February 12 - 18, 2015

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Your Award-Winning News Source for the Upper Delaware River Valley Region Since 1975

Vol. 41 No. 7

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FEBRUARY 12 - 18, 2015

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www.riverreporter.com

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Planners recommend brewery and parking changes

$1.50

For the birds

By DAVID HULSE

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LDRED, NY — Acting on town board resolutions for review, the Town of Highland Planning Board on February 4 recommended updates to local zoning that would provide relaxed parking requirements for new businesses and allow small craft brewery operations like the one planned in Eldred. Drawing from language in state law, the planners recommended the incorporation of a “farm brewery” provision as a specially permitted use in the ordinance, available in both the H-C (commercial) and R-2 (residential-agricultural) districts. The town board had asked for recommendations that they could consider at their February 10 meeting and schedule a public hearing. No time frame was requested for the parking review. But planners agreed with Chair Berry Hafkin, who said that the ordinance was now “too restrictive,” preventing any new business. They decided to recommend reduction of the existing one parking space per 100 square feet of building interior space requirement, to one parking space per 250 square feet of “public access” interior space. In January, the town’s zoning board of appeals (ZBA) rejected applications for two businesses separately seeking variances on these zoning requirements. Developers for a Dollar General store wanted a parking variance to reduce the 91-car lot the current ordinance calls for to serve the proposed 9,100 square-foot convenience store. Following a well attended and hotly contested public hearing, the ZBA voted three to one to deny the variance. Before the parking debate, Lumberland resident Bill Lenczuk sought ZBA action to allow his planned craft operation, Shrewd Fox Brewery, to be located in the former Eldred post office building. But Highland’s zoning ordinance did not address the use, and the variance was denied. At the subsequent January town board meeting, Supervisor Andrew Boyar voiced support for the brewery idea and a zoning amendment to provide for it. He said that at the time of the writing of the zoning ordinance, craft breweries were not envisioned, along with cell towers and wind turbines. But small breweries are now “very fashionable and an incentive for local agriculture,” he said. Regarding review of parking regulations, Boyar said there was a difference. While some find them “onerous,” the ratio “wasn’t pulled Continued on page 3

Photo by Dr. Paramjeet Singh

A gyrfalcon is spotted in Ulster County.

By ANYA TIKKA

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EGION — Ever wonder how high-pressured medical professionals unwind? Dr. Paramjeet Singh, who is a surgeon with the Orange Regional Medical Group, found an outlet in outdoor photography while taking a much needed break a few years ago. “I took a short break two years ago from my busy schedule, and went hiking on Perkins Memorial Drive in Bear Mountain,” he explained. “I met a couple who were counting hawks in their fall migration. They got me into hawk counting and hawk photography.” He’s never looked back and spends his spare time now photographing hawks and eagles. “I stay local,” he continued, “in Orange, Rock-

CURRENTS:

Whistleblower policies re-examined

Sweet entertainments

Valentine’s Day

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Continued on page 5

SPANNING 2 STATES, 4 COUNTIES, AND A RIVER THAT UNITES US

NEWS:

DFS, again

land and Ulster Counties, and also in New Jersey.” Last weekend, Dr. Singh had a sighting of a very rare hawk; the arctic gyrfalcon appeared in Shawangunk Grasslands in Ulster County, giving bird spotters and photographers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Singh said many hawk counters have been doing it for 40 years, and have never seen a gyrfalcon until now. The rare hawk came this far south to find something to eat, Singh said. He said it’s unusually cold now in the arctic. “It’s [our] warm weather compared to the cold weather up north. It must be much colder, freezing where they usually feed in the north. They are bird eaters; if they don’t have enough to eat and prey on,

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