Foodtown Expansion Underway Consolidation and Sharing Key to Town and Village Efficiency Osborne Runs for Putnam County Clerk Ha
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* Winner: 10 Better Newspaper Contest Awards *New York Press Association, 2013 The Paper marks two years with this issue! FREE | FRIDAY, JUNE 6, 2014 69 MAIN ST., COLD SPRING, N.Y. | www.philipstown.info Consolidation and Sharing Key to Town and Village Foodtown Efficiency Expansion State officials give tips and Underway offer aid Thirty percent increase in By Liz Schevtchuk Armstrong floor space ed by Assemblywoman Sandy By Michael Turton Galef, officials from New York LState’s Department of State last he long-awaited expansion of Cold Thursday (May 29) briefed citizens and Spring’s Foodtown supermar- civil servants on the A-B-C-Ds of increas- Tket is well underway. Noah Katz, ing local government efficiency, saving co-president of PSK Supermarkets, the taxpayer money, and boosting state aid store’s parent company, told The Paper levels. he expects renovations to be complete in Their alphabet focused on A — al- four to six weeks. Work began two weeks ternative ways of thinking; B — better ago. The project will see the former Cold governance through efficiency; and C Spring post office converted to become consolidation, sometimes achieved by D part of the grocery store. According to — dissolution of small independent juris- Katz, the expansion will increase Food- dictions. town’s floor area from 6,500 to 8,500 Held at Cortlandt town hall, the event square feet. He declined to indicate the drew about 20 attendees, including ad- cost of the project saying only that it rep- ministrators from the Garrison and Car- resents “a substantial investment.” mel public school districts. No one from Seafood section coming the Cold Spring Village Board, Nelson- The expanded area previously occu- ville Village Board, or Philipstown Town pied by the post office will include four Board came, despite their ongoing con- new grocery aisles, a craft beer area and sideration of consolidating their building “a little bit of everything” from the cur- departments. rent store, Katz said. The additional floor A Democrat who represents Philip- space and alterations to the existing stown and other Hudson Valley towns, store layout will facilitate a number of Galef highlighted both the pressures for, other improvements such as a new, fresh and advantages of, merging government seafood department and an expanded functions. The impetus largely comes deli and bakery. The fruit and vegetable from Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state ef- area will increase considerably in size. forts to get local governments to freeze “There is going to be a huge focus on lo- property taxes, meet a cap on tax in- cal and organic produce,” Katz said of creases, and save taxpayer money, with the newly constituted store. “That’s very refunds for residents of those jurisdic- important to our customers. We give our These entries were featured in last weekend’s Philipstown Garden Club of America tions, including school districts, that do produce manager complete authority to Flower Show. See article on page 7. Photo by A. Rooney so, Galef said. (Continued on page 4) buy local.” An area featuring vitamins and dietary supplements will be added near the checkout area — a feature that Katz said is common at other Foodtown Osborne Runs Haldane Teachers Reject Contract stores. The supermarket’s public rest- rooms have been upgraded and improve- for Putnam Settlement Terms ments to the office and customer service area are in the works. Katz said he also else happens with the contract terms, Staff reductions and hopes to add decorative graphics to the County Clerk the positions and programs will not be exterior of the former post office. program cuts to proceed restored at this point. Democratic Garrison At an emotional, standing room only (Continued on page 5) resident wants to bring By Pamela Doan meeting in early May, students, parents and the HFA president all spoke about hen Philipstown voters went ‘fresh perspective’ the impact of the cuts and their hopes to the polls last month and that other solutions would be found. This approved the school budget, By Kevin E. Foley W is the first time that the district has had there was hope on the horizon that a to eliminate jobs in order to balance the arrison resident and active Phil- last-minute deal a few days before would budget. ipstown Democrat Lithgow Os- save the staff positions and program cuts While both parties issued statements borne has decided to run for the that were slated for the 2014-15 school G about the vote results, no details are office of Putnam County Clerk. Osborne, year. Those hopes were dashed on Tues- forthcoming about the issues