Beacon Dispatch

Photo Gallery: VFW Post 666 Bingo Night

A few months ago the good people at VFW Post 666 on the corner of Teller and Main welcomed me in to take some pictures of bingo night. I was hoping to use these photos for the Beacon: One Week of Photography gallery show in September, but I just got too busy to get my act together in time. My apologies to for that -- hopefully this online gallery starts to make up for it.

Ferry service starts; saves commuters time

For the first time in decades, you can ride a ferry from Newburgh to Beacon during the morning and evening rush hours. This morning I overheard some commuters at the Beacon train station talking about the service. Only one of them had taken the trip, but he reported that there was plenty of room for (free) parking in Newburgh, and it shaved about 10 minutes off of his commute, since he didn't have to deal with the traffic on I-84. "Hey, whatever works, right?" another commuter replied. This is a pragmatic group of people, and saving time might be the ultimate endorsement. And if that's not enough, the ferry is free through October 31.

You can see the ferry schedule and other details here.

Cazzy the Alien

I just got back from a business trip to Austin, TX. It's always a pleasure to fly out of Stewart Airport, and the cab drivers who take you there add some good color too. Maybe it's just my choice of taxi companies (I tend to use Bob's Taxis out of Newburgh), but I'm always entertained during my ride. I once had a driver who was a distant relative of James Gandolfini. He'd been busy doing some extra work on the Sopranos, had a brief walk-on on Saturday Night Live, and claimed to know "Bobby" DeNiro pretty well.

On this trip I met Cazzy the Alien, a musician who has some odd shtick. On his Web site he claims to be one of the surviving aliens from a crash in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947. And he dresses in full alien gear for his gigs. He's also an entrepreneur, with dozens of sites promoting music around the country. Cazzy made the 20 minute ride to the airport at 6 in the morning an interesting one. Who knows what kind of hidden talent I'll meet on my next trip?

Ferry service could begin "within weeks."

That's according to Anthony Musso, who covers the commuter beat for the Poughkeepsie Journal. Metro-North Railroad, which will operate the ferry, has been waiting for sign-off from the Federal Highway Administration to "shift a portion of New York's allocated funds to the Federal Transit Administration, where it would be available to the MTA for ferry costs." According to  Metro-North spokeman Dan Brucker, that is expected to happen "in the next week or so" (and that quote was  printed on October 1.)

Also of note in the piece, more than 50% of the  commuters  using the Beacon train station come from Orange and Ulster counties. Let's hope that the ferry alleviates some of the parking and traffic issues that come with that.

The ferry will operate on weekdays during the morning and evening rush hours.

Federal Investigation of BPD Continues

City Officials Disagree on Next Steps

by Michael Daecher

Responding to a preliminary report from the Department of Justice (DoJ), the Beacon Police Department claims it is complying with recommendations to improve its policies and procedures, but city officials are at odds about who is ultimately responsible for making the changes permanent. (See BPD response here , here, and here.)

In June 2005, the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division issued a 24-page preliminary report focused on improving training, policies, and procedures in the Beacon Police Department. The ongoing investigation was launched in August 2004 to look into reports of brutality, intimidation, and racism that came out of a September 2003 community meeting hosted by a number of local community groups, including the Beacon Commission on Human Relations, Southern Dutchess NAACP, and Dutchess County Human Rights Commission.

How the City Responded to the DoJ Report

To get a better idea how the BPD response compares to the federal recommendations , and why funding and staffing issues are raised, it helps to look at the specifics. The Justice Department’s report contains 19 specific recommendations focused on six main areas:

1. Policies and Procedures
2. Use of Force
3. Vehicle Pursuits / Roadblocks
4. Public Complaint Investigations
5. Supervisory Oversight.
6. Officer Training

1. Policies and Procedures 

DoJ: “Policies and procedures are the primary means by which police departments communicate their standards and expectations to their officers… BPD’s policy and procedure manual was developed in 1987 and has not been revised significantly since its development.”

BPD response: 

BPD is currently and has been reviewing its policies and procedures. BPD is in process with the DCJS (Division of Criminal Justice Services) to attain NYS Accreditation.

Your City, Your Valley, Your Future

Vandalism at several Beacon Parks leaves Scenic Hudson scratching their heads

by Jeffery Battersby

According to Scenic Hudson’s Jay Levine, it didn’t take long for the vandalism to start at the group’s new Gateway to Mount Beacon Park. In fact, it was within days of the park’s opening in early June. “As best as we can tell,” says Levine, “someone, took a sledgehammer to some of the stairs and then a week later came back to finish what they started.”

Master Plan Update

The process of revising Beacon’s aging infrastructure plan moves ahead

by Sara Pasti

On May 18, 2005, a “Kick-Off” Meeting for the Comprehensive Review Committee was held, launching the process for a comprehensive master plan update for the City of Beacon.

Committee members appointed by the Mayor and City Council include Mayor Clara Lou Gould, Tim Dexter of the Beacon Buildings Department, John Gunn and Jay Hibbs from the City Planning Board, Jack Dunne and Jay Sheers from the Zoning Board of Appeals, Chris Ruhe from the Conversation Advisory Committee, Sara Pasti from the Beacon Arts Community Association, Joan Van Voorhis from the Beacon Historical Society, Catherine Allgauer, Tom Baldino, Patty Dunne, Javier Guillen, Roberta Marsh, Randall Martin, Tom Skipwith, Todd Spire, John Stella, Gary Wood, and students Bryan Debronsky and Joseph Fierge.

Under Pressure? Recent Mountain Lane fire raises concerns for local residents

by  Karen Maserjian Shan

While walking his dog about two months ago, Gerry Bell smelled smoke.

Then he heard the clang of fire engines racing to a fire. By the time he reached his home on East Main Street, he realized the fire was at a home where East Main Street meets Mountain Lane, just four houses away from Bell’s house.

As Bell watched the scene, firefighters cut a hole in the roof of the house to ventilate it and worked to battle the fire using a fire hydrant across the street from the house. After 15 minutes or so, with the house still aflame, another fire truck arrived, whereupon the fire fighters connected another hose from a fire hydrant about ¼ mile down the street at the intersection of East Main Street and Howland and DePuyster Avenues. Using this hydrant meant that they’d bypassed several other hydrants located closer to the fire.

Highland Wanderer: Bull Hill via the Nelsonville—Washburn—Underhill Loop

Difficulty: Moderate
Appx Distance/Time: 4 miles/4 hours
Trail Markers: Y, G, W, Y
Hike Type: Loop
Technical Challenge: Moderate
Low/High Points: 200’, 1350’
Of Note: Views of Manhattan, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Catskills, Shawangunks, and the Hudson

Fall brings thousands of hikers to the Hudson Valley to enjoy the beautiful foliage, crisp air, and views unhindered by the haze of humidity. Many of these visitors are drawn to the glorious vistas, easy access, and challenging climbing found on Cold Spring’s popular Washburn trail. But, as anyone who has hiked here at any time of year knows, this trail’s popularity can lead to Disneyland-like crowds, which can lessen your enjoyment.