Phoenicia

By Jay Braman Jr.
A Mount Tremper man is free on $5,000 bail after being arrested for working in the Esopus Creek with a backhoe.
Algernon Reese was arrested last Wednesday after a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEP) Police Officer responded to a complaint that Reese was working in the stream with equipment and a crew of workers. He was charged with the misdemeanors of obstructing governmental administration, disturbing a protected stream and violating a general prohibition against pollution.

By Jay Braman Jr.
The mountain of rubble that was once the historic Phoenicia Hotel will remain the most prominent feature on the Phoenicia Business district, at least for now, but at least it’s not an asbestos hazard. That’s the latest word from town officials and the property owner who responded to complaints that the unsightly debris has been sitting for too long.

By Jay Braman Jr.
The guys at the Mount Tremper Fire Company are mad.
Monday night several of them wrestled a large road sign into Shandaken Town Hall and dropped it at the doorway of Town Supervisor Peter DiSclafani, thus telling him in no uncertain terms that the sign, a new one announcing the hamlets of Mount Tremper and Mount Pleasant, was not welcome in their community.

By Jay Braman Jr.
The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) issued tickets last week to two local men involved in what DEC alleges was the unlawful disposal of remains of the Phoenicia Hotel, which burned one year ago and was knocked down two weeks ago.
The charges, which are misdemeanors and violations, were leveled at Harry Jameson, the owner of Romer Mountain Park in Woodland Valley and David Gutierrez, owner of Woodstock Landscaping.

Time flies when you’re having fun. This year, the Catskill Mountain Railroad Company is celebrating its 25th season operating tourist trains along
the Esopus Creek in the beautiful Catskill Mountains.   
Historically, the Catskill Mountain Railroad’s Scenic Train has traveled along a 12-mile round-trip between Phoenicia and Boiceville. With its all-volunteer workforce, and its continued effort to expand, the Catskill Mountain Railroad is proud to announce a new extension to its scenic train ride.

By Jay Braman Jr.
The City of New York has extended the deadline for Phoenicia to decide whether it wants to accept a $17-million sewer deal, prompting residents on both sides of the issue to spout off at a town board meeting Monday.
Shandaken Supervisor Peter DiSclafani told the audience that he and Councilman Vince Bernstein met last week with city officials, who agreed to spend $12,000 to study a plan to use a different type of treatment system in Phoenicia.

The Kayak and Canoe Club of New York, a northeast regional kayaking club, will host its 42nd annual kayak and slalom races on the Esopus Creek the weekend of June 7 and 8.
Racing will start at noon on Saturday and 10 a.m. on Sunday. The starting line will be at the Woodland Valley bridge, off Route 28, just north of Phoenicia.

By Jay Braman Jr.
Students from the Phoenicia Elementary School in the Onteora School District have won first place in their division in the state senate’s 17th annual I*MA*GREEN*NATION contest.
Phoenicia music teacher David Laks in collaboration with fourth-grade teacher Sharon McInerney and her talented class showed its true colors – green – this week when it won the award, a statewide competition sponsored by Senator John J. Bonacic (R/I/C - Mount Hope), that focuses on environmental problems and solutions.

The Board of Fire Commissioner of the Phoenicia Fire District hosted a buffet dinner on April 30 at the Catamount Restaurant for the installation of the board of fire commissioners, the district officers and the line officers of the three companies of the Phoenicia Fire District.

Deadline extended for New York City system to serve the hamlet

By Jay Braman Jr.
As the clock ticks toward a June deadline for the Shandaken Town Board to make a decision about the Phoenicia sewer project, it remains unclear whether any steps will be taken at the next board meeting, slated for Monday, May 5 at 7 p.m., to determine one way or the other if the busy hamlet should take the plunge and build infrastructure to replace the inadequate septic systems that lace the landscape.