August 29, 1990 Vol. XXXIV, No. 36 The weekly newspaper serving the towns of :::~ .. 1lehem and New Scotland Time's up - Ready, set, recycle By Mike Larabee he said. "Then the next step would be or "one-bin" system, meaning that all "Ready or not, here we come," said citizens." recyclables except newspapers can be Bruce Secor, Bethlehem public works At the end oflastweek,thetown mailed placed together in a single container. commissioner, on ftnal preparations for out pamphlets to all residents explaining Residents who haven't received a recy­ the Sept. 1 kick-off of townwide manda­ the ftner points of mandatory recycling. cling-bin from their hauler by Sept. 1 can tory recycling. Bethlehem has gone with a "co-mingled" , RECYCLE/page 20 Though some ofthe equipment for the new material reprocessing facility on Route 32 may not arrive by Saturday, Secor said, the plant has enough storage GLASS BOnLES METAL CANS space to operate until it does. tJ CLEAR,BRO~.GREEN "It's going to be close," he said. "It A. Rinsed, clean, Labels ok, looks very positive and everybody's get­ ~ NO Tops, Rings, or other Closures. NO Plastic coated 6e)~ ting ready for this. Things are keying up. • or Netted coverings. NO • Ceramics • Clay Pots "We'll be able to get by, • ~Secor said. • Crystal • Light bulbs ALUMINUM, BIMETAL, Town officials are looking for the • Mirror & Window glass TIN-PLATED STEEL • Pyrex • Corning ware Clean, Take labels off. program to pick up momentum as it • Leaded glass • China Can be whole or crushed. progresses. Sharon Fisher, town recy­ • Drinking glasses Clean aluminum foil and cling coordinator, called recycling a "new disposable baking pans habit" that will "take a little practice to get acceptable. right. • As such, she said, the town real­ NO • Pipes • Wires • Cooking pots izes it will have to be patient early on. • Aerosol cans "September is going to be a learning 6£)9 . • Paint cans process and a breaking-in period," she . said. "We're going to be concentrating on ~ PLASTIC CONTAINERS NEWSPAPERS that rather than on ftnes and coming e ONLY ~ (PETI & ~(HOPEI down hard on people." Rinsed clean and drained, Bagged in ''brown" paper Labels ok, NO tops. bag and placed next to or Under the new law, residents could be YES • Milk & Juice containers on top of bin. Remove ftned up to $250 or compelled to serve up • Detergent & Shampoo bottles glossy inserts. • Soda bottles • Peanut butter jars to 15 days in jail for noncompliance. ~ut NO • Cardboard Secor said the penalties are there to give NO • Plastic bags • Toys • Magazines • Auto parts • Flower pots • Mail the town ieverage in convincing chronic • Plastics which break when crushed • WET newspapers abusers to participate. "We're not going (ex: • Yogurt, pudding &-cottage cheese containers) • Pens .------.., to put people in jail if they don't recycle, • • Appliances • Laundry baskets,______ _, he said. Secor said the town will concentrate on monitoring local collectors, whose cooperation he said is crucial to the suc­ his commander, Lt. unan uo's"'"· cess of the program. and 1st Sgt. Albert mv,eu.asJKeo Over half of what we throw out is Reducible, Reusable or for volunteers. The 76th· Division, "If we ftnd a hauler without a permit, RECYCLABLE Vunck said, is scheduled to be that will be our frrst line of eniorcemen~· deactivated as of September 1991. The Vermont unit was put .on alert Aug. 20, and "They came up Environmentalists: Enforce 15 people short," he said. If the unit is called, Vunck said he and the other volunteers would stay 'bad actor' laws for violators with it as long as it was activated. Short of a declaration of war, .re­ By Mike Larabee disposal facilities in Bethlehem for a from permits to build disposal plants in servists can be called up for up to Many people who spoke at a public period of at least six months. Currently, Bethlehem. six months of active service, he several applications to site new waste Lyons' call for a "bad boy" law, later hearing on Bethlehem's proposed refuse facilities in Beth.lehem - including two said. facility moratorium want the town to go echoed by Judith Enck of New York's - of regional scope- are pending before Public Interest Research Group, made Although Vunck said he is "a farther and adopt stiffer laws regarding town and state offtcials. little apprehensive," he's already waste incinerators. specillc reference to Ref-Fuel's parent The moratorium has been proposed io packed in case the unit is called. But three took the plan to task, warn­ company, Browning Ferris Industries "The Army can send us wherever allow time to prepare town-specillc dis­ (BFI). The most controversial applica­ ing the town not to put off decisions on posal facility regulations that might, we're needed." He said his par­ waste