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| Good Sunday morning. Keep our Rail Trail Free of Advertising. Sign Deborah Ramsey's petition then forward this post to your contacts. We can win this only if *you* take action! http://www.change.org/petitions/no-ads-on-putnam-trailway These people - and hundreds more - have all spoken out in public so that their voices will be heard. You can join them. Here's More Reasons for signing on: Suzanna Courney MAHOPAC, NY I am signing because I want to preserve the natural landscape of our town...I run all the time to escape the noise and enjoy the beauty of nature .I DO NOT WANT SIGNS to cover what we want to enjoy most and that's Gods nature. Thomas Courtien CARMEL, NY Keep the viewscape as clean as possible. Suzanne geiger SHENOROCK, NY Don't spoil the beautiful scenery with advertising. Also, for bikers, it would be a hazard for them to be distracted by signs instead of watching for other bikers, pedestrians, runners, dogs, etc.  Carol Scudero PUTNAM VALLEY, NYThe trailway is a serene place where you can leave everything behind. We want it to be a scenic place not a commercial space. Kevin Malone STORMVILLE, NY It's the bike path now what's next we ride bike path to get away from from all of that Abigail Meisel NYC, NY The trailway is for people, not profit. Megan Machulski KENT LAKES, NY We are bombarded with enough commercialism every day... the trails should remain the one place we can take our families to enjoy NATURE.. the way it is meant to be. Edward Nugent CARMEL, NY I use the bike paths frequently and the thought of littering the trails with ads is repulsive. Contact Dutchess County and see how they manage their great trails without any ads. Theuy put Putnam to shame. Gayle Watkins COLD SPRING, NY This is where we need to be able to get away from our commercial lives and enjoy the beautiful world around us. Barbara Perkins COLD SPRING, NY Our paths are for quiet meditative walks..period Thomas de Villiers BEACON, NY As a former resident of Kent, I often use the trailway with my friends who live in Putnam County. Nick Hopper MAHOPAC, NY PLEASE check out this link! http://www.planputnam.org/ntm/2013/06/heres-a-little-more-on-the-bikepath-county-scam/ Marian Leonard MAHOPAC, NY When we moved here in 1980 it was the rural feel that attracted us. Route 6 has become an overcrowded commercialized nightmare and the Putnam Trailway is one of the few oasis's for residents that retains the feel of getting away from it all. Please do not allow commercial signs along the Trailway. Joseph Lambert BREWSTER, NY Advertising is unnecessary, trying to use safety as the issue to push advertisement signs on our trails is so transparent. Have bike patrollers ride the rails, like the HELP trucks on 684 Bill Doll CARMEL, NY If people are paying attention to advertisement then their not paying attention to children playing on the trail. Marie Davis-Williams CARMEL, NY Judging by the type of development that passes muster in this county I don't trust that enough forward thinking or care will be taken with displays of commercial signage on the bike path. Tom Maxson KENT, NY I don't believe the trailway should be commercialized. I believe there are other ways of raising funds for its maintenance. Wayne Pearson BREWSTER, NY We do not have to commercialize everything. Some things are best left as they are. ENOUGH! Mario Riccobon CARMEL, NY While I understand the county's need for generating revenue, it should not come at the cost of destroying more of the bucolic flavor and rural sensibility that brought most of us to Putnam County in the first place. If we're having budget problems, then perhaps the savings should come from reducing the amount of pensionable government jobs or higher taxes/reduced pensions on double-dipping politicians. Howard Kilik MAHOPAC, NY We have strict rules about lawn signs and ads on houses to protect the quality of life. Why would public property be exempt from restrictions on commercialism? Kathleen and Jan Hoekstra PUTNAM VALLEY, NY There is increasingly less and less pristine in Putnam County. Why tarnish a refuge like this where people can refresh their bodies and spirits. John Buonarobo BREWSTER, NY Leave nature alone.. let us walk the path in peace, leave the outside world to the subways. Ray Mainiero CARMEL, NY Because I use this trail on a regular bases with my grandchildren and I don't want its natural beauty destroyed. Wanda Law BREWSTER, NY Nepotism and cronism is a poor practice most often yielding bad results. God given talent, skills and abilities in combination with a right heart attitude and a good work ethic best qualifies one for any task; having a relationship with such should only be taken into consideration to access character. |
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Sunday, June 30, 2013
News That Matters - Sunday, June 30, 2013 - Save the Rail Trail Edition
Saturday, June 29, 2013
News That Matters - Saturday, June 29, 2013 - The "Well, What Did You Expect?" Edition
