Election Issues

- Real Support for the Library
- Town Hall Renovation, a Local Success Story
- Strong Hamlet Essential to Growth
- The Ridge
- The Rail Trail Getting Better All The Time
- Open Space Planning Underway
- Revived Community Spirit
- Affordable Housing In Gardiner
- School Property Tax Relief
- A Case for Sole Appointed Assessor


REAL SUPPORT FOR THE LIBRARY

In November the Gardiner Library will put its 2006 Operating Budget before Gardiner residents for their approval. The cost of fuel, benefits, and repairs to the 19th Century library building have risen sharply. Also, in response to requests from users, the library hopes to provide modest increases in operating hours – particularly on Saturday morning.

In the last three years alone the library has:

• doubled the number of community programs
  
• tripled the childrens’ program attendance
  
• started a unique heirloom seed library
  
• penned a monthly library column in the local newspaper
  

Programs have included hosting a monthly book club, caving club, and garden club, broadcasting “Reading Radio”, a live childrens’ webradio show, four weekly storytime programs, sponsoring town wide readings and discussions, lectures and author visits. The library has received program specific grants from NYCH, DCAC, Target, RCLS, Libri Foundation, Friends of the Library, and individual patrons. In 2004, it had 2,394 registered library members and circulated 27,202 books and other materials. And it accomplished this with one of the lowest number of staff hours in the County.

This year the town passed a resolution declaring this the “Year of the Library” in recognition and celebration of the unique role the library plays in our community.

Mindful of residents’ school tax burden, the budget being put forward will cost the taxpayer less than $.21 per $1000 of assessed valuation per year. A positive vote on the Library Operating Budget will ensure a continuation of the level of service Gardiner residents have come to expect.

Democrats support a YES vote on the library budget!


TOWN HALL RENOVATION , A LOCAL SUCCESS STORY

After years of debate, discussion, deliberation and procrastination, during which some quarter of a million dollars was spent, with no tangible results, it was left to the new Town Board’s Democratic majority to tackle the job.

And tackle it they did.

Visitors to Town Hall will receive a pleasant suprise whether attending a community function or a Town Board meeting. The space is bright, light and airy. And while most of the exterior work is completed and interior offices are in the planning stage the progress is already a source of pride for our community and it is already a functioning town asset.

Talented people have worked very hard on this project. Joe Trapani has fifty years of architectural experience under his belt. His office buildings dot the northeast. Kim Hoover came on board and provided her architectural experience in facilities design and implementation. Supervisor Carl Zatz applied his knowledge gained from managing the building of a dozen offices around the world. Maggie MacDowell and Ralph Erenzo coordinated supplies and logistics, while Marybeth Majestic kept tabs on the building's historical significance. This is a team anyone would welcome.

We are on our way, the building is back in use and we spent far less than was previously requested. The cost to date is under $250,000, about what the Republicans spent during their extended planning phase, with no actual work accomplished, and the savings can be used to offset other town expenditures or to lower future taxes.

Soon Gardiner will have the benefit of a beautiful historic building as it’s center of operations. Thanks to our Town Democratic Team’s ability to offer, Accomplishmnet, Continuity and Vision.

STRONG HAMLETS: CRUCIAL TO A STRONG COMMUNITY

Situated at the base of the Shawangunk Ridge and within the proposed Scenic Byways region, the Hamlet of Gardiner provides exceptionally beautiful scenic views, and is the gateway to the natural, recreational and historic resources of significance in the region.

The Hamlet has tremendous potential; it has retained much of its original charm and has several unique, though underdeveloped, assets. Given the local resources, there is considerable vehicular traffic through the hamlet, providing a good opportunity for business development. However at the moment, Gardiner is not a pedestrian friendly environment. There is inadequate parking, sidewalks, street trees, benches, bike racks and lighting. As stated in the 2004 Hamlet Study done by the Conway School, “transforming Gardiner’s Central Hamlet into a place where residents want to visit requires the addition of missing elements critical to its vitality. Adding parking that adequately accommodates vehicles and is close to stores; creating a pedestrian network offering clear circulation corridors from parking areas to buildings; and incorporating green space and public gathering places into the design will all encourage residents to come to the Central Hamlet.” Strong hamlets are crucial to a strong community.

Following the recommendations of the recently passed Master Plan and the Conway School study, the Hamlet committee has taken several significant steps to strengthen our hamlet. We have:

(Completed a survey and begun the engineering work required to install sidewalks and improved parking in the central hamlet.

