included SCOPED, the Schuyler County IDA and a New York State Main Street grant that was administered by Community Progress in Corning.

"The project created commercial spaces that are now occupied by Schuyler Hospital administrative offices, a medical practice, Elmira Savings and Loan and the Montour Coffee House. Ten residential units in a mix of market rate and affordable housing are located on the upper floors. Because of the building’s configuration and unit sizes that range from 750 to 2800 square feet, architect Gene Beautz of Binghamton almost had to design the units as though they were custom homes.

"Today, the building is fully occupied with a mix of young professionals and empty nesters, long-time village residents and newcomers. It is exactly the mix desired by the Village."

Photos in text:

Top: The renovated Montour House, an historic structure on Montour Falls' Main Street.

Middle: The award presentation. From left are Ruth Pierpont, Acting Deputy Commissioner for New York State Historic Preservation; Montour Falls Mayor Donna Kelley; developer Bruce Nelson; and Acting OPRHP (Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation) Commissioner Andy Beers.

Bottom: Visitors tour the Montour House hallways and stairwells during one of a monthly series of Open Houses occurring while renovation was in progress. (Photos provided)

O'Mara, Friend interact with townfolks

Town Hall Forum draws 40 area residents to Human Services Complex

MONTOUR FALLS, Dec. 16 -- About 40 area residents asked questions and weighed in with opinions during a Town Hall Forum Wednesday afternoon with State Senator-elect Tom O'Mara and Assemblyman-elect Chris Friend at the Schuyler County Human Services Complex.

The two men listened, taking notes and responding to concerns expressed by attendees on such subjects as reservaton gambling, hydro-fracturing in the Marcelllus Shale formation, the proposed sale of wine in grocery stores, Medicaid, the debt facing the state in the upcoming budget, the state pension program, and the Corning-Painted Post School District facilities vote.

In almost every instance, the person raising an issue was concerned about its wisdom, and in each case O'Mara or Friend would agree, offer an alternative viewpoint, or promise to look into it.

On hydrofracking, O'Mara weighed in on the side of environmental caution, but said he hopes Marcellus drilling goes forward in New York for the economic benefits such activity might offer. He urged, however, that drilling firms pay "upfront" for any accidents that might occur in the process.

When asked if passing a $97 million school facilities plan in Corning that is 90% state-paid is wise considering the state's debit, O'Mara said that the money is "out there in an account...Someone else will spend it if it's not spent in Corning."

Photos in text:

Top: Assemblyman-elect Chris Friend, left, and State Senator-elect Tom O'Mara, right, listen to an area resident at Wednesday's session.

Bottom: O'Mara responds to a resident's question.

Legislators Doris Karius and Glenn Larison at Monday night's session.

Legislators OK Road Patrol, highway pacts

WATKINS GLEN, Dec. 14 -- The Schuyler County Legislature Monday night approved two new contracts -- one that the Schuyler County Road Patrol Association has also ratified, and one that the Schuyler County Highway Unit of the Civil Service Employees Association hasn't.

The Road Patrol pact, a five-year agreement, goes into effect on Jan. 1. It provides a pay increase of 2.7% per year and a "less generous" insurance plan for the unit's 16 deputies, with a higher deductible. New employees will pay a higher contribution toward the insurance, County Administrator Tim O'Hearn noted.

The highway pact, yet to be ratified by that unit's 16 workers, would be a four-year deal with a starting date retroactive to Jan. 1, 2010. The county and the highway workers had been at impasse. O'Hearn declined to provide specifics until the pact is approved by workers.

In other business:

--Legislators scheduled their year-end meeting for 9 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 29 and their 2011 organizational session for 9 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 5 in the legislative chambers in the County Office Building.

--Lawmakers received an update from George Kellogg on efforts to make an 18-mile stretch of Rt. 414 from Hector to Lodi -- to be called the Seneca Lake Scenic Byway -- part of the New York State Scenic Byway system. The system designates areas in the state that are as small as an historic bridge to roadways stretching nearly 200 miles -- which offer, in the words of the state Department of Transportation (DOT), "magnificent views or fascinating historical sites or amazing wildlife. They might offer access to an exhilarating array of outdoor activities or reveal captivating cultures, spellbinding art or spectacular structures."

Kellogg said a formal recommendation from the New York State Scenic Byways Advisory Board will now go to the Southern Tier representatives in Albany for creation of a resolution that might be attached as a rider to a DOT bill and acted upon by the State Legislature. Kellogg said the volunteer group promoting the designation is hoping to attain National Scenic Byways status, as well.

Photos in text: Legislature Chairman Tom Gifford (top) and George Kellogg.

Winner talks with Watkins Glen School Superintendent Tom Phillips, left. SCIDA's Kevin Murphy (on the left in background) and SCOPED's Kelsey Jones listen.

Friends say farewell to Senator Winner

WATKINS GLEN, Dec. 14 -- Friends of retiring Republican State Senator George Winner gathered Monday evening at the Harbor Hotel to honor him.

The event, organized by the Schuyler County Partnership for Economic Development, was emceed by Scott Welliver, Chairman and CEO of Welliver McGuire Inc. and a lifelong friend of Winner's. Other speakers included County Legislator Phil Barnes, County Administrator Tim O'Hearn and SCOPED Executive Director Kelsey Jones.

Jones explained afterward that SCOPED had taken the lead in honoring Winner because "we thought we should say 'Thank you.' The list of his assistance to us is pretty long, and has included community projects, highway projects" and other matters.

Winner, a member of the State Senate for the past six years and a State Assemblyman for 26 years before that, decided not to seek re-election this year. Assemblyman Tom O'Mara, a Republican, won the Senate seat in a general-election victory over Democrat James Hare.

Photo in text: Winner and Scott Welliver enjoy a humorous moment.

Winner talks to Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce President Rebekah LaMoreaux and SCOPED's Charles Peacock.

O'Mara, Friend to hold Town Hall forum

Special to The Odessa File

MONTOUR FALLS, Dec. 10 -- Senator-elect Tom O’Mara (R,C-Big Flats) and Assemblyman-elect Chris Friend (R-Big Flats) are hosting a Town Hall forum in Montour Falls on Wednesday, Dec. 15 to meet with constituents and discuss local and statewide issues of concern.

The forum will be held at the Schuyler County Human Services Complex from 4:30-6 p.m.

“This is a great way to meet with the families and small businesses that make up our communities and listen to their ideas on how to fix state government and move New York forward in these tough economic times,” said O’Mara.

“I am excited to meet with the members of the community and become better acquainted with their ideas and concerns,” said Friend. “I want to stay close to the immediate issues impacting local businesses and families so that we can tackle the most important problems first."

Odessa voters say 'No' to dissolution of their government

ODESSA, Dec. 8 -- Voters in Odessa issued a resounding "No!" Tuesday in balloting to determine if the village government should be dissolved.

The vote was 154 against dissolution, and 74 in favor of it.

The balloting was forced by a petition filed by a small group of residents determined to eliminate what they saw as an unnecessary layer of government.

However, a Working Group comprised of a cross-section of officials in the county found in a study that the overall effect of dissolution would be increased costs and reduced services.

The outcome of the vote was read aloud at Village Hall -- site of the voting -- by election inspector Sandy Montgomery. It was greeted with loud cheers by most of the dozen people on hand to witness it.

Village trustees Peggy Tomassi, Robin Thoman and Shawn Crane were on hand -- as was Mayor Keith Pierce, in firefighter garb after returning from battling a garage fire in the Town of Catharine.

"I'm very happy the people came out and voiced their opinions," said Tomassi.

Thoman said she was "very excited. This was the biggest voter turnout we've ever had. I'm impressed with the amount of people who turned out."

A total of 239 village residents voted. Eleven of the ballots were voided. A normal turnout at an Odessa election is 35 to 40 people.

There are 393 registered voters in the village, which means that about 61% cast ballots.

Mayor Pierce said he was "very pleased that it's over."

When asked what positives might have come from the experience, he said the biggest one "is how many people took part in it" by casting ballots. "It's hard to get people interested in local government," he added. "But this time they got involved."

Asked if he thought the vote was an endorsement of the job he is doing as mayor, Pierce thought a moment, then said: "I don't know if it's that or common sense. It made no sense to dissolve the village government."

Photos in text:

Top: Village resident Don Flatt is interviewed by WENY-TV reporter Daryl Kirkland-Morgan after he cast his vote.

Bottom: Odessa Mayor Keith Pierce.

Glen Board OKs increase in park/camp rates

WATKINS GLEN, Dec. 7 -- The Watkins Glen Village Board Monday night approved an increase in some Clute Park camping and parking rates for 2011.

The increases were based on a proposal by Park Manager Michelle Hyde.

The daily camping cost is going up to $40 from $39; while the rate for an additional person goes to $4 from $3. In addition, the cable TV rate for the season goes to $185 from $175. The weekly, monthly and seasonal camping rates of $245, $675 ($700 in July/Augusat) and $1795 remain the same.

After three years of not changing, rates will go up for lakeside and boat-launch parking (to $5 from $4), seasonal boat parking (to $145 from $135), and seasonal camper boat parking (to $35 from $25).

The village will start taking reservations for the 2011 camping season on Jan. 19.

Photo in text: Trustees William Smagner, left, and Nick Kelly at Monday's meeting.

One of three maps displayed Wednesday night with specific project goals.

Lakefront plan offers dozens of Glen development strategies

WATKINS GLEN, Dec. 2 -- Behold the future.

Or at least a concept of the future, Watkins Glen style.

