Published: April 17, 2008 11:16 am         

Letters for April 17, 2008

Attractive option available

Overall, the article on the proposed sewer district in the Hickory Grove area on Otsego Lake was a good one. Views on both sides of the issue were expressed and, for the most part, the comments were valid.

The proposed smaller district was presented to the Otsego Town Board on April 10 along with estimated costs.

User costs are expected to be significantly lower than those of the originally proposed larger district. The next step will be to amend the engineering study to reflect the smaller district and present it to the town board at their May meeting on May 14. A public workshop is being planned for June.

Some of the comments in the article made by others were incorrect.

The comment about the state comptroller taking over the sewer plant and local control being lost simply cannot happen legally.

By law, the local municipality owns the infrastructure for sewage treatment and sets the fee structure for debt repayment and operation and maintenance.

The fee structure, who pays and how much, is determined prior to district formation, and becomes part of the approval process for the district. And, it’s the people in the district who have the final say, via permissive referendum, on whether the district is approved or not.

There was also a comment about the “watershed” (Watershed Supervisory Committee — WSC) not offering an alternative to those in the Hickory Grove area, which has a very high septic failure rate based on the WSC’s inspection program.

This is not a true statement. Property owners have the option of either approving the sewer district, or not approving and replacing their own system if they have failed inspection. The option of having one state-of-the-art system, monitored by a licensed operator and located away from the lake, will be better for the lake than 50- plus systems located close to the lake and not closely monitored. With the user costs being lower for this option than replacing individual systems, it’s an attractive alternative.

Win McIntyre
Otsego Lake Watershed
Coordinator
Cherry Valley

No hope for youth?

As an 18-year-old male, I have had my fair share of repulsing obsessions in my youth, some of these obsessions being Pokemon, Nintendo, Pogs and of course, Star Warz. Now as I watch today’s youth, I can’t help but think that they are going to the gutter. I cite this back to their dominating infatuation, the phony, nauseating Hannah Montana.

With a role model like Hannah Montana, it really makes you question how the “Hannah Montana Generation” will turn out.

I personally question the level of intelligence of those who call themselves “fans.” For anyone who has an IQ over 50 and has listened/ watched/ read/ seen Hannah Montana knows of the extent of her illustrious talent. Here is a good old-fashioned statistic for you: tickets for the Hannah Montana concert series are harder to get than the Led Zeppelin reunion concert in London.

Now, take that as you will, but for me, that is a sure sign of the decline of American youth.

Maybe I am being naive. Maybe she really is a very talented young spud. But, from what I see from her phony exterior and her annoying voice and lyrics, I think it is safe to assume that her intellect barely scratches the surface of my Labradoodles.

Our only hope is that America’s youth will evolve out of this fad and blossom into something a bit more “mind-boggling.” I for one see no hope.

John Odbert
Cherry Valley

Odbert is a senior at Cherry Valley-Springfield Central School and wrote this letter for Jordan Jaquay’s Participation in Government class.

Create new jobs in our area

In recent months, attention has been greatly drawn to the wide age-range of the work force in our local area. In particular, the “young people” have captured interest due to the fact that while more jobs have become available, the number of workers in this age bracket is continuing to decrease.

In the Utica-Rome area, the work force has seen a loss of 3,300 people between 2004 and 2007, Yet, with this loss came a .6 percent increase in the number of job opportunities (equivalent to 800 additional non-farm jobs) in the area.

In October 2007, I was one of three seniors chosen to represent Cherry Valley- Springfield Central School at a Catskill Region Work Study Symposium.

The objective was to reach out to the “young people,” like myself, who will constitute the upcoming work force in the years ahead.

While I commend all those people who have worked hard and continue to dedicate themselves to bringing back and keeping the “young people” of this area, merely increasing job openings will not achieve the desired results; emphasis is continually being concentrated solely on creating job opportunities that are already traditionally a part of our region.

As such, I feel that our local economy needs to be reevaluated not by the number of jobs available, but by the types of occupational opportunities open to workers in the area.

It seems as though we may not be able to have our local, traditional way of life that we all value, and a thriving work force of “young people.”

Ashley Jacoby
Cherry Valley

Jacoby is a senior at C V-S and wrote this letter for Jordan Jaquay’s Participation in Government class.