T IMES
WALLKILL VALLEY
Vol. 35, No 37 3 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2017
3
ONE DOLLAR
Bushmen
surge past
Valley Central
Celebrating
Coltrane
Page 14
Page 44
www .W allkill V alley T imes . net
‘Radical rezoning’ at issue in Montgomery
By RACHEL COLEMAN
A proposed local law to rezone three parcels in the
town of Montgomery drew criticism during a public
hearing on Thursday.
“You’re flying in the face of the Planning Board,” said
Susan Cockburn.
The properties at issue are located along Route 416,
Late bus
across from Storm King Contracting on Neelytown Road
and extending to the town line with Hamptonburgh.
The law would change the zoning for the parcels from
residential (RA.5) to industrial (ID).
The town’s Planning Board noted at their recent
meeting that the properties were located in a flood plain
and possible flood way, in addition to being located
in an area along the Wallkill River that the town’s
comprehensive plan advised against development.
“I don’t understand how this has come up,” said
town resident Cathy Pitts, after calling attention to the
planning board’s concerns.
Pitts, of Windfall Farms, located on Neelytown Road,
said the area floods regularly and there is no room
Continued on page 4
Shawangunk
Republicans
have spoken
Ladies leaping
School district working with bus
company to flatten the kinks
By TED REMSNYDER
The Valley Central School District
administration is working overtime to
solve the issues with persistently delayed
school buses that have beset the district
through the first week of the school year,
but a major improvement on delay times
might not arrive until the middle of next
week. The new five-year bus contract that
Valley Central and the Wallkill Central
School District both inked with East End
Bus Lines earlier this year was supposed
to streamline transportation services for
both districts, but the transition from
previous provider First Student proved
rocky as soon as the new school year
began.
On the first day of classes for Valley
Central on Sept. 5, district parents were
dismayed when buses ferrying their
children home from school arrived two
hours late in some instances. Since that
opening school day, the delays have been
significantly cut, but the buses are still
arriving 40-60 minutes late in some cases.
At the Valley Central school
board meeting on Monday night, the
administration revealed that East End
has targeted Sept. 20 as the date when
Continued on page 5
Watkins turns back challenger
Danon at caucus
By RACHEL COLEMAN
Carl Aiello
Dancers from the Take the Leap Dance Studio perform, Saturday, during Gardiner Day
Festivities. Photos of Montgomery and Gardiner Days are on pages 22 and 23.
With election night still a few weeks
away, Shawangunk residents have
something a little better than a crystal
ball: the results of the Shawangunk
Republican party caucus.
As no Democratic candidates are being
put forward this November, last week’s
caucus determined the only names that
will appear on the ballot.
With only two town council seats
up for grabs, the town’s registered
Republicans were called upon to choose
two of the three candidates nominated
for the job: incumbent Adrian “Binker”
Dewitt, incumbent Matthew Watkins, or
challenger Alex Danon.
Complicating their decision was the
elephant in the room—the fact that the
committee had abandoned Watkins and
thrown its weight behind newcomer
Continued on page 2
SERVING CRAWFORD, GARDINER, MAYBROOK, MONTGOMERY, PINE BUSH, SHAWANGUNK, WALDEN AND WALLKILL