In what was described as "a roll-out" of a Lakefront Management and Development Strategy, consultants from the Laberge Group of Albany Wednesday evening outlined a comprehensive proposal for dozens of projects that would change the makeup of the Seneca Lake waterfront. The 300-page plan contains five dozen specific goals.

The presentation at the Watkins Glen Community Center was actually in two phases -- the first to about 35 members of the public, and the second to members of the Watkins Glen Village Board and Planning Board.

That last gathering was key, said Kelsey Jones, executive director of the Schuyler County Partnership for Economic Development, which spearheaded the study back in January.

"The next step is to get people on board," said Jones, a reference to the need for the Village Board to give its backing to the project concept.

Mayor Judy Phillips said the Development Strategy has "some good ideas. Some are realistic, but some I'm not so sure about; they're rather extensive. But this is just a starting point."

Accordingly, she said, the matter will be channeled to the Planning Board, which in turn will make a recommendation to the Village Board.

But in considering backing the plan, said Laberge spokesman Ben Syden, village officials need to realize "this is a vision, not a site development plan." Accordingly, it can be altered, parts rejected, sites changed.

Even SCOPED's Jones concedes that some of the design guidelines "will scare people." An example might be the proposal to eliminate the parking lot at Seneca Harbor Park and replace it with "a great lawn area with pedestrian paths." SCOPED's Charles Peacock said another feature of the park might be a low-lying section that could be filled with water in the winter for ice skating.

Parking relinquished at the park could be made up with construction of two parking garages, the plan envisions -- one between First and Second Streets across from the Harbor Hotel, and one on the west side of North Franklin Street, in an unused area that used to be part of the Clifford Motors property.

Mayor Judy Phillips expressed caution about the garages, saying "I can't see the village going into the parking lot business," which prompted Syden and a colleague, Nicole Allen, to say there were other financing and managerial options available.

Another idea would be to move the Treatment Plant from its current location along the waterfront to another locale, possibly along the canal, although Jones said that idea comes with a host of questions. "Can it be moved?" he asked. "What is the infrastructure and cost? It might not be realistic. There is a land area (suitable) along the canal, but it might not work."

The extensive plan incorporates lakefront development from the area of Captain Bill's on the west to Tank Beach east of Clute Park. It envisions commercializing Clute Park, including a waterfront restaurant, a salt museum, and retail outlets across the road, where camping units set up each summer..

Necessary to the development's success, Syden and SCOPED representatives said, would be a unified commitment of various stakeholders that could lead in turn to grants to fund the various improvements.

The full plan, organizers said, will be placed online at www.scoped.biz. Copies can also be found at the SCOPED office, 2 N. Franklin St.

On hand to hear Syden's presentation in addition to Mayor Phillips were Village Board members Wayne Weber, William Smagner and Greg Coon, Village Clerk Donna Beardsley, and Planning Board members Tom Fitzgerald and Kevin Smith.

As the Planning Board and then the Village Board study the report, Syden said, they should keep in mind the need to "remain flexible" -- that there are "pressures that will change the funding and the players" with some regularity.

"This is a blueprint," he said. "You are the resources. Here's the plan. You can make it happen."

Photos in text:

Top: Ben Syden of the Laberge Group addresses members of the Watkins Glen Village Board and Planning Board.

Middle: Illustrations of the various projects were on display at the meeting.

Bottom: Watkins Glen Mayor Judy Phillips was on hand to hear about the development proposals.

Proposals in the area near Walmart and the canal.

Map with proposed projects at the east end of town, along Rt. 414 at Clute Park.

Glen Village Hall will close during renovation project

Offices, police, court to move elsewhere temporarily

WATKINS GLEN, Nov. 24 -- The Watkins Glen Municipal Building will be closed and its personnel diverted to other locations in the village starting Dec. 10 as the building undergoes a $1.1 million renovation.

The project -- expected to keep the building closed to the public through April -- will, among other things, bring an elevator, air conditioning, and zoned heating to the building, and realign offices while increasing security. The estimated cost is $1,160,705.

This marks the first renovation to the building since it was constructed in 1939. "It needs to be done," said Mayor Judy Phillips. "It really does. The utility costs are ridiculous in the winter -- $2,000 to $3,000 a month -- and we don't have any heat zoning. And there will be air conditioning. We need a decent building for our employees to work in."

Bid specifications will be available on Dec. 6 and the bid opening will be on Dec. 20. Work is expected to start in January. The Dec. 10 move, weeks ahead of the renovation, is to allow a separate project, the removal of some asbestos, to take place.

The project cost is being covered through an action taken by the mayor and trustees a year ago, when they established a reserve fund specifically for the repayment of the bonds for the renovation.

While the work is going on, Village Clerk Donna Beardsley and her staff will be relocated to the village's Clute Park office building. The village office will be closed on moving day, Friday, Dec. 10, and reopen in the park office on Dec. 13. The phone number will remain the same, 535-2736, and the hours of operation will continue to be from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The village's Police Department will relocate, pending approval from the County Legislature, to the third floor of the County Office Building at 105 Ninth St. The department will continue to operate 24 hours a day. The dispatch services will remain unchanged and can be reached at 535-7181. In case of emergency, dial 911.

The Justice Court -- which will have a new location on the second floor of the Municipal Building after the renovations are completed -- will move in the interim to 210 Twelfth St., an office in the Arc of Schuyler building complex. The phone number for the Justice Court will remain the same at 535-9717.

Village Board and Planning Board meetings will be held in the conference room of the Shared Public Services Building, 910 S. Decatur St. The meetings are open to the public.

The mailing address for the village will not change. All Village of Watkins Glen mail should continue to be addressed to 303 N. Franklin St., Watkins Glen NY 14891.

Village officials, in a press release, said they "know that our temporary relocations may cause some confusion and/or accessibility delays and we apologize for any inconvenience you may experience. We will make every effort to assist you as much as possible" during the project, adding: "Just give us a call."

Signs at the temporary locations, the press release noted, "will be displayed to help everyone find the office they are looking for."

Once the renovation is completed, the Municipal Building will boast a new courtroom on the second floor, in what is now an auditorium, while the Village Board meeting room (now on the ground floor) will be on the second floor in the former courtroom.

The police department will occupy the rear half of the Municipal Building's ground floor, with access through a secured door that will be opened by village office personnel through an electronic system. The village offices will also be secured, with a service window opening onto the hallway. Residents will no longer be able to simply walk into the office.

The small vestibule at the front entrance of the building will be open 24 hours a day, and contain slots for drop-off bills or other correspondence directed to the various offices.

Plans for the renovation were drawn up by Meehan Architecture of Mendon, near Rochester.

Photos in text:

From top: The front of the building, the ground-floor hallway, and the current courtroom.

The floor plans: Police will be at the rear half of the building's ground floor, with a security entrance. The main village office will still be front left, but with more security, including a walk-up window. The courtroom at the front of the building's second floor will move across the hall to the current auditorium, and the current courtroom space will become the meeting room for the Village Board and the Planning Board. An elevator will provide easy access to the second floor.

Phillips: I'm running again

WATKINS GLEN, Nov. 27 -- Watkins Glen Mayor Judy Phillips has decided to seek re-election to a second four-year term in the March 15 village election.

Phillips, a Democrat, is one of three Village Board members whose terms end March 31. The four-year terms of trustees William Smagner and Nick Kelly are also up for grabs. Smagner is seeking re-election, but Kelly hasn't indicated his intentions.

Phillips said her first full term "has been great," a period of growth with the opening of the hotel and the economic upturn it has helped to generate.

"The hotel has been a fabulous asset," she said, noting that before it was established, "the beginning our our growth was Walmart, allowing us to shop while staying in town. We no longer had to drive miles. And then the hotel on top of that -- it has inspired people to improve their homes. And people are moving back to the village. That's really exciting."

Phillips was a Village Board member starting in 1989. After 16 years, she ascended to the mayor's post in 2005 upon the resignation of Bob Lee. Then she ran for, and won, the job for a full term in 2007.

Her announcement sets the stage for the upcoming political season in Watkins. Party caucuses will be meeting between Jan. 18 and Jan. 25, with Jan. 31 the final day for caucus nominees to accept or decline the honor.

Independent nominating petitions will be filed from Feb. 1 to Feb. 8.

Council OKs animal shelter, but with a list of conditions

Humane Society will weigh 'economic and operational impact'

ODESSA, Nov. 17 -- The Catharine Town Council Tuesday night gave its unanimous approval to a plan by the Humane Society of Schuyler County to build a state-of-the-art animal shelter on property that currently houses the Society's spay-and-neuter clinic along County Route 10.

But approval of a Special Use Permit came with conditions -- a list of nine of them, chief of which was an insistence that the new building be constructed farther back than the Humane Society had planned, to within 50 feet of the back property line. This, council members said, would help mitigate noise, an issue with neighbors.

Conditions also called for:

--Removal of all barns and outbuildings from the property before construction of the shelter begins;

--Submission to the town of "satisfactory stamped architectural or engineered drawings" of the facility and "a financial plan and budget adequate to install all the facility and landscaping improvements" that have been outlined to the council;

--A management plan concerning hours of operation, staffing, and operational practices;

--An agreement to go through the Town Council with any future modifications that would increase the facility size or the number of dogs there.

Other conditions dealt with execution of a purchase option to expand the property holding; and the use of local services for construction and maintenance where possible.

The vote was unanimous, with Supervisor John VanSoest and council members Ron Hoffman (pictured at right), Wayne Chapman, Mike Learn and George Tanner all expressing satisfaction that the conditions dealt adequately with their concerns about the project. The council had considered the project last month before a larger audience -- 40 people to Tuesday's 20 -- and had delayed action while it gave the matter more consideration.