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| Good Saturday Morning! DOMA was struck down and 100 million marriages did not dissolve into a black pit of godless sin. So there. ---- Well, What Did You Expect? It's all about Bikepath Country (BpC) and the contract to place advertising signs on the Rail Trail that County Executive Maryellen Odell admits she hasn't read but intends to sign off on anyway. She doesn't want to "micromanage". Her word. And it's all about the legal battle between MEO and the county Legislature who says she doesn't have the authority to sign contracts like this in the first place. So... in order to teach her a lesson the Legislature will vote this coming Tuesday evening to sign off on the contract with BpC all on their own. Mewling spoiled brats... the whole bunch of them. It's interesting to see them crawling all over each other trying to sign a contract with a company whose plans were rejected a couple years ago and whose current business plan changes almost every day and who is so politically connected that the doctor forgot to cut the umbilical cord attaching them to the Republican Committee at birth. First it was "tastefully done" advertisements that would be limited to 10% of the total sign area on mile markers placed every half mile, we assume in each direction. (That's 44 signs). BpC said they'd sell these signs to local businesses at between $200-$400 each per month. But we never saw samples of those. Instead we were shown pictures of signs that were 50% or 30% covered in advertisements, Golden Arches, IHOP and all! Go figure.(See our last issue for the math breakdown on this and why it cannot possibly work as stated.) And when community opposition became overwhelming MEO pulled the "Public Safety" card as all politicians do when their plans begin to go awry. As I wrote back on June 24th; County Legislator Ginny Nacerino claims that mile markers are essential to safety on the trail and therefore supports Bikepath Country’s project but forty-four mile markers, using standard State DOT markers, at half mile intervals in both directions can be installed for $1500 in materials. If the county highway department cannot come up with $1500 out of $130,000,000 budget then we are truly sunk. And if we are, let’s get a collection started right here at News That Matters to buy the county their damned mile markers *without* advertising on them.At least she didn't say it was to "protect the children!" That would have been low. But she didn't stop there! Buried under a sea of emails to her office in opposition to this plan she had her email address pulled from the county website. (I'll post it again at the bottom of this column.) County Legislative chair Richie Othmer said that we should help BpC start their new business but damn, where was he when I was starting mine? Did he offer me a sweetheart contract with the county? No. How about you... when you started your business did the County Legislature help you out? Did Maryellen Odell put her name and county seal on your advertisements via endorsement? So why is BpC so important? Legislator Barbara Scuccimarra said, “I’m on board with Richie (Othmer). I think it’s very unfair that a large percentage of people in the county who don’t use the bike path have to pay to maintain it. I really don’t care if you have a contract in Florida or not.”" Well Babs, what you're saying is that you don't care that they lied about having a contract. Aren't you supposed to be protecting the other 99,993 people of this county? And by the way, does this pertain to the county park on Gipsy Trail as well? Since I don't use it should have not pay for it? Eh! Enough of that. We know this is a sham and a bad deal - and not just for the county but for the Rail Trail. Let's get to the good stuff: According a Tax Watch article on June 24th, BpC will "control" the type of advertising they permit on their signs. No sex, no drugs, no rock and roll, no alcohol and no Jesus Christ, either. But this opens up a First Amendment issue that could last years in the courts. If the signs were on private property BpC could limit them to anything they wanted. But the signs will be placed on public property on which the Supreme Court has determined that a different set of rules apply. How this will be reconciled is easy: they'll ignore it and hope no one sues. But if someone comes along and decides to rent space on one of those signs that says, "God is Dead" and they're refused, let's just hope they have the resources to sue the county's yarbles off.Still, with all that technical funny stuff, all the nepotism, favoritism and a few other 'isms involved here it all comes down to one thing: Posting advertising signs on the Rail Trail is a bad idea. Period. If you agree, take 5 minutes out of your day to call Maryellen Odell’s office and say, “NO!” to this foolish enterprise and let’s keep for ourselves a place to escape commercialism. You can reach her at (845) 808-1000 (or 845) 808-1001... she keeps changing the number) or by email to PutnamCountyExecutive@putnamcountyny.gov. Then call the county Legislature at (845) 808-1020 or email them at putcoleg@putnamcountyny.gov. If you're looking for yet another way to show your opposition there is an online petition begun by Deborah Ramsey you can find here: http://www.change.org/petitions/no-ads-on-putnam-trailway . Whichever path you chose, chose one and follow it. Let's stop this silliness. JmG |
