Highlights of Recent City Council Meetings

by Garrett Deutermann

August 7th Meeting

City Police Officer to be stationed at BHS and Rombout Middle School

On August 7th, 2006 the Beacon City Council commended a piece of legislation passed by New York State (NYS) that prohibited discrimination, harassment, and bullying in public schools. The board requested that the Beacon City School District provide information to the Council that identifies the actions taken to comply with the NYS Bill. The law requires school districts to develop procedures that create a school environment free of discrimination and harassment by establishing guidelines for the training of school personnel, and establish guidelines for development of nondiscriminatory instructional and counseling methods and require that at least one member of each school staff trained to hand human relations.

The City Council has deemed discriminatory bullying so important they have added additional measures to the NYS law: a Beacon City Police officer will be stationed on school grounds and will report to the Council members in three month intervals.

The Beacon City School District and the City of Beacon will split the cost of the Resource Officer.

Not enough officers to patrol City streets
The same evening Phil Shea, Councilman and liaison for the Council and Police Department, stated no additional patrolmen could be afforded, even in light of the recent alleged break-ins and gun shots reported at South Davies Terrace.

Councilwoman Eleanor Thompson stated she had heard reports that, “citizens were taking to protecting themselves, and that to have an unlicensed firearm was a crime.”

August 21st, Meeting
Dutchess County Community Action Agency Loses Funding
The Dutchess County Community Action Agency, after suffering funding cutbacks, has lost all of its permanent staffing at the Beacon location except for one employee, Leela Brooke. The cook, the maintenance worker, and a server who were once salaried workers were let go earlier in August and now interim volunteers are filling these positions. The Beacon office, located at 95 Catherine Street, provides an essential Mid-day Meal Program six days a week to help the disenfranchised meet their nutritional needs. The program is funded by the proceeds generated by thrift store sales, donations, and county funding.

Anywhere from fifty to sixty people come every day between 12:00 and 1:30 looking for something to eat. The egalitarian program is free to the public with no eligibility requirements, but there are costs, “It takes all day for one person to cook hot food for sixty people, we had a full time cook, but not anymore. Maintenance to help clean up through out the course of the day was a full time position too.” Brooke said.

The volunteers now running the meal program are local students from the Martin Luther King Junior Center while other volunteers are fulfilling court ordered probation requirements. “The students are going back to school in September, we will be losing them once classes start. And I don’t know how many hours the courts ordered, but once their probation is up, I will lose them too.” Brooke lamented.

Most residents do not use the Mid-day Meal Program, but it is essential for those who do. At the August 21st Beacon City Council meeting Leela Brooke pled for assistance because, “I am all alone, and I can’t do it by myself.” The board did not respond to her in public.

Comments

[anon]

What is the crime situation like in Beacon now? I lived there years and years ago.

[Lindsay Lohan]

best site

[Lingeries]

best site

[Cat]

Cat, Cat families,nformation about cats and kittens Cat health, best way to keep your cat healthyCats behavior, All about Cats behavior Cat picture,yahoo Shopping is the best Crystal Orange Cat PictureCat Sound, Control of Sound Localization in the Cat Cat Name, Name for the Domestic Cat. Category provided on google Cat Home, About Cat. HomeCat Power, Cat Power find on msn EncartaFunny Cat, Do you have a funny Cat Picture Cat Eyes, view the world through the eyes of a catCat Tattoos, Cat Tattoos ShopCat Women,

[Health]

Health

[Cruise]

Cruise, Cruise Dinner, Cruise trip, Princess Cruises, Cruise jobs, Cruise Wear, Cruise Advice, cruise missile, Discover Cruises, Trips tips, Cruise By Interest, Cruise Overview, First time cruisers,

[Lindsay Lohan]

Lindsay Lohan, Lindsay Lohan Pics, Lindsay Lohan Biography, Lindsay Lohan Lyrics,Lindsay Lohan Vanity Fair , lindsay lohan OOPS, Lindsay Lohan Wonder Woman, Lindsay Lohan Tattoos, Lindsay Lohan Music, Lindsay Lohan Hair, Lindsay Lohan Diet, Lindsay Lohan stories, Lindsay Lohan Height, lindsay-lohan-filmography.php, Lindsay Lohan Skinny, Lindsay Lohan Smoking, Lindsay Lohan bra size, Lindsay Lohan Picture, Lindsay Lohan Boyfriend,

[Lingeries]

Lingeries, Lingeries Shop, Ladies Lingeries, Lingeries Models, Lingeries Office, Lingeries Women Bras , Lingeries Women Panties, Lingeries Women Sleepwear, Plus Size Lingeries, Hot Lingeries, Baby Doll Lingeries, Sexy Lingeries, Silk Lingeries, Women Soft Lingeries, Leather Lingeries,

[Cat]

cat

[Health]

Health

[Cruise]

Cruise, Cruise Dinner, Cruise trip, Princess Cruises, Cruise jobs, Cruise Wear, Cruise Advice, cruise missile, Discover Cruises, Trips tips, Cruise By Interest, Cruise Overview, First time cruisers,