Reader-Supported News for Philipstown and Beacon Beacon’s Bard Page 16 FEBRUARY 7, 2020 Support us at highlandscurrent.org/join STORY HOUR POWER — Angel Elektra drew a crowd at the Putnam Valley Library on Feb. 1 when the drag queen read books to a packed room of children and their parents as a lesson about inclusiveness and acceptance. A local priest took offense and organized a protest. Others showed up to voice support for the event. Elektra will read stories at Split Rock Books in Cold Spring on May 17. Photos by Ross Corsair From Three Cleaning Up Indian Point Reporter’s Notebook Lawmakers raise doubts 15 years. From One to Two The NRC has opened its public comment about proposed transfer period on the request. Judging by the mood Paperboy to Beacon to retire one fire at a joint Jan. 30 meeting of the Indian By Brian PJ Cronin station, upgrade others Point Closure Task Force and the Commu- Another he Indian Point nuclear power nity Unity Task Force, the agency can By Michael Turton By Jeff Simms plant in Buchanan is scheduled to expect to hear an earful. begin its shutdown in April, after Holtec has come under scrutiny about eacon will pull its firefighters from T s a kid in which the site will need to be cleaned up its capacity to do the work, as well as its the 130-year-old Beacon Engine Ontario, I and its spent, radioactive rods secured. financial health. A presentation by a Holtec fire station on East Main Street this was a bicy- B Entergy, which owns the plant, doesn’t representative on Jan. 15 at the Buchanan A spring while launching a multi-year initia- cle-riding paper- want to do the decommissioning and so Village Hall did little to quell those doubts. tive to modernize its two remaining stations, boy. Sixty years later has asked the federal Nuclear Regula- “I came out more worried than when I Mayor Lee Kyriacou announced during the I’m still at it, distribut- tory Commission for the OK to transfer went in,” said Dr. Richard Becker, a coun- Monday (Feb. 3) City Council meeting. ing 4,000 copies of The Highlands Current its license to a firm called Holtec Inter- cilman for the Town of Cortlandt. The original portion of the Beacon each Friday morning in Beacon, Cold Spring national. The cleanup is expected to take (Continued on Page 19) Engine building was constructed in 1889 and Philipstown, rain or shine, although and cannot house modern fire appara- thankfully by car. tus, Kyriacou said. It also does not meet Often on Fridays I’d see a weathered National Fire Protection Association safety black car zooming around with copies standards and would be costly to upgrade. of The New York Times flying out the The remaining stations — the Mase window. My reaction was always, “Man, Hook and Ladder station at 425 Main St. that guy drives like a maniac!” and the Tompkins Fire Hose station on Late last year that black car disappeared. South Avenue — will be upgraded to meet Its driver, Decatur Myers, died on Dec. 13, at building and accessibility standards, he age 72, of cancer. Lory Smith, who lives in said. Following the announcement, the Cold Spring, emailed The Current to ask if council approved spending $40,730 to hire we knew that Decatur had passed. “He was Mitchell Associates Architects, an Albany a unique individual and worked extremely County firm, to design the renovations. hard to get us all our various papers,” he “This was not an easy decision, although wrote. “I considered him a friend.” multiple [Beacon] City Councils have I soon realized how many people had reached the same conclusion,” said Kyriacou. known Decatur — some by name, others The move to close Beacon Engine, simply as their longtime newspaper deliv- which comes just a month into Kyriacou’s ery man, many from his infamous driving. tenure as mayor, seemingly ends a debate Although we never met, I felt a kinship, that dates to at least 2006, when the city knowing that we must have shared the and two planning firms began studying same grievances about heavy editions scenarios for consolidation. (today’s 24-page paper is 16,000 pages heavier than a 20-pager) and bad weather. In recent years, city leaders considered DANCING ON THE LANDING — The Philipstown Depot Theatre on Feb. 1 hosted a perfor- building a station at the Memorial Park mance led by Jamel Gaines, who lives in Garrison, and performers from his Brooklyn- Wanting to know more about him, I called dog run site or on the edge of the Sargent based Creative Outlet Dance Theater. For more photos, see Page 10. Photo by Ross Corsair his