Aging Actors On Stage in Somers

From the Daily Somers:
“We’re a theater group like no other,” said John Gee, president of the Heritage Hills Community Theater in Somers. “Our community is unique. The average age of our actors is late 70’s.”
Heritage Hills began in the 1970‘s as a development for “over-50’s.” Although the criterion no longer applies, many residents are retirees.
The group performs twice a year. The current play is “Morning’s At Seven,” produced on Broadway three times beginning in 1939. The Heritage Hills production proves that the play is still charming and relevant. The story of four midwestern sisters who are neighbors has garnered nearly two dozen theater awards over the years.



Read the complete story posted on June 11 in the Daily Somers, Aging Actors Fulfill Dreams on Stage in Somers.



LINKS:
http://www.thedailysomers.com/news/aging-actors-fulfill-dreams-stage-somers

Town Board Meeting Recap: Shenorock, Dog Park and Heritage Hills Water District

Here are some highlights from the Town Board meeting of March 10, 2011.

Shenorock Park District Procedures In Place

Over two hours of rancorous comment by Shenorock residents did not bring the two sides closer to compromise in the feud about creating a park district for Lake Shenorock to build a swimming beach and bath house. Opponents say the $1.4 million project is a luxury that residents should not be taxed to fund, noting that cleaning the lake of muck is a far cheaper first step. Proponents of the project say most residents want the project and want the matter put to a vote. The Town Board would love to see a compromise, but that is extremely unlikely.

As reported previously, the Town Board in December rejected as "flawed" the first petition to create a Park District. The Town decided that the best procedure would be for the petition to reside with the Town Clerk for approximately 60 days. The Town Clerk will oversee the signing process, verifying that each signer is an owner of land within the boundaries of the proposed park district. This is not a head-count vote. For the petition to succeed, 51% of owners as well as 51% resident owners must sign the petition The percent is determined by assessed value.

Dog Park

A group of residents has offered to fund the fencing costs of a dog park on Town-owned land. Fencing is by far the most expensive cost involved in building a dog park. The Town Board asked the Parks and Rec department to draw up plans for the Board to consider. Councilman Harry Bolton is the liaison. The location of the proposed dog park is on land near the Highways Department garage.

Heritage Hills Water District

The Town of Somers, NY is thinking about acquiring the Heritage Hills Water and Sewer District from a private owner. The overwhelming consideration said Supervisor Murphy is whether the residents in that District would save money. The asking price for the plant and infrastructure is over $18 million. On the back of an envelope analysis, Richard Benedict, President of the Heritage Hills Society, thinks the deal makes sense because revenues are likely to grow. The service area includes the Heritage Hills condos, a shopping center, a school and any new homes built in the area, The Town will further study the financial issues involved using an outside consultant. The financial advisor for Somers is worried about lost property taxes as a municipal district is tax exempt. However, other water districts in Town already enjoy tax exempt status.

Prevailing Wage Law

In discussions about paving roads and repairing the library roof, Councilman Bolton commented that the prevailing wage causes the Town to spend significantly more money on work put out to bid.

Moment Of Silence

The Town Board observed a moment of silence to honor Joanne Garrity and Don Derr, both of whom passed away this month.

The video of the Town Board meeting is available at the Town's web site.

LINKS:

http://somersspectator.blogspot.com/2010/12/back-to-square-one-for-shenorock-lake.html

http://www.somersny.com/Pages/SomersNY_TownMtgVideos/TownBoard031011

Somers School District Grapples With Budget In Face Of Huge Property Tax Settlements

When property tax assessments go down, taxes go up. For the Somers Central School District, taxes will go up 5.59%, if settlements with NYSEG and the condo owners of Heritage Hills are approved by the state court. School Board members face tough choices after hearing a presentation by Assistant Superintendent of Business Kenneth Crowley at a recent Board meeting focused on revenues for the budget for next year. A link to the power point presentation,viewable in a web browser, is located here. The settlement have been in negotiation for about two years, according to news reports.

Total property assessments are expected to be down by $26 million, primarily from a $21 million settlement of a decade long dispute with Heritage Hills in Somers, NY. The NYSEG settlement will reduce the tax base by another $2.9 million. Other reductions will reduce assessments by about $2.4 million. Although condo owners at Heritage Hills will each get a refund of about $1500, their taxes will also go up as a result of reduction in assessed value. Still unresolved is a claim by Pepsi Bottling Group seeking a reduction in its assessments.

See these news articles for further information:

Somers schools to lose $26 million to tax assessment cases at NCNLocal.com, and

Heritage Hills condo owners to get tax refunds; $21M assessment cut at LoHud.com

LINKS:

http://board-of-education.somersschools.org/modules/groups/group_pages.phtml?gid=2118090&nid=193996&sessionid=c5d8b073a64e5dff176faecccc2bae0e

http://ncnlocal.com/ncnlocal_news/article_579520c8-2979-11e0-9c81-001cc4c002e0.html

http://www.lohud.com/article/20110202/NEWS02/102020328/Heritage-Hills-condo-owners-to-get-tax-refunds-21M-assessment-cut

Accident In Heritage Hills

A Heritage Hills security officer/EMT was injured yesterday in a two-vehicle collision while responding to a medical emergency. No serious injuries resulted, although Somers firefighters extricated the guard.

Read the LoHud.com story here. Photo from LoHud.com; see more here.