Beacon Dispatch

Editorial: Transparency and Truth

On September 26th the Beacon Dispatch learned that we were under investigation by our Internet Service Provider (ISP) for possibly violating our Acceptable Use Policy. According to our ISP someone had contacted them stating that the Beacon Dispatch website, and more specifically last month’s editorial, included anonymous postings that were, “…offensive, defamatory, and malicious,” and that they wanted our website shut down. The person also told our ISP that they were “… receiving phone calls at home and worried about their physical well being because of the site,” and that they were, “seeking legal advice on suing for libel.”

The investigation ended, quite literally, in a matter of minutes. The Dispatch site was reviewed by the ISP’s management and lawyers, we were issued an apology, and business proceeded as usual; the Dispatch website never saw a second of downtime.

Main Street’s Developing Neighborhood

by Karen Maserjian Shan

When Tim Buzinski and his wife Mei Ying So decided to open a wine shop, they chose to locate it in Beacon.

“We were looking for a place where we would feel comfortable and really liked to live,” said Buzinski, who, with So moved form Queens, NY to Beacon Hill this summer and opened their store, the Artisan Wine Shop at 180 Main Street in August.

“We were looking around at different towns and we came upon Beacon…and we figured that this would be the perfect place for us,” he said, adding he and his wife liked the culture and diversity of residents and businesses the City offered. The couple also is happy with the close relationships they’ve formed with the business community and customers, many of whom they see around town.

“Everybody’s trying to get on the same page to promote not just their own businesses but the town as a whole,” Buzinski said. “We’re really exited to be here.”

Arthouse on the Hudson

Newburgh theater screens indie films and a new theater comes to Beacon

by Kate Fraher

Good news for art film lovers: you need suffer no more the long drives to Rhinebeck and Pleasantville. An independent film center has opened on the Newburgh waterfront and plans are underway to convert the old theater at 445 Main Street, Beacon, into a six-screen cinema.

The Downing Film Center, which shares 19 Front Street in Newburgh with the Yellow Bird Gallery and Vino 100, opened its doors to a sold-out crowd on July 22. “We had people say they’d stand,” says owner, Brian Burke. The favorable response is no surprise considering that local movie-goers looking for the “independent, foreign and classic films,” in which the Downing specializes, formerly faced at least a forty-five minutes drive to theaters like Upstate Films in Rhinebeck, and the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville. Now it’s just a short trip to this cozy single-screen cinema which seats seventy. The concession stand offers traditional movie fare as well as coffee, tea, and fresh baked goods; the screening room is furnished with office style chairs, cheerily adorned with colorful cushions, and a front row of lounge chairs. Perhaps the most inviting aspect of the Downing is the enthusiasm of the Burke family, who run the theater together. The film center is the fulfillment of a life long dream for Brian Burke, a retired educator. He and his son, Kevin, an attorney, formed the business together and Burke’s wife also helps run it.

Comprehensive Plan Update: October 2006

by Sara Pasti
Co-Chair, Comprehensive Plan Committee

The April issue of the Beacon Dispatch included a summary of findings from the Beacon Basic Studies Inventory and Analysis document prepared by city planning consultants Frederick P. Clark Associates.  As indicated in that article, the Inventory and Analysis document shows where Beacon has been and where it is now and provides the basis for the comprehensive plan that will soon begin to shape Beacon’s future physical, economic, social and environmental development and conservation. 

Since April, significant progress has been made toward the completion of the comprehensive plan, currently scheduled to be presented in draft form to the City Council and the public at the end of the year.  Of primary importance during the summer months has been the involvement of Beacon’s residents in the planning process.  This involvement ensures that the Comprehensive Plan truly represents the needs and interests of the entire city.

Denning’s Point: A Hudson River History—A book by Jim Heron

Book Review

by Debra Adamsons

I had a lover in Denning’s Point this summer. No, it wasn’t “Naked Guy” living on the sailboat anchored off the Bay side of the Point, nor one of the workers constructing Building One of the Beacon Institute, or any member of DPW re-capping the landfill. Neither was it anyone from the Vassar archeological team digging on the south side of the island, or any of the daily joggers or fishermen fishing off the Point, and finally it wasn’t a local resident walking their dog along the loop. It was Denning’s Point that called to me every day. And it was Denning’s Point I developed a relationship and fell in love with.