Humane Society President Georgie Taylor said after Tuesday's meeting that while "we are pleased we have a place we know we can call home," and pleased because "we possibly won't need to house dogs at the current location" -- the Van Zandt Hollow Road pound -- much longer, the Town Council's conditions are such that the Society board "will need to assess the economic and operational impact to determine our next course of action."

The condition calling for moving the new facility back on the property will mean a change in the architectural plans, she said, and will make "connectivity" of the new structure with the existing one -- which will remain standing -- more difficult and more expensive. How much more remains to be determined.

When asked if the conditions might pose problems that are "insurmoutable," Taylor said it's "too early to say." The project, previously estimated to cost $350,000, might be between $350,000 and $400,000 now, she noted.

Next up for the Society is a visit to the County Planning Commission, which the Society had approached once before seeking approval of the project. The Commission told the Society at that time that it had to go through the Town Council first. Now, Taylor said, the County Commission might not be able to schedule her group before January.

As it is, she said, the project is running significantly behind its original schedule. Even with County approval, she said, there will still be time needed to mount a capital campaign to help finance construction.

The $350,000 or more, she conceded, "is a huge amount to raise in this county," but a number that "pales in comparison to the $6 million capital campaign" being run in Rochester by Lollipop Farms, a larger animal shelter.

But the success or failure of the Schuyler fund-raising is still down the road -- something to obsess over later.

Tuesday was a night with a hurdle cleared. It was a night, if not to savor, at least to appreciate -- even if in a moderate way.

"I'm glad to know," said Taylor, "that we have this in the bank."

Photos in text:

From top: Catharine Town Supervisor John VanSoest, Town Councilman Ron Hoffman, and Humane Society of Schuyler County president Georgie Taylor. (File photos)

Watkins board says 'No Dice' to Casino Night at Fire Hall

Offers Community Center at no charge instead

WATKINS GLEN, Nov. 16 -- The Watkins Glen Village Board Monday night rejected a request by the fire department to hold a fund-raising Casino Night at the fire hall, citing a policy against alcohol on the premises and concerns about parking and the neighborhood setting.

The board instead told fire department representative A.J. Matwiejow that it would offer the firefighters use of the Community Center on Fourth Street at no charge, with a refundable security deposit.

Matwiejow had told the board the firefighters want to raise money for the department's Equipment Fund, and that it felt a Casino Night in May along the lines of one conducted annually by the Montour Falls Fire Department would be a successful venture. He said that beer and alcohol would be served.

But Trustee Nick Kelly said the board had studied the matter in detail and could not permit use of the Fire Hall for the event -- that the village is "stringent about no alcohol in the Fire House." The board preferred, he said, that such an event be held at the Community Center.

The trustees also expressed concern about the residential nature of the fire hall's locale, and the lack of parking should the event "have a good turnout." Concern was expressed too about safety if a fire call came in and fire vehicles departed the area in a hurry -- while someone affected by alcohol at Casino Night was "stumbling around outside."

Mayor Judy Phillips said the Community Center is "a good location" with plenty of room inside and plenty of parking.

Kelly and trustee Wayne Weber assured Matwiejow that the board was not opposed to non-alcholic events at the Fire Hall, with Weber adding that the board would look at future requests along those lines "event by event."

Matwiejow said he would take the board's offer back to the department.

In other business, the board:

--Extended as long as necessary the scheduled pickup of leaves in the village. A finish date of Nov. 12 had been announced, but with a breakdown in the collecting machine, that deadline was passed without pickups completed. Some residents, said Mayor Phillips, had expressed concern that their leaves might not be removed, but the mayor assured residents that the pickup effort is continuing.

Photos in text:

Top: Trustee Wayne Weber makes a point during Monday's meeting.

Bottom: Trustees William Smagner (left) and Nick Kelly.

A chart used in Wednesday's presentation showed how dissolution votes have fared recently.

Sessions outline dissolution

50 attend afternoon meeting; 75 present in the evening

ODESSA, Nov. 11 -- The matter of dissolution, Odessa style, was the subject of two informational meetings Wednesday, one in the afternoon at the Municipal Building and the other in the evening at the Odessa-Montour High School auditorium.

An estimated 50 people were on hand in the afternoon, and 75 in the evening.

Wade Beltramo, a general counsel from the New York Council of Mayors (NYCOM), was the primary speaker, explaining the dissolution process, describing its success or failure elsewhere in the state, and assuring those in attendance that his group -- a not-for-profit that advises municipalities on a range of legal and procedural issues -- is not biased in the matter.

His purpose in being there, he said, was "to give you as much information as possible before you vote."

Speakers also included members of the Working Group that late last week released a report on the potential effects of dissolution if it is approved -- a report that in sum foresaw an increased cost in the operation of government and a decrease in the amount of services it provides.

Beltramo lauded the Working Group, saying no such group had been formed in any other community voting on dissolution in New York State. "Others have basically voted blind," he said.

(A summary of the group's report appears below the County Budget story underneath this one. Or you can click here to see the report.)

The Working Group included Town of Montour Supervisor Dave Scott, Town of Catharine Supervisor John VanSoest, Schuyler County Real Property Tax Service Director Tom Bloodgood, County Administrator Tim O'Hearn, Cooperative Extension Planning and Community Development Director Danielle Hautaniemi, Odessa Clerk-Treasurer Kristi Pierce, former local assessor Randy Deal, Odessa Mayor Keith Pierce, and Odessa Village Board member Tim Hicks. Most of them were present at the meetings Wednesday, and most spoke -- some presentation style, and some in answer to questions.

Hautaniemi served as moderator, telling the audience that the Working Group could not provide all the answers to what dissolution could mean to Odessa. The picture "we have is not perfect, but it's the best we have at this time," she said, adding that the information gathering was "a great learning experience."

Subjects included a review of the process thus far; a look at how officials might proceed with dissolution if the voters approve it; an explanation of the effect it might have on the tax levy; the increased cost of water after dissolution; the fact that each dissolution case must be assessed on a case-by-case basis, since each has its own unique blend of factors; the tax increase that awaits town residents outside the village should it pass; and the services that might be lost, among other things.

Village Clerk Kristi Pierce also explained when and how to vote -- from noon-9 p.m. Dec. 7 at the Municipal Building.

Only registered voters who reside within the village qualify to cast ballots on the issue -- a sore point with town residents outside the village whose taxes would go up, Beltramo acknowledged.

Photos in text:

From top: NYCOM general counsel Wade Beltramo; Montour Town Supervisor Dave Scott (left) and Odessa Mayor Keith Pierce; and moderator Danielle Hautaniemi.

Area residents who rely on the TCAT bus from Schuyler County to Ithaca stood during the legislature meeting Monday night in order (as one speaker said) "to put faces to the riders."

Legislators OK county budget

Has 1.9% levy hike, cuts Ithaca bus; clothing tax okayed

MONTOUR FALLS, Nov. 9 -- The Schuyler County Legislature Monday night approved the 2011 county budget, a $43.3 million spending plan that increases the tax levy by 1.9% from this year, to $9,860,513.

The vote was 6-1, with Barbara Halpin dissenting, and it came after a lengthy public hearing attended by about 75 people, at least two dozen of them riders on the Schuyler-Ithaca bus run operated by Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT) -- a service eliminated in the budget.

The legislators, as expected, also approved a sales tax on clothing -- a move approved by New York State on Oct. 1 and left to the individual counties to enact.

By eliminating funding for the bus service, the legislature saved $50,000 in the upcoming year. But the two-dozen riders, and other supporters speaking on their behalf, thought the budget cut a harsh measure that could put some of the riders out of work and on relief.

Legislators saw the matter differently, though -- with Dennis Fagan saying he could not justify financing a service for 35-50 people for $50,000 in taxpayer money. None of the legislators spoke in favor of the service, although Halpin said she was "uncomfortable" with it. Her "no" vote on the budget was in response to other factors, though. In particular, she opposed any increase in the tax levy.

Riders asked if other transportation options had been examined -- such as limited schedules or increased rates -- and County Administrator Tim O'Hearn said they had. He was supported by TCAT official Joe Turcotte, who told the audience that a reduced schedule would increase ridership on the remaining runs and thus squeeze out passengers normally picked up between Schuyler and Ithaca -- which in turn would necessitate extra runs to pick those people up. And increased fares would reduce ridership.

"Everything we looked at, we hit a brick wall," he said.

When asked if the recently inaugurated Schuyler County Transit service could be extended to get Schuyler riders to outlying points such as Enfield, where a TCAT bus could be boarded, O'Hearn said no -- not at this time. Schuyler County Transit, with buses operated by The Arc of Schuyler, is a fixed destination system that links the county's four villages -- Watkins Glen, Montour Falls, Odessa and Burdett.

One woman suggested realigning with the First Transit bus service out of Chemung County, but O'Hearn said projections for the upcoming year -- issued back when the county contracted with that service before an agreement with TCAT had been formed -- showed the cost of the Chemung service would have been $400,000.

"The move to TCAT was a godsend," said O'Hearn, adding that the bus service "would not have survived this long" without the Tompkins firm.

In other business:

--The sales tax on clothing: Schuyler County has had no local sales tax on clothing and footwear with a price tag under $110, but with the legislative approval Monday night, four percent will be added to those items. Officials have estimated the move will add $225,000 to county revenues.

--New roof: The legislature approved a transfer of $1,000 in funds to provide for a new roof needed on the Seneca Harbor Park Pier Building.

Photos in text:

Top: County Administrator Tim O'Hearn (left) and Legislature Chairman Tom Gifford.

Bottom: O'Hearn presented a power-point report on the budget, including a list of state mandates.

Report conclusion: Dissolution would increase government costs slightly, reduce services

Click here to see the report.

