. -' July 20, 1983 Vol. XXVIII. No. 'El • The weekly newspaper seNing the towns of IG T Bethlehem and New Scotland Ambulance district law passed Suspension .. extending the life of the Bethlehem is voided Deer hunting, Indu~trial Authority, which had been due SELKIRK to gd out of existence because it had IDA also pass issued no bonds in the previous 10 years. By Tom McPheeters I I Supervisor Tom Corrigan said he had Wayne laChappelle, the Bethlehem A bill that would allow the Bethlehem recently been asked to comment on the police officer suspended this spring. has Volunteer Ambulance Service to re­ Bethlehem residents passed by the bill by Cuomo's office, and had sent a been found guilty by the town board of 22 establish itself on the same independent Legislature in the session that ended last letter: supporting it. Bethlehem recently charges of failing to make correct entries basis as flre districts is awaiting Gov. month. A law that will permit shotgun receiJed its first IDA application, for•a on his time sheets. but innocent of five Mario Cuomo's signature. hunting of deer in the part of Bethlehem tank farm on Rt. 144. -:hargcs of taking excessive time. And the Town officials and members of the south of Feura Bush Rd. and west of Rt. The bill allowing the creation of board decided that a formal reprimand ambulance company hope the new law 144, as well as in parts of the Town of volunteer ambulance districts was not was ··sufficient" punishment for La­ will allow the financially ailing organi-. Coeymans, has already been signed by passed for Bethlehem, although the :=happelle's actions, which means the zation to become self-sufficient, with its Gov. Cuomo. That law, designed to keep town'S interest may have helped move it Jfficer will be paid for the 30 days he was own taxing power, but avoid the area deer populations down, goes into· through· the legislature: Ac<.:ording to on suspension. cumbersome town controls that are effect this fall, according to a state Charles W. Wheeler, Jr., a South The charges. all of which related to necessary under the present law. Environmental Conservation official. Bethlehem resident who has been very time LaChappelle took off during his The bill IS one of three important to The legislature has also passed a bill (Turn to Page /0) "lunch hour'' {he generally works the night shift). were fikd in May by now­ rL"tircd Capt. Robert Foster. according to Supcrvisnr Tum Corrigan. Foster gave no explanatiLH1 for filing the formal charges. Corrigan said. and soon after retired. He had h<.:cn the department's highest ranking uniformed officer and had the title of aeting police chief. ~drrigan said Friday that ~incc he a'nd SafCty Commissioner Ralph Tipple had :-. been involved in an earlier, informal discussion of the charges with Foster .lnd LaChappe!le. neither of them could act as hearing officer once formal charges had been filed. The hearing proced urc is mandated by state civil service law, he said. Instead. the town board hired attorney r"laul Vc!la to act as hearing offiCer. and Vella-spent two Jays taking testimony. His recommendation \vas delivered to the board at an exe<.:utivL ~cssion following its regular meeting last Wedm~sday, and, according to Corrigan, included the Summer means swimming at the Town of Bethlehem's Elm Ave. Park Tom Howes photos finding that l.aChappcllc could not be found guilty on thL' charges ·Involving taking too much time for his lunch break. "There was some yuestion about' A park planned by and for t~e people whether it was authorized." Corrigan Bethlehem's Elm Ave. Park is 10 years .;aid. "It was a gray area." LaChappelle's old this year. Lorraine Smith, a relative the town," recalls Bertram E. Kohinkc, Stevcn~on, who emphasized the gnal of time was correctly recorded on the newcomer to town and a mother active in town supervisor at the time. So the Beth­ this mtticulous planning, "To suhstan­ department's own logs. and it was a drive to get a children's playground at lehem Recreation Committee, residents tiate eVery item, with an approach of established that he was in contact with the park, explored how the park got with expertise in all aspects of park maxim~m usefulness and attractiveness." th<..' dispatcher by phone. Corrigan said. started. Ed. planning, was established. Committees Originally the land was a farm, Vdla recommended a written rL­ By Lorraine Smith were created for land purchase, -tennb comple'te with a creek and stone walls. primand. to be placed in LaChappelle's court arrangements. pool planning, file. and a fine not to exceed $100. The It is one of the finest swimming The ini.tial purch<tsc of SO acre~. less than baseball field lay-out, programs