Beacon School Board Update

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

I appreciate the many positive comments I received in response to last month’s column.  Many people have expressed an interest in hearing more about events within the schools, so I have asked Dr. Jean Parr, the superintendent of schools, to co-author the column. As the lead administrator of the district, she offers a great second perspective. This month we’ll touch on two topics that may not seem connected at first, but that are actually both essential items for a healthy school district: school taxes and program initiatives.

Beacon Voices: Michelle Rhone-Collins

Community Builder

by Nell Timmer

On a beautiful, early fall day I sat down in the playground of the Beacon Community Center to talk with Michelle Rhone-Collins, the new director, about the past, present and future of the center.

ET: So, you are the new director of the Beacon Community Center. What is this place?

MR-C: Well, it is a wonderful facility with different activities for, primarily, right now, young people—for their out-of-school time—and older adults. So, we are open every day after school for kids to come by and participate in some academic enrichment activities and some arts and recreational activities. And a couple of mornings a week there is time for older adults to come by and take yoga, exercise classes, art classes, and workshops.  Part of my work as the new director is to broaden the scope of programming so that we can include more activities for toddlers, parent support groups, especially for new parents. That was something that was very helpful for me as a new mother. I would also like to see some adult workshops in areas that folks are interested in, from budgeting to gift wrapping. And, some more comprehensive programming for teens as well.

ET: How long has the Beacon Community Center been in existence?

MR-C: It has been in existence for over 40 years, since 1965. Families have attended the BCC for generations yet there are many people who are not aware of its existence or its location. I want that to change and for people to see this as a really active resource for the community.

Highlights on the City Council

by Garrett Deutermann

September 5th meeting

Tuesday, September fifth, City Council members motioned to appoint Captain Glen Scofield to Chief of Police and appoint Detective Sergeant Musmeci to Detective Lieutenant. Councilman Lee Kyriacou called a point of order, referring to a section of the local charter, “My understanding is, no appointments can be made without the issue being discussed at workshop.”  City Attorney Gerard Pisanelli, who looked at the section of charter in question, said this instance fell into a gray area, but it was prudent to have the appointments put to workshop before being voted on. 

Later in the month, when further questioned about the appointment, Councilman Phil Shea said, “The appointments had not been work shopped” at the September eleventh workshop, one reason being,  “City Administrator Joe Braun was not present, so it could not be discussed.”  There has been nothing more on the appointments to date.

Recipe: Home Cooking, French Bistro Style

by Bruce Beaty

Alas, October is here. The pool is closed, the garden and the Farm are in their final stretches as we cross the bridge between the last warm days and the first chilly ones. Quick meals made from late summer vegetables, along with all good things coming off the grill, inevitably give way to more "comfort cooking." And although the grill has not yet been sequestered to the garage for the season, (mine never really is) the natural shift in the weather nudges our cooking indoors, toward slow-braises, roasts, and heartier fare. It's what I like to call "dig in food."

It was about this time of year that I moved to Paris to begin cooking as an apprentice, or "stagier" in some truly great restaurants. And although I had long since discovered some of New York's old-world, venerable French cooking institutions such as Chez Napoleon and Pierre au Tunnel, it was not until I lived in Burgundy that I truly understood what French Bistro life was all about. Well, of course it's about the cooking. Pure, simple, honest, real home cooking. It's what is referred to as " Cuisine Grand Mere," or Granmother's cooking. 'Nuff said. No wasabi glazes or tamarind foams to hide behind, no  "fusion cooking" that leads to "confusion," as a chef friend of mine once said. No nonsense upon stilts.

When I think of classic bistro food, I think of the most impossibly delicious, simple roast chicken, garlicky potato gratins, Leeks Vinaigrette, warm lentil salads, Moules Mariniere ( mussels steamed in white wine) Calves Liver with onions, Coq au Vin ( chicken stewed in red wine), Pot-au-Feu (beef braised in stock with vegetables) and of course Tarte Tatin, a French flag-waving dessert if ever there was one. But it's more than just the food. French bistros, like Italian trattorias, or the table of my mother's Southern upbringing, imply a sense of generosity,  familiarity and conviviality. They are characterized by a spirit of welcoming that says "rest your bones here."

I've included this month two classic soups, two salads, and a main course, all of which stay true to the spirit of their origins. As much as I encourage using recipes only as a template or a guideline, some of the classics deserve to be treated "comme il faut" ( as they should be) or "justement" ( correctly). The French are sometimes slow to adapt to new changes, and also reticent to throw out old classics in favor of the latest fad, particularly when it comes to food. And you know, that's really not a bad thing.