(Worked with the Rail Trail Association, local volunteers and contractors to help raise over 40k for the renovation of the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail. Long overdue resurfacing and maintenance of the trail have vastly improved the stability of the rail bed.

(Received a $2,000 donation from the Wallkill Valley Land Trust to landscape Michael Ashbill's "Rail Ties" sculpture and install a bike rack in the center of the hamlet.

(Installed a constructed wetlands in the Gardiner Sewer, a green technology that will substantially reduce the odor problem, improve the quality of effluent and increase the capacity of the system without having to incur the expense of a sewer expansion.

(Commissioned Professor Shafiul Chowdry and his students at SUNY NP to conduct a water study of the Rt. 208 aquifer to determine its suitability as a future water source for the community

(Received $15,000 worth of grants to hire Stephen Yarabek, a landscape designer, to help design a boat access area to the Wallkill River with improved pedestrian walkways through Majsestic Park and the central hamlet.

THE RIDGE

Saving The Ridge

Everyone in Gardiner realizes that the Shawangunk Ridge is our greatest asset, and that with the privilege of living in its protective shadow comes also the responsibility of stewardship. A few point to the good care that has been taken of the land by private owners so far and say that town government should not make any rules about it. If the future were to be like the past, that might be true. However the future will not be like the past. There is enormous development pressure, and what has been the wild back yard could in a few years become a hillside suburbia. People who are afraid of losing the value of their land would find that what really brings the value down is their neighbors building all around their previously isolated bit of paradise. Thus we support the new master plan and the ridge zoning plan that implements it, at the same time as we move ahead with incentives for preservation such as easements, purchase of develoment rights, and conservation financing.

We would very much approve having the largest parcel - some 2600 acres - bought by the state and added to Minnewaska State Park Preserve. This would have the added benefit to the town of continuing property tax payments, but without the school and infrastucture costs that new homes would bring.

Protection of the ridge is the most fundamental step Gardiner can take to preserve the town's unique and tranquil character. In generations to come, our heirs will be grateful and proud at the foresight shown by this administration and citizens, who will have saved this rare piece of natural beauty for them.

Click on link for Shawangunk Ridge Protection Zone information.


THE RAIL TRAIL GETTING BETTER ALL THE TIME

This has truly been a community-wide effort. As a linear greenspace running through the heart of our Town, the rail trail helps to promote recreation, non-vehicular transportation, and a greater sense of community. The priority for the Gardiner Democrats is to fully restore the Gardiner portion of the trail and to purchase the trail in order to assure its future maintenance for generations to come.

What a difference one year can make. If you haven't been on the Gardiner portion of the rail trail lately, you're in for a treat. The brush has been cut back, the large sink holes have been filled in with shale and the trail surface has been substantially improved. There’s a beautiful, new informational kiosk and soon, there will be new
landscaping and a bike rack.

The effort started with the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail Association’s decision to make Gardiner a priority. George Danskin and Richard Tofte set clear, reasonable goals and then achieved them. Their enthusiasm and persistence has helped all of the various efforts stay focused. Thereal shot in the arm came from Paul Colucci. Paul's support for the trail has been consistent and invaluable. This year, he donated over 5 days of contracting work that helped to stabilize the surface from further deterioration. Then, in the clutch before the Gardiner 5k when it was determined that a better surface was needed, he was able to find the time to make the necessary improvements. Ray Smith and Anne Albright Smith donated over $11,000 worth of shale which helped to stretch limited funds further. Because of these combined efforts,$9,700 was spent to achieve over $30,000 worth of improvements!

The Wallkill Valley Land Trust has generously donated $2,000 for the landscaping of Michael Ashbill’s “Rail Ties” sculpture in the center of the hamlet. The artist, along with Eileen Ingrahm and Ken Greene of the library have been working on the design of the landscaping and soliciting further donated materials (and praying for rain so they can get started!). Carl Zatz, Glen Hoagland, and George Danskin worked together, in conjunction with Mohonk Preserve and Kiss My Face, to create a three-paneled informational kiosk that introduces visitors to Gardiner, the rail trail and the natural resources of the Shawangunks. The Gardiner 5k team—Barbara Clinton, Terri Colucci, John Fracasse,
Bernadette Koonz, Steve Graff, and Charlie Adell as well as the long list of local sponsors and participants--brought in over $5,000 that will be specifically used to make further improvements to the trail surface.


