October 30th, 2008
County Legislators Blast KJ over Violations
View the article from Photo News
October 23rd, 2008
The Orange County Budget
Orange County Executive Edward Diana presented the proposed 2009 operating budget this past week to the Orange County Legislature for our review.
The County Executive announced cuts of over $7 million dollars in expenditures and has assured the legislature that he has worked to achieve a balance of no tax hikes, while still maintaining essential services.
Some of the highlights of the proposed budget are $59.9 million in sales tax revenue sharing with local municipalities; $6 million is road and bridge construction; $14.6 million for bridge and road maintenance; $115,200.00 to support Orange County Libraries; Increased support for Orange County Community College; $867,852.00 for “Stop DWI” programs; $951,167.00 for Veterans Services and $3.4 for Community Development and increased support for Orange county Community College to name a few.
In our district, I am delighted to announce one of the lowest Real Property Tax in the whole of Orange County. The new 2009 Tax rate for the County of Orange is down 8.15% from 2008.
This decrease will help reduce the real estate taxes, in Monroe and help fuel growth in the housing market.
The budget presented to the County Legislature by Orange County Executive Ed Diana recognizes that no increases in the County tax rate are acceptable to Orange County taxpayers. In fact the County tax rate is the lowest it has been since World War ll. As your legislator I look forward to reviewing the proposed budget during the coming weeks and will work to insure that the budget adopted for the coming year contains no increase in the County tax rate. We in the legislature understand people just can’t afford it.
October 23, 2008
Energy Saving Workshop
County Executive Edward Diana and Commissioner of Social Services David Jolly are pleased to announce the next Orange County Energy Summit will be held of October 23 from 5:30PM to 8:00PM at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh. This workshop is focused on educating residents on the benefits of energy conservation, weatherization, public utility law and New York sponsored programs that offer financial assistance to families.
Energy conservation toolkits will be offered to attendees of each workshop. Inside each weatherization kit, our residents will find simple but effective energy conservation products, including compact fluorescent light bulbs, draft sealants and many more products that conserve energy and lower energy costs.
Attendance at the Energy Summit is free; however, residents are encouraged to RSVP by calling 291-4311.
September 12, 2008
Townsend Critical of Sewer Decision
Monroe, NY – In response to the recent ruling by Supreme Court Justice Francis Nicolai, who sided with Kiryas Joel in the court fight over which communities should receive sewer service from the recent expansion of the Orange County-run sewage treatment plant in Harriman, Orange County Legislator Greg Townsend stated, “I am disappointed by the decision of Judge Nicolai, his judgment will delay the rights of the Moodna Group residents to have access to sewer services they have paid for.”
The Moodna Group is a group of local municipalities, who have paid thousands of, their hard earned, taxpayer dollars to partner with the County sewage plant in Harriman, to receive septic services for their communities.
“It is their right to be able to expand those services they have paid for, to the residents of their group, which encompass the towns of Monroe, Woodbury, Chester and Blooming Grove and the Village of Chester. As the sewage facility has the ability to meet the increased capacity demands requested, and the Moodna Group has a contractual and vested right to participate in the expansion of the plant, they should be able to have access to the extra 1 million galloons a day they paid millions of dollars for,” said Greg Townsend.
This decision puts on hold requests by the towns of Monroe, Woodbury, Chester and Blooming Grove and the Village of Chester to buy further treatment capacity.
Townsend stated the county will appeal Judge Nicolai’s ruling.
September 12, 2008
Mountco Construction Preferred Purchaser for Camp LaGuardia
Orange County is the current owner of four parcels of land, known collectively as the former Camp LaGuardia. The property was purchased last year for 8.5 million dollars for public purposes. Recently the County Executive has requested proposals for the development of this property in a manor consistent with public interest and best serves the interests of the residents of the County and Towns of Blooming Grove and Chester. It has been determined by the County Legislature that the proposal submitted by Mountco Construction and Development best meets the needs of the Towns of Chester and Blooming Grove.
Both Supervisors for the Towns of Chester and Blooming Grove, as well as the Mayor of the Village of Chester have voiced their support of Mountoco as the preferred purchaser.
