Turning a Landfill into a Hiking Trail

CLCYesterday, the Columbia Land Conservancy published a proposal to convert the former Hudson landfill into a public recreation and natural area. The plan would create a network of walking trails that would link Hudson to Harrier Hill Park via the 714-acre Greenport Conservation Area currently located between the two.

The proposed natural lands would be within walking distance of downtown Hudson and would include educational programs about the varied ecosystems of the land and the history of shoreline settlement.

Hyde Park in the New York Times

The Frederick Vanderbilt estate. Photo by Susan Wides

I just got around to reading the profile piece of Hyde Park, NY, in the August 4 issue of The New York Times. The article, The Exurbs, Too, Appreciate an Oasis, by Elsa Brenner, is a great look at this beautiful area in Dutchess County.

Opening At The Crandell: Captain America

The summer blockbuster, Captain America: The First Avenger, opens tonight at The Crandell Theatre in Chatham.

Showtimes for the weekend:
Friday, August 5 & Saturday, August 6 at 7:00pm and 9:20pm
Sunday, August 7 – Thursday, August 11 at 7:00pm only

From The Crandell’s website:

“The latest entry from the Marvel Comic phone book, Captain America has a lot more going for it than its recent predecessors. The eponymous captain doesn’t have any super powers, but he makes up for it with sheer brawn and enthusiasm. Starring Chris Evans, whose jaw is squarer than a Rubik’s Cube, the picture nostalgically evokes early DC Comic heroes like Batman and Superman, as it pits Cap against the Nazis. Evans is surrounded by the likes of Hugo Weaving, who plays the villain, Tommy Lee Jones, and Stanley Tucci. “The First Avenger” part of the title is no accident; Captain America is a trailer for the main act, The Avengers, that will open next spring. Don’t change the channel!

Rated PG-13
124 Minutes
Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi”

Ticket prices at The Crandell are $5 for adults and $4 for children under 12.

The Crandell Theatre is located at 48 Main Street in the Village of Chatham, NY.

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Budget Troubles And Interesting Solutions for Chatham

The Columbia Paper ran an interesting article yesterday looking at the budget concerns of Chatham Village. In the article titled, How low can we go?, Parry Teasdale (writer, Columbia Paper), looks at the looming $70,000 deficit that the village is facing, what caused the current financial situation and how some villagers think they might deal with this deficit. One of the more interesting solutions posed was to ask the tax-exempt property holders of the village, which occupy roughly 38% of the land, to help out by contributing to the village.

Chatham isn’t alone in facing these financial issues and many of our towns and villages are in the same boat. Teasdale’s article is an interesting read and definitely worth reading in full. You can read the article now by visiting ColumbiaPaper.com or pick up a copy of the paper.

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Williamsburg on the Hudson

Interesting article in the NY Times looking at the growing influx of hipsters in the Hudson Valley.

Here is an excerpt:

“FROM the venerable general store his grandparents opened in 1919, where you can get hunting knives, cigars, worms, khaki pants and copies of Vogue, Phil Terni has watched Dutchess County’s passing parade for most of his 68 years.

The store has seen celebrated customers — Babe Ruth, Ava Gardner, Artie Shaw, Ruth Bader Ginsburg — amble in and out. And Mr. Terni has seen Millerton prosper as an agricultural crossroads with three hotels served by three railroads, and then decline toward irrelevance as the milk processing plant shut down and the farms died. Still, none of that has prepared him for what he sees outside his door every day.”

You can read the entire article on NYTimes.com by clicking here.