Letters to the editor August 10

Posted 8/9/17

Thanks for success of Minisink Project As Sullivan County Historian and president of the non-profit Delaware Company, which is dedicated to promoting and supporting the history and historic landmarks …

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Letters to the editor August 10

Posted

Thanks for success of Minisink Project

As Sullivan County Historian and president of the non-profit Delaware Company, which is dedicated to promoting and supporting the history and historic landmarks of the Upper Delaware valley, I want to thank and congratulate those whose hard work and generosity made the recently completed Minisink Project possible.

The fact that such an intricate and elaborate project was taken from conception to completion in exactly one year is a testament to the creativity, leadership and organizational skills of The Delaware Company Executive Director Debra Conway. Not only was the project—to erect a memorial at the Minisink Battleground that for the first time lists the names of those killed in the battle there on July 22, 1779—her idea in the first place, but she oversaw virtually every detail virtually every day in carrying it out.

Sullivan County Manager Josh Potosek and Director of Parks, Recreation and Beautification Brian Scardefield were key in coordinating the county’s participation, and the diligent work of the county’s DPW crew enabled the project to be completed in time for this year’s solemn commemoration, although at several points along the way that seemed utterly impossible.

Most importantly, the many members of the public who contributed generously to the fundraising effort are too numerous to mention individually, but as trite as it might sound, without their donations the project would not have been possible.

Thanks to this innovative collaboration, the region’s very first fallen veterans—men who were never afforded a proper burial, but whose mutilated bodies were left on the field of battle for 43 years—are now accorded some measure of recognition and respect through this new monument and other improvements the Minisink Project has made possible.

On behalf of The Delaware Company board of directors, I extend a sincere thank you to all concerned.

John Conway

Barryville, NY

What makes a good neighbor?

Regarding the editorial in the August 3 TRR, “Is Millennium a good neighbor?”:

In order to judge if Millennium is a good neighbor, one has to ask a few more questions.

Does a good neighbor emit VOC’s, toluene, benzene, formaldehyde, SO2, PM-10, PM-2.5, NO2? All are known carcinogens, neurotoxins and endocrine disruptors. Emissions will be 24/7/365.

Does a good neighbor, when apprised that their operations are causing respiratory issues for nearby residents, do nothing? In Minisink, Millennium not only did nothing, but when faced with evidence that people were getting headaches, rashes and nosebleeds, blamed health problems on wood stoves. In Hancock they bought out residents on the condition they sign a non-disclosure agreement in order to keep the information from the public.

Does a good neighbor steal your land through eminent domain? In order to finish their proposed compressor, Millennium will have to seize private property from the owner of the Eldred Preserve.

Does a good neighbor send you disinformation and outright fabrications in order to suppress public comments ahead of regulatory hearings? Millennium did. Recent mass mailings ludicrously claimed that their compressor was safer than skin moisturizer.

It should be noted that at the recent Department of Environmental Conservation hearing, not one resident of the Town of Highland stood in favor of the proposed compressor. Not one.

George Billard

Eldred, NY

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