OPEN SPACE PLANNING UNDERWAY IN GARDINER

I would like to correct some misperceptions about Gardiner’s Environmental Conservation Commission (ECC) and Open Space Planning (OSP) made by Gardiner Republican candidate for supervisor Pam O’Dell in an interview with Anne Pyburn in the 10.04.05 NPT.

The Town Board entrusted the ECC to organize this committee to manage the OSP process. We estimate it should take 12-18 months to complete and the committee is dissolved. Three of the 11 members on the Committee are ECC members; the others are a cross-section of Gardiner residents: Republicans and Democrats, builders and conservationists, farmers and artists.

Our goal is to fund as much of this process as possible through grants. To offset the $51,000 total cost of hiring a consultant, we have submitted a $5,000 grant to the Greenway and a $25,000 grant to the Hudson River Estuary Fund. Last week, we learned that the Greenway grant was approved; the HREF grant is still are pending. Other grant funding will be sought this year and next.

Ms. O’Dell is correct that there will be a cost to implementing an Open Space Plan in Gardiner. However, research has shown that preserving Open Space actually saves money in the long run. The math is simple: it costs the town somewhere between $1.07 and $1.50 for every dollar it receives in taxes to serve the average homeowner (roads, schools, etc). Landowners, whether they farm the land or use it for grazing or recreational purposes, cost the town on the average .58 cents for every dollar they pay in taxes. As more people move into our town (we’re already the second fastest growing municipality in Ulster County), the cost to taxpayers of NOT preserving open space will grow significantly.

The first part of the Open Space Planning process is to create an Open Space Plan through community-wide discussions. Another aspect of the Planning process is to create a Conservation Financing Committee to develop a wide variety of funding strategies with no or low tax impact and voluntary conservation options for interested landowners. The CFC is already in formation.

There are literally dozens of ways in which landowners can preserve some or all of their land, many of which have direct financial value to the landholder. This list includes: easements, purchase of development rights, annuities and others. See the Open Space Options sections at www.townofgardiner.org for more details.

In the final analysis, Open Space is already one of the most defining characteristics of Gardiner, whether we call it that or not. The Ridge, farmlands, viewsheds, rivers and wetlands and the many habitats they support are what comprise open space. Without them, Gardiner would not be the same place we know and love. Real estate development is part of our town, too, and should be. Our goal is to provide for future development in such a way as to minimize its impact on the natural environment we all value.

What we as a community decide now about these matters will shape the future of our town for generations to come. I hope that we can all accept the challenge of being good stewards for the priceless inheritance of our environment while still making room for growth and change. That’s no easy task. We can best achieve this balanced approach if we’ll take the time to educate ourselves about the real issues involved and be open-minded in discussing them with both our friends and those who differ with us. To do otherwise is to invite big, out-of-town developers to build in our town. Unlike those who already live here, they often do not care about the impact of what they leave behind on our quality of life. I sincerely believe that it is in our best interests as individuals to rise above our own particular interests and join in a conversation about the future of our entire community. And that we should do it now, while we can still have a significant say in the outcome.

To keep up to date on Gardiner's new Open Space preservation efforts, and to learn more about the planning instruments available, click here: Town of Gardiner, NY - Gardiner Open Space Project.

Lewis Eisenberg
Co-Chair, Open Space Planning Committee


Detail Gardiner’s Open Space Plan.
The two obstacles facing open space preservation are property taxes and a lack of community understanding of open space planning. My pledge is to bring ground-breaking Conservation Finance plans to Gardiner so that the mission of maximizing conservation by maximizing land owner value can be realized.

We have an aggressive Open Space Plan in the works. It's called the Gardiner Open Space Project and it's under the direction of Lew Eisenberg, Chair of the ECC, our Town’s environmental Conservation Commission, and Michael Migliore, co-chair of the Open Space Project. Together with one of the best Planners in the field, Gardiner will create a plan which will preserve open space for generations. Parallel to the project and in support of it is a concept dear to my heart: Conservation Financing. I support the creation of a Conservation Financing Commission, CFC, essentially, a conservation finance planning group. Like a financial planner who visits a young family years from retirement or entirely disconnected from catastrophe, the CFC visits land owners who may or may not be ready to sell, retire, or develop. They use the instruments of Conservation Finance to help these large land owners (or smaller if a contiguous parcel can be realized). Those instruments include PDRs*, TDRs**, OSI**, land trusts, government acquisition, private funding, etc etc. And because they are sanctioned by the Town, they have zoning laws to support their efforts while protecting the town. Those protections come from the concept which binds the entire community: the general reciprocity of advantage. That is, that restriction equally distributed throughout the community benefits the entire community. The mission of a CFC is to maximize conservation by maximizing landowner value.

