Poughkeepsie Journal from Poughkeepsie, New York • Page 9

Wlh.9tlK rv'jsastfj Area Tuesday, August 12, 1980 Pouahkeepsie Journal 9 Confusing costs jeopardize rail stop By Robert DeFilllDOo Journal itaff writer WAPPINGERS FALLS Confusion over the maintenance fee for the New Hamburg passenger platform may prevent the train stop from reopening. The Dutchess County Legislature appropriated 3,000 in April to reopen the, train stop. Now, MTA has asked for 15,000 to maintain the waiting area for the rest of the year. "I don't know what's going on." sald.LoIs Sackelos, head of a committee which fought to have passenger service restored In New Hamburg. Mrs.

Sackelos said she thought MTA agreed to reopen the station in April after the legislature voted to appropriate the $3,000 maintenance fee and an additional 15,000 to pave the parking lot, provide lighting and repair the tunnel under the tracks. County Legislator Joseph Pollluc cl, Wapplnger, said MTA has reneged on its agreement. He charged that MTA originally requested 3,000 fox maintenance and has since increased that charge to "I was surprised," Poillucci said referring to MTA's request. "I thought an agreement was reached four 'months ago," the lawmaker said. William Aston, a spokesman for MTA, said Monday he can't under aViBaf'BBBBBaNBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBVt inF dHMHiH r'VRit' WBSSSSKBKSmmKBaM tt ii i ii mi i 17" Highland firemen dousesmoldering ruins of house oj lire wnicn leveieo nouse is under investigation Boy charged in Highland house fire HIGHLAND State oolite arrpst ed a 13 year old boy Monday evening ana cnargea mm witn setting a fire which leveled an abandoned house on Mile Hill Road here Monday afternoon.

The youth, who was not identified because of his age, was charged with arson and released in his parents' custody pending an appearance in Ulster County Family Court, accord ing to state ponce at Highland. Approximately '50 volunteers from the Highland Fire Department answered the 12:15 p.m. alarm, according to Chief Joseph Valentino. "The roof and one side of the building had already collapsed when we got there," Valentino said. "It had Coal silt firm moves to Newark, N.J.

By Dennis Klpp Journal itaff writer A New York City based firm has moved its coal silt stockpiling operation from Poughkeepsie to Newark, N.J., the company president said Monday. Young Chun, president of the United Young said the operation was moved to save transportation costs and avoid opposition to the project in Poughkeepsie. Also Monday, a Town of Poughkeepsie official announced the withdrawal of an application to the town for a special use permit to continue the stockpiling operation at the Dut ton Lumber Company dock. The lumber company was used this spring to stockpile the silt residue from washing of mined coal before it was shipped to Korea to be made into home heating fuel. More than 25,000 tons of the material were trucked into Poughkeepsie and shipped out in what was called a pilot project for a possible long term operation.

Susan Pike, deputy zoning administrator for the Town of Poughkeepsie, said Monday that Arthur Dutton of the lumber company notified her of the decision to withdraw the application. The coal operation became a controversy in both the town and city of Poughkeepsie this spring when trucks carrying the silt made as many as 50 trips a day to the Dutton dock. More than a dozen persons complained about the project in early May at a meeting of the Poughkeepsie town zoning board of appeals. Residents complained about dust from the operation, the often 24 hour per day activity at the dock and possible water pollution if the silt fell into the river. Chun said moving the operation to Newark reduced the trucking costs to get the material from the Pennsylvania mines to the port.

But, he said complaints from the community were the biggest reason for abandoning Poughkeepsie. "If the community cooperated, there would have been less expense;" he said. Cold Spring School closing case adjourned The Pine Plains school board has been given a two week court adjournment to answer parents' charges that the Cold Spring School was shut down illegally. Attorneys for 'the school board have until Aug. 25 to prepare a formal answer to a lawsuit filed by five parents whose children attended the Stanfordville elementary school before it was shut down after the close of the 1979 80 school year Attorney David Shaw, who represents the school board, said he ex pects to submit his answer and en in oral arguments with the parents' attorney, Barry Grandeau, on the Aug.

25 adjourn date. The case is being handled by State Supreme Court in Poughkeepsie. The case is one of two lawsuits filed by separate groups of parents angry over the school closing. The board decided to cut the school from its 1980 81 school district budget to cope with a large deficit. In the suit scheduled for arguments on Aug.

25, parents have charged that the school board violated the state's open meetings law by failing to discuss the school closing in open session. They also charge the closing will actually save the district only $30,000, not the $125,000 claimed by the board. Additionally, parents charged that the reassignment of former Cold Spring students to the Seymour Smith school will cause overcrowding that could lead to heath and safety dangers. stand why the county thought the maintenance charge was only $3,000. "Maybe they thought snow removal would cost $3,000," Aston said.

He added that $3,000 will not pay for cleaning the platform and other gen 'eral maintenance details. There is no station in New Hamburg. There is only a waiting platform and a parking lot. laawlif HBHPffi urnal ril pfloto New Hamburg rail stop, unused since 1940' County rejects last try to save Harlem Bine apparently been going for quite a wnne Deiore anyone even phoned it in to us." The chief said Monday evening that he had not been able to find out who owns the property. The firemen were at the scene until about 3:30 p.m., the chief said.