son, Decatur Jr., who agreed to meet at (Continued on Page 9) (Continued on Page 6) 2 FEBRUARY 7, 2020 The Highlands Current highlandscurrent.org FIVE QUESTIONS: JOE ROBITAILLE By Jeff Simms Do you feel pressure taking over an Jessica Reisman, and there’s no way it can established, beloved cafe? be the same, because she was one of a kind. By Michael Turton oe Robitaille purchased Homespun It’s wonderful and tough. Small busi- Foods in Beacon from its longtime ness is difficult in general. I’d been think- Will you add more wine to the menu? What’s your favorite owner, Jessica Reisman, late last year. J ing for the last two years at Definitely. I’ve developed some great Oscar-winning film, my last job about doing relationships in the world of wine, so I’ll Was Beacon always on your radar? this, and every time the be able to source some that might be and how could the Very much so. My wife, Kate, and I came walk-ins [refrigera- more difficult to find. But we’ll also awards be improved? up here for the first time seven years ago, tors] crashed or some- have $8 or $9 wines by the glass along when our son was a year-and-a-half old. thing broke, I’d think: with a bunch of affordable wines on Kate went to Dia:Beacon and I went for “That’s going to be my the menu. a long bike ride from here to Saugerties. problem.” But this is Moonlight [2017]. It Then we came back a few months later and a place where I knew How will you maintain Home- needs more diversity in drove Route 9D between here and Garrison. from the get-go that spun’s character? There were a bunch of people out and about some people wouldn’t want Take the long view. I could filmmakers — women on Main Street in Beacon; I saw the record us to change come in and change and people of color. store — I love records — and it seemed like anything. everything and make such a cool city. There’s it mine, but that’s only one not me. I feel no Is your background in restaurants? rush. I’ve thought I worked for eight years in New York City about a Sunday restaurants, the last two as a chef somme- night reading lier, and before that I spent six years as series for poets. head sommelier for il Buco, a phenomenal Being in Beacon, restaurant on Bond Street. I got into wine I’m starting after I moved to the city from Buffalo to to feel that study poetry in graduate school and do an creative part of MFA at Brooklyn College. A friend whose me resurface, ~ Robby Anderson, Beacon couch I was crashing on worked at a wine which is really store in the West Village, and I started pleasant. working in the cellar there. Moonstruck [1988]. Hold the awards on Saturday night for people who have to get up early Monday. ~ Ali Verdicchio, Cold Spring Lawrence of Arabia [1963]. Add a Best Comedy category. • Custom Guitars • iGuitar USB • Factory Direct Sales • Expert Repairs & Setups • USB/Synth Upgrades • Lessons Patrick G. Cummings 290 Main St., Cold Spring, NY 10516 845•809•5347 x226 ~ David Marzollo, Cold Spring www.iguitarworkshop.com | [email protected] highlandscurrent.org The Highlands Current FEBRUARY 7, 2020 3 planning, was denied 7-1. Nancy Montgomery (D-Philipstown) cast the dissenting vote. Sheriff Gets His Overtime Money The rejection of Langley’s request But Putnam legislators tic disturbance in Putnam Valley, the day appeared to be a sudden change of approach before the Rules Committee meeting. for the Republican legislators, who for years approve oversight rule “The Legislature has a responsibility to the routinely approved such transfers. In 2018, taxpayers and part of that responsibility is to the Legislature gave the OK for Langley to By Leonard Sparks budget realistically,” Langley told the commit- move at least $192,000, and in 2012 and tee, citing “uncontrolled situations that take 2014 it approved requests from Smith to wo months after rejecting a request place out in the streets of Putnam County.” move $200,000 or more. by Sheriff Robert Langley Jr. to Under the new policy, requests to exceed At their Dec. 18 meeting, legislators T transfer $121,000 to cover road patrol “non-mandatory” overtime must be approved transferring $49,439 from overtime, the Putnam County Legislature provided in writing to the Legislature with machine maintenance to road patrol over- approved a resolution on Tuesday (Feb. 4) “detailed, complete justification.” time. The balance of Langley’s $121,000 requiring department heads to get approval The Legislature also has asked Finance request was taken care of through routine before exceeding their overtime budgets.