Ambitious development and progress mark Molinaro’s 2015 SOTC speech
It’s going to be a big year for Dutchess County in 2015, according to county executive Marcus Molinaro’s annual State of the County address, which was delivered Thursday evening at the Culinary Institute.
“The state of Dutchess County is strong. It is ever-changing, ever-evolving, and ever moving forward,” Molinaro said.
“We are on the move, and there are projects of great importance throughout Dutchess County,” Molinaro noted, while discussing an ambitious economic development plan including the consolidation of the Economic Development Corporation with the Industrial Development Agency, slated for later this year.
“There’s not a model like this in he region,” Molinaro explained. “Government does not create private sector jobs, businesses do, and by engaging those community leaders, we believe that we can have a measurable impact,” he said. The effort will be assisted by a new DC Economic Development Advisory Council to review strategy and effectiveness.
Major goals include building a world-class transit-based development along the Poughkeepsie riverfront, and establishing water-sewer infrastructure for the Dutchess County Airport. An independent operator for the airport is also currently being selected, plus a 2 megawatt solar array.
New temporary housing pods for the county jail will be operational this spring, saving taxpayers roughly $1 million per year, currently spent on outsourcing due to inmate overcrowding. Planning for a new jail facility is underway, along with progressive rehabilitation and transition services for the addicted and mentally ill.
A Recovery and Restoration Center will precede the new jail later this year at the old Mental Health site on North Road, featuring detox and other related services. “We know we can enhance the system, drive down costs, dirvert indiciduals from jails, and streamline the process,” Molinaro indicated. “Those people ought to be treated as patients,” he said.
Additionally, the Resource recovery Agency becomes self-sufficient this year; sexual assault response teams will be deployed at local college campuses, and $26 million in infrastructure investment will be leveraged using State & Federal funding.
View the entire SOTC address here: http://www.co.dutchess.ny.us/CountyGov/Departments/CountyExecutive/24208.htm
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRlmp_toksM
Hudson Valley officials unite with activists against fracking
Several of the region's most noteworthy politicians have offered support in the fight against hydraulic fracturing, a controversial gas mining technique known to pollute water supplies.
Hudson Valley United Against Fracking held a kickoff event Tuesday morning at the Ulster County Office Building, to urge a moratorium on fracking.
Former congressman Maurice Hinchey was joined by state senator Cecilia Tkaczyk, state assembly members Frank Skartados and Didi Barrett, New Paltz town supervisor Susan Zimet, Ulster County executive Mike Hein, and a host of environmental organizations.
They were accompanied by dozens of local "fractivists," pleading for Gov. Cuomo to delay gas drilling until independent scientific environmental studies are completed.
Large deposits of natural gas exist deep within the shale below upstate NY, representing a financial boon for the energy industry.
"Everywhere fracking has been allowed, the process has contaminated their water, polluted their air, and destroyed their land," indicated Hinchey.
"I have been fighting to protect our state from polluters for nearly 40 years. Now Gov. Cuomo is dealing with one of the most contentious environmental issues that we have ever seen," Hinchey said.
"Governor Cuomo is to be commended for taking a thoughtful approach to fracking, rather than rushing in, like so many other states. And I hope he will continue in that course," the retired congressman added.
"We're talking about our children, and our children's children -- we're having a conversation about whether or not we're going to poison them. It's absurd," maintained Hein.
"I'm incredibly proud as the Ulster County executive, to be part of the Hudson Valley, a place has turned out to be the conscience of New York State," Hein said. "But I will be the proudest when we can once and for all in NY State that we will not play games with our future," he noted.
"We are going to leave this planet like we found it, for generations to come, and generations after that," Hein said.
"Why are we continuing to rely on finite resources, that are also threatening to destroy our very existence," asked Skartados. "Why are we contemplating playing Russian Roulette with the same very elements that created us -- water, air, soil, food. Haven't we learned enough from the Hudson River?"
Skartados' remarks touched upon the underlying issue of renewable energy alternatives which preclude the need for environmentally destructive energy exploration.
Songwriter Natalie Merchant, a local resident, expressed her concerns about fracking while offering copies of a short documentary featuring musical performances from a recent State of the State protest in Albany, titled Dear Governor Cuomo.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WV4utozRAAk
BTC price chart test USD 20170609
Created with animated GIF rendered in GIMP from PDF printscreens of CoinDeskdaily, monthly & yearly price charts
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMcBM3Jb6tQ
Retired State Police manager Jack Hayes, candidate for Ulster County Executive 2019, Conservative and Republican lines. Excerpted from Chamber of Commerce debate, April 17, 2019, at Diamond Mills, Saugerties. Jack spoke into the microphone, while his opponent walked away from the podium into the crowd, making his remarks less audible.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsNVrBqnD0s
Sun. July 15, 2018, New Paltz Community Center, NY State Senate candidate Jennifer Metzger, D-Rosendale, running for NY 42nd District. http://jenmetzger.com
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAwDjN-0aN4