August 13,2008
Townsend receives monies for County Parks
Orange County NY – There is no better way to enjoy summer than spending it outdoors in our community parks says, Orange County Legislator Greg Townsend. Residents of Orange County make good use of all the parks, and therefore the Orange County Legislative felt it important to keep them beautiful.
Just this past month, numerous grants have been made to upgrade and maintain the beauty of over 20 parks and recreation facilities that are scattered around the County.
Harriman and Monroe are no exception, Harriman received $5,000 to add a chain link fence for the Ball field at Veterans Field #3 in the Village of Harriman, and Monroe received $12,000 to enhance walking parks and replace 20 benches at Cane Park in the Village of Monroe.
Grants were awarded under the Orange County Municipal Parks Grant program to upgrade ball fields, enhance nature trails, construct restrooms in parks where there weren’t any, and simply to continue to maintain the natural beauty of these parks for everyone to enjoy.
Each park will receive a grant for a specific project that will upgrade, enhance, or add to the beauty of the park or recreational facility says Townsend. Parks throughout the County are well used and the public will benefit at an even greater level with these enhancements.
August 13, 2008
Greg Townsend & Orange County Legislature Request an Increase in Funds for Firefighter Training
Orange County NY – Residents of Orange County rely on fire protection and emergency services everyday for the safety and immediate response they provide. They all dedicate their time to be properly trained and ready to respond to any type of emergency that may arise throughout our area. Although, for the past 3 years, funding for their training programs have remained the same, an insufficient amount to provide the proper training needed.
The current New York State budget does not provide a dedicated budget line for training programs throughout the state. Much of the funding for the necessary training programs offered by the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control (OFPC) has been cut, and with this loss it reduces the number of instructors and training hours available. In the last training survey conducted, over 77,000 hours were requested, but in the current fiscal year, only about half the hours requested will be funded.
This leaves our County, along with other parts of the State in a bad situation. Without the necessary funding, our fire department and emergency services can not go through proper training or continue to be educated on how to respond to incidents. As our population grows there are more people in need of their services and not enough staff capable of responding to such emergencies.
The Orange County Advisory Board has identified the shortage of trained emergency response personnel and lack of training of new firefighters within our area. The Board has requested New York State to immediately increase the field training budget for the Office of Fire Prevention and control. The New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control is the organization who operates training programs which provide the firefighter training programs. They also want to conduct an in dept review of training needs of the fire service to establish a realistic funding base for delivery of Fire Protection services within New York State.
Orange County relies on volunteers to provide fire protection and emergency services to the residents. Major parts to our safety, along with our responder’s safety are well trained individuals who are educated and experienced. The Orange County Advisory Board has identified the shortage of trained emergency response personnel and training of new firefighters and are working to provide the necessary training requested. They feel that these programs are essential in the development of enthusiastic, proficient and safety conscious volunteers to respond to any incident that may occur in our community.
August, 2008
Pleased Letter from Monroe Citizen
Click to view our July Newsletter
July 16, 2008
Camp La Guardia
Orange County NY – On June 30th, I put together an informational meeting at Chester Academy High School to discuss the impending sale of the property at Camp LaGuardia. I believed the community had a lot of unanswered questions, questions that needed to be heard by the Legislature before the important vote on July 2nd. Therefore, the meeting was organized to give the public a chance to voice their questions and concerns and for those Orange County Legislators who choose to attend, to answer them. Many residents, including myself, felt the need for the County Legislator to extend the sale deadline to make a proper, well thought out decision. I was against accepting the proposal of Easy Equities, and believed that more time and consideration were necessary before accepting any offers.
Other Legislators and I were not alone with our concerns over the impending vote. Well over 100 residents of Orange County attended the meeting, filling most of the seats at Chester Academy. This meeting definitely highlighted the enormous concern floating around our community; residents asked questions and brought up many important topics that needed to be explored. Residents were concerned over the credibility of people involved in certain proposals, while others were more concerned about traffic flow, housing, or sewage and water problems that could arise with the additional housing units.All together, it is apparent that Orange County residents want to be intricately involved in the future planning of former Camp LaGuardia, and want the Legislature to take their time in making a decision, and analyzing that final decision.
