Beacon Dispatch

Sign of the times

As I mentioned in a post back in November 2003, the entrance to Beacon High School and Rombout Middle School on Verplanck Ave and Matteawan Road sorely needed a sign other than the one pointing in the direction of the correctional facility. Finally, as part of the Rombout Middle School Capital Project and renovation of the track, a sign announcing the schools has replaced the one for the prison. Well done, BSD. That has to be a morale boost for everyone going to those schools every day.

Mayor convenes master plan mtg for 7/27

This from a member of the master plan committee, commenting in the Tioronda thread below:

The Mayor convened a group that forms the Beacon Comprehensive Plan Committee and the City has engaged the services of Stohlman's office to help direct the process. Our first meeting as a group was in the beginning of June. An "organizational committee" meeting has been scheduled for July 27th at the Municipal Building and is open to the public. Come at 7:30pm if you would like to watch or participate in this process.

Come sail away...

With apologies for the Styx reference, I must share the sailing experience I enjoyed today out on the Hudson. It was a perfect day for sailing, and my friend Curtis, who learned to sail with the Sloop Club, decided to go out at the last minute. The Sloop Club has a 20' Balboa sailboat that someone donated, and it sails like, well, the wind. We were surprised that more people weren't out on the water today, as the wind was up as we sailed under the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge and back again. I haven't sailed since the 7th grade, so I wasn't much help around the boat (I did learn what a jib is.) But I did row the dinghy back to shore once we moored. I have yet to go out on the Woody Guthrie, but this experience made that a priority. There are some things it would be a sin to take for granted living here in Beacon, and a free sail on the Guthrie has to be one of them. Btw, for those of you who need a visual, the 20' Balboa looks like the one below, minus the bikini-clad deckmate.

Golf tournament benefits heart attack and stroke victims

Press Release

The Jack Nicklaus Heart and Stroke Challenge golf tournament is now open to the general public at participating golf courses in Dutchess County.  The list of golf courses is below.  The Heart and Stroke Challenge is being held to raise awareness about the increasing risk of cardiovascular events including stroke, heart disease, and cardiovascular-related death in men and women ages 55 and older.  Entry is free with the option of buying a mulligan for $10.00 to help raise money to fund cardiovascular disease research and education.  Each member of the winning teams at the local club level will be awarded a lithograph commemorating Jack Nicklaus’ final appearance at the British Open and sectional winners will be invited to join Jack Nicklaus for a day of golf instruction and fun at PGA National in West Palm   Beach Gardens, Florida.

For more information about the Heart and Stroke Challenge, please visit www.nicklaus.com.

Participating golf courses include:

Duchess County

1)         Branton Woods GC

2)         The Southern Dutchess Country Club

Orange County

1)         Otterkill Golf & Country Club

Putnam County

1)         Garrison Golf Club

Rockland County

1)         Patriot Hills

2)         Philip J. Rotella Memorial Golf Course

3)         Rockland Country Club

Save the Tioronda Bridge for Pedestrian Use

Letter to the Editor

The decision regarding one of Beacon's oldest treasures, the Tioronda Bridge requires more than just intellect. It requires common sense and historical appreciation.

For those unfamiliar with the bridge it was built during the Civil War period and is one of two remaining in the United States. It crosses the Fishkill Creek in the Southern part of Beacon and connects 9D near Craig House (Grandview Ave) to South Ave. The bridge has been closed for many years and requires extensive repair which the City Council is discussing.

The Tioronda Bridge located at the entrance to the Madam Brett Trail would best serve the city as a walking bridge to be enjoyed for the magnificent views it offers. When standing on the bridge you will experience unique natural beauty in all directions.  One can see a wooded shoreline up creek leading to rushing waterfalls, while to the other side the creek continues its fast run towards the Hudson. In addition the bridge would be a better 9D bike path than through busy Wolcott Ave. Most important of all the historic bow steel structure should be preserved (if possible) because it is a link to Beacon's past and a national treasure.

