A number of citizens had critical questions and comments regarding the bond. Why was the 2004 bond not being addressed? The 2004 NY State audit of the city’s budget admonished that the fund balance was not to be used as a revenue. Why have the cost overruns not been examined? Why not go ahead and bond the 2004 approved amount, and pursue “Options 4 or 5″ - go out for the additional bond later after an evaluation of needs?

Citizens in favor of bonding

The bond resolution was tabled pending further discussion. However, many members of the public spoke out in favor of the bond as is, with arguments ranging from faith to fiduciary duty.

Public Hearing: Housing and Community Development needs

Comments from the public regarding the agenda

City Manager’s Report

Old Business, including bond resolution

General comments from the public

General comments from the Council

The Town of New Windsor Board Meeting opened with a public hearing last night to discuss “Local Law to Amend Chapter 300 Zoning Code - Senior Citizen Housing and Totally Affordable Senior Citizen Housing.” The proposed zoning code would have isolated an area of New Windsor land as eligible for senior housing, instead of all of New Windsor (as it is currently.) A good turnout of residents and others expressed concern about the inclusion of lands adjoining Browns Pond in this senior zoning area. Currently Browns Pond serves as a reservoir for the City of Newburgh.

Due to concerns expressed by John Platt, Superintendent of the Water Department for the City of Newburgh, Supervisor George Green moved to table the proposed resolution so there would be time to review the document and concerns expressed by Platt. Green was very upset, though, that these concerns weren’t expressed earlier.

Public Hearing: Letter from William Steidle

Orange County Open Space Alliance speaks on Browns Pond

John Platt, Newburgh Water Dept., speaks about Browns Pond

Pictures reubuttal - Supervisor George Green

Supervisor George Green rebuts a letter by William Steidle and expresses about Browns Pond that “I don’t know how viable in the future it will be as a reservoir but it will always be valuable as a natural resource.”

Why these parcels included - Supervisor George Green

Town of New Windsor Supervisor George Green provides a brief history of the land in the proposed amended zoning surrounding Browns Pond.

Supervisor George Green expresses his disturbance with the City of Newburgh for providing information during a public hearing on zoning surrounding Browns Pond, a city of Newburgh reservoir.

Supervisor George Green tables resolution

Full video of the Newburgh City Council Bond Resolution Work Session Meeting held August 4, 2008 at 6 p.m.

At the special Bond Resolution Work Session held Monday night, Councilwoman Christine Bello announced that she and Assemblyman Tom Kirwan have called for a State investigation by the NY Comptroller’s office into the proposed $6.325M Bond.

According to Kirwan’s letter to the Comptroller,

…A new bond is being proposed for an additional $6,325,000 to cover additional costs – over $2,000,000 of which is for removal of newly discovered asbestos. Two of the principals from whom the city bought the building are the owners of the engineering firm which handles all of the city’s engineering problems.

One of the questions that Ms. Bello has is why didn’t the engineers know about the existing asbestos, and if they did know, why was this sprung on the City after the sale? The State of New York has an interest in this because we have agreed to pay one-third of all interest payments. As the cost goes up, so does the cost to the state. Another question from Ms. Bello is why isn’t the city suing the engineers who, in addition to making money on the sale of the building, now stand to make even more money as the result of either their ineptitude or deliberate misrepresentation on the presence of the asbestos.

At the work session meeting, when Councilwoman Bello made her announcement the attending audience broke into applause:

The session began with a lengthy chronology of Den Cass, the partnership that owned Broadway School, by Economic Development Director Bob McKenna. Councilwoman Marge Bell followed with a Den Cass chronology of her own culled from newspaper clippings which she read and was both corrected and corroborated by McKenna (see here for a third chronology of Den Cass, here for a representation on asbestos by Hauser, and here for its Certificate of Formation.)

Councilwoman Bell argued that the city should end its relationship with the current consulting engineer Hauser and hire an in-house engineer:

Public Hearing: Amendment to the parking regulations on Front Street

Public Hearing: Cable Franchise Agreement with Verizon New York, Inc.

Public Hearing: Safe Streets - Save Lives Ordinance

Comments from the public regarding the agenda

Comments from the Council regarding the agenda

City Manager’s Report

Old Business

General Comments from the Public

General Comments from the Council

While the big turnout at the July 21, 2008 City Council Meeting was for the Safe Streets - Safe Lives Ordinance (with the imposition of a curfew - video forthcoming), the public hearing regarding the Verizon Cable Franchise Agreement drew some lively protests.

Audience members, including a professor of communications from SUNY Orange, expressed concerns about a “hole” on the contract of four years during which the City would receive no funding. There was also the question of the length of the contract; several speakers were concerned that the length of fifteen years was far too long to be locked in, especially with the rate of current changes in communications.

Take a look at the contract here.

The City of Newburgh Police Department is slated to get $375,624 of state funds as part of Operation IMPACT. Denise O’Donnell, commissioner of the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), made the announcement of the funding Wednesday afternoon at the Glenn Hines Memorial Boys and Girls Club.

Orange County will receive a total of $918,401 in funds. According to the DCJS, Operation IMPACT is

the state’s program to tackle violent and gun crime through intelligence-based policing, partnerships among law enforcement and community organizations and timely use of accurate crime data. Operation IMPACT brings together 80 different law enforcement agencies in the state and targets the 17 counties Upstate and on Long Island that report 80 percent of crime outside of New York City.

According to the Times-Herald Record, the Newburgh Police Department will spend part of the money on a squad “to attack the low-level crimes that turn into big ones.”

Another part of the funding will go towards developing “a web-based Citizen Notification System to educate and involve the community.”(DCJS)

The DCJS also noted that crime is down in Newburgh:

Commissioner O’Donnell noted that so far this year, overall crime in Newburgh is down 18 percent, with a 6 percent reduction in violent crime and a 22 percent drop in property crime. In Orange County, crime is up slightly (1.6 percent) and violent crime is down 9 percent. However, burglaries in the county have increased nearly 11 percent (to 463 from 418.)

Other Orange County agencies receiving funding include the Orange County District Attorney ($110,900); the Town of Newburgh Police Department ($130,618); the Town of New Windsor Police Department ($134,886); the Orange County Sheriff’s Office ($106,937), and the Orange County Probation Department ($59,436).

The shark fin entitled “Freedom of Movement” was rescued from destruction by Kendal Henry, Director of Cultural and Economic Development, as he describes in the video above.

The public has been invited to help with the site selection of the sculpture by indicating their preference for a permanent site in a comment book at the Newburgh Public Library. A 54″ long maquette of the fin will also be available for viewing at the library.

Jim Johnson, the artist, was not present for the press conference.

Kendal Henry also mentioned the Per Cent For Art Program, which will have its first call for artists “within the next week or two” in connection with the Courthouse project at Broadway School.

Full coverage below of the press conference, with remarks by Mayor Valentine, City Manager McGrane, Kendal Henry, chairman of the arts commission Stuart Sachs and chair of the acquisitions committee Karen Conway.