TIMES
SOUTHERN
ULSTER
Vol. 13, No 12
3
Bob Gorman, of Gorman’s Garage in
Poughkeepsie and First VP of the Empire
State Towing and Recovery Association,
addressed the Town Board last week
and read a letter from the Association’s
attorney Peter O’Connell that sharply
criticized an opinion the board received
from their attorney Kyle Barnett, of Van
DeWater and Van DeWater, on an ongoing towing dispute in town. At the core
of the controversy is a charge made by
auto shop owners Jerry Erichsen and
Troy Tortarella that Joseph DiBlanca is
3
ONE DOLLAR
Culinary
honors
Page 26
SERVING HIGHLAND, MARLBOROUGH AND PLATTEKILL
Towing issues linger in Lloyd
By MARK REYNOLDS
[email protected]
MARCH 23 - 29, 2016
receiving an unfair advantage because he
has four spots on the town’s towing list,
which is administered by the Lloyd Police
Department. They previously told the
Town Board that they and others on the
list receive one call to four that DiBlanca
receives.
Continued on page 5
By MARK REYNOLDS
[email protected]
Pretty as a picture
Mark Reynolds
Parents could not resist taking pictures of their kids with Peter Cottontail, Saturday, at the Highland Easter Egg Hunt at St. Augustine’s School.
Story, photos on pages 24-25.
WWW.SOUTHERNULSTERTIMES.COM
New school
buses for
Highland?
In May, when voters in Highland go to
vote on the school budget for the 2016-17
school year they will also have the opportunity to vote on a bus proposition that
presently totals $937,803.
The proposal is calling for seven
65-passenger buses, estimated at $111,625;
one 29 passenger van at $49,242; one 8-passenger Suburban for $52,126 and $8,757 for
unknowns totaling $891,500. After further
discussion, the Board voted to increase
the proposition to permit the option to
purchase buses which are fueled by propane, which adds $46,303 to the overall
price tag, bringing the total potential purchase to $937,803. The district will continue evaluating the diesel vs. propane issue
to see which option is ultimately the most
practical for the district.
If the bus proposition is approved, the
district begins making payments in the
spring of 2018, with purchases eligible
for state aid at 60 percent, leaving the
residents with a 40% share that equates to
$75,000 annually for five years.
Pete Miller, who oversees the buses,
said the district has 41 buses and if this
purchase is approved, it will retain the
overall level of service without having
to hire subcontractors and as buses are
taken out of the fleet. He said the buses
he wants to replace have significant rust
issues, due in part to a ‘protective’ undercoating that actually held moisture by
parking them on a parcel that was not
paved.
Continued on page 2