News Archive • September, 2008 • August, 2008 • July, 2008 • June, 2008 • May, 2008 • April, 2008 • March, 2008 • February, 2008 • January, 2008 • December, 2007 • November, 2007 • October, 2007 • September, 2007 • August, 2007 • July, 2007 |
IN TODAY'S LOCAL -- August 29 Resident wants NYMA zoning changed Resident Peter Neuman believes developers from Kiryas Joel may be interested in property owned by the New York Military Academy and he's asking the town board to look into changing the zoning before the land can be developed. The property in question is on the east side of Route 9W just before the town-village border. Neuman would like the zoning changed to prevent the construction of town houses. When questioned, Captain Watts, the NYMA superintendent, said that no property on the campus was for sale. See story on page 1A.
Police consolidation meeting will draw a crowd The town and village boards will meet at the COVAC building at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 2, to see if they should explore having one police force cover both communities. As of Aug. 27, there didn't seem to be a format for the meeting. But one thing is certain -- the meeting will be well attended. See page 1A for details.
August anglers have a ball at fishing derby The Bass Busters fishing derby was moved from June to August because of the vegetation on the pond. This year's turnout was smaller than in previous years, but everyone had a good time. See page 1A for details.
Bikers back fund raiser for asthma research The East Side Custom Choppers in Walden are staging a 60-mile run for cars and motorcycles on Oct. 4 to help raise money for the Michael De Luca Memorial Fund. Young Michael was just seven years old when he died. See the story on page 3A.
Local Business Idol benefited from award The Orange County Chamber of Commerce selected Cornwall's "Jack of All Trades" as its Business Idol a year ago. Since then the company, which is run by Ralph and Julie Bush, has doubled in size. To see how that happened, check page 5A.
School lunch prices to increase When school opens, lunch prices will be 25 cents higher than they were a year ago. Some a la carte prices have also changed. Milk is still 50 cents, but pizza has gone up from $1.75 to $2 a slice. A new payment system, called "Paypams," will be introduced in the secondary schools. See page 5A
Summer students succeed Summer school at the high school ran from July 7 to Aug. 14. There were 96 students from Cornwall and 17 from outside the district. Don Blaine, the summer school principal, said that all the students met their objectives. Two high school seniors who didn't graduate in June passed courses that enabled them to graduate in August and go on to college. See page 6A. Hudson Valley Taste of the Fall Check page 7A to learn about food events that will take place in the Hudson Valley this fall. The story includes web sites that you can check for directions and additional information.
Lee Road School vandalized On Monday, Aug. 25, school officials found graffiti on the outside of Lee Road School. Vandals climbed up on the roof and defaced the walls with silver spray paint. Walter Moran, the director of Buildings and Grounds, said that broken glass and bottles of alcohol were found near the building. He indicated that the school district would press charges if the person or persons were caught. See page 9A.
Teenagers to rock riverfront High school senior Zach Gioia and his friends have arranged a music festival for Saturday, Aug. 30 at the gazebo at Donahue Memorial Park. The event, which was approved by the Village Board, will take place from noon to 8 p.m. and will include six bands. There's no admission fee. The organizers will be selling food and tie-dyed shirts. See page 9A.
Local historians selling post cards The Cornwall Historical Society has outgrown the conference room in the library and is now holding its meetings in Munger Cottage. The society has taken on several new projects, including the creation of picture post cards that feature Cornwall landscapes. The society will be selling the cards and other items at the Fall Festival. See page 9A for more information on the Cornwall Historical Society.
Full day kindergarten to start Cornwall is offering full-day kindergarten for the first time and enrollment has increased by about 25 percent. "It was something the Cornwall had been 'pushing for' for several years," said Michael Brooks, the assistant superintendent for instruction. There are no additions to the curriculum, Brooks said, but teachers are going to be able to spend a lot more time with kids and really focus on individual needs. Story on page 2B.
Historic buildings may be lost forever A buyer is needed for the barn and blacksmith shop on the old DPW property in the Village. Assuming a local buyer is found for the buildings, Doug Cooper, of the Cornwall Historical Society, has a plan for taking them down and moving them. See page 3B.
Eventful end to swimming season The Town Recreation Department hosted a teen swimming party at NYMA's indoor pool on Friday, Aug. 22. The event included a disc jockey, free refreshments and a door prize. NYMA students were invited as a way of thanking the academy for the use of the pool all summer. See page 4B.