Orange County Executive Edward Diana was also present at the meeting and took on many of the difficult questions the community wanted answered. He did a good job handling the public’s questions and concerns, and ensured the community that the right decision will be made.
The decision, that originally was to be decided on July 2nd by the Orange County Legislature, was postponed until a later date and until further review. The Legislature has decided to continue to review the proposals and to consider other offers, not necessarily the highest bidder. We are looking forward to making a good decision and working with the Towns of Chester, Blooming Grove, and Village of Chester to preserve and protect the interests of the residents.
When the time comes and a decision is made there will be a great change in our community that will benefit all concerned.
June 27, 2008
Townsend and Neuhaus to host Public Informational Meeting on Camp LaGuardia
Orange County NY – Orange County Legislator Greg Townsend, 7th District, District, Town of Chester Supervisor Steve Neuhaus, Village of Chester Mayor Phil Valastro and Blooming Grove Supervisor Charles Bohan will host a Public Informational Meeting at Chester Academy High School, 64 Hambletonian Avenue, Chester NY, on June 30th at 8pm. The purpose of the meeting is to encourage county residents to come and hear from the above community leaders and openly discuss their concerns surrounding the eminent sale of Camp LaGuardia.
Townsend, Neuhaus, Valastro and Bohan all said recently that they are concerned about the pending vote and more information is needed in order to make the correct decision for Orange County.
“As this is one of the most important decisions to come in front of the County Legislature in the foreseeable future, it is important that we take our time and make the right decision for our constituents, said Townsend. This sale will have a tremendous impact on our county and the Monroe Woodbury School District for the next 50 to 75 years, this project will effect our children and our grandchildren, how we vote is of the utmost importance,” said Townsend.
Townsend, Neuhaus, Valastro and Bohan all believe the sale of Camp LaGuardia should go back into the committee for due diligence and further discussion. The committee needs to look at the infrastructure, roads, transportation to accommodate any such a development that is being proposed. We also must explore the impact that it will have on Orange County Sewer District #1, which currently handles all the water running through our Villages and Towns to the Harriman Plant. More importantly, the three local communities directly involved need to have a seat at the table.
I am not satisfied with what I have heard and I will ask this to be brought back for further discussion before the full Legislature votes, said Townsend.
Supervisor Steven Neuhaus stated "This is one of the most important decisions that the county legislature will make that will have long lasting effects on both my community and the region as a whole. I hope that the Orange County Legislature does what is best for the taxpayers and votes "no" against selling the property at this time. I urge the public to come out to this important public meeting and thank my friend Greg Townsend for helping to put this together." The vote will be brought to the floor on July 2nd for Legislator vote.
June 13, 2008
Townsend continues to Press Short Line on Service Issues
Monroe, NY — Commuters piled right back onto Short Line buses on Wednesday following a 12-day strike. Having to find alternate transportation was such a hassle that riders were glad to see the return of drivers to Short Line buses. That being said, now that Short Line drivers have seen a pay increase and some of their issues handled, it is now time to step up to the plate and address the outstanding complaints and issues of Short Line bus riders.
Approximately ten weeks ago, Coach USA/Short Line met with the Commuter Advisory Council in an Open Forum at the Monroe Senior Center in Monroe, N.Y. Widely covered by local media, this meeting was put together by Orange County Legislator Greg Townsend. The topics on hand were bus safety, cleanliness, buses adhering to time schedules, rude drivers, parking lot safety and maintenance. Townsend, who has collected over 100 complaints from local commuters, designed the forum to allow the public to air their grievances directly to Short Line.
Christine Falzone, Director of Sales and Marketing for Short Line, attempted to respond to criticism leveled at Short Line, but fell short as it turns out Short Line had still not addressed the same issues from previous meetings. When pressed about broken seats on buses, rude drivers, congestion at Port Authority gates, and safety issues, Falzone said she would once again bring this to the attention of the proper party. Riders can only be skeptical, as they have not yet seen solutions to their complaints of the past.