ODESSA, Nov. 6 -- A report compiled by village, town and county leaders on the expected effect of the proposed dissolution of the Village of Odessa government concludes that such a move would cost taxpayers more and provide less.

The Dissolution Scoping Working Group decided after several meetings in September and October that if dissolution is approved in a vote on Dec. 7, "the overall cost of government to residents in the affected municipalities would increase slightly while services to village residents would decrease."

"It appears," it adds, "that dissolution of the village would resutlt in an overall increase in the property tax levies of the affected municipalities" -- an increase "driven by higher personnel costs at the town level."

A pair of informational meetings on the subject have been set for Wednesday, Nov. 10 -- one at 1 p.m. in the Village Municipal Building, and the other at 7 p.m. in the Odessa-Montour High School auditorium. The public is welcome. Speakers will include Wade Beltramo of the New York Conference of Mayors.

The Working Group included Town of Montour Supervisor Dave Scott, Town of Catharine Supervisor John VanSoest, Schuyler County Real Property Tax Service Director Tom Bloodgood, County Administrator Tim O'Hearn, Cooperative Extension Planning and Community Development Director Danielle Hautaniemi, Odessa Clerk-Treasurer Kristi Pierce, former local assessor Randy Deal, Odessa Mayor Keith Pierce, and Odessa Village Board member Tim Hicks.

The group was formed after petitioners in Odessa forced a vote on dissolving the village government, an action allowed under Article 17-A of New York State General Municipal Law.

Petitioners have maintained that dissolution would lead to reduced taxes. That is in and of itself true within the village, the report indicates, but when taken in context with other increasing charges (particularly water), costs to village residents would increase while services such as curbside recycling and brush pickup would be eliminated. And snow removal -- taken over by towns -- would no longer be a priority within the village, but rather on a list that followed in importance the need to clear country roads for school-bus usage.

And the removal of the village government would lead to higher taxes outside the village in the towns of Catharine and Montour, the report concludes.

"This portrait," it says, "reflects an increase in water rates, a reduced tax levy for village residents and a tax levy increase for properties outside the village within the affected towns."

The report provides a chart with the various levies currently in play for a median-value residence in each of the two affected towns, and projected levies after Dissolution. The figures -- which do not include water -- show increases outside the village and decreases within. Those decreases would amount to $141.95 inside the village in the Town of Catharine and $236.55 inside the village in the Town of Montour.

But the decrease inside the village in the Town of Catharine -- where the vast majority of the village lies, accounting for 211 of 247 water connections -- would be offset by increased water costs in a water district that would succced the current water distribution service provided by the village. The annual increase in water would be $178.56, the report estimates.

A Dissolution Fact Sheet being mailed to village residents this weekend specifies that a more detailed analysis of the effect of Dissolution on the local fire department -- the Odessa Hose and Chemical Company, "which is currently administered by the village" -- will be required because that subject "is the most complicated." But it notes that "transitioning from village ownership to an independent company adds increases to insurance, maintenance and administrative costs, estimated at $26,000 annually."

The Fact Sheet also notes that the "cost of village transition, including legal, appraisal and consulting fees, would likely be in excess of $30,000, contingent upon a variety of as yet unknown factors."

The Fact Sheet goes on to say that "the existing municipal buildings and property would likely be sold as a result of liquidation" under Dissolution, adding that "in the absence of public sewer, redevelopment may be problematic."

The report itself concludes: "All of these aspects should be considered by the electorate prior to casting a vote in the referendum. Regardless of the referendum outcome, the buildings, landscape, and people will still be present on December 8th -- and our common problems, whether aesthetic water quality or a depressed business environment on Main Street, will also still be unsolved. This vote allows the electorate of the Village of Odessa to determine the municipal structure best suited to meet these needs."

Click here to see the report.

From left: Schuyler Legislators Phil Barnes, Mike Yuhasz and Tom Gifford.

Barnes, Yuhasz, Gifford keep Legislature seats in District 2

WATKINS GLEN, Nov. 3 -- The incumbents kept their seats Tuesday in the race for the Schuyler County Legislature in District 2, the towns of Dix and Montour.

Republicans Philip C. Barnes, Michael A. Yuhasz and Thomas M. Gifford outpolled Conservative Angeline Franzese and an Independence Party nominee, Tea Party member Karen Radenberg, for the four-year seats.

Barnes, head of the county GOP Party and a Legislature appointee earlier this year after then-incumbent Paul Marcellus resigned to run for the state Assembly, polled the most votes, 1,236.

Yuhasz, a retired educator whose health (he missed eight months of meetings in 2009) was an issue in the campaign, was second with 1,120 votes.

And Gifford, the longtime Legislature chairman who missed public appearances in the latter stages of the campaign due to surgery, was third with 858.

Franzese, a former Legislature chair who had lost in the Republican primary but had gained enough votes among Conservative primary voters to continue her campaign to the general election under the Conservative banner, was fourth with 757 votes.

Radenberg finished in fifth place with 475 votes.

Even if Franzese had outpolled Gifford, the seat would have gone to Gifford under terms of a Local Law that specifies each town must be represented on the Legislature. Barnes, Yuhasz and Franzese are from Dix, while Gifford and Radenberg are from Montour.

Photos in text: Karen Radenberg, left, and Angeline Franzese.

Fitzsimmons wins Justice post in Hector

HECTOR, Nov. 3 -- Daniel J. Fitzsimmons defeated Donald C. Beckley in the race for Town Justice in the Town of Hector Tuesday.

Fitzsimmons polled 965 votes, or 58 percent, to Beckley's 699, or 42 percent.

Fitzsimmons, an attorney, was running on the Democrat and Conservative lines. Beckley, a businessman, was running on the Republican line.

The position is a four-year term currently held by Diane Secord, who decided not to pursue reelection.

Elsewhere in Schuyler County:

--In uncontested races, Jagmohan Singh was elected Coroner, Lori A. Ellison was re-elected to the Town of Orange Council, and Thomas J. Beach won election to a one-year unexpired term as Town of Cayuta highway superintendent.

Reed wins Congressional race

ELMIRA, Nov. 3 -- Republican Tom Reed, a businessman and former mayor of Corning, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from the 29th Congressional District in Tuesday's election, according to a report from the Associated Press. However, Reed had not declared victory as of early this morning (Wednesday).

According to available, unofficial figures, Reed turned back the challenge of Democrat Matthew Zeller of Victor to claim the seat vacated by Eric Massa on March 8. Massa resigned in the wake of allegations of sexual misconduct.

Two elections were actually held Tuesday -- for the short, unexpired portion of Massa's term (from now until the end of the year) and for a full two-year term.

The unofficial figures show Reed winning the Special Election by a 54-46 percent margin, and the two-year term by a 55-45 percent margin.

The final count was delayed by reported voting-machine problems in Ontario County. The district includes Schuyler, Steuben, Chemung, Yates, Allegany and Cattaraugus counties, as well as parts of Monroe and Ontario.

Photos in text: Tom Reed, top, and Matt Zeller.

O'Mara, Friend cruise to wins

SOUTHERN TIER, Nov. 3 -- Republicans ruled Tuesday in the State Senate and Assembly races in the Southern Tier.

Assemblyman Tom O'Mara (R-Elmira) won easy election to the State Senate seat being vacated by George Winner. O'Mara outpolled Ithaca Democrat Pam Mackesey by a wide margin, 43,219-29,380.

Christopher Friend, a Republican first-term Chemung County legislator, easily dispatched Elmira City Councilman James Hare, a Democrat, by a nearly 2-1 margin, 20,023-10,045, in the race for the State Assembly seat being vacated by O'Mara.

"I'm humbled to ... win by such a large margin," said Friend, who had defeated fellow Republicans George Richter, the Chemung Town Supervisor, and former Schuyler County Legislator Paul Marcellus in a September primary.

Photos in text: Tom O'Mara, left, and Christopher Friend.

Board OKs storm-sewer study

WATKINS GLEN, Nov. 2 -- The Watkins Glen Village Board Monday night approved Public Works Superintendent Mark Specchio's request for an engineering study for a possible storm-sewer system on South Avenue, site of repeated flooding over the years.

The board approved a study capped at $5,000. Specchio said he would be asking Hunt Engineers to conduct it.

"The runoff there is a mess," said Specchio of the street, which runs between South Franklin Street (across from the Glen Dairy Bar) and South Decatur Street.

In other business, the board was told by Clerk Donna Beardsley that she would be posting -- per regulations -- a notice in the local weekly that specifies the village offices coming up for election in March. Nobody seeking office can circulate petitions until January, nor can any caucuses be held before then.

The offices open will be Mayor, now held by Judy Phillips; Village Justice, held by Nick Dugo; and the Village Board Trustee seats now held by Bill Smagner and Nick Kelly.

Odd-Even Parking: Watkins Glen's odd-even season started Nov. 1, the board was told, a day on which 38 warning tickets were issued. Police Chief Thomas Struble said warnings will be issued for two weeks, after which fines will be imposed.

Photo in text: Trustee Greg Coon and Mayor Judy Phillips (top) and Public Works Superintendent Mark Specchio at Monday's session.

County Legislature candidates, from left: Angeline Franzese, Karen Radenberg, Mike Yuhasz and Phil Barnes. Yuhasz and Barnes are incumbents.

League of Women Voters conducts its candidates night

Candidates for the New York State Senate, New York Assembly and Schuyler County Legislature were present Wednesday night at the Watkins Glen Elementary School for the annual Schuyler County League of Women Voters Meet the Candidates forum. Editor/Publisher Charlie Haeffner was there, too, and reports:

WATKINS GLEN, Oct. 28 -- There is something about Meet the Candidates nights that makes them both appalling and appealing.

