News

Oneonta – The Wilber Corporation, parent company of Wilber National Bank, announced Monday net income of $1.383 million and earnings per share of $0.13 for the three-month period ended September 30. By comparison, the company’s net income and earnings per share for the three-month period ended September 30, 2007 were $1.991 million and $0.19, respectively. This represents a 30.5 percent decrease in net income and a 31.6 percent decrease in earnings per share.

Woodstock resident Bob Silverman will be the featured presenter when Frost Valley YMCA in Claryville hosts its 12th annual Fall Quilting Weekend from Friday, Nov. 21 through Sunday, Nov. 23. Joining Bob will be five returning instructors, Kris Driessen, Ann Foland, Sherry Sega, Katharina Litchman and Kathleen Davies.

By Matthew J. Perry
The core of the Andes business community turned out for a Sunday brunch at the Andes Hotel to celebrate and bid farewell to Brooke Alderson, who is closing her Main Street store after 12 years.
Brooke’s Variety has been the place to “find things you didn’t even know you needed until you stopped in,” according to Gary Simmons, an old friend of Alderson’s who now runs the Mountainbrook Inn in Bovina. With its well-stocked candy counter, eclectic inventory and its owner’s engaging, entrepreneurial spirit, the store has been essential to the hamlet’s commercial growth in the past decade. Its closing brings some in Andes to imagine the end of an era.

Margaretville – The Catskill Watershed Corporation (CWC) will fund a study by Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) to explore the feasibility of producing and utilizing grass pellets as a bio-energy source for heating.
At its September 25 meeting, the CWC Board of Directors authorized the expenditure of up to $195,500 from the Catskill Fund for the Future for a three-year pilot project to examine regional production and pelletization capacity and to demonstrate the feasibility of using grass pellets for residential and commercial heating applications.

Arkville — Three scientists, known around the world for their work on global water issues, have agreed to serve on the Technical Advisory Committee of the Water Discovery Center (WDC.)
Dr. David Seckler, an economist specializing in water resources with Winrock Water will chair the committee, according to WDC President, Gary Gailes. Dr. Jack Keller, a leading engineer in the field of irrigated agricultural development at Keller Bliesner Engineering and Dr. Roberto Lenton, a senior advisor at the Earth Institute at Columbia University, will join the committee and begin work immediately.

By Julia Green
The wind game remains a waiting game.
When the Roxbury Planning Board convened for its monthly meeting on Wednesday night, their consulting firm LaBella’s representative John Collins began the discussion by reminding the board that the current stages of review do not constitute a formal step in the SEQR process.
He added that the possibility of further studies being conducted arose and that by communicating those possibilities to wind turbine developer Invenergy early would allow them to get started.

By Julia Green
Town of Middletown taxpayers will face a 6.9 percent property tax hike if the town’s preliminary budget is adopted following a public hearing on Nov. 5.
After an Oct. 7 meeting to discuss the tentative 2009 budget, the Middletown Town Board adopted the tentative budget as the preliminary budget at its monthly meeting on Oct. 14. The budget reflects a 6.9 percent tax levy increase, which translates to a $147,324 total tax increase, excluding special districts.
A total budget of $3,277,040 is estimated for Middletown’s general fund and water and lighting districts, with $2,305,216 to be raised by taxes.

By Julia Green
Despite letters being sent to all property owners within the Arkville Water District inviting them to attend a special meeting of the Middletown Town Board regarding proposed upgrades to the water system, the turnout at Thursday’s meeting was less than spectacular.
Fewer than 15 property owners attended the meeting, at which representatives from the New York State Department of Health, Lamont Engineers and the Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP) were on hand to discuss various aspects of the project.

By Matthew J. Perry
The Town of Andes presented a preliminary budget for 2009 at a public hearing last week Tuesday.
A figure of $2,253,814 is projected for town’s general fund, highway department, and water, sewer and lighting districts. The fire district budget was not included in the totals.
The town’s tax revenue is expected to increase by approximately five percent. There is one noticeable increase in residents’ fees: 128 customers of Andes Water District #1 will pay $425 in fees per dwelling unit in 2009, a $50 increase over the ’08 budget.

By Matthew J. Perry
The New York Assembly Committee of Environmental Conservation held a public hearing in Albany on October 15 to investigate potential impacts of natural gas drilling. Twenty-four witnesses, including high-ranking representatives of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), gas company executives, independent scientists and environmental activists were invited to testify at what became a day-long event.