Supes pursue seizure of golf course land

HUDSON–The first item on the agenda of the county Board of Supervisors October 9 was a public hearing prior to the regular meeting on the subject of the proposed seizure by eminent domain of private land county officials say is needed to expand the county airport and improve safety.

Some residents don’t believe the county can support its claim that extending the runway in West Ghent is necessary and they question why the county has not released more information about the project. Their concerns were reflected in a resolution prepared by Ancram Supervisor Art Bassin (D), which called on the board to table any action on the land seizure until questions about the project have been resolved. But when the measure came up at the regular meeting it failed to win the support of the board on a party-line vote.

In a telephone conversation after the meeting County Planning and Economic Development Commissioner Kenneth J. Flood referred to a master plan prepared in 2003 to meet FAA requirements for maintenance and various projects at the airport. One component of the plan was an increased safety zone at the northern end of the airport (a safety zone at the southern end of the airport already exists) to accommodate larger planes and protect people at and around the airport, he said. Two years ago Mr. Flood was asked by the Board of Supervisors to get a letter from the FAA in support of the plan.

The county has offered to purchase the 15 acres for the safety zone from Carmen Nero for $629,000, a price based on an appraisal approved by both the FAA and the state Department of Transportation. When Mr. Nero rejected that offer, the county began its eminent domain process.

Ghent residents Patti Matheney and Michael Schrom, who live near the airport, have raised a number of questions about the proposed expansion including whether there is any documentation to support the Mr. Flood’s claim that the FAA requires the land purchase.

They and others have also challenged the accuracy of data on flight traffic in and out of the airport, and asked for details of the agreement between the county and Richmor aviation, the private company that operates the airport. (A letter from Ms. Matheny appears in this edition). So far the county has not released any of the information and Mr. Schrom and another airport neighbor have taken legal action in state court to obtain the documents.

During the public hearing, Mr. Flood was presented with many of the same questions, some of which he did not answer.

Mr. Nero spoke about how county delays since 2006 stalled his plans for a resort hotel and restaurant, which he said had cost jobs and hurt his business. He encouraged the county to pursue the eminent domain process as a means of resolving the issue.

The County Attorney’s Office is proceeding with the process of eminent domain.

Also at the meeting the board:

•Approved sale of the county’s Certified Home Health Agency (CHAA) to WillCare, a private company, for $75,000. The county agency had been losing money for years, and as of September 2013 had sustained a loss of $324,000

•Amended its weighted voting based on the results of the most-recent census

•Heard Taghkanic Supervisor Elizabeth Young (R) read a certificate proclaiming October 6-12, 2013 as National 4-H Week in Columbia County. Linda Tripp of the Cornell Cooperative Extension facilitated a presentation by members of the local 4H Chapter.

THROUGH THE WOODS: The Coyote

In Communities - Columbia, The Columbia Paper

July 19, 2024

By NANCY JANE KERN

COYOTES ARE OFTEN HEARD AT NIGHT and the eerie yips, barks, and howls send instantaneous shivers down the spine. There were a few glimpses of them at dusk and then one came in daylight. She was large, thin, yellow and very wary. It was spring and I correctly assumed she was feeding a family. By June she brought her two half-grown young to teach them to hunt. They were much less cautious and would come closer to the house as they watched her work the back portion of the field. Eventually, they all were hunting. Their technique was to walk across an area and freeze if a mouse was located.

Coyotes can hear higher-pitched sounds than domestic dogs, and their incredible sense of smell helps them find prey. They leap in the air and pounce down like a cat. The daughter was the best hunter, catching one mouse after another. Freeze, pounce, bite, and then toss the dead animal in the air, grab and swallow. While she was busy, her brother sat and watched. A couple of times he got up and poked around, but mostly waited as if he expected to be fed. She did not oblige. Females may stay with the mother in a small group (called a band, pack, or rout) of about five or six coyotes who may hunt together to cover about two square miles per night and a total territory of more than 10 square miles. The young males go out of the territory to start new family groups. Coyote mortality is high through the death of young, by hunters and trappers, and from cars. A pack can kill a deer, and we find the remains of fawns in our woods.

Coyotes are scavengers and pets and livestock can be coyote prey, as well as colonies of feral cats. And yes, they will rarely mate with domestic dogs. The usual combination is a male coyote and a female dog. The offspring are called coydogs. A family member unknowingly raised a puppy that was a coydog. They constantly hunt, resist training, and do not make good pets. It is rare, but coyotes have attacked humans, and children in particular can be in danger. It is recommended not to feed coyotes or allow them access to pet food or garbage because they lose their fear of humans.

Coyotes in our area have some wolf blood which may make them darker and larger than western coyotes. One fall a nephew was sitting on the ground resting against a tree when he felt something by his elbow. He turned to see a coyote sniffing his sleeve! He jumped to his feet and the coyote took off in the opposite direction. He could not believe how quiet it had been to creep up on him through the dry leaves. Our Indigenous People called the coyote the trickster for good reason. From his yellow eyes to his thick fur and bushy tail the coyote is a handsome and intelligent fellow who knows how to take care of himself.

Supes pursue seizure of golf course land

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