The Somers Spectator Is On Break

Shenorock Park District Informational Meeting

A Special Informational Meeting to discuss the proposed Shenorock Park District is scheduled for Thursday, October 21, 2010 at the Somers Middle School Auditorium from 7 PM to 10 PM. No official action will be taken by the Town Board at that meeting.

At the October 7 Town Board meeting, Supervisor Murphy invited people to submit in advance questions to her by email. She will distribute them to the proper town officials -- such as engineers and legal counsel -- so that more considered responses at the meeting on October 21 can be made.

Somers High In Marching Band Competition

Somers High School will participate in a marching band and color guard competition on October 16 in Danbury. Bethel High School is hosting its 15th annual "Quest for the Best" contest at Danbury High School because of renovations to Bethel High’s athletic fields. Other schools participating include those from Brookfield, Danbury, New Fairfield, and Norwalk. The event starts at 5 PM with admission of $10 and $5 for Seniors/Students The story is at the newstime.com blog offbeat.

Town Board Meeting On October 14

The Town Board of Somers, NY will hold its Regular Meeting on Thursday October 14. No public hearings are scheduled. The agenda is available here.

Somers Memento On Ebay

The Somers Spectator has no relationship to the seller. Ebay item 270644832713

Town Board Meets Thursday October 7

A regular work session of the Town Board for Somers, NY is scheduled for Thursday. The agenda is here. Among the agenda highlights are the Board's consideration of the Shenorock park district proposal. [See related story -- Can Lake Shenorock Be Saved (Part II)?]

Can Lake Shenorock Be Saved (Part II)?

The "park district" proposal for Lake Shenorock in Somers, NY is entering its next phase, but not without opposition. The agenda for Town Board meeting for Thursday, October 7 includes formal acceptance of the petition requesting the special district and scheduling an informational meeting for October 21.

As reported here in the Somers Spectator in July, Lake Shenorock was once a focal point for family recreation for the Shenorock community of about 650 homes. The lake then fell into decline and disuse for a variety of reasons. Hoping to rejuvenate the lake for recreation, the United Owners Association of Shenorock (UOA) wants to rebuild the beach area and dredge part of the lake for swimming. That takes money, estimated at $1.3 million. The UOA wants to create a park district so that Shenorock homes can be specially taxed to cover the cost. Since at least June, the UOA has led the petition drive to collect signatures of homeowners who hold 51% of the assessed value in order to put the issue before the Town Board. UOA has a Facebook page

Opponents say that the project will cost much more than estimated, resulting in bigger tax bills and that the beach project mostly favors those who live near the lake. There is a blog -- No to Shenorock Park District. Several residents spoke against the park district during public comment at recent Town Board meetings. The opponents have gained traction. As many as 16 households withdrew support for the park district causing the UOA to collect additional signatures for the petition.

What happens next? Once the petition is submitted, the Town must determine whether the petitions satisfies the legal niceties. Then, the Town is required to hold a public hearing. To declare a park district, State law says the Town Board must “find” that all the property owners within the proposed district are benefitted by the proposal. Most councilmen seem to favor holding an informational session before convening the formal public hearing. As noted by Supervisor Murphy at the September Town Board meeting, the Town will "continue to have a dialogue about it until everyone is satisfied that the issues are properly vetted." Whether the Board adopts this course will be decided on Thursday.

James Wins Marathon As He Preps For Ultra

On Saturday October 2nd, David James a 32 year-old ultra marathoner from Somers, won the Freedom's Run marathon, a 26 mile race through four National Parks based in Shepherdstown, WV. James’ time was 2 hours, 44 minutes, 43 seconds. According to a local newspaper, the Journal News:

Men's marathon champion David James of Somers, N.Y., dropped down from his favored distances of 100 miles to go 26. James, a first-year doctoral student who is among the nation's top 100-milers, used the marathon as a training run as well. He's preparing for the JFK 50-mile run set for Nov. 20, which uses part of the same trails as Freedom's Run.

The victory was on the 10th anniversary of his first marathon.

Sunday’s Journal News article is here.

In December 2008, the Stamford Times ran a profile of David James, with the headline "The sport of ultra running has changed local man's life". That article is here.

Somers rallies again for cancer-stricken college student

Nice article by Barbara Livingston Nackman in LoHud.com on Thursday reporting on the support of the Somers, NY community for the Monte family as their 20 year-old Hanna Monte deals with treatment for colon cancer. As stated in the story, the Monte family is overwhelmed, but not surprised, by the support. Monte's dad, Christopher, said. "People in this town are just like this. They are not fair-weather friends. ... I can't say how much this has helped us."

Read the entire article here.

Two events are set for this weekend. Tonight at Saint Luke's Episcopal Church is a benefit concert at 7 PM. Scheduled to appear are Bruce Jepson, Marion LoGuidice, David Norris, Sleepy Hollow String Band, Too Blue, Gene Yellin, and Mike Burns & North Country. Call (914) 277-4993, if you have any questions.

On Sunday, from noon to 4 PM is the Block Party at Old Tomahawk Road. It’s a “combination of Somers clubs and organizations coming together for the benefit of Hanna Monte.” Games, business displays, music and a raffle are planned. For more info, call (914) 760-7009 or check out the facebook page.