Board of Education retreat The Board of Education held its annual retreat on Wednesday evening, Aug. 27, at the Black Rock Fish and Game Club. The purpose of the three-hour event was to look for ways that the board could work together more effectively. The next Board of Education meeting is scheduled for Sept. 8 in the high school auditorium. See page 4B.
Summer Academy keeps kids on track One hundred twenty Cornwall students in Grades K-6 went back to school for three weeks to reinforce what they learned during the school year. The Summer Academy was held at Lee Road School. Kids attended from 9 to 11 a.m. from Monday through Thursday. See page 4B.
Sports summary Meet the varsity teams on page 6B; read about the West Point Triathlon on page 7B, and see the interviews with team captains on page 10B. Also check out the match-ups for the Member-Member Tournament at Storm King Golf Club.
IN TODAY'S LOCAL -- August 22 Hidden progress at Canterbury Green It's hard to tell from the road, but people are working on Canterbury Green -- the large senior residence overlooking Quaker Avenue. The developer, Manny Margareten, expects that 20 units will be completed by the start of October. The sales office, which has only been open on Sundays, will be moving into the nearly finished building. See page 1 for details.
School taxes up by less than one percent School taxes for residents of Cornwall will be going up by 0.98 percent. In New Windsor, the increase is 3.25 percent. And, in Woodbury, school taxes will be going down. Enrollment for the new school year has increased. The main reason for the two percent jump is that more families have signed their children up for kindergarten now that the district is offering a full-day program. See page 1 for details.
Town dogs to find a new home Relief is on the way for people who live near the town's dog shelter. Starting on Oct. 15, the dogs will be housed at the Newburgh SPCA. For the cost of $8,200, the shelter will reserve up to six kennels for the town to use. The fee covers food, overhead, advertising and behavior training. See page 1 for details.
Petraeus Highway fails in Assembly The state Senate passed a bill to rename a portion of Route 218 for General David H. Petraeus, but the bill never moved in the Assembly. Assemblywoman Nancy Calhoun said she would reintroduce the bill next year. "We will pursue it even more vehemently," she told the Local. See page 3.
Fence requires further review Anthony Missere and Ray Yannone were at the Zoning Board of Appeals last Thursday to determine whether the fence behind their properties is a new fence and requires site plan approval or whether it's a replacement fence. The hearing will be held open until Sept. 11. Details are on page 3.
Weight keeps two docks in the water Two of the docks that Cornwall-on-Hudson received from Vassar College are still in the river because they were too heavy to pull out . Simon Gruber of the Riverfront Revitalization Committee said that the committee is proposing to cut the docks in half so they can be lifted and stored. See page 3 for details.
Cornwall to get a new road A 500-yard drive linking Angola Road to the parking area at Kenridge Farm will be officially opened on Sept. 27. The road will be named "Muser Drive" in a ceremony that will take place during Fall Family Fun Day. Details are on page 6.
Middle school gets new assistant principal The Board of Education appointed Ken Cotrone to be the middle school's new assistant principal on Aug. 18. He replaces Eric Hassler, who is now a principal in the Monroe-Woodbury School District. Mr. Cotrone most recently taught language arts to eighth-graders in Eastchester. Details are on page 8.
Armitage Tournament reaches a milestone This is the tenth year for the Bruce Armitage Memorial Softball Tournament. To celebrate the occasion, the organizers have arranged a home run derby (followed by food and fireworks) for Friday, Oct. 15. Ironically, no Cornwall team has ever won the tournament. See page 16 for details.
News Update August 15 Teen night is tonight The Recreation Department's teen night event will be held rain or shine at the New York Military Academy starting at 6 p.m. The event is currently scheduled to take place at the outdoor pool. In case of rain, all attendees should report to the indoor pool. For any questions, call 845-534-2070.
IN TODAY'S LOCAL -- August 15 Docks reach village shore Three boats towed 220 feet of docks from Poughkeepsie to Cornwall Landing. The docks, valued at $110,000, had belonged to Vassar College and were due to be replaced. The College donated the docks to the Village of Cornwall-on-Hudson. See page 1 for details.
Future energy source explored Four people representing the Village of Cornwall-on-Hudson toured a hydro-electric plant in Wappingers Falls to see if it would be feasible to develop a similar facility in Black Rock Forest. "We have to get cost estimates together and establish a time line, and, depending on the cost, a source of funding," Mayor Joe Gross said after the visit. If the plant were established, it would use the falling water in the forest to generate electricity. See page 1 for details.