and town board decided that the reprimand competition facilities in the area - so half thC present area, was madC in 1970 at year-round utilization. was "suflicient," Corrigan said. good the U.S. Adirondack District the cost of $160.000. "The farm owners Swimming Championships came to The master plan for the park covered (Turn to Page 3) (Turn to Page 2) Bethlehem lO years ago and has come every detail from initial activities to be ·back every year since. It is host to made available, anticipated costs, to the -countless tennis tournaments, ball siting of the buildin"gs with respect to the games, soccer games, road races and weather, and areas that should remain more. wild and undeveloped. Nothing was omitted: the plans even included con­ But Bethlehem's Elm Ave. Park draws touring the hills that define the ice skating· 100,000 people every year- better than4 area. visits for every resident of the town - and for most competition is secondary. In "The more people you get t'o enjoy 10 years, the park has become the center things, the nicer it is," Kohinke reflected. of many summers. its expansive facilities "And so these committees composed of a complemented by a dazzling variety of lot of volunteers. capable, dedicated, well-trained. sought the way to do things, programs ~nd activities for all ages. to answer as many y_ucstions before they All this didn't happen overnight. were asked. and get all the bugs out." The idea for a town park came in the The different groups then met with the mid-'60's following a nationwide thrust consulting engineers. Myrick and Cheve­ for recreational facilities. The Town of .ier, retained by the town for the design Bethlehem recognized a dire need for and supervision of construction. George summer programming for its young Myrick explained that his company people as well as its se'!ior citizens. worked with the architect to translate the .. The town felt that it better set aside recommendations of the committee into some land for growth and recreation for plans and specifications for the compleX. the future. It needed to be sizeable . The liaison between the consulting lbls aerlal•lew ortbe Elm Ave, Park in winter shows tbe large skating area, center, wltb . · enough and located within the center of enginee-rs and the Town was Tom tbe warming hut at left. .. Atlantic Cement accord reported~~,; (From Page 1) An agreement hammered out by nego- . chairman of the Coeymans Board .of:As­ tic's school tax bill, paid last September, tiators for Atlantic Cement Corp. and the . sess.ment Review,. represented the toWn; LaChappelle had been suspended for was just over $600,000. The property is in 30 days without pay following the filing · Town of Coeymans is scheduled to go. VanSlyke said Leonard was polling each the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk School of the charges. Because of the decision, before the Coeymans Town Board at a of the nine members of Atlantic's board District, which covers the southern third the town will be required to pay· the meeting Saturday. The agreement con­ of directors individually concerning the of the Town of Bethlehem and a corner of cerns Atlantic's attempt to have its $4.18 accord. New Scotland. officer for that time as if he had been working. The town will also pay Vella's millio-n asse-ssment iowered. The KNickerbocker News Monday re­ fee and the other costs involved in the A professional industrial appraiser has ported that the tentative agreement Fireworks arrest hearing, including the services of a court put the full value oft he plant at about $13 would reduce the companfs assessment A 35-year-old Selkirk man was arrest­ stenographer. million rather than the $20 million listed about $600,000 the first year and ed by Bethlehem police last Tuesday by the state Department of Equalization $400,000 more the second year. Van following complaints from Selkirk Corrigan said he thought the punish­ and Assessment, and reportedly has Slyke said the report was inaccurate. residents that he sold fireworks - illegal ment was fair. ''He goes through it. It's calculated the resulting assessment as a Atlantic had earlier proposed to Coey­ in New York State - to youngsters on traumatic thing, you know," he said. "He 1.. $2.6 million. mans assessors that the assessment be cut June 29. The charge of unlawfully dealing was very glad it's all over with." No from $4.2 million to $3.2 million, effec­ in fireworks is a misdemeanor. appeal is expected, he said. Robert Van Slyke, director of public tive May I this year, with a further drop relations for Atlantic, said Monday that to $2.95 million next May and then to Lawrence Leonard, vice president and $2.6 million in May, 1985.