Wednesday night's Schuyler County League of Women Voters gathering in the Watkins Glen Elementary School auditorium was no different.

The appallingness is in the sameness of most of the answers. Ask candidates for state office what the biggest problems their potential constitutents face in Albany, and they will say state mandates and Medicaid.

Ask a county candidate what the biggest challenge ahead is and he or she will say holding the line on taxes.

Ask almost any of them what they think about Marcellus Shale drilling -- hydrofracking -- in the Finger Lakes Region and they will say they either are for it (clearly the case with Assembly candidate Chris Friend, a Republican) or they are for it as long as it is deemed, in the eyes of authorities (think DEC), to be safe.

I say "almost any of them" because this is where the fun part comes in at these gatherings -- where one person stands out because of a personal viewpoint or personal quirk. In the matter of hydrofracking, that person was Pam Mackesey (MACK-a-see), a Democrat from Ithaca who is running for State Senate and who said, quite simply, that she is against fracking unless it can be demonstrated with certainty that putting all sorts of toxins into the ground, and the resultant wastewater disposal, are safe practices.

"It should be done nowhere if it isn't safe," she said. "It hasn't been shown to be safe. I would not favor fracking in any areas."

Plain enough, and refreshing for the forthrightness, and the tilt against the other candidates in the room.

Those candidates included, in addition to Friend and Mackesey, Friend's Assembly opponent, Jim Hare (D-Elmira); Mackesey's State Senate opponent, Tom O'Mara (a three-term Republican Assemblyman seeking higher office); and Schuyler County Legislature candidates Phil Barnes and Mike Yuhasz (Republican incumbents), Karen Radenberg (an independent with ties to the Odessa Tea Party) and Angeline Franzese (running on the Conservative line after losing in a Republican primary).

Missing were Congressional candidates Tom Reed (R-Corning) and Matt Zeller (D-Victor), and Legislature candidate Tom Gifford (an incumbent Republican). A League spokesperson said Reed and Zeller had a scheduling conflict -- had to appear at a debate elsewhere. Gifford is recovering from recent surgery.

All of the candidates present were directed, race by race, onto the auditorium stage, where each said a short piece, answered written questions from the audience (there were about 60 people there) and then said another piece. And honestly, aside from Mackesey's stand on fracking, there seemingly was little to distinguish one position from another on any of the major issues.

No, the entertainment came down to snippets -- quirks, if you will, or snapshots, a couple of them onstage, and a couple off.

Moderator Brian Williams, for instance, had trouble with Mackesey's name. He mispronounced it, was corrected by the candidate, apologized, and then seemed to hesitate a couple of times in which he subsequently had to pronounce it again.

Out in the hallway, a tall man with long, gray, ponytailed hair was pacing around, and at Williams' mispronunciation, asked: "Who is that guy? He can't even get a candidate's name right."

It turns out the hallway pacer was Mackesey's husband.

Or there was the moment when Radenberg, asked to introduce herself in a one-minute talk, stood and asked: "Did we say the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of this forum?"

She drew blank stares from around the room, and then asked: "Can we say the Pledge of Allegiance? Does anyone mind?"

And with that she turned to the flag on her right, at the edge of the stage, and placed her right hand over her heart, and by sheer force of will got everyone to follow suit and recite the Pledge with her. It was a bit confusing, it came so unexpectedly, so out of the blue, so out of traditional order.

And as such, it was a highlight.

And there was the moment when O'Mara responded during his time on stage with Mackesey -- after she had declared herself "a bit of a conservative when it comes to taxes."

"I disagree with my opponent on her characterization of herself as a tax conservative," he said a bit forcefully, and then cited her role in Ithaca City and Tompkins County governments as they increased taxes over the years.

Afterward, in the hallway, O'Mara said too many people "get a pass on claims" like hers. "Nobody bothers to check their voting records."

He added that there was a lot "I wanted to say about her, but you have to be careful" criticizing female opponents. "Just look what happened to Rick Lazio with Hillary Clinton" -- a reference to Lazio's ill-fated U.S. Senate campaign in 2000. Clinton beat him by 12 points after Lazio made the fateful decision to leave his podium during a debate with Clinton, walking toward her and waving a stack of papers he wanted her to sign to restrict both of them from raising soft money. It was perceived as a threatening gesture, and sympathy swung Hillary's way, along with enough votes to turn what might have been a close race into a rout.

O'Mara says he is in good position heading into the final few days of this campaign. His polling shows "a comfortable margin," he said, although "there are 25 percent undecided, which I really can't explain. Maybe it's because nobody's heard of her" -- presumably meaning that an unknown will attract voters fed up with the status quo.

Despite the tedious nature of much of the Q-and-A -- perhaps heightened by the heat in the auditorium, which several visitors commented on -- the occasional candor enlivened the evening.

And despite the absence of the Congressional candidates, League president Jim Wilson saw the exercise as decidedly successful.

"We moved it to the evening" to open it up to more people, he said -- noting that there were indeed more on hand than at previous Meet the Candidates forums, held in the past at mid-day League luncheons.

And where those luncheons were for paying customers only, this was free, Wilson pointed out.

In this age of economic fears and uncertainty, that certainly was welcome.

Photos in text: From top: Candidates Pam Mackesey (State Senate), Chris Friend (State Assembly), Phil Barnes (County Legislature), Karen Radenberg (County Legislature), Tom O'Mara (State Senate) and Angeline Franzese (County Legislature).

Schuyler County Legislature candidate Mike Yuhasz, left, and Assembly candidate Jim Hare at Wednesday night's gathering.

Catharine Council delays animal shelter decision

ALPINE, Oct. 20 -- The Catharine Town Council Tuesday night delayed for a month a decision on whether to approve a Special Use Permit for construction of a new animal shelter on County Route 10.

The board expressed repeated concern about the noise that might emanate from the shelter from barking dogs, and its members said they would prefer the Humane Society of Schuyler County -- which owns the existing two-acre parcel in question and plans to build the new shelter there -- purchase more land to the rear and situate the shelter farther back from the road and from its neighbors.

Town Supervisor John VanSoest led the council meeting -- attended by more than 40 area residents, some in favor of the shelter and some opposed to its planned location -- through a discussion of the expected economic impact of the facility ("negligible," the council decided) and its impact on the neighborhood (significant for three neighbors, they thought), and through a list of conditions he wanted to attach to the plan before giving it his blessing.

Those included:

-- Removal of any outbuildings on the two-acre parcel, which was purchased by the Humane Society in 2006 from Dr. Frank Fielder, a retired veterinarian. Its primary structure has been utilized by the Humane Society as a spay-neuter clinic, and as a refuge for cats. The new facility would take in dogs, too, which are currently housed in an outmoded pound on Van Zandt Hollow Road in the Town of Dix.

-- Submission of plans for noise, sanitation and traffic flow.

-- Presentation of a financial plan that would demonstrate the Humane Society has access to enough funds to complete the new facility.

-- A commitment to use local services where applicable.

-- A management plan that would provide assurance that there will be enough staffing of the facility at all times, with an eye toward making certain garage doors are not left open, thus permitting the noise of barking to rise to an unacceptable level.

-- An agreement to forgo further expansion, leaving the planned facility as one that will serve 24 dogs and 34 cats.

VanSoest said he was in accord with the rest of the council as to the desirability of the Humane Society purchasing some or all of the 35 acres to the rear of the existing property, but Elmira attorney Timothy Mattison told VanSoest that the Society had met all legal setback requirements and can not be compelled under existing ordinance to purchase the extra land.

With that as a sticking point, VanSoest suggested -- and was backed by the council -- that the town consult its own attorney on the land-purchase matter, and revisit the issue of the Special Use Permit application at its Nov. 16 meeting.

That, he said, would also give the Humane Society time to see if the land is available -- a point of contention at the meeting, with Humane Society president Georgie Taylor saying the owner, Dr. Fielder, 96, wants to leave it to his son, while Jackie Wickham, who with her husband John lives near the proposed shelter, said the son has said the land is available for sale..

"Maybe he did," said Taylor, "but it's still Dr. Fielder's property" -- and he has said otherwise.

Taylor, after the meeting, said she had not expected the delay to next month's council session, and conceded the project is "in potential crisis." Should a condition indeed be that the Society has to purchase extra land and situate the shelter to its rear, she said, "that would be expensive," not only in the price of the land, but for establishing water and other services.

And if the town council ultimately rejects the plan, that "would present a signifcant setback, if not an end, to the Humane Society's plans to shelter companion animals in Schuyler County."

The Society, which last year took over operation of the dog pound under contract with the county, "may well find ourselves in the position of re-examining our contractual relationship with the county and our very ability to house and care for the dogs," she said. "The welfare of homeless, abused and abandoned animals, both dogs and cats, would be in jeopardy.

"It rests in their hands," she added, motioning toward the room where the council session had continued with other agenda items.

The matter of the county contract was raised at the council meeting by former county legislator Paul Marcellus, who praised the Humane Society as a "godsend" in the operation of the dog pound. "They fulfilled everything they said they would do," he noted.

Other speakers praised the Society and the service it provides -- and those opposed to the proposed shelter tempered their remarks by saying they had nothing against the Society itself, just the planned location of the shelter.

Photos in text:

From top: Town Supervisor John VanSoest at Tuesday's meeting; Humane Society attorney Timothy Mattison addresses the council; Humane Society President Georgie Taylor; John Wickham, who lives near the proposed shelter and said he wasn't opposed to its idea, just its location; and council member George Tanner.

Senator Schumer speaks to TV reporters after his appearance in front of media and local officials at the Watkins Glen Community Center.

