Beacon: the Region's Greenest Community? Hudson Valley
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Reader-Supported News for Philipstown and Beacon An Eye for Barbie Page 11 MAY 1, 2020 Support us at highlandscurrent.org/join Dutchess, Putnam: Keep Us Out of It Counties want state to allow faster re-opening By Leonard Sparks and Holly Crocco utchess County will not be auto- matically grouped with hard- D hit Rockland and Westchester counties as Gov. Andrew Cuomo imple- ments a regional approach to reopen- ing businesses, County Executive Marc Molinaro said on Thursday (April 30) as Putnam County officials called for the same consideration. Cuomo announced on Sunday (April 26) a plan for a phased-in re-opening of businesses closed because of the COVID- 19 pandemic. It could begin as early as May 15, when his current stay-at-home order expires. Re-opening would be done using the state’s 10 Regional Economic Development Councils as a guide. Each region would need to demonstrate a 14-day decrease in COVID- 19 hospitalizations and take other steps. FOLLOW THE LEADER — George Washington was gifted with a knit mask last week in Beacon. The statue was erected in 1999 by the Melzingah chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution to mark the bicentennial of the death of the nation’s (Continued on Page 22) first president. During the Revolutionary War, Washington visited the nearby Madam Brett Homestead. Photo by Ross Corsair Hudson Valley Shakespeare Beacon: The Region’s Festival Cancels 2020 Season Greenest Community? Hopes to offer online On Thursday (April 30), the festi- City leaders strive for Research and Development Authority val announced it had canceled its 2020 after Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2015 set workshops, readings season because of the COVID-19 threat, environmental excellence 15-year targets for the reduction of green- By Liz Schevtchuk Armstrong joining the darkened theaters of Broadway By Jeff Simms house gas emissions, increased renewable and shuttered music and cultural venues energy production and less construction- he Bard once wrote that “all the around the globe. The annual Shakespeare arlier this year, shortly before Beacon based energy consumption. world’s a stage” — except not for festival in Central Park in New York City received its bronze certification from The NYStretch code will change incre- T the Hudson Valley Shakespeare was canceled on April 17, and summer E the state’s Climate Smart Communi- mentally, so that its standards — which Festival this summer. (Continued on Page 20) ties program, Mayor Lee Kyriacou remarked this year include metrics such as improved during a City Council meeting that he hoped insulation and window performance, Beacon would soon become “the greenest whole building electrical consumption community in the Hudson Valley.” monitoring, and renewable and electric Roughly two months later, even amid a vehicle readiness — stay one “cycle” ahead pandemic, the city is making strides. of the state’s standard energy conservation Last month Beacon became the first construction code. The authority says that municipality in the state outside of New York in 2020 the stretch code should provide City to adopt “one-step ahead” energy-effi- participating municipalities with energy cient construction standards. At the same savings of around 11 percent. time, a volunteer committee is discussing It will apply to new construction and how to improve recycling and composting. renovations. The NYStretch Energy Code, which “While some of Beacon’s new projects was adopted by the City Council on April already use more energy-efficient construc- HVSF purchased a new tent in 2018. It will not go up this year. HVSF 20, was developed by the state Energy (Continued on Page 21) 2 MAY 1, 2020 The Highlands Current highlandscurrent.org FIVE QUESTIONS: CHRIS BISHOP By Chip Rowe minorities. He had a Christian as his foreign feed the farmer, the truck drivers, fodder minister, and a Christian bodyguard. When producers, the restaurant and grocery By Michael Turton he Rev. Chris Bishop, of Garrison, the U.S. invaded in 2003, everything fell workers. It’s cascading goodness. Next, we is the founder of Stand with Iraqi apart, and when the Caliphate attacked in want to start a sheep farm; for $6,000 you What has been your T Christians (standwithiraqichris- 2014, things really went south. Christians can start a sheep farm! Then a cattle farm. tians.org). were told to leave their homes, immediately. most memorable Most have since left Iraq, either for the U.S., What drew you to the ministry? How did the organization come about? Australia and Europe, or