Campers learn about the Hudson River Kids from the Cornwall-on-Hudson summer playground joined a group from the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) at the riverfront. They dragged a 25-foot seine net through the water, the way the Native Americans did a few centuries ago. To learn what they found, see page 1.
Cornwall students tops in tri-county area Ninety-four percent of the seniors at Cornwall Central High School graduated with a Regents diploma. Cornwall had the highest percentage of Regents graduates of any school in the tri-county area. See page 3 for details.
Maple Avenue property up for sale The village is looking to sell the former home of the Water Department on Maple Avenue. The property would be rezoned for residential use. The village would use the money from the sale to build a facility (at another location) for the Water Department's vehicles and equipment. See page 3 for details.
Family thrives at Summer Music Festival All five members of the Roe family have a part in this weekend's production of The Music Man. James and his son Jonathan (age 8) have featured roles. Jeanine (age 13) is in the chorus; JJ (age 10) is part of the stage crew, and their mother, Sabrina, is responsible for lighting and ticket sales. The show debuts tonight. See page 5 for details.
Seniors keep busy year round Retired senior citizens don't have to sit home in Cornwall. They can take part in the daily activities at Munger Cottage and also join the Golden Age Club. For information, see page 6.
Kids discover butterflies and moths What's the difference between a butterfly and moth? How do butterflies smell and taste things? A group of youngsters at the Outdoor Discovery Center learned the answers to those questions and a lot more. See page 8 for details.
Fencing club has growing enrollment With all the highly publicized sports why are youngsters signing up for the Fencing Dragons Club with Coach Igor Dukhvalov? A Local reporter learned on a Wednesday night at Sportsplex that the sport is very different from the dueling scenes in the movies. The action is fast and the preperation is rigorous. See page 9 for details.
Passport fair at Cornwall Post Office The Cornwall Post Office will hold a passport fair and accept passport applications from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 23. The fee for first-time applicants is $100. See page 11 for details.
Boards to meet on police consolidation The town and village boards are planning to have a joint meeting on Sept. 2 to discuss the possibility of having one police force rather than two. The time and place of the meeting has not been determined. "None of us have committed to consolidation," Mayor Joe Gross said on Aug. 12. He indicated that he hasn't formed an opinion, because he doesn't know what the numbers are. See page 13 for details.
Residents concerned about deer hunting in village Residents said that they were concerned about the suggestion to hunt deer within the village when the Deer Management Task Force met earlier this month. They were assured that hunting would not take place in densely populated areas and that any proposal would need to have the approval of the board and the residents. See page 13 for details.
Sprinter comes out of retirement Local Reporter Jason Kaplan was a sprinter in high school and college. After an eight-year layoff, he returned to the sport at the Town Recreation track meet on Aug. 6. To see how he did, check page 14.
This week's sports Penny Sorbello finished second in the Putnam Triathlon, but she didn't know it until after the race was over. R.J. Roth, a co-captain of the varsity football team, looks ahead to the coming season and the opening game with Monroe-Woodbury. See page 16.
IN TODAY'S LOCAL -- August 8 Fields kept up despite use Constant use and a lack of space for more facilities has led to a decline in the condition of the town's playing fields. Because of this overuse, little league volunteers and school buildings and grounds staff have a difficult time maintaining the fields. For details see page 1 of today's Local.