Schumer pays annual visit to Schuyler

WATKINS GLEN, Oct. 8 -- U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) visited Schuyler County Thursday afternoon -- an annual event. He has come here in each of the 12 years he's been in office.

The visit -- low-keyed and not widely known about until Thursday morning -- had as its theme tourism, and specifically the Travel Regional Partnership Act being considered in Congress. It would provide matching grant funds for tourism promotion.

The site of his appearance was the Watkins Glen Community Center, where the Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce was busy preparing for its inaugural A Taste of the Finger Lakes Thursday evening -- an event highlighting area cuisine and wines.

So the day and the site worked for the senator's message, which was one of support for the legislation in general and for Finger Lakes tourism in particular.

"I love the Finger Lakes," he told a gathering of media and local officials at the Community Center. "This past summer, my family vacationed in the Finger Lakes region."

He wished the Chamber well on its evening gathering -- he couldn't attend, since he was leaving the area almost immediately on his way to New York City -- and said he's a "big fan" of New York wines.

"I drink it, I give it as gifts," he said. "It's moving up and up and up in prestige."

And he said he's urging the White House to feature New York wine at a future White House dinner -- "most likely one of the Rieslings."

Also speaking were Chamber president Rebekah Lamoreaux, Chamber tourism director Miranda Polmanteer, and Morgen McLaughlin, president of the Finger Lakes Wine Country Tourism Marketing Association.

Also present were Watkins Glen Mayor Judy Phillips, Schuyler County Legislators Mike Yuhasz and Glenn Larison, Watkins Glen Schools Superintendent Tom Phillips, and State Assembly candidate Jim Hare.

Photos in text: Senator Schumer with Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce president Rebekah Lamoreaux (top), and speaking to the gathering in the Community Center. The plant and light in the foreground were part of the decorations for that evening's Taste of the Finger Lakes.

Fitzsimmons wins Hector Judge nominations

Special to The Odessa File

HECTOR, Sept. 18 -- Attorney Dan Fitzsimmons won the nomination for the Hector Town Judge position at the August 31st caucus of the Democratic Party in the Town of Hector.

Fitzsimmons told attendees that his 18 years of legal practice, and the fact that he was born and raised in the Town of Hector, give him a unique ability to serve on what he called “the front lines of the justice system.”

Fitzsimmons was also nominated for the judge's position on September 16th by the Hector
Conservative Party. He and Republican Don Beckley appeared before caucus members, addressing them and answering questions before the decision was made by secret ballot..

Beckley, a businessman, will appear on the November 2nd ballot as a Republican while Fitzsimmons will appear on the Democratic and Conservative lines. The position is a four-year term currently held by Diane Secord, who decided not to pursue reelection.

Candidates at We The People

The ongoing We The People series of political discussions featuring candidates for various offices continued Wednesday night, Sept. 1 with a gathering at the Odessa Municipal Building. Featured speakers were Assemblyman Tom O'Mara, left in the photo above, a Republican running for the State Senate, and former Corning Mayor Tom Reed, pictured at right, a Republican who is trying to succeed Eric Massa in Congress. Also on hand was Assembly candidate Christopher Friend.

Petitions OK'd; vote will be held on Odessa dissolution

ODESSA, Sept. 1 -- The petitions filed with the Village of Odessa last week seeking a referendum on dissolving the village government have been approved, clearing the way for a vote on the village's future.

Village Clerk Kristi Pierce validated 116 of the 124 petition signatures Wednesday, and sent a letter to petitioners Larry Teeter, Jeffrey Greuber and Jack Fowler verifying that the petitions comply "with the requirements of New York state General Municipal Law Article 17-A" and that they contain "a sufficient number of signatures to commence an elector-initiated referendum on the question of the dissolution of the Village of Odessa."

The matter goes now to the Village Board, which must within 30 days set a date for the referendum, which must be held within 90 days of that board action. That means the vote could come near the end of the year. The Village Board's next scheduled meeting is Sept. 21.

Meanwhile, a committee to conduct a "cursory study of the financial and service impact" of dissolution is being formed at the urging of Village Board member Timothy Hicks, and will include Hicks, Mayor Keith Pierce, Schuyler County Administrator Tim O'Hearn and the supervisors of the two towns that would be affected by the elimination of village government here: David Scott of the Town of Montour and John Van Soest of the Town of Catharine.

That group plans to meet at 9 a.m. Friday, Sept. 10 at the Odessa Municipal Building. Hicks has said the intent of the study is not to take sides on the issue, but rather to gather and present the facts in an unbiased fashion.

The 116 validated signatures on the petitions were more than enough to meet the state's requirement that in villages with fewer than 500 registered voters, such a petition effort requires at least 20 percent of those residents. An estimated 75 signatures were the necessary minimum in this case.

If dissolution were to be approved in the referendum, the Village Board would meet within 30 days after the vote and initiate a dissolution plan within 180 days of that meeting. (That time frame is considered unrealistic by the New York Conference of Mayors (NYCOM), which recommends a more measured pace in dealing with the many complex issues that dissolution entails.)

If the dissolution plan derived by the Village Board were to meet with opposition, another petition drive could force a vote on it. If the plan were voted down, said Clerk Pierce, "the dissolution would stop."

That is one of many elaborate scenarios possible in a dissolution procedure -- the ins and outs of which have been outlined by NYCOM, which guides village officials through the often complex maze of state laws by publishing handbooks on such issues.

Clerk Pierce says that she hopes to get a representative from NYCOM to come to Odessa to outline the matter for interested parties in the near future.

An in-depth study of the potential dissolution of the Odessa government was discussed at a Village Board meeting in January. But without a state grant, the village had been unwilling to proceed -- citing as prohibitive a $45,000 price tag on such a study. If a grant were secured, the village would have paid 10% of the cost.

(State law has since changed to the aforementioned 17-A dissolution process, which streamlines efforts and sidesteps a need for such a time-consuming study.)

Odessa is not alone in this movement toward streamlining government. The Village of Johnson City, near Binghamton, decided against dissolution last year by a narrow vote of its residents. But the Village of Seneca Falls voted several months ago to dissolve at the end of 2011. The proposal passed 1,198-1,112.

The Village of Candor is also looking at the possibility of dissolving, but is first using a state grant of $50,000 to study the matter before a vote is held next year. That village's process was started prior to the state's 17-A law change.

In any approved dissolutions, village governments are basically absorbed into town governments -- which themselves are exempt from a dissolution process. The Village of Odessa is partly within the Town of Catharine, and partly within the Town of Montour. Payment of Odessa debts, such as its water system, officials have said, would continue to be the responsibility of Odessa residents.

The petitioners in the Odessa matter -- Sally Hill, Larry and Phyllis Teeter, Virginia Peters, Darwin Terry Jr., Jeffrey Greuber and Timothy Jaynes -- started a petition effort last year. They called themselves the Committee to Dissolve the Village of Odessa, but said that was really a misnomer -- that what they really wanted was a study, preferably paid for by a grant, to determine whether the elimination of village government would save its residents money or cost them more. This latest petition calls directly for the referendum, as prescribed by the 17-A regulations.

All of the petitioners except for Jaynes are from Odessa, with Hill, the Teeters, Peters and Terry residing on Speedway. Jaynes is from Hector.

That earlier petition movement followed closely on the heels of the dismissal of Jaynes by the Village of Odessa as its Superintendent of Public Works for various alleged job offenses. He fought the issue before a hearing officer who ultimately left Jaynes' fate in the hands of the Village Board -- which followed through with the termination.

The Committee to Dissolve the Village denied back in January, though, that the termination had anything to do with the drive for dissolution. "Not at all," Jaynes said at the time. "This was being discussed long before all that (his termination case) happened."

Jack Fowler, a former mayor of Odessa, echoed Jaynes at that time: "The subject is nothing new. When I first went on the board, back around 1968, some of the old guard in Odessa were discussing dissolving the village government -- although I don't think anything came from it."

Andrew Cuomo makes a point during his speech in front of the Montour House.

Cuomo stumps in Montour

Hydrofracturing opponents protest

MONTOUR FALLS, Aug. 19 -- New York Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo swept into Montour Falls Thursday afternoon and decried the state of the state before venturing onward for more of what he described as a combination vacation-campaign tour.

Cuomo, the state Attorney General who is the leading contender for election to the governor's mansion in November, was greeted at his stop in front of the Montour House by a crowd estimated at 120 people, including a couple dozen there in opposition to Marcellus Shale drilling known as hydrofracturing, or "fracking."

A Cuomo aide pointed out that the candidate has come out neither in favor of nor opposed to the drilling, instead taking a middle-of-the-road approach while the possible perils of such drilling are considered during a moratorium in the state.

Cuomo also encountered protestors earlier in the day during a campaign stop in Ithaca, the aide said.

The Attorney General basically ignored the signs in Montour Falls, as well as a couple of shout-outs urging "No fracking!" and "Save our lakes!" Three different sign carriers were moved to the far side of the street before Cuomo's arrival on a directive from a state trooper, but a couple of them gravitated back onto the roadway fronting the Montour House -- Main Street -- by the time of the candidate's arrival.

Cuomo did answer a reporter's question about hydrofracturing at his Ithaca stop, comments aired on TV later. "If there's an economic advantage to it, we should pursue it," he said. "But not until we know it is environmentally safe."

Cuomo was introduced in Montour Falls by Mayor Donna Kelley and by one of his three daughters traveling with him, Mariah. The other two, Cara and Michaela, were seated in the front row of folding chairs placed on the sidewalk and roadway.

Kelley in her remarks said the state government "is getting worse as the days go on," and that it needs "strong leadership" that Cuomo can provide.