disposal. tion before the town is Ref-Fuel's pro­ Bethlehem offtcials say, exceed state posal to build a $200 million regional ents, who live in Staten Island, About 100 attended the Wednesday, "weren't too thrilled with the idea, • Department of Environmental Conser­ waste-to-energy incinerator on Cabbage Aug. 22, Town Hall hearing. Supporters vation (EnCon) standards. Island in the northeast corner of toWn. butthatjoiningthereservesmeans of the moratorium outnumbered oppo­ at some point, it's possible to be Betsy Lyons. a spokesperson for town­ "BFI has a lengthy list of contract and nents four to one: As Supervisor Ken based citizens' group Bethlehem Work called to active duty. Ringler put it later, at times the discus­ environmental violations in its record," "I'd rather it be known I volun­ on Waste, asked the town to consider said Lyons. "Promises and policies are sion seemed more a hearing on Ameri­ adopting an incinerator ban of at least teered. At least I can get my per­ can Ref-Fuel's proposed incinerator than fine, but actual corporate records should ftve-years and a "bad boy" or "bad actor" be considered." sonal effects in order," he said. the moratorium. law barring companies with a history of 16 If adopted, the moratorium would for­ anti-trust or environmental violations MORATORIUM /page 4 bid town officials from okaying refuse Voorheesville schools see ongoing construction· By Debi Boucher such as the classrooms being Still to be completed at the ele­ is ready, Diegle said. about ready" for the siart of school The bulk of the improvement added to the high school, would mentary school is an elevator for A new ceiling has been installed year, according to Principal 0. not be done until sometime in freight and handicapped persons, in the school's small gymnasium, Peter Griffin, with a new acousti­ projects undertaken this year at cal setup, new stage and new cur­ Voorheesville Elementary School December. which Cashara.said would proba­ and the main gym got a new coat of and Voorheesville High School will bly be done by November. paint. tains. At the elementary school, a new As of early this week, Griffin be completed by the time_ school bus turn-around has been com­ A rewiring project to accommo­ Deigle said what remained to opens on Sept. 6, but some con­ be done on the various renovation said, steelwork was just going up pleted, as has a larger outdoor play date computers the school re­ for enlargement of the cafeteria, struction will continue during the area and a new library on the sec­ ceived from an IBM grant has not projects were "mostly finishing first half of the school year. been started, explained Principal touches, • and that there would be while work in the science rooms is ond floor. Staff members spent the largely but not completely done. Assistant Superintendent An­ latter part of June moving the li­ Edward Diegle, since blueprints no significant inconveniences for thony Cashara said most renova­ brary from its former third-floor have yet to be received from II3M. teachers and students. Since many One of the high school's big­ tion projects would be completed location, which will be converted The computers are being held for of the projects were begun before gest projects, expansion of the by Sept. 5, but new construction, into two classrooms. delivery until the computer room the close ofthe last school year, he library, has not yet been begun, noted, students are used to the Griffin said, and the new multi­ presence of construction workers. purpose exercise room - known The renovations add up to "a as the Buckley Room- won't be big improvement" to the school, completed until later in the fall. both inside and outside, Diegle Since the school was under Magical Tots! feels. "I call it a renaissance for "semi construction" for a portion Voorheesville Elementary," he of the last school year, when ceil­ said. ings were replaced after asbestos An innovative, creative play program for you and your toddler! At the high school, construc­ removal, students should be used tion of a new music wing is "mov­ to the altered environment, Griffm Each weekly class includes the following tun activities: ing right along," according to said. "lbe kids will adjust, the staff Cashara; four new classrooms are will adjust, • he predicted. also being built. Both projects are Noting that the school is over slated for completion between ,.,,,,.,,,_,., ....... , 30 years old, Griffin said he sees ;,,, .. --. December. and early January, the construction as a necessary Cashara said. "update"thatwill prove well worth ·~ey§JC>i5r#eflt~J~e~~y · Already installed are the high any inconvenience it causes now. • f.. J!Balls~nctH 00ps ,: •.•. ,., school's new heating system and "It11 be very nice in another year, • .