Your Award-Winning News Source for the Upper Delaware River Valley Region Since 1975
Vol. 41 No. 28
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JULY 9 - 15, 2015
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www.riverreporter.com
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UDC chair challenges Barryville livery base By FRITZ MAYER
Service and county officials visited the site last year and “didn’t see any probARROWSBURG, NY — “Who lems.” owns the land?” is the question “I have $100,000 and three years investcentral to an ongoing debate about ed here. I’d hate to lose it,” he added. a livery operation sited immediately adHenry and the NPS also have property joining the Barryville-Shohola Bridge. maps, which were available at the July 2 The Upper Delaware Council (UDC) UDC meeting, but they show state ownerchairman, Al Henry, says the land is ship of the land. owned by the New York State Department The UDC has been inquiring for inforof Transportation (DOT) and the livery is mation about the livery site since Sepoperating on public land without permistember of 2013, according to an April 28 sion. On July 2, he pressed the National letter from UDC project review commitPark Service (NPS) to take action against tee chair Larry Richardson to the Town the operator, Fred Reber. of Highland Town Board. “We have never Reber, who owns Reber River Trips, received a reply,” he wrote. says he leases the property from the ownThe River Management Plan requires ers of the adjoining Carriage House Resthe UDC to review all river-related projtaurant. Reber says the property appears ects in member towns. on town tax maps. Richardson’s April letter was also copReber said he had heard nothing of the ied to Jack Williams, the Sullivan Councontroversy about his site before the mety New York State DOT manager and the dia inquiry. He said state, National Park Highland planning board. There has been no reply from either addressee. Highland UDC alternate delegate Debra Conway said the planning board approved a site plan for the site, after waiving a public hearing for it, and Reber provided only a hand-drawn map of the site. She said planning board chair Berry Hafkin “kinda’ laughed” when she inquired about it. Henry said that when he was working as an NPS ranger, agreements for a proposed public river access under the bridge were drawn. “We were a heartTRR photo by David Hulse UDC Chair Al Henry says the pictured Reber River Trips base beat away from installing the near the Barryville-Shohola Bridge is illegally sited on state DEC access sign,” he said. “The property. Owner Fred Reber denies the charge.
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EDITORIAL: Banks make the rules
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TRR photo by Jonathan Charles Fox
Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther celebrates
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ARROWSBURG, NY — Despite ominous clouds in the sky, residents and visitors lined the streets of Narrowburg, NY for the annual Fourth of July parade. Families applauded the floats, firefighters and classic cars cruising through town, and New York State Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther marched in the parade, handing out balloons to the kids. “I love Narrowsburg!” Gunther quipped during a quick stop on Main Street. “Who doesn’t?” For more on Fourth of July festivities turn to Jonathan Fox’s column on page 27 and photos on page 7.
SPANNING 2 STATES, 4 COUNTIES, AND A RIVER THAT UNITES US
CURRENTS: Inside the artists’ studios
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