March Forth!

Happy Birthday, Mom! I love you.

3/4/2023 costs have dramatically outpaced COLAs). But John’s tax exemption using the scale in effect since 2010 has plummeted. Before Marbletown’s Feb. 21 Town Board meeting, his exemption would be just 10%!

The issue of declining exemptions has long needed fixing. And last August New York state – and the Town of Marbletown at its most recent meeting – effectively took the issue on by substantially raising the income maximums eligible for tax exemptions. The benefit will be immediate. Now John Doe’s 2023 eligible income ($36,120.08) will garner a 50% Town tax exemption. And most important, based on estimated COLAs for 2024 through 2031 available on www.ssa.gov, that exemption will prevail throughout the next eight years because John’s growing income will remain below the $50,000/50% cap.

In adopting the highest exemption ranges allowed by New York state, the Marbletown Town Board has just opted to do all it legally to help lower Town property taxes for limited-income senior homeowners. And for that, our Town Board members deserve kudos!

Barbara Goodwin

Lomontville

Music concert series at CTK

To the Editor: I am writing to make the public aware of our Spring ’23 Folk Music Concert Series at the Church of Christ the King, in Stone Ridge.

On Feb. 19, Mary Coogan and Bruce Foley performed a beautiful concert, combining a great baritone voice, guitar and uilleann pipes (Bruce) and a fantastic accompanist on a mandolin and guitar (Mary) Although Bruce grew up in upstate New York, he has for many years sung with a variety of folk groups including with Tommy Sands, Pete Seeger and others performing Irish and American music. To hear him play the uillean pipes and to hear Mary accompany on the mandolin was worth the price of admission alone, to say nothing of the remarkable voice and engagement by the audience with chorus singing.

This concert series has been organized by Christ the King parishioner Robyn Boyd, close friend of many of the performers. An added bonus for those in attendance has been the post-concert reception organized by Pamela Hoveling, Helen Kaminski, Margie Menard and Tana Miller. Approximately 40+ concert goers enjoyed a wonderful supper and refreshments on Feb. 19.

Future concert dates and performers include: Maire Ni Chathasaigh and Chris Newman on March 19, followed by the Nordic Fiddlers Bloc on April 16, Ray Bonneville on April 23, and James Keelaghan on May 14.

Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 dollars at the door and also may be purchased at the parish office at Christ the King. Even if you are not a folk music aficionado you find yourself tapping your feet and humming along as the music is played. Thanks for considering this great opportunity.

Andrew Lutz

Stone Ridge

Don’t lose the Marbletown Community Center

To the Editor: The Marbletown Town Board is to be commended for raising the limit for senior tax exemption to that allowed by the state. But alas, at that same meeting, the board also suggested that the Marbletown Community Center should be sold, it costs too much to run, folks should just meet in the gym over in the Town Hall on Lucas Turnpike, with parking spaces a block away from the building.

Back in 2001, Stone Ridge held a series of public meetings. The big concern was the new shopping center, but people were also talking about the future of the town. I spoke up (no surprise), saying the main problem with Stone Ridge was that "there is no there there." Teens who couldn't drive, old folks who couldn't meet, etc., we needed a public place for many reasons. Miraculously, the American Legion donated their building and, miraculously, suppliers donated supplies, and miraculously, people donated their time to create the Marbletown Community Center. People dug the front lawn, planting daffodils. In other words, this building has an important history for this town. Now our community has a center. It's important that we not lose it.

ViVi Hlavsa Lomontville