Mariah Cuomo said her father "will do great things for the state ... he fights a good fight and he wins. He'll clean up Albany and get the state's finances in order."

Cuomo, after referring to Montour Falls as "breathtakingly beautiful," echoed his daughter by saying he would "clean up Albany and restore trust" with the people of the state, and would "get our fiscal house in order ... The answer isn't Raise State Taxes, Raise State Taxes, Raise State Taxes."

He said he was "experienced at getting things done," and that the "state will change when the people demand it change. This campaign is not about me; it's about we."

Politicians "will listen," he said, "but the people have to speak" instead of just getting angry and giving up. "We will be the Empire State again," he added, "the greatest state in the nation."

After workng his way through the crowd, shaking hands and signing a couple of baseballs, he jumped back aboard his campaign vehicle (a motor home) and headed toward the nearby Watkins Glen International racetrack grounds, where he toured the Media Center and was driven around the track a couple of times in a car owned and operated by Scott Welliver.

Photos in text:

From top: Some of the fracking protestors and their signs; Mayor Donna Kelley (left) and Mariah Cuomo (right); Andrew Cuomo speaks briefly with Assembly candidate James Hare; Cuomo poses with County Administrator Tim O'Hearn, left, and Kelsey Jones, executive director of the Schuyler County Partnership for Economic Development, in Victory Lane at the Watkins Glen International racetrack. (Photo provided by WGI)

Andrew Cuomo, in passenger seat, is driven around the WGI track by Scott Welliver. (Photo provided by WGI)

Cuomo is framed by a backdrop of the New York State flag, which was unfurled by a strong wind.

Watkins board gets lowdown about Marcellus drilling effects

WATKINS GLEN, Aug. 17 -- The Watkins Glen Village Board got a lesson in Marcellus Shale drilling effects Monday night.

The board heard a report from Rocky Kambo of Cooperative Extension and science teacher and environmentalist Kate Bartholomew on the consequences -- both positive and negative, but with a definitely negative slant -- of an influx of oil companies should they get clearance to aggressively pursue Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling in New York State.

Mayor Judy Phillips noted that while the effects of massive drilling operations -- financial, inflationary and socio-economic -- would likely affect Watkins Glen if drilling were to take place in Schuyler County, the absence of drilling space within the village proper "would give us some protection" from any potential upheaval.

Said Kambo, who used studies and statistics from other drilling areas to explain the potentital effects: "The basic purpose of this presentation is to keep everyone aware."

In other business, the board:

--Told Moe Colunio, who operates an ice cream truck at village events, that she will have to take up her complaint about a "no right on red" sign at Fourth and Decatur Streets with the State Department of Transportion. The DOT, Mayor Phillips said, posted the sign after installing turn lanes at the intersection. Colunio said she would circulate a petition and send it to DOT.

--Sang "Happy Birthday" to Phillips a week and a half early. She will be on vacatin in Paris, France when her birthday rolls around on Aug. 27. She cut a cake and distributed pieces of it to those attending the meeting.

--Heard Police Chief Thomas Struble report that the Italian-American Festival -- which had been the scene in recent years of difficulties involving alcohol -- "went off without a hitch this year," in part because of the role of boaters in policing themselves. Mayor Phillips lauded those efforts, and said she looked forward to the festival "continuing with a family environment."

Photos in text: Mayor Judy Phillips blows out the candles on her birthday cake; Moe Colunio addresses the board.

One of the transit system's three buses pulls onto Route 14 after picking up some passengers following Monday's ceremony at the Human Services Complex.

Buses start Schuyler runs ..

Ceremony kicks off Public Transit; free rides at first

MONTOUR FALLS, Aug. 17 -- Schuyler County Transit -- a new public transportation system -- made its first runs Monday following a ceremony at the Human Services Complex in Montour Falls.

The bus system, which connects four villages in the county, was ushered in with the announcement that rides would be free through Labor Day.

County Administrator Tim O'Hearn, addressing a gathering of state and local officials and the media in the Human Services Complex Monday morning, said the decision to provide free rides through Labor Day will give county residents a chance to become familiar with the buses and their routes, and perhaps make a habit of using the service.

After Labor Day, the cost to ride will be $1 for a one-way trip, and 50 cents for Seniors 65 years and older and individuals with disabilities.

Jim Wilson, executive director of The Arc of Schuyler -- which is operating the buses under contract with the county -- said that while the system may be imperfect at the outset, "it's a start" that people have been waiting years to see. And it's one a great many people have worked on. "Everybody at The Arc has been involved in this at some point," he noted.

Signage on the sides of the three buses was not yet in place Monday, but was expected by week's end, said O'Hearn. Signmaker Tony Vickio, on hand at the ceremony, will be applying the bus artwork "after our graphics are received from New Jersey," O'Hearn added.

The new system connects the villages of Burdett, Watkins Glen, Montour Falls and Odessa and incorporates a loop to Schuyler Hospital and the hospital’s Primary Care Center. Additional stops include the Burdett Mini Mart, Wal-Mart in Watkins Glen, Seneca Harbor Park, Franklin Street and 7th Street, 12th Street and Porter Street in Watkins Glen, the Watkins Tops/CVS shopping center, Main Street and Montour Street in Montour Falls, the Human Services Complex, Broadway Street in Montour Falls, and the Odessa Municipal Building.

Fares must be paid in exact change when boarding the bus, although Schuyler County transit tickets may be used in place of the cash fare.

Monthly passes allow unlimited ridership within the month of purchase and are priced at $30, and $15 for senior/disability. Seniors and persons with disabilities must present verification of age or disability when purchasing.

In addition to the fixed public transportation route, Dial-A-Ride transportation -- also known as paratransit transportation -- will be available for eligible individuals with disabilities or who are approved through a contract agency. This service is intended to provide access to non-emergency medical appointments. Once eligibility is met, this service could be available from any area of Schuyler County to four specific zones including Watkins Glen/Montour Falls, Horseheads/Big Flats/Southport/Elmira, Corning, and Ithaca on specified days during the week.

A new website constructed for the Transit System can be accessed here.

Information guides and schedules will be available at all Office for the Aging meal sites, at the Human Services Complex, and at various sites throughout the county. For specific information, call Schuyler County Transit at 607-535-3555 or visit the website.

The Arc of Schuyler’s 203 Twelfth St. building serves as the Schuyler County Transit office. Tickets and passes may be purchased at The Arc of Schuyler.

Photos in text:

Top: County Administrator Tim O'Hearn, left, and Arc of Schuyler Executive Director Jim Wilson at Monday's ceremony.

Next 3: Interior of one of the buses; one of the drivers, Nick McClain (left); and signmaker Tony Vickio, who will apply the side graphics to the vehicles.

Bottom: Computer-generated look at artwork that will adorn the sides of the buses. (Provided)

Legislators back proposed animal shelter

WATKINS GLEN, Aug.; 10 -- The Schuyler County Legislature went on record Monday night in support of a plan by the Humane Society of Schuyler County to construct a new animal shelter.

Legislators -- at a meeting that also saw them approve two local laws providing early retirement incentives to county workers -- backed the Humane Society effort through a resolution that had been tabled last month.

Passage came after amendments that removed any suggestion of the location of the shelter, to avoid putting any pressure on Town of Catharine officials to approve it. The plan calls for construction on County Route 10.

The project would, if approved by the town planning board, cost an estimated $350,000. The property -- site of a former veterinary office -- is owned by the Humane Society, which has for years cared for and found homes for cats in the county and last year took over operation of the county dog shelter on Van Zandt Hollow Road in the Town of Dix.

The dog shelter, an aged facility that Legislator Glenn Larison said needs to be improved upon, would close with construction of the proposed Route 10 shelter.

The local laws, meanwhile, were approved following a public hearing at which one person spoke: Debbie Perkins, a 28-year county employee who works in the Office for the Aging. She urged approval, saying the incentives -- for workers 50 or older with 10 years of service, and for workers at least 55 with 25 years of service -- would help her and other people who would like to retire, and would open up jobs for a younger generation of residents "who are leaving the county. You know they are."

County Administrator Tim O'Hearn, responding to a question from Legislator Dennis Fagan, confirmed that the incentive program will -- through a combination of lower salaries to new workers and "some staff reductions" -- create a "net positive savings" for the county.

In other business, the legislators:

--Appointed Dr. Jagmohan Singh as a county coroner through the end of the year, replacing Philip C. Barnes, who resigned upon his recent appointment to the Legislature.

--Heard O'Hearn say that final plans are near for a start-up -- possibly next week -- of the new bus service that will have routes with stops in four villages: Watkins Glen, Burdett, Montour Falls and Odessa.

Photos in text:

From top: Glenn Larison (facing camera) speaks to fellow Legislator Mike Yuhasz; County Attorney James Coleman; and Legislator Phil Barnes.

A large counter area greets visitors to the new town office. Here, an installer explains aspects of new computers to Town Clerk Carmella Hoffman.

Town of Catharine moving to new office

ODESSA, Aug. 4 -- The Town of Catharine government's long-awaited move to a new office facility along Park Road -- across from Catharine Park -- is under way.

In what amounts to a transition period, the Town Clerk and Town Justice offices are being transferred this week from their longstanding home in the Town Highway Department building on Grant Road. Eventually, the Town Historian will have an office in the new building.

"We've definitely outgrown where we've been," said Town Clerk Carmella Hoffman on Tuesday as she surveyed her new office, a spacious room with a kitchenette in the corner. A Town Board meeting room is adjacent to her office, and separate rooms for the Town Supervisor and Town Justice are about ready for business.

