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The Daily Mail Copyright 2019, Columbia-Greene Media Volume 227, No. 103
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Sports Signing day at Cairo-Durham Inside, B1
The nation’s fourth-oldest newspaper • Serving Greene County since 1792
FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2019
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Worry follows Wheelabrator exit
n FORECAST WEATHER FOR HUDSON/CA TODAY TONIGHT SAT
By Sarah Trafton Columbia-Greene Media
Partly sunny; Partly cloudy breezy, nice
Mostly cloudy
HIGH LOW 72 49
76 59
Complete weather, A2
n SPORTS
CATSKILL — Wheelabrator Technologies, a municipal waste combustion company, released a statement Wednesday that it is no longer interested in leasing property in Catskill. But the company left a tiny bit of room for doubt. “While we stand by the conclusions of our technical evaluation to date that the site was capable of meeting and exceeding state environmental requirements, we no longer wish to engage in this project at this time,” Wheelabrator President and CEO Robert Boucher wrote
to Catskill Town Supervisor Doreen Davis. “We appreciate your consideration and the efforts of the Greene County Industrial Development Agency in working with our team and we wish the Catskill community and its citizens all the best.” The final step in the withdrawal will come when Wheelabrator retracts its application to the state Department of Environmental Conservation, former EPA Regional Administrator Judith Enck said. “The ‘at this time’ phrase is a worry,” Enck said. “The key thing to look for is, does Wheelabrator withdraw their Catskill permit to DEC Region 4.”
Wheelabrator representatives used similar wording when meeting with Catskill Village Trustee Joseph Kozloski last week. “Their parent company has purchased another company with three dumpsites,” Kozloski said. “They don’t need to go forward with it for now.” The other dumpsites are expected to last about 30 years, Kozloski said. Wheelabrator submitted its application to DEC in early 2017 to establish an ash landfill on 158 acres on Route 9W, owned by Peckham Materials Inc. Wheelabrator proposed to lease the land from Peckham and
Protesters rally against a proposed ash landfill. Contributed photo
transport 445,000 tons of ash annually from its incinerator plants in Peekskill, Poughkeepsie and Hudson Falls to the site,
where metals would be separated from the ash. See WORRY A4
Jobless rate down in Twin Counties By Melanie Lekocevic Columbia-Greene Media
4 C-GCC players earn All-Conference honors 4 C-GCC softball players recently received conference honors for their performances this season. PAGE B1
n NATION
Schumer rails against Trump Senator calls Trump a “get-nothing-done president” after aborted meeting with Democrats PAGE A2
n TENNIS 10 Twin County players ascend Four players from Greene and six from Columbia named to Patroon all-star tennis squad PAGE B1
n INDEX
The preliminary April unemployment report is out for New York state and Columbia County is tied for the lowest jobless rate in the state. The report was released Thursday by the state Department of Labor. Columbia County’s unemployment rate for the month was 2.9%, tying it with Nassau County. The 2.9% rate in April of this year is a decrease from the same time period last year, when the rate was 3.5%, and has steadily declined from the beginning of this year when the rate was 3.6% in January and March, and 3.7% in February. Reported rates are not seasonally adjusted. “A low unemployment rate means that almost everyone that is seeking work is employed,” said F. Michael Tucker, president of the Columbia Economic Development Corporation. “Columbia County regularly registering the lowest unemployment rate in the state over the last year is a strong signal to job seekers and employers that ample opportunities are available here. While we celebrate the success of having an economy at full employment, we will also continue to work to attract jobs with higher wages and expand workforce development and education initiatives to increase the size and skill of our workforce.” While the employment figures are good for the county, low unemployment rates can be a double-edged sword. “People who are seeking
By Sarah Trafton A3
Columbia-Greene Media
State/Nation
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Obituaries
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Sports
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CATSKILL — Another in a series of water main breaks in five months illustrates the weaknesses in the village’s water delivery system and makes it imperative to replace aging lines, village officials said Thursday. A major break early Thursday morning, one of the worst this year, left most residents in the Jefferson Heights area without service and canceled all Catskill school activities for the day. The break occurred at about 6 a.m. off the New York State Thruway near the Sunoco station, Village Department of Public Works Superintendent Michael McGrath said. Crews worked on the repair for eight and half hours, finishing up at about 2:30 p.m. “We’re not 100% sure what caused it,” McGrath said. “We have been flushing the hydrants the past four nights. There may
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year, is working to obtain federal and state grant monies for the county for businesses that can come in and create jobs.” Revitalizing blighted ar-
eas is another effort Greene County is undertaking to increase the number of jobs. One town, Cairo, is a recipient of this initiative. Linger said Greene County
is continuing to work on improving employment rates. “Our numbers are positive, but we are working to improve it every day,” Linger said.
Break disrupts water service, closes schools
Opinion
Comics/Advice
employment can find it in Columbia County, but employers complain that they can’t find people to fill the positions they need filled,” said Jeffrey Hunt, president and CEO of the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce. “We wish we had more people to fill positions — there are not enough people to hire, especially in the construction field and in the trades.” Unemployment rates were lower in April 2019 compared to the same time period last year in each of the state’s 62 counties, according to the report. The rate in Greene County was 4.1% in April 2019, the 38th lowest rate in the state, tying it with Broome, Clinton and Schoharie counties. The April unemployment rate in Greene County is a decline from 4.9% in April of last year, and represents a decrease from the beginning of this year as well — the rate was 4.7% in January and February 2019 and 4.5% in March. Greene County Legislature Chairman Pat Linger said the county is working with the newly formed Greene County Economic Development Corporation to stimulate the growth of business and generate new jobs for local residents. “Our economic development team for the county is working on new projects every day trying to bring businesses and jobs into the county,” Linger said. “The Greene County Economic Development Corporation, which was set up earlier this
be a defect in the pipe. It’s tough to say.” The 16-inch water main requires a six-foot section to be cut out and replaced, McGrath said. “From the Xtra Mart to the village, no one has water,” McGrath said. “Leeds and South Cairo have water.” The Catskill Central School District canceled classes Thursday due to the break. Students who had come to school early were sent home. “Due to the water main break in the village, school is canceled for May 23,” according to a statement from the district. “As a result, the CES Spring Concert is rescheduled to June 5 at 6:30 p.m, in the High School Auditorium. All athletic events are canceled as a result of the anticipated thunderstorm. Today’s Sectional Varsity Baseball game is rescheduled to tomorrow with a 4 p.m. start time.” Traffic was reduced to one
lane near the break and state police are assisting, McGrath said. “They have been phenomenal for us,” McGrath said. “The traffic is horrendous and people are not slowing down.” Village President Vincent Seeley said a boil-water advisory will be posted following the repair for a minimum of two days. “We’re working on it as fast as possible,” Seeley said. Due to aging infrastructure and fluctuating temperatures, the village experienced a series of breaks in January and February. On Jan. 22-23, the region experienced subzero temperatures and life-threatening wind chills. On Feb. 4-5, temperatures in the Twin Counties rose into the mid-40s and low 50s. The village is looking to begin replacing sections of its 120-year-old water system in the 2019 capital plan, Seeley said.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
A water main break early Thursday morning left village residents without water.