Andes

By John Bernhardt
Like most things at Andes Central School, the track program depends on a team-like approach to schooling. Everybody pitches in. For the smallest school in Section IV, being small is a success criteria rather than a liability, more about making the best of what you have rather than focusing on what you don’t.

By Joe Moskowitz
The wait for the long-awaited Andes Health Clinic is going to be a little longer. Workers this week are putting the final touches on both the interior and exterior of the 2,800-square-foot facility.

By Geoff Samuels
The Andes Town Board has tabled a resolution to join the Sheriffs’ Association and numerous other entities in opposing the New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act (NY SAFE).

After hearing from several members of the public at last Tuesday’s meeting, the town board agreed to delay any vote on the measure, pending modifications to the proposed resolution.

Andes — On Thursday, Jan. 24 at 8 p.m., on the popular Cooking Channel show, “Hook, Line & Dinner” hosted by Ben Sargent, for culinary and fishing enthusiasts, watch the process of catching, smoking and cooking local Catskill Mountain eel with two of Delaware County’s own.

Staff report
With a newly improved wastewater treatment facility, a new health clinic and cell phone service on the horizon, Andes Supervisor Marty Donnelly says that it looks as though 2013 is shaping up to be a good year for the town.

The malfunctioning eight-year-old wastewater treatment system has finally been overhauled. “I’m very, very pleased,” said Donnelly. “Sometimes, you have to really step back and look at these things. The city is actually using this new type of system that we’re getting.”

By John Bernhardt
Andes coach Jeff Rhone had to breathe a sigh of relief that his team didn’t need a last-second basket from the foul line in last Thursday’s season opener at Windham.  The Mountaineers got very little help from the charity stripe, hitting only five of 25 foul shots, but rallied in the second half to down Windham, 31-26, in spite of the poor foul shooting.

Andes — Step into the enchanted world of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” this weekend, Nov. 30-Dec. 2, on the Andes Central School stage.  Shows at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings and a 1 p.m. Sunday matinee will provide ample opportunity for everyone to discover that beauty resides from within. 

The loss of humanity and the quest to regain it is the emotional core and central theme of this classic fairy tale that includes some very unusual characters who find strength in one another as they learn how to love.

By John Bernhardt
Sitting out a basketball season for a hardwood-loving coach is like a scratch that just won’t stop itching. Jeff Rhone decided to tickle that scratch when he returned to the sidelines to coach the Andes girls’ basketball team this winter. Rhone gets a big boost from assistant coaches Tom and Susie Little, the coaches of last season’s Mountaineer team.

By Geoff Samuels
The Town of Andes experienced declining revenue in 2012 resulting in a property tax hike of 6.95 percent in their 2013 budget.

In a phone interview with the News, Town Supervisor Martin Donnelly characterized the shortfalls as due to “un-received anticipated revenues” and was quick to point out that a recent headline in another local paper referring to his budget woes as being caused by “missing revenues” was, in his terms, “an erroneous statement.” Donnelly went on to speak about what he deemed were the real reasons for the shortfall.

Andes — Chace-Randall Gallery presents Curator’s Choice; a group exhibition by the gallery’s permanently exhibiting artists November 15 – December 26. In celebration, the gallery will serve refreshments all afternoon: Thursday, Nov. 15. You are invited! And the gallery will be open on a Wednesday, too: Boxing Day, December 26 close of show—might have some brew!