David Markowitz, Travel Demand Manager of the Department of Transportation (DOT), assured riders there would be major improvements to all their parking facilities; lighting would be improved, trash receptacles would be provided, snow and ice removal would be handled earlier and the Chester Park & Ride Short Line buses would be moving to a new lot which would open up approximately 50 more spaces at the facility. This is a short-term solution; a long-term plan is to expand all Park & Ride facilities. Many of the Park and Ride lots, with the exception of the Route 17M and Harriman, and Washingtonville, are owned by the State and maintained by the County.
Townsend, who is closely following any issues with Short Line, said today “I am still receiving complaints from the public mostly regarding the same issues; it appears that Short Line has made marginal improvements in its service, but we hoped that Short Line would take these issues more seriously and come to the table with real solutions. The public has the right to expect a certain level of service, especially where safety is concerned. As the strike is now over, we are asking Shortline to come back to the table and address these outstanding issues,” said Townsend.
The Commuter Advisory Council has grown immensely since its beginning, and key to its success are the hard working people who take the time to participate. Townsend also thanked the Orange County Governmental officials who offered positive representation and forward thinking solutions to real problems.
If you would like to participate in the next Open Forum for Short Line buses, please contact Greg Townsend.
June 2nd, 2008
Short Line Bus Strike Ends
View the article from Mid-Hudson News
May 16th, 2008
Gas Tax Holiday Petition
View the article from Mid-Hudson News
May 15th, 2008
Trio of Assembly Republicans push lifting gas taxes
View the article from The Times Herald Record
May 9th, 2008
Townsend Presses Short Line on Service Issues
Monroe, NY — Approximately six weeks ago, Coach USA/Short Line met with the Commuter Advisory Council in an Open Forum at the Monroe Senior Center in Monroe NY This meeting, which was widely covered by local media, was put together by Orange County Legislator Greg Townsend; the topics on the table were bus safety, cleanliness, buses adhering to time schedules, rude drivers, parking lot safety and maintenance. Townsend, who has collected over 100 complaints from local commuters, designed the forum to allow the public to air their grievances directly to Short Line.
Christine Falzone, Director of Sales and Marketing for Short Line, attempted to respond to criticism leveled at Short Line, but fell short as it turns out Short Line had still not addressed the same issues from previous meetings. When pressed about broken seats on buses, rude drivers, congestion at Port Authority gates, and safety issues, Falzone said she would once again bring this to the attention of the proper party.
David Markowitz, Travel Demand Manager of the Department of Transportation (DOT), assured riders there would be major improvements at all their parking facilities; lighting would be improved, trash receptacles would be provided, snow and ice removal would be handled earlier and the Chester Park & Ride Short Line buses would be moving to a new lot which would open up approximately 50 more spaces at the facility. This is a short-term solution; a long term plan is to expand all Park and Ride facilities. Many of the Park and Ride lots, with the exception of the Route 17M and Harriman, and Washingtonville, are owned by the State and maintained by the County.
Townsend, who is closely following any issues with Short Line, said today “I am still receiving complaints from the public mostly regarding the same issues; it appears that Short Line has made marginal improvements in its service, but we hoped that Short Line would take these issues more seriously and come to the table with real solutions. The public has the right to expect a certain level of service, especially where safety is concerned.”
The Commuter Advisory Council has grown immensely since its conception, and key to its success are the hard working people who take the time to participate. Townsend also thanked the Orange County Governmental officials who offered positive representation and forward thinking solutions to real problems.
If you would like to participate in the next Open Forum, please visit our contact page.
May 2008
Open House at Cornell University Cooperative Extension
View the article from Cornell Cooperative Extension
April 18th, 2008
Monroe Commuter Committee Grows in Size and Influence
View the article as a PDF
April 7th, 2008
Launch of New Website for Orange County Legislator Greg Townsend, District 7
With Townsend's recent victory in the election for Orange County Legislator for District 7, a new website has been created to facilitate communication between the community and Legislator Townsend. It will provide the people a simple way of expressing their ideas and concerns to ensure that their voice can to be heard. There will be News updates and Legislation News posted as it becomes available, to keep the community informed on what is going on.
Please be patient as we get this site up to date.
To contact us, please visit our contact page.
Thank you.