   *Purrchase of Development Rights
  **Transfer Of Development Rights
***Open Space Institute

Click here for letter: Sprawl Raises Taxes, Open Space Lowers Them

- Carl Zatz

REVIVED COMMUNITY SPIRIT

Six years ago, I returned to the Hudson Valley with my young family after a long absence. We settled in Gardiner because of its natural beauty, open spaces, working farms and proximity to employment opportunities. We looked toward a bright future. Our expectation was that we would enjoy the acquaintance of the other members of our community . What we found, however, was that our neighbors were strangers and our gregarious kids had no friends at school. There was no visible evidence of change and growth in Gardiner except that houses were cropping up like weeds in some of the most unexpected places. Often it looked as though they had simply fallen out of the sky. Large parcels of open space were being sold. The real estate market was soaring as interest rates dropped.

I began attending Town Board meetings when the Awosting Reserve controversy captured the attention of the region. It seemed as though the Board was completely unprepared for the groundswell of passion this issue inspired. The hostility at the meetings was palpable and toxic. We were awake.

The Town of Gardiner made a decision. We wanted dialogue; and we wanted it not only with the Board, but with each other as well. The community elected a new Town Board.

Progress has been steady. I expected to see evidence of change. Renovation of the town hall commenced quickly. New businesses moved into the hamlet. Fabulous playground equipment appeared at George Majestic Park. Attendance at meetings was way up. What I didn’t expect, however, was a delicious, new, friendly rapport with my neighbors, a sudden feeling of community. The democratic caucus: standing-room-only. A charter school committee formed. There was dialogue between concerned Ridge landowners and those wary of over-development.

This year, my family attended the Easter egg hunt, Gardiner Day and the library birthday party. These events were well attended with tangible enthusiasm by people of all ages from all walks of life. Kids were everywhere, bringing the rest of us together to celebrate what’s great about our town.

The work has only begun, however. Looking forward, I am hoping that with another term, the Town Board, with the addition of Janet Kern and Joe Katz, will inspire a continuity of civil dialogue, revitalization of the hamlet, and a well-supported charter school application.

Susanrachel Condon
River & Mountain Women’s Health

During the last twenty seven (27) years only 3 elected Assessors served more than one full four year term. Of those, two were initially appointed by the Town Board to fill an unexpired Term.


AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN GARDINER

INCREASING THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN GARDINER

A significant problem with the housing boom in the Hudson Valley, including Gardiner, is that 20-somethings and retirees have been priced out of the market. If our children are to live in Gardiner or the mature couples after retirement then availability of affordable housing will be necessary. A significant fact about both of these groups is that they don't need as much space as 30- or 40-somethings with children at home- 1 or 2 bedrooms at most since the 20-somethings may just be starting families and the 60-somethings have grown children most of whom are living apart from their parents. But developers want to build larger homes since they bring in more dollars per lot.

There are really only two types of affordable housing for those 20-somethings and retirees: small houses; and apartments. How can we get more of each in Gardiner? The answers are to require 20% of homes built in major developments be one or two bedroom and to revise the zoning in the hamlet to promote building of apartments. The developer will scream that the 1- and 2-bedroom houses will sell for half or less than those McMansions. In partial recompense, the subdivision law could be amended to allow a 10% density bonus which wouldn't obviate Health Department requirements for above ground septic leach fields. Thus, for an allowed 36 lot subdivision, the developer could build 39 houses but 7 would have to be 1- or 2-bedrooms and the law should also require that at least half of these be 1-bedroom houses. Don't feel too sorry for the developer, costs for labor and materials will be much less than for the McMansions and the sale price on a square foot basis will probably be significantly higher than those McMansions.

Gardiner has a height limitation of 35 ft for any building. In a commercial district, one can imagine stores and offices on the ground floor with apartments above. But why not have a 50 ft height limit in the hamlet commercial (Hc) district so that apartments could occupy the top floor or top two floors? There is a good market for such apartments: the 20-somethings and retirees on the one hand; and the 2-4th year students at the College on the other. The increased population density would be attractive to retail businesses whose location in Gardiner would benefit us all.

A third type of affordable housing which should at least be considered is subsidized housing. Such housing would be occupied mainly by those living below the official poverty line even though family members have full-time but minimum wage jobs. The 1- and 2-bedroom houses and the apartments would not be subsidized but we might attract RUPCO or the Department of Social Services to provide such housing. Remember, in any community there is a need for workers willing to do those jobs others aren't interested in doing. However, we should not create a low income district but, rather, spread such low income housing around the community.