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Monday, June 24, 2013
News That Matters - Monday, June 24, 2013
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| Good Monday Morning. A little more on those rail trail signs... For one thing, we don't know how much maintenance for the trail costs the county, as if this were an important question. It's not, the question before us isn't this, it's whether or not we'll be the only community in the nation to have splattered advertising signs on our rail trail after construction. But, I digress... Putnam County executive Maryellen Odell claims it costs us $100,000 a year for maintenance while the legislature says it's closer to $60,000. In the first instance it costs us $9100 a mile and in the second $5400 a mile. Either way someone is either lying to us or that eleven foot wide path is paved with gold. And does it really take eight guys, two in suits, to cut a fallen limb from across the path? (as it's been reported on more than one occasion!) Bikepath claims that there's a 50/50 split - after their expenses - expenses which are also unknown. But let's assume they sell 44 ads (that's every half mile in both directions) at $200 a year. That makes $8800 of which the county portion would be $4400. But wait! Bikepath has expenses first! I'll assume that means they'd be sending someone in a motorized vehicle the length of the trail at least once a week, replacing and repairing any signs damaged or stolen. And the signs have to be purchased and printed. Standard mile markers used by NYS along state highways run at about $7 per and to allow for some fuzziness let's call it $1500. So that leaves $7300 before regular maintenance of the signs. If that guy spends one full day a week on the trail and he's getting paid $15 an hour (thus the expense to employ him is closer to $22) and he works a seven hour day his cost will be $5460 for the year leaving us with $1840 to split meaning our take would be $920. Really? $920? All this for $920? On the other hand, if their numbers are monthly (they've changed their bottom number from $200 to $50 (I wonder why?)) and they sell 44 adverts each month at $200 then we're talking some real money here, to the tune of $105,600. But no one in their right mind will pay $200 for a *once inch banner* on a 7 inch wide sign so let's go back to that $50. and we get $26,400. That's better... on the face of it. But now their maintenance costs have changed because many, if not most of those signs will need to be brought in to have the old advert removed and a new one placed which could easily double the labor and materials cost. So, let's be conservative and double the dude's employment costs to $11,000 which we'll take from the $26,400 which leaves us with $15,400 and the county's take would be $7700. A year. I'm willing to bet MEO has already spent that much on damage control over this debacle. County Legislator Ginny Nacerino claims that mile markers are essential to safety on the trail and therefore supports Bikepath Country's project but forty-four mile markers, using standard State DOT markers, at half mile intervals in both directions can be installed for $1500 in materials. If the county highway department cannot come up with $1500 out of $130,000,000 budget then we are truly sunk. And if we are, let's get a collection started right here at News That Matters to buy the county their damned mile markers *without* advertising on them. But let's not lose focus of one additional thing: Bikepath Country has changed their business model over and again. They misled the county on their past business experience as reported in no less than three newspaper articles. The discussion they and the Chambers of Commerce originally created was to suggest the rail trail was not being maintained - which is false - and that there will be "no cost to the county". (Remember the Tilly Foster contract and the Putnam National golf course?). When all of that was debunked MEO and the legislature came back with the "public safety" argument which is also false. And yet, for reasons that are unknown (and is the true root of this entire story) the county Legislature and the County Executive are adamant about promoting this thing by awarding Bikepath Country with a county contract - built on false pretense. This is Putnam County government at work. Today, Monday June 24th, take 5 minutes out of your day to call Maryellen Odell's office and say, "NO!" to this foolish enterprise and let's keep for ourselves a place to escape commercialism. You can reach her at (845) 808-1000 or by email at PutnamCountyExecutive@putnamcountyny.gov. Then call the county Legislature at (845) 808-1020 or email them at putcoleg@putnamcountyny.gov. Together we can win this and keep our county where the country begins. PS: I noticed while writing this that the county has removed the county executive's email address from the county website. It's clear we're winning this.... let's put this over the top! |
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