that mo- expected to formally announce at a Dem- day (June 3) when the Haldane Faculty tivated the HFA members to reject the ocratic fundraiser on Sunday, June 8, Association members, a union that rep- deal or exactly what happens next. In will gather petition signatures to run on resents 81 teachers and six teaching as- a joint statement about the settlement the Democratic line. He will run in the sistants in the district, voted against the released a few days before the budget November election against the current terms of the settlement their bargaining vote last month, Board President Gillian First Deputy County Clerk, Michael C. team had brought back from months of Thorpe and HFA President Leah Horn Bartolotti, a Republican and career civil talks with district representatives. expressed positive views about the pros- servant. Both candidates already have Interim Superintendent John Cham- pects for a new contract leading many to the support of their respective county bers explained that there was no guar- be surprised at this outcome. Certainly committees. antee the terms would be accepted and the parties will have to meet again and In Putnam the duties of the County the district had already reduced the determine how to proceed. The board Clerk’s office include the role of registrar positions and programs with the caveat said it expected to have more informa- Foodtown’s expansion is expected to be or county record keeper as well as clerk to the affected employees that things tion about the status available to the completed in four to six weeks. of the county courts. Almost any trans- could change pending the results of the public at the next meeting on June 17. Photo by M. Turton action or event (Continued on page 3) contract negotiations. Unless something 2 June 6, 2014 The Paper www.philipstown.info | Philipstown.info Mouths to Feed We don’t even make toast on these of the most delicious dinners I know. mornings anymore. Dinner? Wait a minute! I’m told that Yet while Peter and I are now very shrimp and grits is a breakfast dish, Gritlock nearly on the same page with regards to and should always only and ever be a By Celia Barbour grits (our only difference being that he breakfast dish, since it was first served will eat the Quaker brand and I will not), to shrimpers in the mornings before y and large, I am what is known quarrels continue to rage throughout the they headed out onto the waters. in the marketing world as an grits-loving world. These mostly have to To which I say: Oh be quiet and eat. BOpinion Leader when it comes to do with nomenclature — though grits are And trust me: You will like it. my family’s eating habits. I decide what called “hominy” in parts of the South, is good, and my family decides to like it. many food historians argue that true Shrimp and Grits Photo by C. Barbour (Though, to be sure, this process hits the grits are not made from actual hominy, occasional snag.) But grits are a differ- but rather from plain dried corn. More- ent story. My husband, Peter, is a genuine over, some people blur the distinction be- Shrimp and Grits southerner, raised in Spartanburg, South tween grits and polenta. The difference Carolina, by a Charleston-old-family is real, but irrelevant, unless your corn is Make the shrimp stock first — unless you’re short on time, in which case you can mother and a very-happily-transplanted ground with a millstone. substitute equal parts chicken stock and beer (but it won’t be quite as good). father. And he eats grits. As for me, I am an open-hearted, di- He eats grits, our three children eat versity-embracing kind of gal these days 1 pound shrimp 2 tablespoons butter grits, and now I eat grits, too, having when it comes to grits. Not least because ½ cup andouille sausage or bacon, diced 1½ tablespoons flour been won over by their enthusiasm for grits themselves have been getting better 2 cloves garlic, sliced 1 recipe shrimp broth, hot (see below) this eminent corn porridge. and better, part of this country’s broader 2 medium shallots, minced 2 scallions, thinly sliced It wasn’t that I’d never encountered grits movement towards heirloom foods and 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced before. Growing up in Indiana (which is artisanal practices. Grits are tradition- quasi-Southern by temperament, if not ally made from dent or flint corn — by geography) grits were around, but to which is to say, corn varieties that are Peel and devein the shrimp, reserving the peels. Return shrimp to the refrigerator me they were a novelty food, like hush suited for drying rather than eating as while making the broth. (If you’re not making the broth, heat 1 cup chicken or puppies — not something you’d make ev- a vegetable. (In the United States, less vegetable stock to a simmer.) ery day.