CATSKILL – Greene County lawmakers are considering a resolution urging the governor to sign a bill establishing an independent commission to examine competition in the outdoor recreation industry.
If the bill is signed by the governor, a Blue Ribbon Commission would be formed to examine the extent of advantages state-owned outdoor recreational facilities have over privately owned businesses, according to Greene County’s resolution. The commission would also make recommendations to the governor and the state Legislature regarding methods to promote fair competition in the outdoor recreation industry, the resolution states.
WHEN it comes to tourism, some lawmakers seem to forget that a rising tide will list all boats. For a time in the Hudson Valley and Catskills, it was every county for itself. Tourism directors, under the gun from the elected officials who hired them, pretty much did their own thing, promoted parochially and viewed the county just over the border (or across the river) as competition.
That began to change in the ’90s, when IBM’s significant exodus from the valley prompted the Cuomo administration to explore economic alternatives, tourism key among them. Regional cooperation began to grow.
But that didn’t mean there was no more "we" and "them" in regional tourism, witness the on-going squabble between Ulster and Greene counties regarding Belleayre Ski Center.
It started in Greene, where owners of privately owned ski resorts Hunter and Windham were getting antsy as the state poured resources into its ski center at Belleayre in neighboring Ulster. That got the attention of Greene lawmakers and they screamed foul, claiming Belleayre was at an unfair advantage. That, in turn, motivated state legislators to carry a bill calling for the formation of a blue-ribbon panel to study the impact of state-run outdoor recreational facilities (skiing and golf among them) on the private sector. The legislation awaits Gov. Paterson’s signature.
MONTGOMERY & SCHOHARIE COUNTIES — Selling a home in an area prone to flooding can be a difficult task, especially if the home sustained damage during the last major flooding event.
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — It’s not “Bad News Bears”, but rather bad news for bears. The State Department of Environmental Conservation is proposing to expand bear hunting zones, which also include counties in the Southern Tier. Broome, Chenango, and Tioga counties are included in the proposal which aims to limit the population of black bears.
DEC could expand bear hunting zones
It’s not "Bad News Bears", but rather bad news for bears. The State Department of Environmental Conservation is proposing to expand bear hunting zones, which also include counties in the Southern Tier.
The DEC held its first public meeting in Binghamton to discuss the proposed changes, which they say are proactive.
"As you get more and more bears, you have greater prospects for problems. The number of home break- ins in the Catskills has really been climbing in recent years. Again we’re trying to get ahead of things a little bit here, and see if we can contain bears before they get into areas where we really foresee they’ll be real problematic," Dave Riehlman with the DEC.
Kingston Daily Freeman
By Jay Braman Jr., Correspondent
07/11/2008
ALLABEN – Shandaken Town Board members are putting the finishing touches on the wording of a grant application they hope will bring the town $83,333 to help the local economy.
Some last-minute concerns by Councilman Rob Stanley at a meeting earlier this week called the plan prepared by town Supervisor Peter Di- Sclafani into question, prompting the two to get together with members of the newly formed Economic Development Committee to tweak the language. Stanley argued that DiSclafani’s request for funds would not be successful because it falls outside parameters set by the state.
Energy companies leasing land in Pa. for natural gas.
By Harold Brubaker
Inquirer Staff Writer
WAYNE COUNTY, Pa. – In this bucolic northeastern corner of Pennsylvania, old-timers and newcomers alike feel deep attachment to the land.
That is true more than ever because of intense interest in what sits 6,000 feet below the rugged hills: a vast store of natural gas and an undreamed-of chance at wealth.
