By Matt Youngfrau
MONTICELLO — July 22, 2003 – For the last two years, Sullivan County District 6 Legislator Jodi Goodman has headed up an effort to improve the relations between the summer and year-round residents.
The Committee for Better Summer Relations includes local officials from every level of government and representatives of the summer communities from throughout the county.
The committee met Monday, July 7 at the Government Center in Monticello for their first gathering of the new summer season. Goodman reviewed the last meeting, which took place in Brooklyn about a month earlier.
“The New York trip was very successful,” she said. “We sat in a synagogue in Brooklyn and went over what to expect. It was a great meeting.”
Goodman stated that 15 people from the county attended, discussing everything from bears to hospital service to public safety.
Sullivan County Fire Coordinator and Civil Defense Coordinator Richard Martinkovic reported on a followup meeting held on June 19 with camp owners, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel, and the Fallsburg Police Department.
“It was beneficial and informative,” Martinkovic reported. “Carl Lindsley [from the Department of Environmental Conservation] is working on the bear issue. He has been tracking them.”
That was followed by a report by E-911 Coordinator David Kimmel, who stated that once again there was an increase in 911 hangups. Every call to 911 has to be followed up on, and that takes time and personnel away from potential emergency situations, he explained.
One of the Hasidic community leaders, Rabbi Freilich, stated that an article educating the summer residents on this issue would appear in their Yiddish newspaper.
Other issues addressed at the meeting included visiting buses letting children off without putting on their safety lights, traveling on roads not designed for buses, ways for both sides to assimilate to each other, and how to help improve service at Wal-Mart and ShopRite. Also reviewed was the program at Catskill Regional Medical Center (CRMC), where, for the first time, licensed doctors in the summer communities will be allowed to practice at CRMC.
Goodman also addressed the departure of the county’s director of communications, Lee Bosco. Bosco took care of calls that came in when problems arose on this issue. Those calls were responded to within 24 hours. Now those calls will go to Legislative Clerk AnnMarie Martin, who will forward them to Goodman. Most will then be handled by the community liaison, Maier Rosenberg.
Some issues come up every year, including beautification, closing businesses so that they are not eyesores, and taking care of garbage. Also, preparations for the big annual event at the Ichud (formerly Ideal) bungalow colony were covered. The gathering will be on August 9, and all in attendance said they were ready to see to it that, like last year, it would be problem-free.
All considered the meeting successful. Some will be working on various issues to improve and report on their progress at the next meeting, scheduled for Monday, July 28 at 9 a.m. at the Sullivan County Government Center in the Legislative Committee Room.