camps in Jordan My dad was an Episcopal priest, but shelter-in-place meal? Before we moved to Garrison [where his and elsewhere. Some want to rebuild now when I was a teenager, I told him, “I don’t wife, Amanda Eiman, is the rector at St. that Da’esh has been defeated. You have to believe any of this stuff.” I went to the Philip’s Episcopal Church], I led St. Martin’s wonder: When 120,000 Christian refu- Columbia University film school and Five of us rotate cooking in Radnor, Pennsylvania. In 2014, a parish gees were fleeing these gangsters, Hollywood, and then back to New and selecting a movie member who had been doing construction where was the rest of the Chris- York to make documentaries. in northern Iraq came home for Christmas. tian church? These people have But I wasn’t content. In 1999 — from Hitchcock and I asked him how it was going. He said, “My been in Iraq since the time of I moved to our family cabin in rib-eyes to meatballs and life is great, but do you know what’s going Jesus. They speak Aramaic, northern Michigan to clear Harry Potter! on with the Christians over there?” To be the language that Jesus my head. I would buy the honest, I wasn’t aware there were Christians spoke. Sunday New York Times in Iraq. But at the time there were 120,000 in and one day spotted a small camps in Kurdistan, fleeing Da’esh [ISIS]. A How will they rebuild? ad that read, “Courses being bell went off: I needed to go there. Many are farmers. We have offered at the General Theo- raised enough money so far logical Seminary in New York Was it dangerous? to fund six chicken farms. City.” My friends thought I I went in September 2015, at the height of Of course, COVID-19 was having a psychotic the war, to the Christian quarter of Erbil, the screwed every- breakdown, but capital of Kurdistan, which was protected thing up, but I went and by Kurdish fighters. We took $15,000 to buy they are still c o u l d n ’ t food, tablet computers for teachers at a refu- functioning. have been ~ Joe Curto, Cold Spring gee center, and to provide other aid. Some- If you start happier. one suggested that I visit the Mar Mattai a chicken Monastery, but I wasn’t told it was 20 kilo- farm, you meters from Mosul, which was the front line. As we got closer, there were more and more My girlfriend made black-bean [Christian] checkpoints, and at the last one, burgers with spicy aioli mayo, a guard points and says, “Come with me.” multi-salad, roasted sweet My driver was freaking out. They put me potatoes and steamed, fresh- in a trailer with a commander, who says, picked garlic mustard greens. “Who are you and what are you doing here?” I say, “I’m an Anglican priest from the U.S., Stay in Touch going to visit the monastery.” I think I’m going to jail. He says, “What’s an Anglican?” He let me go, and when I asked the driver what it was all about, he told me: “It’s the beard. They thought you were an undercover Muslim.” I grew a beard because I thought it ! would help me fit in. 50% OFF What are the challenges facing Chris- extended through May! tians in Iraq? It’s never been easy for them, although ~ Chris Toland, Beacon AD RATES: Saddam Hussein did protect the religious Here are some things you can say with your ad: 1/16 • "We're still here" $20 We’ve eaten well (lamb) and really bad (Beefaroni for 1/8 • "Thank you to our breakfast). I won’t go in big community" $35 stores, so the selection is limited at the local gas station. • "We're open for pickup" 1/4 • Offer a coupon or discount $75 • Feature your website and 1/2 online ordering $150 EMAIL Michele Gedney [email protected] ~ Gillian Thorpe, Cold Spring highlandscurrent.org The Highlands Current MAY 1, 2020 3 Challengers Set Dutchess School May Close After 86 Years for November Parents, teachers, alums Democratic presidential race to create rescue plan primary canceled By Leonard Sparks By Chip Rowe arents, teachers and alumni are racing to prevent the closure of the private fter push- PPoughkeepsie Day School, which for 86 ing the years has provided a progressive education to A Demo- children from the Hudson Valley, including cratic presiden- many from Philipstown and Beacon. tial primary In March, more than 100 parents, teach- back by two ers and students attended an emotional months to June meeting at PDS, during which the school’s 23 because of the board members said that years of declining COVID-19 shutdown, enrollment and deficits had been exacer- the state Board of Elections last week bated by the COVID-19 shutdown. canceled it altogether. A group called PDS Lives has since formed In Putnam County, there will not be a to attempt to keep the school open, but offi- vote in Philipstown.