In summary, the subdivision law should be amended to require 20% of new homes in major subdivisions be 1- and 2-bedroom units with at least half of these 1-bedroom granting the developer a 10% density bonus. The HC zone should have a height limit of 50 ft stimulating creation of apartments above the stores and offices. The Town should, by Resolution, encourage construction of subsidized housing in Gardiner but should direct the Planning Board to scatter such housing throughout the community.

David Straus


Carl Zatz responds to, "Can there be affordable housing?"

I’d like to add this to a question about services in general. Other than legislation, there has to be a community-wide desire to provide services to the diverse population which resides in Gardiner. That includes youth (3 categories: kids, pre-teens, and teens), seniors, young families, starters (career, family, etc) and people who simply need a place to live. We need to be a community that laments, “we build roads but we don’t build bike paths, we build malls but we don’t build youth centers, and we build large homes but we don’t build affordable ones.” Once we establish that we are truly a community that cares, we need to throw our support behind good legislation: 1) starter housing requirements in development plans, 2) starter housing apartments as a component in cluster incentives, 3) acquisition-based assessment (purchase price plus cost of living) as a deed restriction for resale (so that the starter doesn’t boost selling price to market value). There is a lot of misunderstanding about the effects of affordable housing. It’s time to educate and reap the benefits to the community.

SCHOOL PROPERTY TAX RELIEF

Approximately 25% of our property taxes go to the town, the other 75% goes to our local schools. Reducing the school property tax burden is an essential element of making life in Gardiner more affordable. A group has formed to address this concern.

Property Tax Relief Through Alternative School Revenues

The “Taxnightmare” committee got off to a good start with it’s first outdoor meeting on Sept. 16th. Assemblyman Cahill spoke eloquently of the unfair burden placed on property owners by property based school taxes. The Commitee members are Brenda Bufalino, Mike Calderone, Tom and Carol Francese, Brian O’Connor, Bruce Pileggi, Gioia Shebar, and Carl Zatz. The committee wants to end the nightmare of this type of property tax. It is the job of our legislators to find some other source of funding. There are several bills in the hopper and taxpayers should log on to www.taxnightmare.org to keep abreast of developments in this area.

Carl Zatz, Gardiner supervisor, has taken a leadership position in the fight to do away with these unfair and onerous taxes. The committee’s mission is to publicize the problem and join with other groups to petition our legislators for relief.

Ruinous as these property taxes are to individuals and families, they are also devastating to open space in our community. People who want to keep their property free of development cannot afford to pay the taxes on the open space. Something has to give and we want it to be this tax nightmare and not the taxpayers.

We are planning a “drive thru” petition signing at the Gardiner Town Hall-tentatively scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 16th beginning at 9 A.M.

Click here to hear more of what what Carl has to say on this


A CASE FOR SOLE APPOINTED ASSESSOR

It is time to change from a Board of Elected Assessors to a Sole Appointed Assessor.

The Town of Gardiner is one of only three towns in Ulster County still retaining elected Assessors. The other two towns are Hurley and Shandaken.

The primary goal of this change is to ensure the people of the Town of Gardiner competency in the office of the Assessor. Property taxes have become a much greater issue in this town, as elsewhere, over the years. The job of the assessor has become much more complex over the past ten to fifteen years, therefore it is of the utmost importance to the taxpayers, as well as the Town, that the job of setting property values and all the other duties of the Assessor’s Office is performed by capable personnel.

An appointed Sole Assessor has to meet minimum qualifications to be appointed and take continued education on a yearly basis. Must earn State Certified Assessor (SCA) and Advanced (SCAA) designations. Continuing Education requirements of 24 credits per year.

In contrast, elected members of Boards of Assessors need to be only 18 years of age and registered voters in the Town. After minimum training they are not required to take continued education courses. The Republicans want to continue with the elected assessor process. Why?

By changing to a Sole Appointed Assessor, the Town Board will be able to choose from qualified people, not limited to only Town of Gardiner registered voters. The Town Board has appointed six of the last twelve assessors to fill existing vacancies. In the past twenty-four years there has been only once a contest for the position of Assessor. I suggest that there is no need to worry about the voters losing their right to choose.

And consider this:

During the last twenty seven (27) years only 3 elected Assessors served more than one full four year term. Of those, two were initially appointed by the Town Board to fill an unexpired Term.