Beacon Dispatch

DIA:Beacon Hits the San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Jon Carroll took a trip up to Beacon last week and visited our little museum on the Hudson. Wish he would have stopped by for a cup of coffee... I would loved to have talked with him about Herb Caen.

You can read Jon's Column here.

Sometimes I miss being a San Francisco boy...

Open Space Initiative Passes

By an unofficial vote of 1,128 to 1,079, the Open Space initiative has passed in Beacon.

Editorial: Vote Yes On Open Space Referendum

In November of 1909 the naturalist John Muir sent an open letter to the American people encouraging them to contact their members of Congress and encouraging them to preserve the Hetch-Hetchy Valley, “…unmarred as places of rest and recreation for the use of all the people…” At the time of Muir’s writing the City of San Francisco was, “…attempting to get possession of the Hetch-Hetchy Valley as a reservoir site, thus defrauding ninety millions of people for the sake of saving San Francisco dollars.”

The defrauding that John Muir was speaking of in this letter had nothing to do with money and everything to do with the open space that was the Hetch-Hetchy Valley; a pristine wilderness and virtual twin to the neighboring Yosemite Valley, one of the most beloved parks in our country’s National Park System.  Unfortunately, John Muir’s call fell on deaf ears in Congress and today the beauty of Hetch-Hetchy is buried beneath a reservoir and is a monument to how irrevocable and irrecoverable a natural resource is once it’s lost.

It’s unfair to compare the Hiddenbrooke to either the Hetch-Hetchy or Yosemite Valleys, but the story does illustrate an important truth: once a pristine landscape is developed there’s no way to return it to its former glory. It’s lost forever. And, in the event that some future generation decides to return a lost treasure to its original state, the cost to recover that treasure is far greater than what it would have cost to save it in the first place. What John Muir understood that most of his contemporaries did not is that once an area of open space is lost to development and modernization, it is lost forever

The residents of Beacon have a unique opportunity come November 7^th. An opportunity to preserve a uniquely beautiful piece of property. An opportunity to personally enjoy a near wilderness within walking distance of their homes. An opportunity to save for the future one of the last unspoiled landscapes inside the Beacon City limits. An opportunity to open that piece of property to public use and personal enjoyment from now until many years into the future.

Vote YES on the Hiddenbrooke referendum on Tuesday.

Election 2006: An Overview

An overview of the candidates whose races affect the City of Beacon

The following races were chosen due to their immediate effect on Beacon. We have presented incumbent candidates first, followed by challengers. We have tried to present this information in a proactive, unbiased manner. We have therefore chosen to focus on the candidates’ records, positions, and proposed solutions to their issues, while excluding excessive or denigrating criticism. The choice and arrangement of issues was based on candidates’ priorities as indicated by their websites, and public and media appearances. Please visit the candidates’ websites for more extensive information on these and other issues.

Solar Powered Racing

Newburgh teens build solar cars and race them

by Jack Sine

Mixing 16-year-old kids, cars, and racing is a recipe for disaster to most adults. But not if you’re looking at a group of 50 or so teenagers at Newburgh Free Academy who are not only building and racing solar-powered cars—they’re also doing it for class credit.

Lee Cabe is a native Beaconite and a (now retired) physics teacher at NFA. Back in the mid 90s Lee got the idea of building a solar powered car and having his students work on it for lab credit.

“There’s a lot to it,” said Cabe. “Everything we study in physics is in this car, plus some chemistry. The program is focused on Juniors who are just getting their licenses and really into cars. So they have fun while they learn.”

Beacon School District Update

by Bill Zopf, Board President & Dr. Jean Parr, Superintendent

The students and employees of a school district deserve a safe and secure environment. Yet making improvements to facilities in order to maintain and enhance a safe school environment can be costly. In this month’s column we’ll explain Beacon School District’s eligibility for funds to reduce the cost of certain school construction projects through an exciting new state aid program. Also, in light of some of the recent school violence in our country we will explain how our district currently reviews its security and safety plans.

New Funding for School Facilities Improvements

New York State has introduced the EXCEL program to provide additional funding for certain types of school construction projects.  EXCEL (EXpanding our Children’s Education and Learning) aid can only be used for improving health and safety, making buildings more energy efficient, adding technology for educational purposes, improving accessibility or increasing student capacity by adding additional building space.  It can’t be used for such things as a bus garage project or paying off interest on money borrowed to finance building projects. The Facilities Planning Office of the State Education Department has to approve any building project as eligible for EXCEL aid. Unlike standard state aid for a building project which is paid to the district over a 15- to 30-year period, EXCEL aid is paid to the school district as project costs are incurred.

Beacon Voices: Michael Benzer and Jennifer Smith

by Ellen Timmer

ET: This facility is pretty impressive. Can you tell me what you do here?

MB: We make glass for Hudson Beach Glass, as well as for Architectural Glass and Beacon Glass Works. The products that we make under the Hudson Beach Glass name are some of the products at the firehouse gallery on Main Street.

ET: Can you tell me a little bit about the manufacturing process?

MB: The day to day processes is a lot like a foundry; we cast each piece individually. However, our molds are reusable so we don’t have to make a new mold every time. After the glass is made, we spend our time on secondary processes like sandblasting and finishing and then packing and shipping.

Recipe: Vegetarian Holiday Menu

by Bruce Beaty

When thinking about a theme for November’s recipe column, I was tempted to eschew anything related to Thanksgiving. It seems to me that every magazine, newspaper, or early morning TV program has recipes for the moistest, crispiest turkey, the best cranberry sauce, or a stuffing that can please everyone (even though our mothers make the world’s best stuffing.) So what would be the point?

As I thought about alternatives to Thanksgiving recipes, I kept being lured back in by the sweet, dulcet tones of the siren song of “Turkey Day.” In a moment of weakness, I caved.

I thought I might offer recipes for a satisfying vegetarian Thanksgiving menu, one that may not satiate every carnivore, but would supply some good “sides” to go along with a traditional turkey dinner for those who don’t eat meat. While I’m not at all a vegetarian, I adore vegetables and when in a restaurant, I will frequently choose a main course simply based on what accompanies a given dish. 

As an extra bonus, all of these recipes are good as pot-luck side dishes if you’re going as a guest to someone’s house for T-day. Either vegetable stock or chicken stock is fine where any recipes call for stock, depending on your level of commitment to vegetarianism. All of the recipes here are for 12 or more servings.