Eventually, the building will be expanded to include a courtroom, and a fireproof records room will be built in the basement along with the historian's office. A wheelchair lift will be installed next to the buiilding's front steps, which will soon have railings.

"It's been a long time coming," said Hoffman of the new facility, which had been a home built by Frank Gugliotta. The town purchased it last year.

"Everything we need" to operate the clerk's office, Hoffman said, "we'll try to have here Monday, Aug. 9." The expansion and finishing touches will be added over a period of time, with the assistance of grants.

"As soon as the state releases grant funds, we can apply for $60,000 for the courtroom," she said. "And we'll apply for a grant through Records Management for the records facility. We want to be fiscally responsible. We're piecemealing things as we go."

An example is a phone system that is a large step up from the "hold and yell" functions of the previous one -- but instead of spending thousands of dollars for a new system, the town got this one for nothing. "We got it from the county as surplus," Hoffman said. It previously was used in the Rural Urban Center before the county transferred offices and agencies from there.

The new town offices -- first approved by voters in a referendum back in 2000 that capped expenditures at $500,000 -- won't have air conditioning, Hoffman noted, "but there's a thing called fans, and we will use them." A large overhead fan was running at high speed above her in the clerk's office to illustrate the point.

The old office on Grant Road will be used by the Highway Department, which has been operating out of the garage in that structure.

"It will be an office for Larry (Reynolds, the Highway Superintendent) and a lunchroom," Hoffman said. "The guys won't have to eat any more in the dusty old garage, with those diesel fumes."

Photos in text: The new building on Park Road, and a look inside the new Town Clerk's office through a doorway.

From left: Sara Clark (from Sen. Gillibrand’s office), Marcia Weber (Executive Director of the Southern Tier Central Regional Planning Board), Earl Gohl (ARC Federal Co-Chair), Kyle Wilber (ARC State Program Manager), Superintendent Tom Phillips, High School Principal Dave Warren, High School Technology Teacher Karen Armstrong, School Board President Brian O'Donnell, Middle School Technology Teacher Greg Grodem, and High School Science Teacher Kate Bartholomew. (Photo provided)

Grant funds will spur WGHS alternative-energy classwork

WATKINS GLEN, July 28 -- The Watkins Glen School District received an Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) grant Tuesday totaling $86,300 -- money to be used to help incorporate a study of renewable energy into the high school curriculum.

The funds were presented in a ceremony outside the high school attended by dignitaries from local, county and state governments as well as the school district -- including Watkins Glen Mayor Judy Phillips, Schuyler County Administrator Tim O'Hearn, county Legislature Chairman Tom Gifford, State Assemblyman Tom O'Mara, and Watkins Glen Schools Superintendent Tom Phillips.

Also on hand were ARC federal co-chair Earl Gohl, Southern Tier Central Regional Planning Board Executive Director Marcia Weber, ARC State Program Manager Kyle Wilber, Sara Clark of U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's office, Watkins Glen School Board President Brian J. O'Donnell, High School Principal Dave Warren, Hunt Engineers' Lew Durland, Nancy Blake of the Career Development Council, and teachers Karen Armstrong (High School Technology), Greg Grodem (Middle School Technology) and Kate Barthlomew (High School Science).

The district, which instituted a small "green initiative" project last year at the Middle School with the help of a $45,000 grant, is also receiving help through in-kind services from Hunt Engineers. The goal is to initiate a study of alternative energy sources by actually constructing a wind turbine and solar-panel system that students can monitor in a hands-on fashion through computer-recorded data.

The students will also participate in the decision as to where the turbine and panels should be placed for maximum effect, and in their design.

"There will be an alternative energy laboratory," says Superintendent Phillips, "where students can gain an understanding of renewable energy and its importance to our future."

He said the in-depth studies will be part of Environmental Science, Energy/Power Architecture, and Electronics coursework, with learning content "expanding to include the Science of Energy" -- with additional forms of alternative energy (such as hydrogen fuel cells and hydropower) introduced.

Students, he said, will also gain insight into green architectural design by using Chief Architect software to build sustainable green virtual communities.

Tuesday's ceremony, which drew reporters from four TV stations and three newspapers, included remarks from Gohl and the superintendent.

Said Gohl:

"The project ... shows that Watkins Glen is really ahead of the curve. Tom (Phillips) and his team realize the future is about renewable energy and alternative energy supplies."

Phillips' remarks were as follows:

“Let me say thank you to the teachers who are here today. Your innovative thinking and motivation to do what is best for our students is the energy that has made all of this possible. To our partners Nancy Blake of the Career Development Council and Lew Durland of Hunt, thank you for your willingness to give of your time and expertise and for making this possibility a reality.

"This project will allow our students to apply their knowledge to a more in-depth study of renewable energy. Through the use of a hybrid renewable energy system -- including both wind turbines and solar panels -- students will study the effect of wind and solar energy. Additionally this project will allow our students to become life-long learners and an educated consumer as well as environmentally aware of the impact that energy consumption has on our community.

"Finally to Marcia Weber, Executive Director of The Southern Tier Central Regional Planning Board, and to Earl Gohl, Federal Co-Chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission, thank you for realizing the value of knowledge and understanding embedded in this innovative project. At Watkins Glen Central School District, our goal is to develop life-long learners, and your support has allowed us to create a learning environment that encourages life-long learning in an economically and environmentally friendly manner."

The ARC -- a partnership of federal, state and local-level governments -- includes the governors of the 13 Appalachian states and a federal co-chair, who is named by the President.

Photos in text:

Top: Earl Gohl, Federal Co-Chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission, addresses the gathering . In the background are County Administrator Tim O'Hearn, left, and County Legislature Chairman Tom Gifford, right.

Bottom: Watkins Glen Mayor Judy Phillips, left, was on hand along with State Assemblyman Tom O'Mara and Nancy Blake of the Career Development Council. (Photos provided)

Barnes succeeds Marcellus on Legislature; Halpin votes 'no'

WATKINS GLEN, June 30 -- Schuyler County Republican Chairman Philip C. Barnes -- a candidate for a seat on the county Legislature in the fall elections -- was appointed to that governing body Wednesday to fill the unexpired portion of Legislator Paul Marcellus's term. The appointment extends to the end of the year.

The vote -- by six members of the Legislature -- was 5-1, with Barbara Halpin opposed. Legislator Mike Yuhasz was not present for the vote, arriving later for a subsequent committee meeting.

Marcellus resigned Monday, the day of his retirement from his job as a corrections leiutenant at the Monterey Correctional Facility. He had to step down from his seat under a law that says a person cannot qualify to draw a pension while simultaneously being on the public payroll. Marcellus had originally said the resigation was a mere "glitch" -- and that he would be appointed back onto the Legislature a day or two later.

But with his recent announced candidacy for the State Assembly, the plan changed, since Marcellus couldn't run for both offices. The Legislature thus opted to appoint Barnes in his place.

And that rankled Halpin.

"Let's call this what it is," she said Wednesday after Barnes' name had been put into nomination by Legislator Glenn Larison. "This is a blatant attempt to provide an advantage to one candidate over others who might run (in the fall). I'm going to maintain my integrity by voting no." She suggested the seat remain vacant until after the fall election.

Larison answered that he was going to maintain his integrity by voting in favor of a full complement of board members.

Responded Halpin: "All you need is five votes. You have seven (if the seat remained vacant). I wonder why we're not considering any of the other candidates running."

When it was time for the vote, there were five in favor of Barnes, and he took his seat a short time later for the committee meeting that followed.

When asked in an interview if in fact his appointment was "a blatant attempt to provide an advantage," Barnes shook his head and said: "I'm sorry people feel that way."

He pointed to his record -- as a longtime Sheriff's deputy, as Undersheriff from 1989-2000, as the current Watkins Glen International manager of security, as a county coronor for the past three-and-a-half years, and as a man with many contacts with state, federal and local officials -- as qualifications enough for a Legislature seat.

He said he had first considered a run for the Legislature six years ago, but felt he had too many other obligations. "I felt too occupied at the time to do it."

But he "continued to talk about it, and I was told by people that they felt I would be a good Legislator." Then, with "the change in the political landscape" that followed the announcement by State Senator George Winner that he was stepping down at year's end -- with Assemblymen Tom O'Mara and George Bacalles vying for Winner's seat, opening up O'Mara's Assembly seat for a run by Marcellus -- "I was approached again to run."

Wednesday's appointment, Barnes noted, was not his doing, but up to the Legislature. As the Republican Party chair in the county, he said, "I know how hard it is to get people to run" for office -- or for that matter to get them to accept an appointment.

Barnes will be campaigning alongside Legislature Chairman Tom Gifford and Legislator Yuhasz, both also Republicans, for three District 2 seats carrying four-year terms. Republican Angeline Franzese -- a former Legisilature Chair -- has also announced her candidacy, which sets up a Republican primary in September. The top three finishers will advance to the November general election.

Barnes said he will remain as county chair and as WGI security chief, but will have to give up his coroner's job, which is an elective position that he had intended to seek again in the fall. The rules prohibit holding two elective jobs in the same government.

In other business:

The legislators heard from Administrator Tim O'Hearn in a committee session that the proposed start-up of the upcoming county transportation system -- involving bus routes to the villages of Burdett, Watkins Glen, Montour Falls and Odessa -- is now Aug. 9. Thought had been given to starting a week earlier, he said, but the decision ultimately was made to avoid that particular period, which is the busy NASCAR week.

Photos in text:

Top: Phil Barnes in a Legislature committee meeting Wednesday after his appointment.

Middle: Legislator Barbara Halpin argues against the Barnes appointment. It was approved 5-1.

Bottom: Former Legislator Paul Marcellus.