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Southern Ulster Times, Wednesday, June 12, 2019
Economic Committee highlights local businesses
Plattekill Town
Board members
take requests
from residents
By STACIA DONALDSON
The EDC honored Hidden Gems in town as well as organizations that have a community impact. In front row L-R Deanna Breault of Bella’s
Home Baked Goods, Renae Martin of Lily Rae, Mary Ellis of Ascension Holy Trinity Church, Rosalie Peplow and Lisa Sarli of St. Augustine Food
Pantry, Susan Mercier of St. Augustine Thrift Store, Dino Djokaj of Vigneto Café, Lloyd Police Chief Daniel Waage, Gina and Michael Caraway
of Caraway Teas and Doreen and Robert Browning of the Kiltmaker’s Apprentice. Back row L-R Sharon Murray-Cohen of the Highland Rotary,
three unidentified and Steve Laubach of the Highland Rotary. Not pictured: Nirmala Narine of Nirmala’s Kitchen; JoAnn Wilkin and Gary McCord
of West Ceramics; Rory and Bridgett Becker of Crossfit; Mark and Toni Elia of Hudson Valley Sausage Co; Guiseppe Guttilla & Enza Greco of
Peppino Foods; Kevin Terr of Red Barn Produce; Mike Skinner & Dan Paradies of Bushiken Karate Skinner Dojo; Albert Wiklow of Bad Seed Cider,
Gina Grote of Gina Marie’z Academy of Performing Arts, Ray Greenberg of Yoga Lifestyle and Greg Howard of Ulster County Community Action
of Highland.
By MARK REYNOLDS
[email protected]
The Town of Lloyd Economic
Development Committee [EDC] held a
ceremony last week to honor unique
businesses and organizations that have
had a positive impact on the local economy
and upon the community.
Charles Glasner is President of the all
volunteer Committee.
“We are honoring two groups of
people; one who we are calling Hidden
Gems- businesses that are not on the
main streets, per se, but are in the Town
of Lloyd.”
Glasner said the second group is
being honored for their service to the
Community.
“We’re talking to soup kitchens, food
pantries, the Methodist Church has a
backpack program for the school and
clothing drives that have a sense of
community,” he said. “[It’s] stuff that
gets done in the community that unless
you’re part of the community, you
A portrait of the Town of Lloyd Economic Development Committee. L-R President Charles
Glasner, Vivian Wadlin, Nicki Anzivina, Gary Pregno and Peter Brooks. Not pictured Mikki
Meyer.
wouldn’t really know about. When we
called some of these people they were
crying on the phone because they’ve
never been recognized by anyone before,
saying thank you for what you do. This
was about how to bring people together
and is more community-based and about
businesses not in the mainstream, not on
Main Street.”
Glasner thanked the rest of his
committee for their support of this
initiative: Gary Pregno, Peter Brooks,
Vivian Wadlin, Alan Van De Bogart, Nicki
Anzivina and Mikki Meyer.
Gary Pregno has been a member of
the Committee for nearly six years.
“This is a fantastic turnout because
when you think about it the people who
came here nobody knew who they were,”
he said. “Now you have a hundred people
in the room and say, that’s what you do,
that’s interesting. Now I’m going to find
you. This [event] identified who they are.”
Nicki Anzivina said Lloyd has a lot of
Hidden Gems that people are unaware are
in town. She said the Committee set the
criteria and afterward found there were
23 different groups and businesses who
matched the criteria.
“For me it is a nice social event to
bring a bunch of people together,” she
said.
The people of Plattekill bought their
requests to the members of the Plattekill
Town Board at their first June meeting.
First up during public comment was
Sis Morse, chairperson of the Plattekill
Veterans Committee. At previous town
board meetings, Morse had enquired
about items which were once housed in
the town hall, which are currently on loan
to the Plattekill Historical Preservation
Society. Morse had concerns about how
these items were inventoried and if
insurance was secured incase the items
were harmed or destroyed.
Unsure of the specific answers to her
questions, Councilman Dean DePew
reached out to the historical society and
arranged for a representative to give
a brief presentation at the next Town
Board meeting. The presentation will
discuss how items are inventoried and
what the type of insurance coverage used
to protect these items.
Donna King, a Plattekill resident
and employee at Centers Health Care in
New Paltz, approached the Town Board
seeking permission to use the softball
fields at Thomas Felton Park to host
an Ulster County volunteer firemen’s
softball tournament. The tournament,
sponsored by Centers Health Care, will
feature teams from volunteer firehouses
across the county, all competing for a
chance to win a cash prize, to be used
to purchase emergency equipment. The
entrance fee for each team is $150. Food
will be available, and live entertainment
make this a fun family event to thank
those who volunteer in our community.
Ms. King hopes to schedule the event for
July. Superintendent Joseph Croce, as a
member of the Plattekill Volunteer Fire
Department, was extremely supportive
of the tournament. However, those
teams who regularly use the ball fields
would need to be notified to give final
approval for the event. No word yet about
which volunteer fire departments will be
participating. More details on this event
will be available in the upcoming weeks.
Finally, representatives from Walden
Continued on page 25