COVAC crew aids at rescue Volunteers were part of the rescue crew that responded to a capsized boat in the Hudson River near Highland Falls. COVAC received the call just before midnight on July 28. One passanger was found dead, one was taken to St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital and three were airlifted to Westchester Medical Center. The sun was almost rising when COVAC returned home. For details see page 1 of today's Local. Home of 'bad neighbors' up for sale After complaints of bad neighbors living at a Cherry Hill Road residence, the home is now up for sale. The Wagners have made an offer to buy the house and tear it down, but Gary Vinson, the building inspector, cited the home for having an open septic system and a faulty electric hook-up. The Wagners don't want the repairs made and instead want a reduction in the sale price. Can Vinson overlook the violations while the house is standing and people are still living in it? For details see page 1 of today's Local. Update on Cornwall Commons At the Sept. 2 Planning Board meeting, representatives of Cornwall Commons will respond to concerns raised at the public hearing for the Planned Adult Community. They will also address issues identified in the county planner's evaluation of the project. For details see page 1 of today's Local. Cars crash into two homes On July 25 a driver heading south on 9W was clocked at 100 miles per hour. The car turned off the highway at the exit for Route 218 and a block later plowed into the front of a home at the corner of Mailler and Academy Avenues. No one was home at the time. No one was home when six days later a car smashed into a unit at Brookside Condominiums. A woman parking her car accidently lunged forward and struck the exterior wall. For details see page 3 of today's Local. "Music Man" at Bethlehem Church "The Music Man" will be playing from Aug. 15 to 17 in the community hall of the Bethlehem Presbyterian Church . For details see page 5 of today's Local. Cornwall Little League All Star action Cornwall's Little League All Star season ended on July 28 when the 11-year-old girls lost the section championship game in extra innnings, 5-2. For details see page 12 of today's Local. Hughes begins second year as head football coach Varisty football coach Marcus Hughes observed his one-year anniversary in Cornwall on Aug. 1, marking the occasion by running a football camp for kids. The varisty football team has a testing camp on Aug. 11 and practice begins Aug. 18. Thier first opponent of the season will be Monroe-Woodbury, a double-A team that has reached the state finals three years in a row . For details see page 12 of today's Local. Crusaders cruise to national title The Cornwal Central School District was well representaed in a national AAU tournament for basketball players age 17 and under. In the Division 2 finals, there were five local players on the floor. Kyle Bradley and Kevin King played for he champion Orange County Crusaders, while Anthony Gagliano, Harrison Lakrin and Ray Wroten presented the runners up, the Newburgh Zion Lions. For details see page 12 of today's Local. IN TODAY'S LOCAL -- August 1 Master plan waiting to be reviewed It's been over 13 months since a revised master plan was submitted to the Cornwall-on-Hudson Board of Trustees for review. Mayor Joe Gross has explained the wait by saying that the board has been preoccupied with other business carried over from previous years.
Assistant principal leaving district Eric Hassler, an assistant principal in the middle school for the last three years, has accepted a job as the principal of Central Valley Elementary School. "He's leaving for a good reason," Tim Rehm (the superintendent of schools) told the Local. When asked about finding a replacement, he replied "the job's already posted."
Village repaves Second Street It cost $43,600 to blacktop and make other improvements to Second Street, a heavily traveled thoroughfare, but $25,000 of that expense was covered by a grant secured by state Senator Bill Larkin. The life expectancy of blacktop is about 12 to 15 years, David Halvorsen (DPW superintendent) told the Local, as opposed to seven or eight years for oil and chips.
Firemen's Fair well supported The first night of the annual fair (Wednesday, July 23) was a washout, but the next three nights more than made up for it The Storm King Engine Company sponsored the fair and stayed well past midnight on Saturday to make sure the clean-up was completed quickly.
New plays presented at Munger Cottage The Stormy Weather Players received 100 entries for their New Plays Festival and selected eight to presnt at Munger Cottage on July 25 and 26. "Fit for Love" by Carl L. Williams was voted the best new play of the year.
The village falls for "Within the Walls" The local band "Within the Walls" played at the Cornwall-on-Hudson bandstand on Thursday, July 24. "I was very impressed," said Robert Hand of New York City, who came to the concert with a friend. "It wasn't what I expected from a local band. They were very experienced and talented."
Town applies for sewer grant The town has applied for a grant to update the sewer plant and repair the sewer line on Mailler Avenue. "It's a longstanding problem," Supervisor Kevin Quigley said. "If the grant comes, we're ready to go...the work would probably be done in 2009 or 2010."
Rustic setting works well for "Godspell" If the scenery looks authentic for this weekend's performance of "Godspell" at Palaia Vineyards, it's because the crew went out into the fields and cut down vines for the backdrop. The setting is ideal for this musical interpretation of the Gospel according to Matthew. The show is being performed outdoors (rain or shine) from July 31 to Aug. 3. Performances start at 7:30 p.m.
Hudson-Fulton update The Independence Day Committee already has a replica of Henry Hudson's "Half Moon"; now it's hoping to get a replica of Fulton's steamboat for the 2009 parade.
Signs to be relocated on Deer Hill Road Extension The one-way signs at the intersection of Deer Hill Road and its extension will be relocated so cars can move freely in both directions. The change followed a request by a resident of Deer Hill Road Extension after his wife was pulled over by police last year.
Kindergarten enrollment up by 25 percent As expected, more children have been signed up for kindergarten now that it's a full-day program. Enrollment has jumped from 180 to 225, which is what the administration predicted.
Sports highlights Mike Rostanzo won the Storm King Golf Club championship; Wes Orr shot a hole in one at a Lions Club outing, and Jeff Moulton won two gold medals at the Empire State Games. |