The City Council should not accept the position that the State should completely rebuild the bridge and widen it to accommodate two lanes of traffic. Nor should the bridge be used as a single lane route. To allow through traffic on our scenically designated South Ave will destroy a uniquely charming neighborhood, and neighborhood preservation is an important goal for the City Council to hold. Lastly, as an emergency by-pass route around Wolcott Ave it has value only between a relatively small half mile stretch, a safety measure that has not been important for the twenty years I have lived in Beacon.

As a past City Councilman interested in Beacon's scenic beauty I urge the City Council to preserve our history and our neighborhoods by making the Tioronda Bridge one for the people, not for the cars.

Steve Gold,
Candidate for Ward 4, Beacon City Council

Mountain Memories

Mount Beacon in the 50s and 60s

by Jack Sine

All great cities have unique settings that help define them. New   York has its skyline. San   Francisco has the Golden   Gate Bridge. Chicago has its lakeshore. And Beacon has its mountain. Granted, Beacon is a very small city, but its getting bigger everyday. And, at least from an arts and shops perspective, our small city is moving towards greatness.

Sitting between the Hudson River and the mountain, Beacon is blessed with great natural beauty. But it is the mountain that lives in the memories of many who grew up here and saw the mountain as their back yard.

Fiction: Young Again

by Tanya Merrill

“Oh to be young again,” the old man says looking at his watch, as if expecting time to go backwards, expecting the hands to reverse.

He sits alone at his aged, wooden table but keeps talking, he answers to himself.

“To be young again, that’s nothing, that’s not what you should want”.

“Of course it is,” he argues again. "To be young with life ahead of you, to be young with love still pure.”

“Come on old man, you have done that already, you have had your time. Many years of life have seeped through your bones and love has pumped your veins.”

“This is true.” He sighs. And he twists his old gnarled hands together. Every scar, vessel and discoloration seems to show. His wrinkled skin hangs loosely on his bones. But yet in his sunken eyes, life still swirls with frenzy. And Italy fills his mind.

Beacon Voices: Pete Seeger

by Michael Daecher

Last year, when I was fortunate enough to interview Pete Seeger for the first issue of the Beacon Dispatch, I had half an hour to sit with one of the most influential songwriters and political activists of the past hundred years. And all it took was a phone call. I explained that we were starting a newspaper for people who wanted to know a bit more about life in Beacon beyond the latest news. Without knowing much more about it, Pete agreed to talk to me. At the end of our interview, he said something that seemed like an important idea at the time, and has since come to define the Beacon Dispatch, at least for me. “If the human race is still around in 100 years,” he said, “I am convinced it will not be because of any one thing, but because of millions, maybe tens of millions, little things all over the world.”

I hope the Dispatch is one of those little things. Below is the full transcript of our interview, reprinted from the first edition of the Dispatch one year ago. And in the coming year, let’s honor Pete’s dedication to our community by re-naming Riverfront Park in his name.

Nightboat Books: Navigator of the Written Word

by Ellen Timmer

A little over one year ago a small group of concerned citizens sat down to discuss the possibility of a format for covering issues of interest to the people of Beacon.  This informal meeting ended with the formal doling out of responsibilities and a list of potential names for this (ad)venture.  Out of this conversation the Beacon Dispatch was born. 

Many entrepreneurs may be smiling to themselves as they read these words.  Often times the generation of a business idea comes from a simple conversation.  The beginnings of Nightboat Books, a non-profit press published by Kazim Ali, a Beacon resident, were very similar. 

BAU Wow!

Friday Night Jazz heats up the night at BAU in Beacon

by Jeffery Battersby

If the way a musician handles an interview is any indication of the musical ride you’re about to take, then Marvin Bugalu Smith promises to be something akin to a musical Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. Within ten minutes of sitting down for a pre-gig meal of collard greens, fried chicken, and green beans at BJ’s on Main Street, Mr. Smith had already pursued a slapdash conversational journey that touched on at least ten separate subjects, from the quality of the proprietress’ new coif (very nice), the tools necessary for digital video editing (Bugalu has just finished editing and burning a DVD from a recent performance), to the perfection of BJ’s fried chicken and collard greens in comparison to… well let’s just say that Mr. Smith won’t be getting any advertising contracts with Kentucky Fried Chicken anytime soon.