By Robert DeFlllippo Journal staff writer The Dutchess County Legislature refused Monday to condemn the Was saic to Millerton section of the Harlem rail line to prevent the 13 2 miles of track from being sold to a salvage Company. "What can I say?" Legislator Harry Schroeder, MUlerton, asked after the lawmakers defeated his proposal to takeover the section of track. "If government can't run a railroad, we may turn around tomorrow and find there is no more post office. Schroeder led a group of Harlem Valley residents in a movement to save the Xracks irom abandonment. By a 20 to 13 vote, the legislature rejected the last opportunity open to the county to save the railway.

At least 24 votes were required to approve the resolution. If the legislature had voted to condemn the property, Penn Central would have been blocked from selling the rails to a South Carolina salvage company. Penn Central stated last week it will honor its contract with that salvage company, which is expected to begin removing the tracks immediately. Penn Central officials were not uvauaDie ior comment Monday. Penn Central made that statement, last week after rejecting an offer from the county to purchase the section of track for $400,000.

Penn Central wants $775,000 for the section of track. Before the legislature voted, representatives of a private firm interested in operating the line for the county addressed both the Republican and Democratic caucuses. The firm, Tran Associates of New Jersey, had proposed a joint freight and tourist operation on the tracks. The company offered to operate the section of track for the county without government subsidies. PIP Legislator Schroeder can I But the' lawmakers questioned whether the operation could be profitable without subsidies.

Before the section of track was abandoned in April, the state paid $240,000 in operating subsidies. Despite the' urging of Schroeder, only a handful of Harlem Valley residents attended Monday's legislative meeting to lobby for the county takeover of the section of track. Frank S. Perotti, supervisor of North East, said the section of track is "essential to the agricultural businesses" in the Harlem Valley. "The eastern half of the county has never asked for much," Perotti told the legislature, "I don't think we are asking for much now," the supervisor added.

Legislator Jean Murphy, Pough keepsie, said, "we should take a chance on the future and vote for this resolution. Be brave," Mrs. Murphy added, "do it for Dutchess County." But Legislator Clyde Chase, Pine Plains, said the county "is not in a position" to appropriate money to buy the section of track. "It scares me to death. There is no feasibility study.

I wouldn't spend my money like that, and I'm not going to spend taxpayers' money that way." After the resolution was defeated, both the Republican and Democratic caucuses met in closed session in an' attempt to reach a compromise agreement. When the lawmakers returned from those meetings, a resolution to. appropriate $20,000 to conduct a feasibility study was voted on and defeated. Some of that money would have been used to lease the tracks to prevent them from being dismantled. Hayward Cohen, spokesamn for the Harlem Valley Transportation Association, said ater the meeting that slate and county officials were wrong in not saving the tracks from destruction.

Cohen charged that it will cost $6 5 million to replace the section of track. PennCentral has encouraged the county to consider purchasing the land under the tracks after the salvage company removes the rails. The Dutchess County Planning Department and County Executive Lu citle Pattison have both indicated support for buying the land. Both the planning department and Mrs. Pattison opposed the purchase of the rails and land, however.

i county executive argued that it would not be economical for the county to operate the railroad because of the lack of freight traffic on the section of track. And the county executive said there was no guarantee that a private operator would buy the section of track from the county. The county could purchase the land, Mrs. Pattison has stated, to' hold for its future use in the event rail transportation is necessary. Fish wins a place on Conservative ballot ALBANY U.S.

Rep. Hamilton Fish Millbrook, won a narrow victory Monday in his bid for re election this year. The state Board of Elections ruled that Fish may appear on the Conservative line in November's election after disqualifying 52 of 323 signatures on his nominating petitions. Democratic challenger, Gunars Ozols of Wapplngers Falls, objected to Fish's Consevattve petitions. Ozols said Monday that he won a "moral" victory over the incumbent congressman by knocking off 52 signatures.

Ozols filed his objections with the vboard of elections late last week. He objected to 70 signatures on the petitions, but was only successful in having 52 disqualified. Fish needed 270 signatures to appear on the Conservative line. The board ruled that 271 signa tures were valid. In a telephone interview Monday night Fish said he was "delighted" with the election board's ruling, "although I wish it had been by a larger margin." The congressman said he believes his voting record proves he belongs on the Conservative line of the ballot, "and it's certainly added insurance in the campaign." Fish noted, however that Ozols could still challenge the election board's ruling in court.

Ozols said he reviewed Fish's Conservative petitions with only the help of his wife. "I don't have the money and staff of an incumbent," he said. Some of the specific objections filed by Ozpls included charges that signatures were not witnessed properly and that some signatures were from people living outside the 25th Congressional District. Ozols added that the board was "very liberal" in ruling some of the signatures as valid. "I am going to ask registered Conservatives to vote for me on the Democratic line," Ozols said.

"There Is no way Fish can be considered a Conservative." BaMLiaraauBLiSallllllllllllllllllflaBftaaw iiHtf)BaaaaaaaaaBi 'jKEaafcflfelar HiJaiiiHaaiaaiiiiiiiiiv9alSflHaiHi' lVmMiii WtiVlf'MzWvSISi PMdtilI 111 I'MiHM journal photo by lob Krlftotilt Last salute More than 600 state troopers andfother law enforcement offi cers from throughout the Northeast salute the casket of Trooper James A. Kelly at his funeral Monday morning in Cornwall. Kelly, 31, was killed Friday when the troop car in which he was riding collided with another car on Route 9W in the Orange County community of Fort Montgomery. The driver of the other car, 33 year old Clarence Starr of Fort Montgomery, has been charged with criminally negligent homicide. Kelly, whojolned the state police in September of 1977, organized the New York State Police Run, an annual Jogging event for police.

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